Happy Birthday, The Amateur Dungeoneers!

This blog just turned a year old. I'll just make this quick: it's been a fun run so far and I'm glad for all the support I did get, even if it wasn't all that much in the long run nor does it compare to juggernauts of RPG-related blogging. But does that really matter?

No. It doesn't. It's been a fun ride so far and it will remain a fun ride moving forward.

Pathfinder E6: Yoon-Suin

There's going to be some serious 'Heresy' in this post!

It's is an attempt to offer Yoon-Suin to players and people more familiar with Pathfinder than any other edition of D&D. In the past, I've seen interest in this setting be reduced once it was mentioned the setting book worked off OD&D. This is, in no way, meant as a disrespect to this great book but rather as a bridge between the beautiful and unique works of the OSR and an edition/game some people still play. Even if I'm less and less sure why people play Monte Cook's eternal fellatio to spell casters.*

This take on Yoon-Suin use E6 Pathfinder and, frankly, abuse the usage of third party content which is something I'd normally frown upon but in this case it's fitting for the game conceptually. The third party books used are all from Dreamscarred Press.

Races

Two options in converting Yoon-Suin to Pathfinder exist. The first is to just use the races found in it and the other is to go 'full modern D&D' and allow a crapload of weird options. Assuming that would be the way to go, here are a few possible options which already exist in Pathfinder and could work fine in Yoon-Suin:

• Dromite: These little bug-men are possibly relatives of other insectoid beings found in the Purple Land. They are elusive but are said to have great and mysterious mental powers, at least their gurus do.
• Ophiduan: They are one of the odder reptilian races which exist at the edges of the Purple Land.
• Samsaran: Given their connection to Vedic myths they fit right in. They are essentially Bodhisattva, enlightened souls reborn to a mortal body. Arguably could really use a homebrew to make them better at using Akashic stuff.
• Tengu: While the name need a bit of a change, these odd and cunning bird-men aren't too out of place in the setting. However, if the name is kept intact then perhaps their connection to Japanese mythology can be a plot point, making them travelers from a faraway land beyond Yoon-Suin.
• Vanara: These ape-men could be related to Bhuta.
• Vishkanya: In Yoon-Suin they might not be that exotic at all.
• Wayang: In case one need a second kind of creepy goblin-like creatures.

Of course, Yoon-Suin has three races which are native to it and important to the setting. These are the Crab-Men (statted for Pathfinder here) and the Slug-Men. The third one are the Dwarves of Yoon-Suin which aren't quite as you'd know your typical Dwarves: they are not short Scottish men with beards, big armor and hammers.

Dwarves

Standard Racial Traits

• Ability Score Racial Traits: Dwarves gain +2 Con and +2 Wis.
• Type: Dwarves are humanoids with the dwarf subtype.
• Size: Dwarves are Medium creatures and thus receive no bonuses or penalties due to their size.
• Speed: Dwarves have a base speed of 20 feet, but their speed is never modified by armor or encumbrance.
• Languages: Dwarves begin play speaking Common and Dwarven. Dwarves with high intelligence scores can learn additional languages.

Defense Racial Traits

• Hardy: Dwarves have a +2 racial bonus on saving throws against poison, spells, and spell-like abilities.
• Stability: Dwarves receive a +4 racial bonus to their CMD when resisting bull rush or trip attempts while standing on the ground.

Feat and Skill Racial Traits

• Greed: Dwarves have a +2 bonus on Appraise checks to determine the price of non-magical goods that contain precious metals or gemstones.
• Stonecunning: Dwarves receive a +2 bonus on Perception checks to notice unusual stonework, such as traps and hidden doors located in stone walls or floors. They receive a check to notice such features whenever they pass within 10 feet of them, whether or not they are actively looking.
• Craftsman: Dwarves have a +2 racial bonus on all Craft or Profession checks to create objects from metal or stone.

Magical Racial Traits

Movement Racial Traits

Offense Racial Traits

Senses Racial Traits

• Darkvision: Dwarves can see in the dark up to 60 feet.

Slug-Men

Standard Racial Traits

• Ability Score Racial Traits: Slug men gain +2 Int and Cha.
• Type: Slug men are Monstrous Humanoids.
• Size: Slug men are Medium creatures and thus receive no bonuses or penalties due to their size.
• Speed: Slug men have a base speed of 20 feet, but their speed is never modified by armor or encumbrance.
• Languages: Slug men begin play speaking Common. Slug men with high Intelligence scores can choose any languages they want (except secret languages, such as Druidic).

Defense Racial Traits

Feat and Skill Racial Traits

• Skill Training: Bluff and Diplomacy are always considered class skills for slug men.
• Gift of Tongues: Slug men have a +1 racial bonus on Bluff and Diplomacy checks, and they learn one additional language every time they put a rank in the Linguistics skill.
• Emissary: Once per day, a slug man can roll twice when making a Bluff or Diplomacy check and take the better roll.

Magical Racial Traits

Movement Racial Traits

Offense Racial Traits

Senses Racial Traits

• Darkvision: Slug men can see in the dark up to 60 feet.

Classes

It's fairly obvious that a Pathfinder conversion would have a ton of options for classes, especially with the addition of two type of magics which are in this case well suited to Yoon-Suin: these are Psionics and Akashic. While normally something people find a bit too tied to science fiction, Psionic classes are well-suited to Yoon-Suin given that it has options for psionic in the first place. As for Akashic? Well, I like it and it suit the setting fine. These are options picked more for flavor and style than 'game balance' or 'builds' but screw these concepts. To keep things simple most classes have only or two flavorful or interesting Archetype to use.

In a deliberate choice to further enforce the Fighter/Thief/Mage ideal, the only 'hybrid' class of sort is the Cleric and classes with similar Hit Dice/BAB. There are no Magus or Psychic Warriors here or other class which skirt the line between fighting-man and magic-user safe for these archetypes which allow to dabble into Psionic and Akashic powers.

Brawler (and Fighter)

The Fighter is not a very good class thanks to the crappy game design of Monte Cook so the option to play a Brawler is there to replace the Fighter if need be. However, nonetheless, the Brawler/Fighter classes would form a sizable portion of any active adventurers in Yoon-Suin in spite of it's apparent weakness simply because of how versatile it is and how many character concepts it cover.

• Akashic Warrior and Psionic Fighter: Both options allow the Fighter to tap into these two power sources. These hybrid archetypes could be commonplace in some areas and limited to secret and strange cults in others.
• Savage Warrior: A Fighter archetype well suited to the ferocious Crab-Men.
• Unbreakable: An alternative available to Crab-Men.

Cleric

The Purple Land has many gods. Most local, unlike the more typical fantasy gods which tend to embody entire concepts and/or are worshiped by whole races. The typical D&D-style cleric is somewhat at odd with the setting, being more based off a crusader than a proper priest.

• Psionic Domain: This and it's subdomain are open to those Cleric of gods who preside over disciplines related to the psionic arts, the mind, dreams and other mental matters. Alternatively these could be Clerics who have achieved some form of enlightenment.
• Sacred Attendant: These are well-suited to priestess of divine beauty, love and maybe some tantric sex on the side. Because why not?

Guru

The Guru's role within the setting is more than self-explanatory: they are the Akashic equivalent of the Cleric class and one well suited to mystics, fakir and sadhu of all stripes. Entire religions and philosophical schools could exist centered around the various Philosophies which are the class options of the Guru.

Monk

In many ways, the monk isn't a very good class mechanically. But on the flip side? It's really, really cool and quite a few people certainly love it's kung fu powers. This is a core class well worth adding to Yoon-Suin for flavor alone.

• Enlightened Monk and Mysterial: Much like the Fighter options, this add Psionic and Akashic options to the Monk.
• Sohei: While the name is tied to Japanese history, these mounted warrior monks would fit right in.

Psion

The Psion of Yoon-Suin are yogis who have learned to fully harness the enlightened powers of the mind, making them culturally on par with Clerics and thus part of the 'Holy Man' class on a technical level. All Clerics may be priests and brahmin, but not all priest and brahmin are Clerics. This is a class well-suited to the Slug Men.

Ranger

These are hunters and warriors of the wilderness, ranging from the magic-less Skirmisher variant for those who are merely skilled trackers to the regular Ranger for those who are more like wood-dwelling sadhu who renounced civilization for nature.

• Divine Tracker: For those Rangers with a stronger bond to their deity, perhaps presumably as tribal shaman of some obscure wild tribe or as the aforementioned society-rejecting holy-men.
• Urban Ranger: These are a unusual breed of Ranger, mostly found in the dark corners of the Yellow City and prowling the area where the Old Town encroach upon civilization. Quite a few odd cults exist there and Urban Rangers might be their holy warriors.

Rogue

Every society has those who live in the shadows by their wits and skills and Yoon-Suin is no different. Rogues are a very versatile class, especially with their Rogue Talents in Pathfinder and how many options the addition of psionics and akashic mysteries add.

• Cerebral Infiltrator: A pretty self-explanatory option. A Psionic rogue.
• Thug: Fitting for the class name, these Rogues are associated with violent murder cults.

Vizier

This Akashic class is particularly well-suited to the Slug Men, with their high intelligence and it's role, which fit the decadent rulers of the Yellow City quite well. This too is a class which could be used by members of the priestly castes as opposed to the Cleric class.

Wizard

Archetypal spell casters, the Wizards are obviously a 'thing' in Yoon-Suin because why wouldn't they be? Of all the spell casters in Yoon-Suin they may very well be the most mysterious and eldritch but that's just fine the way it is. Not everything need to make sense.

• Psychic Mage: Or, perhaps these different powers are not so different after all?

*Yes I know Cook isn't responsible for Pathfinder, but Pathfinder was designed from day one to be the direct successor to D&D 3E.

Random Dragon

Dragonlord Atarka by Karl Kopinski

There hasn't been any 'Random Generic Monster' post on this blog for some time and for good reason: in general these were among my weaker posts and, generally, they weren't very interesting or unique. However this is one which was originally supposed to be posted in the earlier days of this blog but got ultimately cancelled and left to rot in some obscure corner of the 'draft' folder.

No more.

The great beast stirs, the slumbering serpent awaken: the dragon has risen from it's sleep and is ready to unleash it's fury upon he who would dare enter his lair! These are the Random Dragon tables, one which is somewhat more serious and traditional than the admittedly really cool Unexpurgated Dragon Generator. This post is an experiment, of sorts.

Click here to generate a Random Dragon

Godbound: Guardian Demons of the Toban

The Toban people call 'demon' any supernaturally potent entity which is capable of bringing forth terrifying destruction. These range from horrible, twisted monstrosities which crawl out of the land of the Thousand Gods just as much as it mean some local, physically twisted once-human witch living in a cave. The most potent and fearsome of them, however, as the dreaded Guardian Demons. Some are worshiped as mighty warrior deities whose destruction is focused on the enemies of the Toban tribes; others are sleeping, living doomsday devices or more terrifying enough some Parasite God horsewhipped as a dark guardian of some Lamasery.

Monster by Yang Zhao.

Guardian Demon

Central to the beliefs of Toban are the dreaded Guardian Demons: beings which are accepted to be fearsome, dangerous forces yet one which the Toban can nonetheless call upon in time of need. The category is more one of purpose than origin as two Guardian Demons might not share the same origin, biology and purpose. They are among the most powerful beings which the Lamaseries can call upon to their aid in time of need.

One major type of Guardian Demon is what some sages call, in long-forgotten and forbidden texts a Ren Archon. These are beings made of a combination of magical energies and psychic gestalt infused into a vessel created from Theotechnical knowledge much like a Made God. These beings were designed as living vessel, interfaces and enforces of Ren social laws. With their programming having decayed they've become twisted, often amnesiac or insane beings centered around enforcement of laws and systems which no one, not even themselves, know how to properly enforce and comprehend. This make most, if not all Guardian Demons of this type seemingly insane and vengeful or oddly specific in their destruction or pettiness. Others are reclusive sages whose conflicting directives translate as a desire to remove themselves from earthly affairs, becoming divine hermits only called upon in time of great need.

D10	Type of Guardian Demon
1-6	Ren Archon: A being engineered by the Ren in ancient times to ensure the order and compliance of all to Ren laws. It likely has very little understanding of how Toban society truly function.
7	Ancestral Eidolon: A spirit based upon/integrating the thoughts and memories of honored ancestors. It could also be a gestalt of several ancestors at once and add more to itself with each generation.
8	Inhuman Immortal: One of the revered ancestors is a human who has transcended the limits of normal human lifespan with some form of theotechnical or theurgic knowledge. The monks may or may not be aware of its true nature.
9	Parasite God: This Parasite God control the Lamasery from within, either acting as it’s guardian openly or pretending to be it or some ancestral spirit. It is likely a threat to the Lamasery and its people in the long run.
10	Uncreated Manipulator: Some horrible yet very intelligent and charismatic Uncreated as usurped the Lamasery and made it its cult, where it pretend to be the tutelary deity and/or guardian demon. Roll on the Uncreated Nature table.

D12	Nature
1-3	A detached being of zen intellect and wisdom, with little of its actions or words having meaning to the non-enlightened.
4-6	Prone to long periods of isolation and hibernation. Functionally distant barring on special occasions.
7	Viciously destructive when unleashed, a being of glorious divine fury. Otherwise very reserved or flat out inactive.
8	Completely insane and erratic, likely left alone inside the Lamasery’s vault as to not bother it. Best left alone.
9	Obsessive about rule, regulations and divine rites. Will attempt to enforce incompatible Ren doctrine whenever active.
10	Demanding of worship whenever active. Needy and unstable, more a raving lunatic than a wise guardian.
11	Crippled by memories of mortal life that may or may not belong to it. Unconscious psychic nexus of the thoughts of all worshippers.
12	Never says anything that make sense, only reciting about protocol and rites. Must be spoken to in highly complex, flourishful speech or raw code.

D4	Uncreated Nature
1	Pretend to be impossibly wise and kind but exert secret, corrupting mental influence on worshippers to fulfill its needs and desires.
2	Demand increasingly debauched acts of worship. Only the inner circle of monks know how deep this degeneracy truly goes.
3	A mad zealot which constantly push the monks to proselytize and/or declare holy wars on rivals. Only limited by lack of manpower and ability to raise actual armies.
4	A corrupting schemer of impossible intellect whose plans are multi-layered and long-lasting. Will take centuries to undo Toban society.

Statting the Guardian Demon

Every type of entity operating as a Guardian Demon is a being of over 13 HD with at least one bound Word: Protection, Vengeance, Command or Passion are suitable choices for its Word. The exact nature of the stats vary depending on the type of being it truly is, with Uncreated having the usual abilities.

Godbound: The Toban People

Kindred to the people of Dulimbai, the Toban are plain-dwelling people split into two distinct groups which are not separated by ethnicity or politics but rather by a question of lifestyle: the plain-dwelling nomads are herders and horsemen while the sedentary monks live in seclusion to attend to the need of their faith and oversee their status as shrines and marketplaces. Various clans, bloodlines, sects and more claim these plains as their own and exist in a state varying from anything between harmony to war.

Hunter by Yang Zhao.

Toban Clans

The core of any plain-dwelling Toban society is the clan, which is a group of derived bloodlines and perhaps allies integrated into their own following a war. Each clan has a name, often a banner, unique traditions and most importantly a certain amount of land which they are technically allowed to roam. In practice, however, Toban territory is purely a matter of power and the reach of one's sword and bow. When riding into battle, the Toban clans have a mobility few other powers in Arcem can match on a mundane level and, even then, the Tobans have their own ways and own ancient powers and pacts to call upon in time of need.

D6	Values	Flaws
1	Warrior Ethos: The warrior roots of the Toban are exemplified by this clan, which cling to pre-Fall traditions and fighting styles. They are unmatched unless overwhelmed with superior numbers or power.	Bloodthirsty: A willingness to fight is hardly a flaw to Toban riders but this clan has a long tradition of not only seeking conflict but actively cultivating it for their own enjoyment, no matter the cost.
2	Peerless Craftsmanship: This Toban clan is famous for it’s crafters and artisans, be it for mundane items or weapons and armors. They are well respected at major trading hubs.	Cowardly: While they may not appear as such to outsiders, this clan has a long history of cowardice, most often in the form of refusing to join a battle with an ally to save their own skins.
3	Lawmakers: This clan is well versed in diplomacy and the matters of interpreting Toban ancestral law and, where it fail, drafting up new laws. Few Toban clans can claim to be this impartial and wise.	Rigid Hierarchy: This clan has a very strict social structure which place warriors of equal age and skill at different rank and positions purely on the basis of their blood and ancestry. All must know their place.
4	Horse Breeders: This Toban clan is well-known for their skill at breeding the best mounts and other clans praise them as such, assuming they aren’t outright buying mounts from them.	Greedy: This clan is obsessed with fancy baubles and symbols of status and prestige. They are prone to banditry and raiding far more than other clans.
5	Defenders Of The Faith: This clan has strong ties with a specific Lamaserie and/or specific sect and are well-known for their piety and willingness to protect the faithful and priesthood alike.	Foul Rites: The war rituals of this clan are considered foul and barbaric by the standards of other Toban and more superstitious clans will shun them.
6	Blessed Bloodline: This clan carries a very small but non-negligeable spiritual blessing or protection and/or theotechnical augmentation.	Cursed: Some horrible curse or spiritual blight has fallen upon this clan and they are actively shunned by many as such, due to fear of contagion.

Another option for Toban clans is to use the Quick Culture Generation from Spears of the Dawn: while that game is based on a locale that is very different from the main inspiration of the Toban, these tools are still quite worthwhile to use for the Toban.

Toban names use this table.

Forces of the Toban Tribes

Compared to the other cultures previously detailed, the Toban on the surface appear quite mundane: they are not led by a posthuman elite like the Oasian or the people of Ancalia nor are they ruled by cold, immortal synthetic nobles like Nezdovah. The strength of Toba lies almost entirely on the might of it's warriors, peerless archers and master horsemen. This is not to say that there aren't mystical defenses and weapons that the Toban can bring to bear, far from it, but on a basic level they are more likely to rely on Mortal Heroes.

Toban Heroes can use any of the Mortal Heroes stat block but generally it is expected they will be using skills or blessings which emulate the gifts of the Word of Bow Some of these are the result of years of training while others are from their ancestral or shamanic blessings as well as magically-empowered bows.

Monk in the mountains by Petro Kul

Lamaseries

If the people of Toba are the blood, then the massive Lamaseries are the organs which that blood flow through: each is a market, industry, holy site and magical defense at the same time even if that last part can be somewhat lost to the average Toban.  Most monks and nun living in these places are of fairly low rank, more artisan than spiritual leader. This is quite different from the higher ranks of monks found in these locales, which have been initiated in ancient crafts forgotten by the other people of Arcem. Many Toban Lamaseries act as mystical nexus of some type, one whose power is nearly entirely derived from the rites and beliefs of the people than any major mystical artifact. Inside specialized cloisters monks enact special rituals to canalize the energies and will of the ordinary Toban and their simple prayers, channeling this power obtained through orderly action and synchronized soul-nodes into miracles which protect the Toban plains from the Thousand Gods and their abominations.

D6	Robe Color	Sect Markings and Rites	Organization Rules
1	White	Shaved heads in order to signify distance from mortal vanity.	Men only, however female born to the monks nonetheless live around the lamaseries they simply aren’t monks themselves.
2	Blue	Men grow beards, women grow their hair to signify abundance and blessing.	Women only, however male  born to the monks nonetheless live around the lamaseries they simply aren’t monks themselves.
3	Yellow	Ritualistic scarring to signify the sacrifices of the ancestors are remembered.	Pure vows of celibacy, ranks are only replenished by willing convert.
4	Orange	Facial or cranial markings denote a strict hierarchy and one’s position in it.	One must either be a child of a monk or be an orphan handed over to the sect.
5	Green	Vow of silence.	Only members of a specific bloodline or with a specific gift are allowed to become full monks.
6	Purple	Vow of poverty.

D10	Guardians of the Lamaseries
1-2	Theurge Monks: The higher ranked monks and nuns of this Lamaseries are well versed into both Low Magic and the initial level of Theurgy and can mount powerful arcane defenses.
3-4	Mortal Hero: One or more powerful mortal hero, either a monk or nun. Alternatively, a local hero is well known to consider this Lamaseries under their protection and will rush to it’s aid as soon as possible.
5-6	Guardian Demon: A powerful monster of some kind, worshiped and/or feared as a demonic guardian by the Toban call this Lamaseries home and will defend it from supernatural foes.
7	Din Superweapon: Taken in ancient time from the Din people, a powerful artifact capable of great destruction (even if that is not its intended purpose) exist deep within the Lamaseries.
8	Powerful Curse: The secret arts of these monks is that they can call upon ancient Theurgic knowledge to enact a powerful, mind-breaking (or shackling) curse which even divine foes must save against.
9	Mechanical Guardian: Ancient theurgic automatons sleep within the Lamaseries. In time of great need the monks will chant the sutra of awakening. There is no guarantee the machines will obey the monks: they only know how to activate them.
10	God Machine: A statue or altar of some kind within the Lamaseries hold the control module to a Godwalker which can be reactivated in time of need by a courageous monk to protect the temple.

Random World Extras: Unusual Monsters

I've written down quite a bit about the still-unnamed 'Random World', including it's more common and mundane (if such a thing exist!) monsters so it seem only fair to write about the monsters which are not commonplace.

An Otyugh. Artist unknown.

Mutants and Aberrations

The existence of mutants in the Random World was briefly hinted at in the post about Cafeld, the City of Mercy. This was a small nod to the tendency of OSR game and blogs to provide mutation tables and since I never intend for a true or properly 'canon' version of this setting I left it open that mutants do exist but their origin and how common they are can be deliberately vague. As such, using DCC for this setting, for example, could allow the Mutant class from Hubris if I felt like it.

The creatures known as Aberrations (and the use of a term from 3e onward is deliberate) is the catch-all term for anything which has been horribly deformed and twisted beyond it's original form and function. In general for the Random World I've been keeping the Lovecraftion inspiration to a bare minimum as to not over abuse the amount of tentacular eldritch monsters on the basis that these lose all terror they can generate when there's so many of them around. As such, the creatures which modern D&D call Aberrations do exist but their stat block are used for unique monsters.

D&D 4e Wights. Artist unknown.

The Undead

The oh-so-useful undead are not commonplace in the Random World, being creatures which are truly unnatural. For one thing, the basic spell to create mindless undead (Animate Dead) is not in the default Magic-User or Cleric spell lists, requiring one to dig into darker and more vile sorceries to uncover this kind of power. As such, basic skeletons and zombies might show up as minions to some evil wizard of some kind but they shouldn't really be expected to be marched out in drove. And even then, these creatures are not considered 'true undead', being nothing but mindless, soulless and essence-less puppets of decayed organic matter.

The creatures known as True Undead are always semi-unique and while they might end up using the stat line of the likes of Ghoul or Wight for simplicity, others have more unique stats. Each undead is defined by it's ravening, all-consuming passion, desire or hunger and they tend to posses some ability which allow them to corrupt either people or their surrounding. They're not these all-powerful beings (unless you're dealing with a Lich, maybe) and in theory one could get destroyed by a suitably large and angry mob with torches and pitchfork but in practice they are nasty, unnatural monsters. The only reason they are not more of a threat is that most lack anything resembling sanity, spending all day inside their lair sleeping or pacing around in madness unable to experience new things or thoughts. Some lack a body and exist as ghosts and wraiths but the basic concept is the same.

There exist a second category of True Undead, which are 'born' when an unnatural or distorted spirit animates a corpse which is tainted in some way. Unlike the previous type, this is not the mind of the original individual (even if some memories may remain) but a foul alien intellect. These type of undead may have more esoteric powers. Either way, this kind of table would be a good place for me to start with making unique undead. It is worth noting that True Undead never create spawns: at best they can create zombies or skeleton.