8 Really Powerful Amulets

[1] Amulet of Yennith

The amulet appears as a smooth piece of silver with a large yellow stone set in the center. It is cut in a rectangular shape and glows in the dark. Anyone who touches this amulet can feel its power, and if they unworthy of it they will feel great hesitation to put it on. If the person who tries to wear the amulet has less then 6 HD, they are considered unworthy and it slips off their neck as well as blasting them with one level of level drain.

Anyone who tries to wear this amulet with at least 6 HD is considered worthy- and will find it snugly fitting on their shoulders. Once you have put on the amulet, it is unable to be removed except by the slaying of its resident entity, or through the amulet's total destruction; you are stuck with the amulet until you die. Wearing the amulet also has two effects on the wearer- the first is that the amulet increases your Strength score to 10 if it is under 10 in a surge of otherworldly growth the moment you put on the amulet. After that, whatever your Strength score is it is increased by +1 for every 10 years you wear the amulet. The second effect is that the wearer gains a sense of longevity and stasis. They only need to eat a ration once every 5 days, and they age at about 20% of their normal rate, or in other words their life expectancy is increased by +80%.

The main power of the amulet however is its entity. Present within the stone is a being known to posses great power. The entity is known as Yennith- it appears as whatever form the wearer of the amulet wishes, and can be as large as an ogre or as small as a housecat. It can appear as any race, gender, or even individual but always has bright yellow eyes that match the stone of the necklace and speaks in an echoing, supernatural voice that makes it obvious to anyone that it is a supernatural entity. The being can only manifest in the presence of the wearer.

Yennith is an obedient entity. It serves whoever worthily puts on the amulet and regards them as its master. It will serve the wearer until they die or if the wearer makes any plans known to destroy the amulet to the entity. The entity can hear and see everything its crystal can on the necklace, even when it is not manifested, though it may not reveal this fact to its wearer so it can spy on them in case they wish to be rid of the cursed amulet. Yennith does not appreciate being abandoned or any plots to murder it, as it will die if the amulet is destroyed, and will usually choke the wearer of the amulet in their sleep if it believes they will abandon it, or manifest in a dangerous form to kill them directly. It can also withhold any supernatural strength is has granted to the wearer, but cannot attack with level drain as their energies are too entwined once worn.

Yennith also has the following abilities. If it is defeated, it is banished back to the yellow stone and cannot manifest again for at least one day. Yennith's amulet isn't especially strong once the spirit has been banished; it can be smashed or chopped apart by a +1 magic weapon or greater.

Yennith (X HD, 16 AC, Two manifestation attacks at 2d6 each, transformation, ethereal)

Morale- N/A

Yennith, the yellow-eyed spirit of the Amulet. Yennith can appear as basically anything and its powers reflect that. It has two attacks, which always deal 2d6 damage each, but can deal whatever damage type Yennith wishes in the moment. If Yennith takes the form of a warrior, then the damage can be slashing with a sword, or if Yennith takes the form of a small dragon, then it can breathe fire and deal fire damage as its manifestation attacks, etc. Yennith can transform whenever it wishes or is ordered to, and may move and attack mid transformation, meaning it can transform each round before performing any action. Yennith's size, speed, elemental resistances and so forth are all based on whatever form it takes.

The spirit can also turn into mist or simply disappear and retreat into the Amulet at any moment, making it immune to being grappled or rooted in place. The spirit can be stunned by a powerful attack or spell, and when it is it may transform into a glowing mess of swirling yellow lights roughly in the shape of a tree bearing round fruits. Some scholars believe this is Yennith's true form.

Yennith's HD is determined by its wearer. The X is equal to the wearer's HD, minus one. If Yennith's HD ever reach 9, it now deals 3d6 damage with its attacks and gains +2 AC.

The spirit is not especially talkative and always obeys its owner, but always seem to attach itself to owners who go on to become powerful leaders and conquerors. Because Yennith becomes more powerful as its user becomes more powerful, it is thought to instill in its wearer a sense of ambition to grow itself. It could also just be that the type of people worthy enough to claim this amulet are already ambitious enough to make the most of it.

[2] Beads of Divinity

These are a set of wooden prayer beads. Each bead is inscribed with a symbol that represents one of the heavenly virtues or names of a heavenly mantra. Anyone with even a basic spiritual presence (Wisdom modifier of +1 or better) can tell these beads are from the Celestial realm and are very powerful. Anyone who wears these beads must be pure. Usually this means baptized, not addicted to any drugs, not wealthy, and not capable of casting arcane spells. Anyone who is not pure will feel an intense sensation of shame until they take the beads off, and will not gain any benefit for having them on.

While wearing the beads, if you ARE NOT a Cleric, you gain all the spells and abilities of a Cleric two levels lower then yourself. If you ARE a Cleric, you treat yourself as two levels higher as long as you wear the beads and do not violate your religious purity.

[3] Finestone

This is a green stone, finely polished and sanded to be very smooth. Anyone who sees it will recognize its value, and will offer large sums of gold to buy it, even if they have no use for it or come from a culture that despises dainty accessories like that. Some may also be driven to attempt thievery or murder to get the stone, but the stone does not control minds, those who would stoop so low would only do so if they would already try to kill you for a rare and expensive piece of jewelry you already had anyway.

The Finestone is said to “discern” and “distill” the aesthetic sensibilities of people around it, including its wearer. You must have an artistic talent or a Charisma score of at least +1 in order to wear the stone, otherwise it turns an ugly gray and you will throw it away, at which point it turns back into the Finestone to find a new, more tasteful master. Simply wearing the stone makes you more skilled in artistic endeavors, but only in disciplines you already know. This stone does not help in learning new artistic paths, but instead develops your own personal style and skill into something remarkable; from apprentice to competent and from experienced to masterful. All of the artist's works begin to carry a very “them” quality that makes it obvious who created the piece and give it a sense of quality that otherwise wouldn't be found with a more common piece of art.

The Finestone creates dew. Every morning when you wake up, the stone will be slick with watery dew. The dew of the Finestone can be applied like makeup- pressed against a wrinkle it will vanish. Rubbed into the eyes to make them brighter and more youthful. Dabbed against a scar will make it disappear- all these effects last for one day. The dew can also be collected. If the dew of an entire season (~3 months) is collected, it will become a Potion of Glamour. By drinking the potion of glamour, you can magically mask and alter your appearance to appear different. You will still appear as a member of your race, sex, and age but can radically alter how others perceive you through it and your presence within that restriction. For instance, an old man could drink the potion and appear as a harmless grandpa that people trust, or a old beggar that people totally ignore, or a fearsome wizard or warrior that people will respect. When acting in character and when interacting with others, you gain a +2 to reaction checks or your charisma modifier that are appropriate towards your outward appearance. The glamour lasts for 3d6 days or until something breaks the illusion publicly. For example if you made yourself appear as a noble poet but were unable to recite even a single verse when prompted to do so, the spell will be broken. You cannot use the glamour to appear as a specific individual, but you can use it to appear as someone other then yourself, acting as a disguise, or just to improve your own appearance. Because of this magic dew, it is feasible for someone to live a double life with the Finestone, only appearing in public when the glamour is available, able to live totally disguised.

Finally, the Finestone grants a powerful intuition and improvement over ones dreams. Your dreams become more beautiful, dramatic, and thought-provoking the longer you wear the Finestone. This also grants an incredible degree of control and lucidity over ones dreams, allowing oneself to easily sense and dispatch any foreign magic or psychic presences within their dreams. Certain races, like elves and fairies, can easily become addicted to their highly acute imaginations and aesthetic sensibilities- many of them who wear the Finestone become obsessed with sleeping drugs or finding the draught of the sleeping death so they may forever live only in their wonderful, beautiful dreams.

In the same way that human alchemists obsessively seek the Philosophers Stone; the greatest of elf craftsmen seek the Finestone, as its dew can be used to create Glint of truly legendary quality.

[4] Pendant of Prides

Appears as a white flower crystal. Wearing this amulet grants magical powers over the wind, letting you whisper words and have them reach the ears of anyone you wish in a place where that wind can reach. The farther distance your words travel, the more of them will have lost their strength in the distance and will be too quiet to hear; your message will arrive partially incomplete from more then a mile or hex away. You also gain the power to call the winds to grant you audience with the local lord of the birds. This being is always a bird, befitting the local wildlife, of a wily intelligence and arrogant disposition, but not unreasonable. The lord of the birds has control over flight paths, air thermals, storms, and visibility in flight over his region. He or she also can bar anyone from reaching certain hidden places in the sky, but with its blessing you may reach them. This pendant does not give you any power over this being, just grants an audience and allows you to speak to it, meaning you must make a deal. Typically, lord and lady birds biggest concern is for people to stop fucking with the weather using magic and rain dances. Stop practitioners in the local area and they'll be very pliable.

Secondly, this amulet also grants powers over the Earth. By holding the pendant and turning around and walking away, you can make anyone who pursues you never able to catch up. The earth beneath them expands faster then they can bridge the gap. This power doesn't work on anyone you can see. Secondly, you can make a cave entrance seal itself shut, from the inside or outside. Whenever this is done, a new cave entrance will open back up somewhere else in the cave system, as the mountain wishes to have at least one mouth so it can breathe as any creature. Anyone standing in the gaped opening of the cave takes damage as though in a cave-in.

Finally, the Pendant of Pride grants powers over the sea. As long as you have at least one toe in the water, you can calm a stormy sea. If you intentionally cut yourself and drip a drop of blood into the sea, you can call on an army of sharks to swim to that area in minutes. You also become immune to whirlpools and the songs of sirens. Lastly, you can raise buried treasure off the sea floor on the back of a jellyfish if you know where it is and let the jellyfish sting you in return. If you take the treasure without letting the creature sting you, it will become very angry and call upon its brothers to hunt you down in your bathing water, drinking fountains, and invisibly hide in your soups and ales until you've learned your lesson. Or died.

[5] Plume Necklace

This necklace features a very long bright blue feather, curled around in a spiral towards the tip. This feather is extremely soft and flexible, and doesn't seem to belong to any normal bird species. It is held around the neck with a silver cord; whenever you are outside in the sunlight, the silver cord seems to shine in a wavy pattern from the back of the cord on the nape of the neck down to the feather itself in a constant repeating cycle. This hints at the power within.

Whenever an item is thrown or ranged weapon fired, the pulse of energy from the necklace that accompanies it will boost it along; increasing its range and doubling its damage. This only works with a very skilled user however, as they must exactly time their shots in sequence and in rhythm, or else the energy pulse will mess up their aim. Character using this necklace must have trained with it for at least a season of downtime first, and have a Dexterity of +1 or better. Also, if you are surprised in combat, you will need to take an extra round to control your breathing and acquire the proper footing for this technique to work, wasting your first round before you can fire with the Plume Necklace.

Secondly, the momentum within this necklace can also be expertly reflected. If an enemy strikes you in melee, you may return ½ the damage they dealt to you in a blast back move, but doing this means the necklace loses its charge for the rest of the day and you cannot use its firing power. Any knockback the enemy dealt to you is also mirrored back to them in the same moment, they fly backwards the same distance. The power of the Plume Necklace is also discharged if hit by a lightning attack or spell that does 7 or more damage in one attack; you lose the energy charge for that day.

[6] The Flaming Pearl of Xombb

This pearl is held on a simple leather string, which is then worn on the neck. The string is nothing special, but the pearl itself is indestructible. It is a dark green to brown in color, perfectly spherical, and has within it a slow dancing orange flame. The flame sways as does a candle but it moves incredibly slowly; it may takes minutes for it to fully sway to one side and then many minutes more to reach the other. The pearl has an acidic taste and mild smell; Any acid that touches the pearl is instantly sucked into it, which is said to only further the powers of the amulet the more caustic acids it absorbs.

Xombb is a great archon of fire. By channeling the powers of the amulet, you can conjure fire that burns and errode. The power of Xombb's fire is such that it burns anything, slowly corroding it to dust, an elemental mix of acid and fire to the most primal level. By holding the amulet, the user can emit the fire from it out into the world to consume whatever they wish. They can use it on a person or object, burning them as a physical fire would for 2d6 damage per round, the wearer can also target fire retardant objects like stone or water, in which case the flaming pearl uses a different form of flame. The stone will start to chip and crack, an orange undercurrent of lava pouring from the splits in the skin of the great rock if enough time is focused on the stone. Water will first turn sour and rancid as though stagnant for too long, darken, and become the color and consistency of cooking oil freshly thrown off the stove. The flaming pearl can even ignite the abstract; ideas or memories could be consumed to. In such cases, default this effect to any mind effecting spells of 5^th level or less, and it can only be used to replicate the effects of these spells in a destructive or consuming way.

The energies of this amulet are difficult to control. For any being using the amulet, there is a chance they too are consumed by the flames; if the character has a Wisdom modifier of +2 then they are safe. Any less, and they have a X in 6 chance to take 3d6 fire damage when they next use the amulet. X is equal to the reverse modifier steps from +1 and downwards. So +1 equal a 1 in 6 chance, 0 is a 2 in 6 chance, -1 is a 3 in 6 chance, and so on. Increase the X in 6 chance by +1 for each consecutive use of the amulet.

[7] Tiger Amulet

This amulet is shaped in the snarling face of a tiger, the indestructible metal is of an unknown origin and is a dull green. Those who wear the amulet can feel its power, but anyone who has the hubris to wear the amulet who is under 4^th level will wake up that night with a tiger in their bed. They must fight unarmed and if they manage to survive the amulet will accept them as its master. Otherwise, the amulet is found the next morning in a puddle of blood on the floor and the person is gone for good.

The magical amulet channels the power of the tiger. It firstly changes the wearer over time. Every season the amulet is worn, they gain another tiger-esque trait. Striking eyes, whiskers, stripes along their skin mimicking a tiger's patterns, retractable claws (1d4 stealth weapon), or a long tiger tail. They don't transform further then the above with alchemical help, or unless if they eat someone alive while wearing the amulet. Wearing the amulet also, coincidentally, gives the wearer the urge to eat people they hate alive. In addition to the above changes, it grants the wearer +1d3 Dexterity each season until they reach a high enough Dexterity to get a +3 modifier, and then stops. If they already had a +3 Dex modifier, then let the amulet give them Dexterity until they get to +4, and so on.

Secondly, the tiger amulet grants the user power over others, as long as their ambition continues to grow. Treat this as a scaling +1 to +3 to reaction checks or social rolls, based on how crucial or vital a good impression is needed to grow the wearer's power. For example, if the user was held up by a group of bandits they wanted to join, they would get a +3 to trying to talk to them and join their band. If the user was simply passing through the woods and was ambushed instead, then it would only be a reaction check of +1 instead. Once the wearer is a part of the ground of bandits, they lose the reaction check bonus against anything “lesser” in status to the bandits. So they could use the amulet again to try and usurp the bandit leader, then again once they wanted to overthrow the local lord to become the new ruler of the land, and then again when they attempt to pass by the Celestial Guardians to challenge the Heavenly Emperor for his divine throne. This amulet continues to push the user to new heights, though all will fall somewhere along the path to ambition. It is always possible for the wearer to abandon the amulet, and will get to keep the beneficial mutations the amulet gave them, but it has an almost addictive quality to it that is hard to lose. Make a saving throw to try and get rid of the amulet.

Finally; if your character is of a race that is partially or fully Tiger (or maybe any big cat), then the ambitious drive it gives its wearers is removed and instead, the amulet grants its reaction check bonus to any situation depending on how important it is to the wearer's survival.

[8] Madman's Scratcher

Appearing as a bit of purple-tinted flint or stone tied up in a rotten cord, this amulet doesn't appear as anything special. However, it has a supernatural power tied with it, warping the mind of its wearer by making them believe they can do anything, and in some ways they can.

This amulet can be held and used to scratch markings. It is an unusually hard, unknown substance, and leaves thin white scratches into pretty much anything- even granite or metal. Anything written down, drawn, or signed by the amulet becomes true. However, the power of this “truth” is limited, and the magical reality-bending power of this amulet comes directly from the sanity and health of its user.

For example, if you scratched the word Deadly onto the side of a boulder and rolled it down a hill, anyone in its way would have a -2 chance to avoid it. Or perhaps when they avoid it, the boulder still runs over and crushes a bug instead. If you wrote down the words Orcs will attack through a doorway, then crossing through that doorway lo' and behold orcs will be there, with a -1 to reaction checks but not instantly aggressive. Certain things that are too powerful, such as drawing a dragon on something to signal that a dragon will come, may instead be replaced by something similar but with a more feasible power level- like a kobold. Or perhaps it will still happen, but at a greater cost to its user.

For every reality-warp made by this amulet, the user loses -1d2 Wisdom and maximum hit points. These are permanent drains, unless that person can find a way to destroy the amulet and return their sanity by letting go of the lost delusions of godhood.

Who do you Seek?

If you wish to see a dead person again, you must seek a Reaper. These psychopomps may be found in ancient necropolises, or temporarily at sites of many deaths. In exchange for capturing ghosts that evaded their grasp the first time, they will present you with a dead person for a visit. You can touch the dead soul, speak to them, but they owe you nothing beyond what you can offer a dead man.

If you need a huge sum of cash as fast as possible, you must seek a Dragon. They are always found at the top of mountains or far, far away. Dragons may offer loans to those who can offer the right collateral, but there is no guarantee you can pay them back. If you fail to make back your payments even once, the dragon will destroy everything you hold dear.

If you want to regain lost youth, you must seek a Fairy Queen. They like to collect the years of mortals, freely given from endless summer dances or enchanted slumbers. You must never take anything they say as truth; you may ask for a few years left to live and they may give you the last years of a crippled beggar. Stealing the years yourself is more sure, but then you are stealing from the Fae, and they will never stop hunting you once they know your theft.

If you wish to go back and fix your mistakes, you must seek a Weaver. These huge black spiders are old as time, and can weave the strands of fate which tie you to your choices. They can make new weaves, or break old ones, but never give anything for free- there is nothing you can offer them that they could not already acquire from a sudden turn of fortune. It is unknown how many times a Weaver has worked its craft, because each time history is rewritten and the old past is forgotten.

If you wish to fly to a land you could never reach, you must seek a Pegasus. These are proud horses, magic, and holy. They are almost impossible to catch, and impossible to tame. If you can jump on ones back and guide it, it can take you anywhere you could possibly want to go. The moment you step off, it will abandon you, and you will need to find your own way home.

If you want a truly fearsome weapon or piece of armor made for you, you must seek a Cyclops. They are the greatest craftsmen in the world, but are monsterous and man-eating creatures. You must put the idea in its head to craft the object and supply the materials without it laying eyes on your once. Each Cyclops is incredibly jealous and possessive; you will not be getting the item back without silent feet or great force of arms.

If you want to remember something you forgot, or find something you lost, you must seek out a Sniffer. Smell is the strongest scent tied to memory, and they will make you remember. They can only be found in the darkest place in the Earth, and their appearance and habits are enough to drive away almost all seekers. They can help you remember things you never thought before; like what you thought before you were born.

If you want somebody dead, then you must seek the Hangman. These beings exist in every great hall of a lord, or within every prison, hidden away and out of sight. You must make your case for the person's death, as well as the time and method that it is feasible. They will only target the guilty however, and if your sins out weight the accused, the hangman's noose will slip around your neck instead.

If you wish to know the great old truths, you must seek a great old Sphinx. They are not common to give up the truth, and not all Sphinxes know it. You must outwit them, upon a killing blow the Sphinx will die with all secrets on its smiling lips. Those who seek the meaning of life, or the truth of their birth, are to be wary. Not all knowledge brings joy.

If you wish to elevate your blood from the common stock to the noble, you must seek the Lady in the Lake. She will only show herself to those who will right the wrongs in her land. To some, this means that only the noble-blooded by birth will find her in the first place. To others, this means there is really no difference between the noble and the common at all.

If you wish to learn the most powerful of the hidden blade arts, you must seek an Ascetic. They can be found anywhere there are the poor and wise. They reject all material things and sensual pleasure, and as such will not exchange their knowledge for what you value. They can smell ambition like a dog smells blood, and will not teach to one who is not willing to learn the true lesson they preach.

If you wish to change the world in some other way, then you just need to seek a Genie. They won't cost you anything, but are harder to find then all of the ones above. Everything within their power is yours, but you must follow their rules. Just be careful what you wish for.

Vagueposting- Demihumans

This is going to be the first article of many I have written based around very abstract or vague concept. Hence, they are titled “Vagueposting”. They are a bit more ranty then my other blogposts and are more about capturing a specific mental feeling or “emotion” that may be hard to describe, as such this is due warning that my Vagueposting articles will be a bit more focused on fluff and abstract fantasy world stuff then actual game rules- however I do hope these articles can communicate the ideas that I am thinking of when I write them, but you are free to skip them if you want more useful or structured game content. Hence, Vagueposting.

Vagueposting- Demihumans

So let's talk about Demihumans.

Now when it comes to the standard mix of Demihumans; I used to not like them as much, but they've grown on me a bit. My main problem with them is the lack of diversity in body types and cultural-stereotypes. If you take the generic 5 races; Human, Elf, Dwarf, Halfling, and Gnome (some will also include half elf and half orc to this list), you basically have a majority of these races as just “shorter version of human”. This, to me, is really boring. In many of these worlds too, Elves are also shorter then humans, so it's really more like 4 versions of shorter and/or more magical humans.

Culturally; ALL of these demihumans are depicted as being longer lived and wiser/more conservative in action or attitude then humans, with various cultural traits between them. Elves tend to be close to nature, with Gnomes usually also being close to nature or being mad tinkerers ala Warcraft. Dwarves are all about their grudges and conservative cultures, where as Halflings are intentionally designed to be passive and a bit boring; just pastoral, comfy villager people. I think in order for these Demihumans to be more interesting as a whole, there needs to be something that really sets Halflings and Humans apart, as well as Gnomes getting a bigger list of differences to Elves.

However, the one thing I'll say about this that I do enjoy is it gives the “human” race a more unique element. Humans instantly stand out as being the largest and usually physically strongest race (though Dwarves tend to be close, or perhaps stronger but stockier, usually implied to have more endurance), which is a nice change of pace from humans being the generic middle of the road everyman.

Now if you read this blog, you know I have a LOT of weird race ideas. Some of them are furry, some of them are aliens, some of them are just weird. I want to mention here I do enjoy certain aspects of Demihuman-like races, things like goblins, orcs, trolls, hobgoblins, (as an inclusion to playable races) feel different to me then things like tengu or khajiit, the non-animal nature of them I think makes them actually feel a bit more foreign and interesting.

Now, let me share some of my favorite demihuman depictions.

Hawk the Slayer

In the Hawk the Slayer movie, there are a few demihumans depicted. Gort the Giant on the left, Baldin the dwarf as second to the right, and Crow the elf on the far right. The woman in the center is just an old human witch/sorceress, I have no idea why she's squatting down so low. Unfortunately, the highest res image I could find for this picture is this shit with its stupid watermark, so you'll have to forgive me for that. This is a classic movie that a lot of people have nostalgia for, especially the UK, I personally only watched it recently as a part of my Appendix N cultural enrichment. (Hawk the Slayer actually was made after the LBB and AD&D, clearly it's based on the same tone however.)

Anyway, Hawk the Slayer features three demihumans. There's a giant, a dwarf, and an elf. I want to mention here that as movie actors, they just grabbed actors who fit the physical profiles here, and it works REALLY well. In my mind, I like to imagine these demihuman races as just far offshoots of humanity, or in a fantasy world these fantasy races are ACTUALLY races of humanity, not different species or fantasy-esque version of “species”, and can freely interbreed with humans. The race of giants is just really tall men. In the same way that real life races existed from evolutionary pressures in their environments, this fantasy world could have similar pressures. The giant is just a race of really tall, if somewhat slow witted people. The dwarves are just very short, small people who are hardy and used to living underground. I like this a lot as it implies a much more grounded setting in general, but actually makes the whole of humanity more interesting in the fantasy world. I also think that this makes the “Elf” as a race or subspecies even more interesting.

While in the real world no human races fit these kind of profile, the thought of a human race developing sharp senses, quick wits and agile fingers for archery, and an affinity for magic (perhaps to evolve for survival in a fantasy/fairy forest?) is really cool. I like this because you can imagine some weird combinations for special snowflakes; what would a half giant, half elf look like? Probably something pretty close to a tall human who is a bit slender, perhaps with slightly pointed years and a knack for non-academic magic? Of course, crossbreeds don't have to actually be a factor at all, I just think it's an interesting part of it. Secondly, you can take into account that Half-Elf is a racial choice often in games, but I actually think this detracts from the above feeling. Somebody could have Elf in their family history and just look like a normal human, just with slightly more elf-ish features, a slightly longer lifespan, and a bit more of a loner attitude. I think that's more interesting then a specific and strong divide between human, elf, and half-elf.

Dungeon Meshi

Another of my favorite demihuman race depictions is from Dungeon Meshi. It has the generic list of races (humans, elves, dwarves, halflings, and gnomes). On top of this, it also includes very humanoid orcs AND ogres/oni who are very humanoid as well, which I think really adds to the experience of rounding out the race list. Of course, there are also kobolds which in typically Japanese fashion are dog people, but for the most part the race list is very human and pretty interesting.

I think this gets even better because of a specific list of chapters in the manga. There is a part where the main characters get race swapped due to stepping through some changeling mushrooms, which change whatever steps through them into a closely related species. (It's not a permanent change, you can just take a bath to wash away the spores.)

Remember: Manga is read right to left.

Here we see a Laios, a human and one of the main characters of Dungeon Meshi (arguably the protagonist) detailing the benefits of being a dwarf. This chapter is great because the characters can give us some perspective on what their new form is like different from their old form. Laios specifically notices that Dwarves are very strong, tough, and have good dark vision making them perfect for living in dungeon environments. Of course, later he finds out it isn't all its cracked up to be because Dwarves have no stamina. (usually the opposite in most fantasy worlds, but I like to imagine he's more referring to short term “sprinting” stamina, if given short breaks Dwarves can work or explore much longer then a human could over a full day or several days, but this is just my headcanon for the Dungeon Meshi universe.)

Another good example is Chilchack. He's a halfling, who gets turned into a human. I never considered a difference between races in this way, but I think it's really cool- even ones own perceptive abilities are routed in biology. Halflings seem to have better senses, both of touch as well as taste and smell (something that Senshi is jealous of, as a food-obsessed dwarf). Later it even explains the fighting styles of the races too; Chilchack in his human form tries to just run back while the group fights a monster, but finds that it targets him first as he's the biggest- normally he just runs away and becomes unassuming as a short, stealthy halfling rogue.

Unfortunately, we don't get too many examples of what differences an Elf, Ogre, Kobold, or Gnome may have, as the characters who turn into those races aren't very talkative, and I'm pretty sure nobody gets turned into a Gnome for anything other then a visual gag. While just one chapter of the Manga I think it's really telling and interesting in how the mangaka put a lot of thought into how the various demihumans would actually feel to be if you were to suddenly change into them, and by that we can infer how they live their lives and even how they may explore dungeons or pick their various related professions and roles in a party. Marcille also, somewhat humorously gets turned into an ogre (which I call oni, since they look more like Eastern “ogres” then a more Western “ogre” if that makes sense)- she doens't talk much in this form and doesn't really cast any spells that I can recall, so I think it's being implied that ogres are less intelligent then other races, but are obviously huge and very strong. Also, a human character gets turned into an Elf in a later chapter and describes themselves as being physically weaker, but being able to "tell" that something has magic in it just by touching it, which makes sense. This fantasy world also explains that magical energy or mana is a direct biological component and some races (like Elves) just have more of it then humans, but will pass out or become weak if they cast too many spells as it is similar to bodily stamina.

Finally; this interesting changing of races thing is so well explored in this manga that there's even a panel that logically explains why these race-changing mushrooms aren't totally uprooting the setting.

For those interested, the entire Manga is a treat, but the individual chapters referenced here are the "Dumplings" chapters, since every chapter is about food. Anyway, hope you enjoyed this first VAGUEPOSTING article. I have a few more written up in advance before even finishing this, but hopefully as an introduction this works out well for trying to explain the purpose of these. 
See you next time.

Dirt Simple Turn Undead

By popular request.

Trying out a drawing tablet

Dirt Simple Turn Undead

Everyone can Turn Undead. All you need is a holy symbol. I like more animist religious stuff, so I divide it into Magic Charms (one use, but cheap) and Holy Symbols (unlimited uses, but expensive). You can also put a Magic Charm over a doorway or something and it keeps spirits from going through it if you've already turned them, or like lock the spirit back in its coffin, but it's just a slip of paper so if somebody tears it off the spirit is free that easy. Really expensive holy symbols like gold ankhs or portable altars and the like give you +1 or +2 for the contest.

Everybody can only turn undead 3 times a day, regardless of the symbol.

When you decide to turn undead, the user holds up the holy symbol and says a prayer. Then, compare the level/HD of the Turner to the unholy creature;

If the Monster has a higher HD then the Turner's HD, then the monster cannot attack them for one round. Even a powerful demon or wraith will pause at the sight of the cross.

If the Monster has a lower or equal HD then the Turner's HD, the monster is turned and must flee.

If the Monster has less remaining Hit Points then the Turner's HD, the monster is destroyed.

Clerics, Sages, or other classes with a role involving dealing with spirits and the undead treat their level as being higher for the purposes of Turning. Something like +1 starting at 2^nd level, and going up every other level. So at 2^nd level they can turn a 3 HD Undead, at 4^th level Turner counts as 6 HD and are guaranteed to destroy a 1 HD skeleton, etc.

Also also; this is mostly a single target thing, but a really high level Sage could totally split up their HD worth of turning power to rebuke a whole room of zombies. If you don't like the idea of a 1^st or 2^nd level Sage/Cleric being able to destroy undead this early on in the game, just make it so you have also have a higher level then the monster's HD in addition to beating it's current Hit Points

Also 3: Add your Wisdom modifier to this contest, because it fits and Wisdom sucks anyway. Gives a little more character variation and makes Cleric or Sage-types more likely to want to play them if they get a high Wisdom at character creation.

Giant Evil Spider Generator

All Giant Evil Spiders begin with;

• 6 HD
• AC as chain (14)
• Morale 13
• 3 in 6 chance to surprise (by creeping up behind)
• Ability to shoot webs. Entangles if a save is failed, fires once every three rounds. You can escape webs by having a Strength of +3 and better or by cutting yourself out with a knife.
• Bite attack that deals 1d6 damage with a save vs poison or die venom.
• Alignment of Evil

Spider's Body – Roll 1d6

[1] Big Eyed (Can speak simple words) Two huge eyes dominate its face.

[2] Ghostly (Phasing thru its own webbings) Slightly transparent, wispy visions of death.

[3] Squat (Fast) This spider charges down its prey, rarely needing its webs at all.

[4] Fat Abdomen (Webs paralyze w/ 1 in 6 chance) Fires its webs with great speed and accuracy.

[5] Pregnant (Births 2d6 Giant Spiders when first hit, +3 morale) It has tied eggs to its back with webs and will fight to defend its young. After 1 exploration turn its motherly instincts will fade away.

[6] Hairy (Gains hair cloud attack- kicks up hairs that prevent spellcasting) Tarantula like; the spider's fur is filled with irritating barbs. If killed and skinned, the hair could be sold for 800c

Legs – Roll 1d4

[1] Huge (Can Jump 35 ft) Its forelegs are gigantic and well developed.

[2] Clawed (Gains claw attack at 1d4) The claws on its feet are large and cruelly hooked.

[3] Spindly (Ignores slow and hold spells) It can walk as though on stilts.

[4] Armored (+2 AC) Its legs have bony plates like a crab. It raises them to its face as bulwark.

Color – Roll 1d6

[1] Earth-Tone (+1 HD) This spider almost looks like a natural creature.

[2] White (Stealthy; +1 in 6 chance to surprise) Its body is ghostly, totally silent.

[3] Scintillating (Spider reflects first spell) Its body shines depending on how the light hits it.

[4] Gray (+1 morale) This spider is old, injures along the legs it almost lost.

[5] Green (Frog Minion) This spider keeps a tiny frog which keeps it free of parasites. The frog is a Green Spider-Frog (2+2 HD, AC as leather, 1d6 leap attack, croak on death alerts spider)

[6] Black (Deadly Poison, Add “Very” to front of Alignment) This spider's bite gives a saving throw inflicts enough damage to drop the victim to 1 Hit Point on success. On failure is still death.

Webs – Roll 1d10

[1] Round Web (Change alignment to “Neutral”) The archetypal web, and archetypal spider. Only cares about its next meal, only attacks those that attack it or what falls in its web.

[2] Funnel Web (Hazard) Covers the walls, floors, and ceiling of an area leading to an entrance

[3] Trapdoor (+2 in 6 chance to surprise) Leaps out from a trapdoor; held together by strand.

[4] Airbubble (Aquatic for up to 2 turns) Spins a net to trap air; can dive to great depths.

[5] Drawcord (Can leap/fall and retract) Ambushes or drops down; loves to single out prey.

[6] Net (Web ability has -2 to victim save) Throws web nets with its webbing.

[7] Tangle (Hazard) Spider lays down lines of web during combat, seemingly at random. Party members attempting to flank the spider have a 1 in 6 chance of accidentally tripping over a web.

[8] Projectile (Gains web flail attack, deals 1d6 damage) This spider connects a strand of its web to a stone and twirls it around with its ass to smash it into people like a long flail.

[9] Supernatural (Curse) This spider's web contains many hunched over figures of wrapped up prey. Once per day, it can cast a Curse of Weakness which reduces the victim's strength modifier by negative 2d6. Drops target to a minimum of 1 Strength. This lasts for up to three exploration rounds.

[10] Communal (+1 HD, 1 in 6 chance to attract a Giant Spider upon combat) This spider's web is too big and sprawling for even itself. Tiny spiders, fist sized spiders, and giant spiders all pitch in. The Giant Evil Spider is clearly the alpha of this group.

What Priceless Treasure is stuck in the spider's web? – Roll 1d8

[1] Several dozen gold coins, woven into the web at regular intervals; it's art.

[2] Dead dwarf corpse, still clutching a handful of uncut gems.

[3] Silvered Breastplate. Adds +5 AC, or treat AC as plate.

[4] The web itself. This could be spun into silk; 100 coins worth per 1 armful of sticky web.

[5] The still living Princess, wrapped up for supper. Return her to her father to get one single “get out of jail free card” in this kingdom and a thank-you cake with 1000c worth of real gold utensils.

[6] Chest suspended 50ft in the air. If cut down it breaks open with a huge crash and draws in a wandering monster. The chest contains 2d6x100 silver coins.

[7] The Hat of Legerdemain. Any one item, that can fit in your palm, placed in this hat cannot be found by anyone but yourself. Additionally; treat your Rogue level as one higher.

[8] The Magical Sword that will defeat The Dark Lord.

What is this Giant Evil Spider's favorite prey and why? – Roll 1d10

[1] Humans & Elves. Easy.

[2] Orcs. Juicy.

[3] Dwarves. Gets it drunk.

[4] Cave bats. Common.

[5] Wizards. Replenishes magical reserves.

[6] Great heroes and villains. Only eats once a century; sustained by liquefied experience points.

[7] Snakes. Proves that 8 legs are better then none.

[8] Goblins & Trolls. Once you catch one, more come.

[9] Dragons. Natural predator.

[10] Other spiders. Less competition for mates.

What is this Giant Evil Spider's Name? - Roll 2d8

#	1st Roll	2nd Roll
1	She-	-lob
2	Ungol-	-iant
3	Xen-	-katu
4	Esp-	-cor
5	Yut-	-ly
6	Vont-	-esk
7	Grim S-	-moresca
8	[Color] Yo-	-r the Death

4 Races of the Chaos Wastes

[1] Frooks

The Frooks are reddish skinned humanoids with flat noses and widely spaced eyes. They are taller then a man, and much stockier too. Their hair is black, gray, or white- the colors of ash. They have thick, four fingered hands and three toed feet. All Frooks are all pyrophiles; all of them have at least some love and fascination with fire. If you cast a fire spell or brandish a weapon enchanted with fire at them, they will be stunned for one round to gawk in amazement, but this only works once per combat encounter against the same Frooks.

Frooks have a relatively simple tribal society, and are also the most well developed and neutral of all the races of the Chaos Wastes. They're also the only one that cooks their food. To be a race that loves and needs fire and live in a place with almost no vegetation means you need to have some kind of organization, or else you'll burn those little resources. They cultivate some small farms for briers and weeds used exclusively for fires, along with tiny stunted squash plants and flytraps for food- the flytraps are farmed for their fleshy pads; waste is piled around these plants to attract flies. They wear loincloths in their villages, but give tunics to their samurai.

They live in small semi-permanent dwellings, which are called Odos. These are half buried houses made of adobe. Frooks live the majority of their lives outside, in tents or under the stars, but nursing mothers, old village elders, weapon-makers, wandering samurai, and young men on their birthdays get to live in the Odo. This is also where they keep the simple clay tablets that contain their primitive writing system; each house has a library of 2d6 tablets detailed debts or heroic individuals who have lived there. 1 in 8 chance for a tablet to contain a protospell.

Like many of the primitive and chaotic races, they learned how to work metal before they learned the arts of farming or animal-husbandry, and even with their low weak fires they can sculpt iron into rough shapes and simple weapons; these are excursively for the samurai, as it takes quite a lot of firewood and reeds burnt to create a basic iron weapon. Samurai are usually armed with a square, pointless hatchet or a short iron poker spear. Villagers carry stone and bone tools and weapons instead, the most popular being a stone adze for digging in the harsh rocky soil and cutting tough roots.

Frooks are not ruled by entrenched lords but instead by their samurai. These are wandering men are granted a weapon, flint and tinder, and some cloth as badges of office. They are trained in ancestral law and common sense, and travel around the Frook-owned lands. They collect taxes by just demanding things of the locals, and settle any disputes or slay nearby monsters that people are suffering from whenever they pass by as duties of office. Samurai can become quite burdensome and abusive if allowed to stay and leech off a community for too long, which is when the Frooks gang up on them to beat them out of town. For a tough, violent race like them, this is a pretty efficient method of governing. Becoming a samurai is considered an honor, but samurai often are forced to fight other creatures of the chaos wastes or fight each other to represent various factions; it is a dangerous life.

Finally, Frooks are among the most neutral of all chaos races, and if you approach a town with no weapons drawn and in small numbers they will not be hostile. Frooks do not trust humans, but are willing to trade. They desire metal tools and armor as well as alcohol, which is becoming a favorite drug, and will give food and water in exchange. Due to lacking the “funds” to trade high value items with you, they will instead craft a samurai tablet, which binds a wandering Frook samurai to serve and protect you for up to a maximum of three years. These tablets have records of what village made them- The samurai are bound by service to honor these tablets, but may betray the contract since they aren't exactly getting paid for it. The samurai can just extort the village back what value they lost from fulfilling the tablet, and keep them as receipt of services rendered.

Frooks

HD- 2+1

AC- 9

Morale- 11 (13 in the Odo)

Numbers- 1d6 on village outskirts, 2d6 in Odo

Attacks- Meaty Fists at 1d4 or Stone Tools at 1d6

Abilities- None

The Frook rabble are just the villagers and capable adult Frooks that rise to defend their home. They are usually carrying bundles of weedy sticks for firewood or clay pots that they throw down when a fight starts, but some carry stone axes that they will bring to bare. Frooks are a bit dimwhitted and enjoy fighting, so they have higher morale then most normal people. If they are heavily outnumbered, the rabble will still yell out for any nearby samurai to help them.

Frook Samurai

HD- 3+2

AC- 11

Morale- 12 (14 if defending Odo)

Numbers- 1d2 in a village, 1d4 in wandering band

Attacks- (+1 to hit) Crude weapons at 1d6

Abilities- First Strike, First Aid

Frook Samurai have been trained in the art of war and are well fed, larger then most adult male Frooks. They wear cloth sashes and tunics, granting them a little protection, though some very prosperous villages may have Samurai that wear proper armor, imported from other races. Frook samurai are taught all the known secrets of statecraft that the Frook people know, and even know how to bind up wounds and cure acid burns by applying cool ashes. This takes a turn of downtime, and heals 1d6+1 hit points to a friendly target, as long as they have the materials.

On the first round of combat, Frooks gain an extra attack by performing an advanced drawing technique with their weapon. This attack deals the same damage on a hit as a normal attack, and must still roll to hit- this special move can only be performed if the Frook was not surprised.

[2] Cro

The Cro are opposite orcs. It is usually pronounced just as “Crow”, which is also a nickname given to them from the black cloaks they wear. Orcs are green, so Cro are reddish-violet. Orcs are strong, so Cro are weak. Orcs are warriors, Cro are spellcasters. Orcs have tusks, so Cro have dumb little sabertooth cat fangs. Orcs are muscular, so Cro are thin with pot bellies. Orcs wear nothing but loincloths, so Cro wear long robes that cover almost all of their body. Orcs have honor, so Cro are craven. That's basically what a Cro is like. Some believe their race was once one; the Orcoc or Coroc, but nobody is sure. Oh, and all this is assuming you're using Chaos race Orcs, the green skinned ones who live in generic fantasyland; not real orcs that are pig people who live underground.

The Cro rarely make settlements on their own. They don't live in the badlands as stoic wanderers, as a respectable Orc might. Instead, the Cro try to nestle themselves into a city or village of a different race. This allows the Cro to band together and fulfill their need for backstabbing and cowardly manipulation without turning on each other as would be in a Cro settlement. The Cro prefer to subsist on the charity of other races; infesting themselves into social circles and towns, begging and pleading, and manipulating others both for their food, wealth, and supplies. In places where they are dominant, or in places where it is legal, they prefer to take slaves and make them perform all of the labor for them as they lay back and get fat on the fruits of their labor.

The Cro are not strong warriors. They do not use weapons and their spindly arms and legs can barely support their own body weight, much less the weight of weapons or armor. Instead, they use the bodyguards made from their slaves or hired servants, and magic. The Cro love magic and wish to get their hands on it as much as possible. If your setting includes “psionics”, then the Cro are all naturally talented in the art. If not, then the Cro just have an innate “mind blast” power coming from their race's magical aura and bloodline.

This race has little empathy- they care not for their children or servants. Compounded with their treacherous nature, cooperation between them is also strained and forced. The only way they get along with each other are through magical vows, as they lack the honor to honor agreements. These vows can be done by anyone, including non-Cro, simply requiring hands to be held and words spoken. These vows deal 2d6 damage to a person if they break the vow; and the vow can also be nullified through a remove curse spell. The Cro make these vows to ensure their survival with each other, but will gladly and constantly seek to weasel out of them. Powerful beings can simply live with the consequences of breaking the vow, but most beings must follow the vow or perish.

Cro

HD- 1-1

AC- 8

Morale- 4 (12 if standing behind guards and laughing evilly)

Numbers- 1d2 counselors, 2d6 coven

Attacks- (-2 to hit) 1d4 claws

Abilities- Mind Blast, Spells

The Cro never fight alone and are easily overpowered if they do so. They prefer to hide and use their powers at a distance. Each Cro can use a Mind Blast only if they have not taken any damage, their pain resistance is too low otherwise- they scream and cry like babies if even hurt by 1 hit point. The Mind Blast deals (1d6 minus the target's Intelligence modifier) more damage to stupid targets. Many Cro also learn magic spells- 1 in 3 chance the Cro knows a 1^st level magic spell. If they know a level one spell, there is a bonus 1 in 6 chance they know a 2^nd level spell in addition to the first.

Slave Warriors

HD- 1

AC- 14 (armor)

Morale- 18 (cannot break their vow)

Numbers- 2d6 Bodyguards

Attacks- (-2 to hit) Spears at 1d6-1

Abilities- Magic Vow, Unwilling

These are slave warriors. Unfortunate runaways, orphans “adopted” by the Cro in the cities, mercenaries tricked into signing long contracts, etc. They are all sworn to protect their Cro masters, and it is very likely they will die if they break it, as such they are very loyal and will not break rank. However, the slaves despise their masters and will seek to undermine them at every step they can; they cannot attack their masters nor allow them to be attacked without breaking their vows, but especially if fighting against members of a good race they will attempt to undermine without breaking their magical contract. Ignoring sounds at the back of camp during the night watch, throwing down their weapons seconds before a fight begins so they must pick them up first, keeping their weapons poorly maintained and so on. The slaves also know that when their Cro who owns them dies, they will be free, and eagerly await someone who can kill their master without harming them as well.

[3] Bladelings

Short, thin, and agile. This race has very smooth, dark black skin that forms into body-hugging plates, similar to an exoskeleton. Along their limbs and joints are dark black grooves, which are natural weak points. The bladelings do not need to wear clothing due to their tough skin, but still do for the sake of modesty and ornamentation. They have darty red eyes sunk into their eyesockets, which hint at their violent nature and killer instinct.

The bladelings are a race of beings that live in the Chaos Wastes; usually crowding around natural caves and rock formations, as well as stony fields and other places with natural cover, as they do not build their own homes. They are exclusive carnivores, and subsist both on the flesh of people who wander into their territory as well as their limited domestication of the dark brown lizards that sun themselves on the rocks near their homes. Bladelings like to strip the flesh from the bones, then leave out the bones for these lizards to crack and eat.

The Bladelings collect anything sharp, as well as bones, shafts of wood, and stones for knapping and sharpening into knives. While they can't forge iron, they recognize the value and strength of metal tools and gladly steal them from any travelers they manage to capture and eat. Examination of Bladeling tools shows that they sharpen these stolen iron weapons even further on stones; sometimes breaking the blades to make wicked points or sharpening to such a degree the weapons become brittle and fragile. They break longer swords in half and make two daggers from the ends. They are obsessed with these knives and rub them against their lips and their smooth armored skin.

Aside from knives, Bladelines have also been noted to use spiked clubs, simple axes, spears, bear-trap like weapons that are thrown from the hand, and razor whips. Older Bladelings who are slowing down and getting on in years are more prone to learn many knots and tricks of rope, which the Bladelings strangely also have an innate knack for, and tie a strip of animal or plant fiber around several metal splints to create a simple razor-whip weapons. This is about the limit of sophistication that their weapon reaches, but is also one way for the weaker members of their society to still remain competitive in hunting.

They have short, brutal lives, and as such each one is expected to either kill for or craft their own weapons; they are granted nothing by their parents. Very limited information is spread between them, and kindness is almost foreign. Their society is very simplistic in this way, and only the strong and fast will survive into adulthood. They are not above cannibalism; Bladelings sometimes carry the teeth of their fallen fellows and sharpen them into dart-points, but it is unknown if this is just pragmatism or a type of reverence for the dead. Bladelings wear clothing made of raw animal and human skin, cut from the corpses, and tied into simplistic togas. They don't preserve these and only wear them until they rot. They have no interest in trading with people and would much rather trap them to eat later.

Bladeling society is very simplistic. They don't seem to have a hierarchy beyond the best knife fighter and hunter, who gets the majority of the meat and deals with rival tribes. Despite never being able to use a large number of their collection of sharp stones and knives; Bladelings instinctively hoard them as a type of wealth or to attract mates. They even show some respect for warriors of other races who carry great longswords or curved weapons on their belts, bowing their heads before going in to slash at an artery. Rarely a Bladeling will find a piece of a magical material, or a bone of a dead magical creature that is made into a very powerful knife. These Bladelings become tribal chieftains and can expand the territory of the Bladelings by uniting several families and outcast individuals and making war against other Chaos races or invading into border-states with the lawful races. Even though these leaders are usually killed at some time during the campaign and new leaders are shifted along with the ownership of the magical knife, the resulting wars leaves stragglers and outcasts who start families in the new rocky crevices and caves along the campaign trail; leading to small but steady expansion over the generations unless steps are taken to cull their numbers.

Bladeling

HD- 1

AC- 14

Morale- 8

Numbers- 1d6+1 hunters, 2d6+2 in cave

Attacks- (+2 to hit) 1d4+1 knife

Abilities- Speedy, Weakpoints

Bladelings fight to get food, but aren't very brave and prefer fast ambushes. Bladelings are not above racing into a camp, slicing off a few fingers from a sleeping person, and then running back out as a hit and run just to avoid starving; though more numerous raids will try to actually kill everyone and feast on their bodies. Bladelings are quick which makes them difficult to escape from; you'll have to trick them through false tracks or have horses, or else they will chase you down, especially through rocky difficult terrain that they make their home.

However, Bladelings do have a weakness. If you use a dagger against them yourself, or are a Rogue, you will strike into their weak points on an attack roll of 20. This causes them to yowl in pain, being stunned for one round, and deals double damage.

Bladeling Elder

HD- 1+1

AC- 12

Morale- 9

Number- 1d2 in caves, solitary if outside

Attacks- (+3 to hit) 1d4+1 razor-whip

Abilities- Weakpoints

Bladeling Elders retain leadership for as long as the young upstart adults care to listen to them bark. They are known to use razor whips, which are longer reaching weapons that can wrap around an arm or leg, dig into flesh, and bind that limb in place. The Elders are also a bit grayed, losing their natural speed and dexterity, as well as their armor getting thin and cracked from old age.

[4] Commock

These are a tree-dwelling people. They look like sloths, with curly tan fur that gets whiter with age. Beyond having snippy muzzles reminiscent of a hunting dog and huge thumb-claws, they don't look especially strong or aggressive. They spend all their time lazing around in trees. They don't do much of anything except eat insects, scrap bark for water, and conserve their energy all day long. The Commock are however well known in the world because they can talk. Not just speak, but talk. Sometimes about garbage and babbling on about nonsense, but sometimes about history, art, philosophy, magic, and much more. They can hold a conversation for hours, and can lure you right into their trap. Those who sleep under a Commock's tree will find themselves torn apart by its roots.

The Commock live in trees, which are a rarity in the chaos wastes. As a slow, weak race, the Commock would be easy targets for enslavement. Both of these are the reasons as to why the Commock have developed as they are. Before even meeting one, you will learn of the Commock. The rumors around them are so thick as to be nearly impregnable. You will hear how they can fly at will, or how Gods bow down before them. You will hear how they hold no treasure and only wish to share knowledge, and that they only pretend to be naturalists and hoard gold under their tree roots. The conflicting nature of these lies and rumors will stun you, and the Commock add to them every day. In addition, they don't just perform this type of subterfuge with outsiders, but also amongst themselves. They build empires with words, and the most powerful Commock are just the ones whose ideas and names have spread the furthest, and taken the most followers.

The Commock have many fake powers and abilities they say they possess, but there is one rather useful one that they truly do have. Their large claws on their thumbs are magical. They can pierce them into a tree and manipulate its movements- the more who do this the stronger the effect. One Commock can make a branch bend back and whip someone as an attack, two or three can command the tree to stretch upwards to avoid arrow fire, and a whole troop in a tree can make the tree walk on its roots as a mobile battlestation. This effect mostly just works on regular plants, but if a Commock stabs a treant or xyloid with their claw the target must make a save or be affected as though under a Charm spell for as long as the claw remains inside of them.

Whilst interaction with other races is common, the Commock very rarely perform any useful labor or trading. The Commock are very untrustworthy of other beings; they don't trust other Chaos races for their aggressive and warlike societies. They don't trust elves because they think they'll chop off their thumbs to bring back to their forest houses. They don't trust humans and dwarves because they cut down trees for fire and shelter. They pretty much don't trust anyone, though sometimes when migrating between canopies the Commock may hire guards and mercenaries to defend their shambling, mossy white forms as they take slow and plodding steps across the hot wasteland sand.

Commock Lounger

HD- 1

AC- 7

Morale- 10

Number- 1d6 in tree, 1d3+1 migrating

Attacks- (-2 to hit) Claw at 1d4 OR Atlatl at 1d4+1

Abilities- Slowness, Plant-Claw, Woodwarping

The average Commock is not a powerful fighter and could be defeated one on one by most warriors with ease. They always go second in combat, and are slow enough that their attacks are relatively easy to dodge. Their only special power is their thumb-claw which causes a Charm effect if it strikes a treant or intelligent plant person.

Very rarely a Commock will use or carry a atlatl, a primitive ranged weapon that befits their slowness. By hooking their claw into the stick about to be launched, they can give it commands as it is fired to make it wrap around a target, spear into their flesh and deal extra damage, or bend as a boomerang to return to sender. Only a few Commock will carry these weapons, which is basically just a pair of sticks.

Commock Tree-Titan

HD- 6

AC- 16

Morale- 13

Number- One while alone, 2d2 if besieging

Attacks- (+1 to hit) Two Branch attacks at 1d8

Abilities- Slowness, Weakness to Fire

This is not a single monster, but instead a collection of Commocks controlling a huge tree. By hooking their claws into it, it will move to their commands collectively, acting as a weapon and mount. The Tree-Titan is quite large and intimidating; it is a tree that swings its branches as sweeping weapons and is as tough to damage as any tree; you will require an axe or similarly tough clever to deal damage to it. You can also kill off the Commocks riding the tree to weak or stop the tree- each Commock rider (stats as Lounger) cannot retaliate due to having their claws inside the tree; each one that is killed or pried off from the tree-titan lowers its HD by two. If the tree runs out of hit points, it falls over and deanimates.