Acid Death Fantasy - Weird Desert Backgrounds for Troika!

ACID DEATH FANTASY

For use with Troika! - Luke Gearing

"The slate was not wiped clean - it was shattered into countless jagged pieces, splintering a new world with the debris of the old."

What happened is long forgotten. Remains of it, barely understood by the most learned scholars, are rife throughout the lands, but most are too busy surviving to ponder these relics, else maintaining their strangleholds on water and power, power and water.

The greatest living city of the desert is Shalar, that breeding ground of pleasure and nightmare. All people, all faiths, all goods have a stake in Shalar, ruled by the Many Crowned King/Queen and her terrible guard, a thousand strong. The wealth of Shalar is untouched, uncontested, and many covet the throne.

Spinning outwards of Shalar are the Thousand Sultanates, a great miscellany of egotism, pride and petty squabbles. There is much wealth, for the titles of these many pretenders are not entirely false. They compete endlessly in their petty games, although all are inevitably forgotten as the hubris of the ruler eventually causes a fall. The oldest, and most stable are the closest to Shalar, whilst the peripheral Emirs and Maliks barely stake a hold for more than a generation.

Beyond this anarchic sprawl are the Wastes, riddled with all manner of nomads and tribes, and beasts beneath the sands, all bowing in respect to the worms which roam freely between the dunes. The Alqai, four armed workers of metal, emerge from the Duneholds to sell exquisitely worked goods, or else to continue the age-old war on the Dune Riders, their slender boats neatly slicing the sand.

The Southern Wastes are the homes of the Slow Tribes, brutal reptilian peoples leaving artful piles of butchered limbs whenever they find a settlement of desperate people seeking some modicum of respite from the heat.

To the East, the Plastic Sea, a miraculous sea made entirely of liquid plastic. Upon contact with living skin, it sets solid, leading to the coast being filled with the Coated Men, duelling each other in elegant, fatal contest, having made the choice to die young and glorious, coated in flexible plastic armour.

The verdant jungles of the North would offer respite from the desert, if not for the patriarchal Azure Apes. Whilst the stable nests will happily accept visitors, the zones between are haunted by failed alpha-males, who gladly prey upon travellers to build their strength for a challenge against an aging nest-master. Not even these desperate beasts dare try themselves against the shining, metallic ruins scattered about the jungle.

To the West is the graveyard of the Old Gods, their steel skeletons looming over a great and terrible Rubble. Once a city of the chosen peoples of these gods, their undoing was terrible, their grey stone, unknown to us, marred with their burnt shadows still.

(Backgrounds after jump)

Parasite Host - Class

Some are children in the Fever Swamp are chosen to be a Host. They are treated incredibly well, spared the hardship of the swamp-dweller life, princes of the decay and dirty water. On the cusp of adulthood, they are stripped and blindfolded. A shaman, daubed in the protective berry juices and herbs, is the only company they have on the journey to find a Transfiguration Worm. If one is not found within the week, calamity is sure to follow. The last year it happened, Nilfenbergian scouts burnt twelve villages.

The Worm found, the child is offered as host. The worm burrows into the spine, and lodges there, enmeshing itself within the spinal cord of the host. The child is then left in the Swamp, unknowingly tugged by the Worm to find new experiences. Eventually, the Worm has experienced enough, and will force the host back to the Swamp, barely even human. It is not known why they collect experiences.

Transfiguration Host - HD, SAVES AS SPECIALIST, XP AS FIGHTER.

Upon leveling, roll on the appropriate level chart - 

Levels 1-3

d6	Benefit
1	The Transfiguration Worm senses some base magical potential, and stimulates it. The Host wakes up each morning with a random level 1 spell ready for use.
2	The fingers and toes of the Host become like those of a gecko, granting +4 in climb and removing the need for rope – if hands and feet are uncovered.
3	The host awakes with the taste of blood in their mouth – their canines have been forced out by razor-sharp fangs. They can bite for 1d6 damage.
4	The jaw and stomach of the host are modified – the host can dislocate their jaw (by hand) to swallow small objects, and can then vomit them back up at will.
5	The host will not live long – the Worm knows this, and accelerates their metabolism. Their healing rate is doubled, but the host takes a -2 penalty on saves against poison and disease.
6	The olfactory glands of the host are heightened to the point where they rival that of a domestic dog.

Levels 4-6

d6	Benefit
1	The nervous system of the host is radically rewired, granting the ability to learn the last d4 weeks of memory contained within any brain eaten.
2	The host gains a toxin gland, which can be mixed with saliva and spat into the eyes, causing d4 days of blindness of a failed save vs poison. 2/day.
3	An ungainly protrusion from the back of the skull is in fact a gland which can generate enough electricity to stun a human-sized target for 1d6 rounds. 1/day.
4	The host complains of great pains from one arm, and they can feel a twisting and grinding from the bones. Once they eventually pass out, sweat drenched and delirious with pain, the flesh of the arm sloughs off to reveal a wickedly sharp bone-blade, capable of dealing 1d10+1 damage, with +2 to hit. Of course, they no longer have a hand.
5	The parasite has matured enough to tap into its own magical potential – the host memorises a random second level spell when they sleep.
6	The host gains the ability to vomit intense acid once a day, dealing 2d8 damage to those in front of them – however, the higher d8 of damage is dealt to the host as they are burned by the acid.

Levels 7+

d6	Benefit
1	A pair of bat-like wings violently erupt from the back of the host, destroying any armour worn. The muscles of the back become knotted and powerful, enabling flight but disallowing any armour or tight clothing not tailor made.
2	Without warning, the knees of the host snap backwards with a sickening crunch, resembling the legs of a bird. The muscles moan and twist at their sudden growth. The host moves at twice their original speed.
3	The host falls to the ground, screaming, as they nearly double in size, all fragile or worn equipment destroyed. Any natural attacks move up a dice size for damage. The strength of the host is set to 18, and they gain HP equal to their level times two.
4+	The time has come – the parasite takes control, driving the host back towards the Fever Swamp.

Janky LOTFP Monk

Monk

(we're talking fantasy-asian monks, but more focused on the physical than the mystic arts or such)

Dedication to Physical Perfection
HIT DICE - 1d6
Base Attack Bonus +1 (no progression)
Saves as Elf
XP as Fighter

Abilities -

Self Improvement - every 3 levels (1, 3, 6 etc) the Monk can improve a stat by one, as long as the new bonus is no more than 2 above the lowest.

Each round when the Monk attacks, he chooses a stance -
>Light; damage d4 but +3 AC (immune to grapples)
>Balanced; damage d6 and +2 AC
>Heavy; damage d8

On Heavy Stance, dealing 4+ damage (or maximum damage in other stances), follow through with either ::
x roll again add damage - 1 dice size (d6 + d4 for example)
OR
x cool combat trick (gives saves if appropriate) (arm breaking, eye gouging etc)

When considering attack bonus for grapples, treat them as a fighter of equal level & use advantage (roll twice take best)

Archetypal Levelling

FUCK XP, YOU LEVEL BY CLASS NOW. EVERY CLASS NEEDS A THING TO DO THAT SCALES.

FIGHTERS - KILL SOMETHING WITH YOUR LEVEL X2 IN HD.

THIEF - STEALTH SOMETHING WORTH YOUR LEVEL X100 IN SILVER.

MAGIC USER - EAT THE BRAIN OF A MAGIC USER OF EQUAL OR HIGHER LEVEL.

CLERIC IS KINDA TRICKY, WOULD BE BY GOD BUT...

CLERIC - DEFILE THE TEMPLE OF AN OPPOSING DIETY WITH LEVEL X 10 THINGS IN THE CONGREGATION (THE TEMPLE NOT THE GOD)

Some of my own...

STITCHER - SUCCESSFULLY GRAFT THE LIMB OF SOMETHING WITH HD EQUAL TO LEVEL X 2 TO SOMEONE ELSE.

GHOUL - EAT LEVEL X20 HUMAN BODIES.

ACCURSED - LotFP Class

You are bound.

You are tormented.

You are pitiful, a shell of what once was.

The chains of magic bind themselves tightly around your very essence, but you have learnt something - through bondage lies power.

-

(This class only really works with cursed items imparting benefit-at-cost. In my home game, this is basically the only sort of magic item, so bear that in mind.)

Base as Fighter, but no attack progression or improved techniques.
A character of any level with multiple curse-effects can elect to become an Accursed, keeping HP but losing all XP, beginning at level 1.

Curse-Seeker - Whenever an even level is gained, the Accursed gains a dim direction sense of the nearest cursed item. (Place in the world as appropriate. The power of the item has nothing to do with the level of the Accursed.)

Bearer of Chains -  The Accursed can break the bonds of another, removing their curses and taking them on for themselves.

The Binds Tighten - Every odd level gained (including the first) imbues the Accursed with a new curse. Conflicting curses are good. Re-roll if you roll the same thing twice, or else replace whenever a curse is used.

d10	A Chain Gained, a Power Revealed.
1	To Know Restlessness – The Accursed will never rest again, but will still become tired, never quite dying of the exhaustion.
2	To Forget Fear – The Accursed has no capacity for fear in any situation.
3	To Never Know Death – The Accursed cannot die. They can be hacked into pieces.
4	To Move Restlessly – The Accursed cannot remain in the same place for more than d20 hours. As they get closer to this deadline, they move faster.
5	To Be Hated – All who gaze upon the Accursed will hate and fear them immensely. With power to back it up, this is a tool.
6	To Be Untouchable – You grow a second stony skin. You lose all sense of touch, but have AC equal to plate.
7	To Know Betrayal – You can hear the voice of any speaking of you, no matter the distance. You don’t know who says what.
8	To Forget – Your memory is limited to 1 week. You can eat the memories of others, which do not fade. This is achieved through the consumption of brains.
9	To Be Loathsomely Beautiful – You become disgustingly beautiful. All will wish to possess or destroy you on sight.
0	To Be A Slave – You must follow all instructions given to you directly, to the letter. For every instruction followed, you gain a secret of the master.

Stitcher - Graftmaster Supreme

The Stitcher is a rogue barber-surgeon willing to use a dash of magic to 'improve' his patients. Banned in most places, incredibly useful for those at risk of limb loss. The issue with these replacements is the risk of picking up elements of the previous holder.

Progression as Magic User, with the addition of a First Aid skill which progresses like that of a halfing.

Things a Stitcher can Do

- Pickle wizard brains. A wizard brain takes days equal to the MUs level to prepare, and when done can be eaten by a magic user to gain knowledge of any spells stored within. Save Vs Poison (at a penalty equal to the brain's MU level) or else you've got another wizard riding in your skull, yelling at you most likely.

- Temporary grafts. Attach temporary additional limbs/organs or give them a leg to walk back to town. Takes 30 minutes. These last d4 hours, and give a -4 to the corruption roll. (explained below)

- Permanent grafts. As above, but permanent.

Grafts and Grafting

You can only support grafts equal to your constitution modifier +2, unless you're replacing something with an example from your own species. Eye for an eye.

Grafting takes a day, with another day for recovering and getting used to the additional body parts. When the craft is complete, the graftee must roll under constitution + grafter level or else try again with a new body part. A good, clean place for surgery gives -2 to the roll, and exceptionally dirty places +2.

After the graft is complete, make a Corruption roll, modified as below.

Situation	Modifier
Replacing a lost part	+0
Replacing an existing part	+2
Additional part	+4
Fingers / Toes	+0
Hands / Feet	+1
Arms / Legs	+2
Ears	+1
Eyes	+2
Genitals	+2
Internals	+4
Brains	+5
Same Species	-1
Natural Creature (Animals etc.)	0
Magical Creature (Unicorn, dragon etc.)	+2
Unnatural Create (Aberrations, created things etc.)	+4
Outsiders (Devils, demons, angels and worse)	+6

The Corruption roll determines how much the replacement is going to effect you in unintended ways, and is made on a d20.

Roll	Severity
>0	Absolutely nothing happens. Perfect surgery. Good job, doc!
1-5	Some minor changes. Nothing noticeable.
6-10	Manageable changes. Friends and family will notice.
11-15	Moderate changes. You've become someone similar, but different.
16-20	Significant changes. You (might) look the same, but something is wrong.
21-25	Huge changes. You’re more different than the same.
26+	A New You. The old you is dead. Long live the new you.

The changes wrought depend on the source of the transplant. Example - Goblin Eyes.

At a minor level, you like steak a bit rarer than before.

Moving up slightly, you start getting urges to skulk or steal things. Nothing too serious.

Or perhaps you were less lucky. You can't resist picking up things now, and have a big thing for raw meat. The light hurts your eyes too.

You just don't feel right these days. The sun is too bright, the humans are too loud - wait, you did it again. Oh dear.

You keep trying to fit into spaces too small, you can't stand light and hate cooked food. You sometimes think in Goblin, although you don't understand it.

You're actually a big Goblin. The biggest Goblin. Travelling with humans is a lark.You love stealing, raw meat, torture and hatehatehate the sun.

Corruption effects within the same species would be more about taking on elements of the donors personality.

Of course, any natural benefits of the new body part are also inferred. Darkvision, increased strength, you name it. You should get used to bribing the GM or being able to bullshit about the anatomy of the things you're cutting up and splicing onto yourself/your patients.