INTO THE

Cess &
Citadel
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS & CREDITS
Art and Writing:
Alex Coggon
Charlie Ferguson-Avery
Layout:
Charlie Ferguson-Avery
Proofreading:
Brian Ferguson-Avery
Jeannie Showers
Chapter Header Art:
Brian Yaksha (pg. 5, 35, 97, 137, 161, 185, 211, 237, 254, 271)
Unwitting (Unwilling) Playtesters:
Michele Henry and Kevin Treacy
We would like to thank friends and family for their support and
enthusiasm, especially Alex’s mom Kimberly who supported Feral Indie
Studio from day one with packages of meat and office supplies.
The Very Viliest Viziers, for comradery, late night chats, and being my friend
even when I disappear for weeks on end.
Wet Ink Games, for going on another wild ride with this book.
The Feral Indie Familars, Keejay, Yuppa, and Hazel
Important Folks (in no particular order): Tony, Joe, Hambone, Stu, Marie,
Sally, Cam, Alice, Noora, Artyom, Perplexing Ruins, Richard, Paolo, Sam,
Micah, Batts, Dave, Jared, Nate, Spencer, Head of the Goat, Peri, Chris, Britt,
Skerples, Chris, Josh, Vic, David.

ISBN: Digital 978-1-952885-97-6, Hardcover 978-1-952885-95-2,

Softcover 978-1-952885-96-9, Deluxe 978-1-952885-98-3

II
 CONTENTS
Undercity Trinkets 134
Undercity Treasure 135
The Spires 137
The Spires 138
System Neutral 1 The Spire Dungeon 139
Introduction 2 The Nobles 141
Rules of the Street 5 Exploration and Alarm 142
Traveling the City 8 Generating the Spires 143
Shortcuts and Hazards 9 Spire Rooms and Features 145
Traffic and Crowds 10 Spire Encounters 150
Cobblestone Encounters 12 Spire Monsters 152
Roughing It 14 “You Spot an Aristocrat” 157
Dumpster Diving 15 Treasures 158
Everything Has a Price 16 Cultivist District 161
Reputation 18 Cultivists 162
Hazards and Disasters 20 Features and Issues 163
Cobblestone Changes 24 Factions and NPCs 165
Cobblestone Boons 26 Cultivist Goods & Services 168
Diseases 28 Cultivist Artifacts 170
Cobblestone Beasts 35 Cultivist Loot & Trinkets 173
Reading the Statblocks 36 Cultivist People & Places 174
Brick Tick 37 The Bloom 177
Cobblestone Crab 38 Cultivist Monsters 178
Court Spider 39 Cultivist Encounters 182
Demons 40 Foundry District 185
Dire Pigeon 42 Foundry 186
Fists of the City 43 Features and Issues 187
Kruksgrippen 44 Factions and NPCs 189
Garbage Shambler 45 Foundry Changes & Boons 192
Master of Procession 46 Foundry Goods & Services 194
Sutfilk 47 Foundry Artifacts 196
Shortblock 48 Foundry Loot & Trinkets 199
Encounter Table 49 Foundry People & Places 200
To Build a City 51 Foundry Monsters 202
The City Adventure 52 Foundry Encounters 208
Faction Relationships 57 Archivist District 211
Generating a City 71 Archivists 212
Generating a Building 78 Features and Issues 213
Hideouts 84 Factions and NPCs 215
Street Generator 88 Archivist Changes & Boons 218
NPC Generator 90 Archivist Goods & Services 220
Shop Generator 92 Archivist Artifacts 222
“I Search the Body” 94 Archivist Loot & Trinkets 225
Cobblestone Treasures 95 Archivist People & Places 226
The Undercity 97 Archivist Monsters 228
The Undercity 98 Archivist Encounters 234
The Under-Crawl 99 Artifacts & Spells 237
The Alley-Whelps 101 Artifacts of the City 238
Exploring the Undercity 102 Cobblestone Spells 246
Generating the Undercity 103 100 Locations 255
Undercity Landmarks 104 Running a City 271
Undercity Encounters 122 Index 280
Undercity Monsters 124
Undercity Goods & Services 132

III
 Recommended Systems
• Dungeon-Crawl Classics
• The Vanilla Game
• Old-School Essentials
• Troika! • Down We Go
• bastards • Knave
• Pink Hack • Black Hack
• Mork Borg • Blue Rose
• Pathfinder • D&D 5e
 SYSTEM NEUTRAL,
AND WHAT IT MEANS
The following book is written in the fashion of “System Neutral.” This means
that a majority of the book has been written to be immediately usable by
most RPG systems, but some additions or tweaks may be desired by GMs and
players. The most important parts of the book are the ideas and concepts for
GMs and players alike.
GLOSSARY
There are a few terms and phrases that are used throughout this book,
so a small glossary has been made to explain what each one means in regard
to play.
TURN - The measure of a single player character’s actions.
ROUND - The measure of every character and monster’s actions. In game time
it is equivalent to about 6 seconds.
ADVANTAGE - When a roll is made, roll two dice and take the higher of the
numbers. This is used when a character or creature is at an advantageous
position.
DISADVANTAGE - When a roll is made, roll two dice and take the lower of the
numbers. This is used when a character or creature is at a disadvanta‐
geous position.
SAVE VERSUS - When attempting to avoid a spell effect, special attack, or
some other hazard, a player may be required to make a “Save versus (X).”
This means is a character must roll a d20 and use their related ability
score in order to avoid harm.
Strength Save v. Hold Mobility hazards and force
Dexterity Save v. Breath Moving and dodging
Constitution Save v. Poison Poisons and disease
Intelligence Save v. Magic Magical influence
Wisdom Save v. Madness Mind alteration and effects
Charisma Save v. Charm Force of will and personality
- Systems that use a roll-under system are capable of using the rules as is.
- Systems that use a roll-over system should find a roll that suits the diffi‐
culty of the situation.
Challenge d20 d100
Easy 10 50
Average 15 75
Hard 20 85
Very Hard 25 90
Impossible 30 95
- These terms can be interchangeable if need be. Systems that have a con‐
densed save system (Pathfinder, D&D 3.5) will need to consider which
save works best.
If some creatures, items, or spells need to be overhauled or groups agree to
add their own house-rules to fit their style of play, that’s okay! The informa‐
tion, rules, and facets of this book are designed to be loose and malleable,
free to be broken down and changed for enjoyable play.
INTRODUCTION

INTRODUCTION

Roads beyond counting and unsuspecting folk, while cruel

buildings that block the very sun. opportunists and monsters strike
A city that stretches without measure under the uncaring gaze of
and whose secrets are without authorities. Many bow to this
number... unnatural order, while others band
A sprawling metropolis, built on the together to secretly fight back
bones of cities long forgotten, it is against the tyranny around them.
as every bit as colorful and chaotic A great and terrible will drives the
as it is deadly and unforgiving. It is city, a will that even the godly
ruled from the glistening Spires Nobles pay fealty to in secrecy.
above; the Nobles, demigods of When the will stirs, the roads crack
flesh made gold, whose tyrannical and buildings tumble; when the will
whims ebb and flow like bloody hungers, the streets fill with blood
tides across the city. Yet, as tall as and bodies; when the will demands
the city towers above, so too does it service, visions of a great and
descend below, where dark and hideous serpent drive even the
terrible things roil with hunger mightiest to madness and cruelty. So
beneath the cobblestone streets… great is this will, that all who call
Those who make their home among the city home may as well be fleas
the labyrinthine streets and alleys of on the back of mighty Wurm, a
this grand city are well-acquainted Wurm which feasts on gold and
with the dangers and fell powers of blood...
the city. Corrupt officials sic their This city eats people.
guards and servants upon Never forget that.

2
 INTRODUCTION
For players, there are a multitude of
What is the Cess & Citadel? options to travel and explore the
The city is a place where the natural city, from the squalid Undercity
order of the world has been below to the decadent Spires above,
replaced with something cruel and each requiring a different approach
artificial. Stone torn from the earth to survive their hardened and blood-
to build towers, fields ripped stained passages. Along the way will
asunder to lay roads, and the be complex factions to befriend or
abstract power of coin rules combat, along with opportunities to
absolute. Rulers, propped up by the exploit for the many treasures that
power of wealth, poison any good await in the eclectic districts. Finally,
the city would provide, instead there are a multitude of strange
expanding their own wealth and artifacts and cobblestone magics,
crushing any who would dare to each embodying the chaotic and
raise an eye to them. frightening nature of the city.
The city can appear any place For Gamemasters the book has
where buildings grow tall and tight everything you might need to run a
together; from small border cities at colorful and dark urban-themed
the edge of civilization to the game. Monsters and encounters that
infinite spinning metropolis at the present players with unique
center of reality. Each has its own challenges and personify the
shape and rhythm, its own power- warped spirit of the city, simple
structures and problems, yet each rules for providing meaningful
bears secrets and dangers if you are depth to city exploration and
not careful in your exploration. survival, interconnected and
evolving factions that operate in the
Who is this Book For? light and in the shadows, along with
easy to use generators for streets,
Into the Cess and Citadel is a vendors, NPCS, events and more to
supplemental book for those flesh out the details of your
seeking to incorporate a strange, sprawling metropolis.
colorful, and terrifying city into their
role-playing game. Presented within In addition, for groups looking to
the book is a comprehensive guide take the plunge into a fully urban
to running adventures or campaigns campaign, there is an entire toolbox
within a fantastical city, along with and resource guide for how to easily
an overhaul of the adventuring prepare and play games with
system to better accommodate the minimal effort, keeping preparations
unique challenges and benefits of a to a minimum and allowing large-
sprawling urban environment. scale settings to be played quickly
and fluidly.
Contents & Goal System-Neutral
Into the Cess and Citadel is designed
to turn the traditional city into a While the contents of Into the Cess
more immersive dungeon-like and Citadel were designed for D20
adventure setting. The book style games, this book has been
provides rules for everything from written to be as system-neutral as
small urban-dungeon exploration to possible. This means that:
a total urban conversion with a • Rules and stats are written bare-
world filled with disasters, factions, bone with the intention of being
and encounters that react to the widely compatible.
player's actions. Along with these • Enough information is given that a
rules are a series of generators for GM and player can easily adapt it
creating an urban environment from to their own preferred system.
a 6-mile district down to a single
building and an essay on how best
to run your urban adventures.

3
 Rules Street of
the

As a chronic traveler I have experienced all manner of

customs and practices that keep cities like this one constantly
bubbling with life. This city more than any other, is
inundated with scoundrels and holy men, each vying for a
stake in a person's pocket or soul. If a higher calling should
not wisk oneself away, there are innumerable organizations,
movements, gangs and syndicates one may sign their
allegiances to. After all, sometimes the highest commodity in
the city is someone's loyalty.
Preface by Xelie A. Larch, Wandering Historian;
Tales of My Travels, Vol II
RULES OF THE STREET

Using this Section

The following section will introduce
a series of optional mechanics Toybox Method
designed to be simple, thematic, and That is not to say these mechanics
allow for realistic but fun urban- have to all be used in order to have
style adventuring. an interesting and fun game. Each
These optional rules range from mechanic was designed to stand on
changing cost due to wealth its own as a small interesting puzzle
disparity, effects of traffic and for players to solve, exploit, and
crowds, hazards large and small, inevitably break.
and the changes that occur to those Additionally, by being modular they
affected by the city. Each set of rules can be dropped into and alongside
and mechanics can be used on their other content if a group is just
own or in conjunction with the looking to spice up their game with
larger body of mechanics presented some urban adventure.
within the book. Need simple mechanics for traveling
a perilous and crowded city? Use the
Within the Cess and Citadel “Traveling the City,” “Shortcuts,” and
“Traffic and Crowds” rules. Looking
The content in the later chapters of
this book reference rules found in to have some fun playing off the
this section. Spells, monsters, and political web of a city? Use “Faction
other such hazards play off of the Relationships” and “Reputation.”
various mechanics by affecting the Interested in navigating the perils of
value of goods, disrupting travel or wealth disparity and adding survival
any number of problems that have mechanics? Use “Roughing It” and
to be solved or defended against. “Cobblestone Encounters.”
While the individual mechanics are As always, discuss it as a table first
lightweight and easy to implement, and go from there.
they also work off of one another as
an entire collective rule-set.
“Traveling the City” offers rules for
shortcuts (and their dangers) that
will help characters circumnavigate
the hazards of “Traffic and Crowds.”
Travel becomes a matter of risk and
reward, allowing characters to save
time or avoid severe dangers at the
cost of different dangers.
Extrapolate on this further with
“Hazards and Disasters” and
“Generating a City” and now the
entire world map is a living space of
wandering dangers that players
must react to with the mechanical
tools and options they have at their
disposal.
Will you play it safe and sacrifice
time and money along the long
route, or will you make a dangerous
gamble to speed through otherwise
insurmountable danger?

6
7
RULES OF THE STREET

TRAVELING THE CITY

“Don’t worry, I know a shortcut!”
Expediting Travel
Navigating the city can be a tricky
thing. Crowds of people choke the At any leg of the journey, the
streets, buildings create tight and adventurers may choose to speed up
impassable alleys, and worst of all: their journey with shortcuts or other
bored city officials prowl about avenues of travel.
looking to start trouble. That being
said, adventurers are not limited to Shortcut
the cramped and well-trodden Taking a shortcut doubles travel
streets. Running atop roofs, speed BUT requires a skill check
sneaking through the sewers, or to avoid the hazards unique to
flagging down a carriage are all the shortcut.
equally valid (if occasionally Roof-Hopping
dangerous) ways of quickly
traveling the city. What some may • Leaping across roofs, climbing up
call unorthodox, others call walls, etc.
“a shortcut.” • Dexterity or Intelligence.
Street-Running
Average travel time in the city:
• Pushing through crowds, passing
18 miles a day/2 miles an hour by strangers, etc.
• Strength or Charisma.
If congested or dangerous: Sewer-Creeping
9 miles a day/1 mile an hour • Trudging through waste,
navigating sewer pipes, etc.
On average a party of characters can • Constitution or Wisdom.
travel 18 miles of uncongested city Failing this skill check causes a roll
streets per day, or 2 miles per hour. on the appropriate hazard tables;
Streets that are dangerous or however, the failure does not slow
overcrowded reduce this to 9 miles the adventurers unless the hazard
a day, or 1 mile per hour. This says so.
assumes the adventurers are actively
avoiding dangerous situations, Paid Travel
keeping to the streets, and moving Paying for travel doubles travel
at a measured pace. speed without the risk of danger.
BUT, this can be prohibitively
expensive in the wealthier districts.

8
 RULES OF THE STREET

SRoof-Hopping
HORT CUTS AND HAZARDS
Street-Running
Alighting atop roofs, clamoring up Barreling through crowds, dipping
chimneys, and leaping from building into alleys, and sneaking through
to building. storefronts.

DEX or INT to avoid danger STR or CHA to avoid danger

D6 Hazard D6 Hazard
1 Nasty Fall - You fall, dealing 1 Faceplant - Face-first into
1d3x1d6 damage. something hard for 1d6 damage
2 Weak Roof - You fall through the and disadvantage on charisma
roof for 1d6 damage. checks for the day.
3 Through a Window - You crash 2 Carriage - Trampled by a carriage
into someone’s home. Mood: They or beast for 2d6 damage.
are 1-3 Confused, 4-6 Hostile. 3 Stuck in the Crowd - Lose
4 Birds! - A flock of angry birds benefits of the shortcut.
peck at your face. Disadvantage 4 Bored Guard - Pay 1d6 gold per
on sight-based checks for the rest character level OR lose 1d6 health
of the day. OR fight.
5 Spotted and Fined - A guard 5 Pickpocket! - Lose 3d6 gold.
stops you. Pay 1d6 gold per 6 Angry Store Owner - Enraged
character level OR give up an item local will call authorities if you
OR fight. follow this route again.
6 Angry Local - Enraged local will
call authorities if you follow this
route again.
Sewer-Creeping
Trudging through waste, navigating
pipes, and scurrying in the dark.

CON or WIS to avoid danger

D6 Hazard
1 Septic Water - Gain a random
disease.
2 Stuck in a Pipe - Lose benefits of
shortcut.
3 Lost in the Murk - Mood:
1-3 Lose shoes/boots. 4-5 Lose
2d6 gold. 6 Lose an item.
4 Burning Sludge - Corrosive
chemicals burn for 2d6 damage.
5 Rats! - 2d6 damage OR gain a
random disease.
6 Angry Gator - Fight a Sewer
Gator (pg. 48).

9
RULES OF THE STREET

Traffic and Crowds Thousands of streets, countless

alleys, enough walkways to circle
the world a hundred times over,
and yet EVERY one of them is
crowded…
Poor infrastructure and city
planning leads to congested streets
and crowded alleys. the city is
plagued by such common place
events, requiring individual
communities to adopt special forms
of traffic initiatives or transportation
systems. However, when there is a
parade or celebration, all bets
are off.
As detailed in Generating a City
(pg. 72) there is a chance that on
any given day, the local streets will
be crowded; be it a market day or
some elaborate celebration. During
such times, travel becomes difficult
and in some cases even dangerous.
The following lists describe some of
the many reasons for traffic in the
city, along with the unique effects
and dangers each one has.
Roll for each table.

10
 RULES OF THE STREET
D10 CAUSE OF TRAFFIC? D6 SIZE OF “EVENT?”
1 Religious veneration - Pilgrims
and worshipers surround floats 1 Petty - A small crowd. Use paid
that deliver sermons, while relics travel, a shortcut, or lose 1d3
and icons are greeted with hours
ecstatic cries
2 Modest - Several dozens,
2 Celebrity visits - An infamous or perhaps the local neighborhood.
respected personality has decided Use paid travel, a shortcut, or lose
to visit, attracting a substantial 1d6 hours
crowd of fans
3 Raucous festival - Be it a 3 Middling - A few hundred, still
cultural holiday or simply an room to run. Use paid travel, a
excuse to drink, there are folks in shortcut, or lose 2d6 hours
the street dancing, singing, and 4 Sizable - Several hundreds, large
cavorting with reckless abandon. crowds. Use paid travel, a
Always Busy shortcut, or lose 3d6 hours. Paid
4 Circus - Lines of onlookers Travel costs double
crowd around the vibrant
spectacle. Animals made to dance, 5 Huge - Countless people, little
acrobats leaping to the sky, and room to move. Use paid travel, a
all manner of deadly tricks can be shortcut, or lose 3d6 hours. Paid
seen Travel costs triple
5 Riot - Civility has failed and 6 Grand - Stretches beyond sight.
rulers have looked on with cruel No paid travel available, use a
indifference. The people have had shortcut or lose 5d6 hours
enough and are ready to send a
message. Always Dangerous
6 The Noble arrives - A grand D4 ATMOSPHERE & MOOD
parade heralds the arrival of a
Noble; pray they do not see you.
Always Grand and Dangerous 1 Busy - The movement here is
quick and chaotic. Throngs of
7 Military Parade - The Nobles folk pushing and shoving to get
have planned a show of might where they need to. Increase size
under pretense of honor. of the event by 1
Decorated guards and mounted
captains march in lockstep 2 Solemn - A hushed and reverent
8 Streetfight - Onlookers have mummer. Folks carry a low and
circled around a raucous sight. cautious energy. If anyone makes
A fight has broken out over a a scene, roll for an encounter
perceived slight or simply for the 3 Dangerous - Folks shout and
sport of it push as a palpable tension rides
9 Funeral - Mourners follow through the air. Blood runs hot in
behind either pallbearers or some the veins of folks here. Roll for an
manner of body. The only sound encounter
heard are the occasional gentle
sobs. Always Solemn 4 Opportunistic - Gullible marks
and unattended purses. This place
10 Market Day - Shoppers flock to is ripe for enterprising criminals.
colorful stalls and barking 1-in-6 chance of encountering
merchants. Either fresh goods 1d6 thieves (pg. 48)
have come to town or a harvest
has just completed. Always
Opportunistic

11
RULES OF THE STREET

Cobblestone Encounters
The toll of the City is paid in gold
or blood...
While the city is host to many
terrible and wretched monsters,
most danger is far more mundane.
Desperate thieves attempt to steal
from the unsuspecting, sadistic
guards look for trouble, and power-
mad aristocrats hunt citizens for
sport. However, not every encounter
has to end in bloodshed; golden
coins and silver tongues can go
quite far in the city.
The following is a list of encounters
that can be used as wandering
monsters when exploring the city.
Each encounter includes what they
want and are willing to bargain for
as well as a list of possible reactions
they have when encountered.

Mugged
If, during one of these
encounters, a character is:
• Wounded and retreats
• Knocked unconscious
• Unwillingly robbed
They are considered to have
been Mugged. This is
particularly dangerous in the
city. (detailed on pg. 24)

Short Stat Blocks Soldier or Guard - Armor: Chain Shirt |

HD 3 | HP 18 | Pike 1d10 or Shield and
Beggar - Armor: Unarmored | HD 1 | Blade 1d8 or Crossbow 1d8 | Move:
HP 3 | Fist or Shiv 1d3 | Standard | Morale: 5-in-6 Flees if reduced
Move: Standard | Morale: 5-in-6 Flees to less than half HP or half of comrades
if injured, 1-in-6 Fights to the death. are killed, 1-in-6 Fights to the death.
Animal - Armor: Hide | HD 1 | HP 3 | Aristocrat or Magister -
Bite 1d4 | Move: Double Standard | Armor: Brigandine | HD 2 | HP 12 |
Morale: 5-in-6 Flees if injured, 1-in-6 Sword 1d8 | Move: Standard | Magic:
Fights to the death. Knows 1d3 random spells | Morale: Flees
Thief - Armor: Unarmored | HD 1 | if reduced to less than half HP or battle
HP 6 | Knife 1d6 | Move: Standard | appears to be lost.
Morale: Flees at full speed, fights only if Headhunting Aristocrat - Armor: Plate |
cornered or desperate. HD 4 | HP 30 | Harpoon 1d10 or
Mugger, Racketeer or Street Tough - Longbow 1d8 | Move: Horseback,
Armor: Gambeson | HD 2 | HP 12 | Double Standard | Net: As Attack, save
Club or Improvised weapon 1d8 | versus breath or become grappled in a
Move: Standard | Morale: Flees if net. Two consecutive checks to escape. |
reduced to less than half HP or half of Morale: Fights to the death, only blood
comrades are killed. will suffice!

12
 RULES OF THE STREET
ECOUNTER, WANTS, & 1d6 MOOD
1 Food, money, 1-2: Pleading for help
/ Beggar anything that 3-4: Persistently and loudly demands for help
10 will help 5-6: Violent if ignored or denied
11 1-3: Begs for food with whimpers
/ Hungry Food or 4-5: Will snatch food if the opportunity is given
Animal Shelter
20 6: Rabid, will attack unless given food

21 Money or 1-3: Attempts to pickpocket 1d6 coins

/ Lone valuables 4-5: Attempts to rob 1d10/per level of coins
Thief without a
30 fight 6: Quietly attempts to steal a magic item

31 1-2: Demands a “toll” of 1d10 coins per character

/ 1d6 Money or 3-4: Surrounds characters and demands all of their coins
Muggers valuables
40 5-6: Immediately attacks, will loot the unconscious victims

41 A fight and 1-2: They square up for a fair fight

3-4: Demand all the characters’ money or a beating
/ 1d6 Street
Toughs
chance to
prove 5: Rush the characters in an attempt to scare them
50 themselves 6: Out for blood and a dead body

1-2: Harass the characters for fun

51 Quick 3-4: Claim to be collecting “street tax” and demand 1d10
/ 1d4 Bored money or coins or a laugh
Guards entertainment
60 5-6: Interrogate the characters for a solid hour, mostly
personal and intrusive questions
1-2: Drop a weapon on the ground and tell the characters to
61 Money, pick them up; attack if they do
/ 1d4 Angry leisure, and
Guards maybe even
3-4: Claim characters look like suspects, will incarcerate if
they comply
65 violence 5-6: Demand “street tax” of 1d6x10 coins; if resisted they
attack

Irate To exert 1-3: Bully and confiscate any weapons the characters have
66 authority or 4-5: Claim characters are breaking some obscure law and
/ Magister find someone
and 1d3 who can fix have the guards apprehend them or pay 2d10x10 coins
70 Guards their problem 6: Conscript the character into some dangerous task

71 1-2: In the process of moving a body, threaten characters

/ 1d6 Body Corpses or 3-4: Offer characters drugged drink (will attempt to steal
Snatchers money teeth when characters pass out)
75 5-6: See characters as convenient cadavers...

76 To collect 1-4: Harass the characters for fun

2d6
/ Racketeers money or 5: Surround characters and demand half of all wealth for
terrorize the “protection”
80 street 6: Demand the wealthiest character give all of their money

81 To exert 1-2: Challenge character to an “honest” duel

1d10 authority, 3-4: Demand characters go drinking with them
/ Drunk money, or
Soldiers entertainment 5-6: Demand drink money, will fight if characters don’t
85 comply
86 Pack of 1-2: Harass characters and chase them out of their territory
/ 3d6 Enough food 3-4: Surround characters and attack
Animals for them all
90 5-6: Rush characters and steal as much as they can

91 Bored To collect 1-2: Claim characters look like suspects, will incarcerate if
/ Aristocrat money or they comply
and 1d4 terrorize the 3-4: Demand the wealthiest character give magic items
95 Fists of
the City street 5-6: Force a duel to the death between a character and Fist

1d4 Head- 1-2: Blow the horn and announce they will give the
96 hunting To hunt characters a 10-minute head start before they hunt them
anyone
/ Aristocrats caught in the 3-4: Attempt to corner characters into a trap
100 and 1d10 street. RUN. 5-6: Attempt to net and kidnap a character alive for some
Guards dark purpose...

13
RULES OF THE STREET

ROUGHING IT
Be it lack of coin or bad luck,
characters may find themselves
having to rough it and find shelter
in the open streets. For many, this is
their only option, and some folks
band together to survive the
uncomfortable and dangerous nights
on the city streets…
Characters unable to find affordable
or safe accommodations can attempt
to find shelter in the city streets.
Roll once to see what shelter is
found and how dangerous it is.
Note: No one willingly tries to camp
out on the street if they can help it,
and it should only be a last-ditch
choice for characters. Roughing it is
a dangerous and sobering ordeal,
and those who do so likely have no
other option. There is no honor, nor
merit, in being a tourist to misery.

D20 YOU FIND… IT IS…

1 Sewer entrance
2 Abandoned home
Safer - 1-in-6 chance of an
3 Warm chimney row
encounter through the night
4 Trash-choked alley
5 Mostly-dry cistern
6 Under a bridge
7 Along a canal
8 Sturdy roof
9 Tight alley
10 Unguarded basement Risky - 3-in-6 chance of an
11 Dilapidated storefront encounter through the night
12 Coal chute
13 Overturned cart
14 Unattended stable
15 Crumbling arcade
16 End of a pier
17 Aristocrat’s garden
Dangerous - 5-in-6 chance of an
18 Window ledge
encounter through the night
19 Empty market stand
20 Street sinkhole

14
 RULES OF THE STREET

DUMPSTER DIVING
When the markets are closed and
the inns have shut you out, there is
little one can do except scrounge
and forage for meals in the city's
dumps. Sometimes you catch a
break and find a decent meal, other
times you risk it all on some
questionable meats…
Characters can search the dumpsters
and trash deposits of the city for a
meal. However, eating such a meal
occasionally poses a risk.

The Droops
Explosive purging illness that saps
the body of strength.
Transmission: Ingesting foul food.
Effect: Each day, save vs. Poison or
suffer 1d3 damage to a random
ability score.
Cure: 3 successful saves in a row or
an enema of heated holy water.
D20 YOU FIND… IT IS…
1 Stale Pastries
2 Bruised Fruit Tasty!
3 Discarded Chicken Leg
4 Wilted Greens
5 Petrified Cheese
6 Overcooked Noodles Gross (but safe)
7 Charred Bread
8 Eggs!
9 Rotten Tuber
10 Moldy Vegetables
11 Soggy Bread
12 Unpicked Bones
Risky - Save versus poison or
13 Dead Rats
become sickened for 1d2 days
14 Untapped Marrow
15 Fish Heads
16 Twice-Molded Cheese
17 Suspicious Milk Curds
18 Dumpster Fungus
Dangerous - Save versus poison or
19 Mystery Meat?
contract the Droops (see above)
20 “Trash Soup”

15
RULES OF THE STREET

Everything Has a Price

It’s all there. You just have to find
it is all...
Fence 10 /20/100 /1000
Ferrier 6 /12/ 60 /600
The city hungers and its countless Glassblower 7 /14/ 70 /700
denizens oblige, crafting, brewing,
trading and importing goods both Gong Farmer 2/ 4/ * / *
near and far. There is nothing that Grocer 2 / 4 / 20 /200
cannot be bought or sold within the Jeweler 6 /12/ 60 /600
city; the powers that be would not
have it any other way. Mason 6 /12/ 60 /600
The following is a list of goods and Troubadour * /18/ 90 /900
services typically available within Porter 2 / 4 / 20 /200
The city. The prices are listed in Potter 6 /12/ 60 /600
coins (be it silver or otherwise) and Rat Catcher 5 /10/ 50 /500
are scaled based on wealth disparity
(Common, Middling, Wealthy & Scribe 4 / 8 / 40 /400
Opulent; see pg. 71). Costs marked Seamstress 6 /12/ 60 /600
with “*” mean they are unavailable Tanner 4 / 8 / 40 /400
or uncommon to that area of wealth.
Tinkerer 8 /16/ 80 /800
Quality and Cost - Goods and
Services bought in wealthier districts Urine Salesman 2 / * / * / *
will cost exponentially more. This Veterinarian 7 /14/ 70 /700
cost might reflect higher quality or
craftsmanship, but it is just as likely
to be an artificial inflation of price.
Clothing
Cost does not determine quality. Belt 1 / 2 / 10 /100
Boots 5 /10/ 50 /500
Hirelings & Services Coat 24 /48/240 /2400
Costs are per day or per transaction. Dress 8 /16/ 80 /800
Name C /M / W / O Gloves 2 / 4 / 20 /200
Alchemist * / * /140 /1400 Head-Wrap/Hat 10 /20/100 /1000
Animal Trainer 10 /20/100 /1000 (Hat Feather) 1 / 2 / 10 /100
Apothecary 12 /24/120 /1200 Jacket 15 /30/150 /1500
Appraiser 9 /18/ 90 /900 Leggings 3 / 6 / 30 /300
Barber Surgeon 8 /16 / 80 /800 Pants 5 /10/ 50 /500
Blacksmith 8 /16 / 80 /800 Purse 1 / 2 / 10 /100
Bouncer 3 / 6 / 30 /300 Robe 6 /12/ 60 /600
Bower 8 /16/ 80 /800 Sandals 3 / 6 / 30 /300
Brewer 6 /12/ 60 /600 Sash 4 / 8 / 40 /400
Butcher 6 /12/ 60 /600 Scarf 2 / 4 / 20 /200
Candle Maker 7 /14/ 70 /700 Shirt 3 / 6 / 30 /300
Carpenter 8 /16/ 80 /800 Shirt (Long) 4 / 8 / 40 /400
Chimney Sweep 6 /12/ 60 /600 Shoes 4 / 8 / 40 /400
Cobbler 7 /14/ 70 /700 Socks 1 / 2 / 10 /100
Cook 7 /14/ * / * Skirt 6 /12/ 60 /600
Chef * / * / 70 /700 Slipper 3 / 6 / 30 /300
Eel Peddler 3 / 6 / 30 /300 Wig 10 /20/100 /1000

16
 RULES OF THE STREET
Tools Fruit (fresh)
Game
2 / 4 / 20 /200
2 / 4 / 20 /200
Ball Bearings 5 /10/ 50 /500
Grain 1 / 2 / 10 /100
Bear Trap 12 /24/120 /1200
Leafy Greens 1 / 2 / 10 /100
Box of Nails 5 /10/ 50 /500
Livestock 2 / 4 / 20 /200
Bucket 6 /12/ 60 /600
Roots 1 / 2 / 10 /100
Candles, 10 2 / 4 / 20 /200
Spice, Common * /48/240 /2400
Chain 10’ 10 /20/100 /1000
Spice, Rare * / * /480 /4800
Chalk 1 / 2 / 10 /100
Chisel
Compass
3 / 6 / 30 /300
20 /40/200 /2000
Drink
Costs are per gallon unless noted.
Cookpot, clay 1 / 2 / 10 /100 Ale, Beer, Cider 1 / 2 / 10 /100
Cookpot, metal 3 / 6 / 30 /300 Clean Water 2 / 4 / 20 /200
Crowbar 10 /20/100 /1000 Juice 2 / 4 / 20 /200
Game Board 12 /24/120 /1200 Liquor 3 / 6 / 30 /300
Glue 2 / 4 / 20 /200 Mead 2 / 4 / 20 /200
Grappling Hook 9 /18/ 90 /900 Milk 2 / 4 / 20 /200
Grease Pot 2 / 4 / 20 /200 Scented Water 2 / 4 / 20 /200
Hand Drill 3 / 6 / 30 /300 Tea, Pot 4 / 8 / 40 /400
Instrument * /50/250 /2500 Cup 1 / 2 / 10 /100
Large Sack 1 / 2 / 10 /100 Wine 3 / 6 / 30 /300
Lantern 25 /50/250 /2500
Oil, bottle 3 / 6 / 30 /300 Transportation
Lockpicks 12 /24/120 /1200 Costs are per mile.
Manacles 20 /40/200 /2000 Hand-cart 1 / 2 / 10 /100
Metal Spikes 5 /10/ 50 /500 Horse & Buggy 2 / 4 / 20 /200
Rope 50’ 10 /20/100 /1000 Carriage * / 6 / 30 /300
Soap 1 / 2 / 10 /100 Armed Escort * / 6 / 30 /300
Medicinal * /10/ 50 /500 Armed Escort - Armor: Chain Shirt
Spade 3 / 6 /30 /300 HD 3 | HP 18 | Pike 1d10 or
Tinder Box 11 /22/110 /1100 Crossbow 1d8 | Move: Standard
Torches, 5 5 /10/ 50 /500 Morale: Flees if reduced to less than
half HP.
Twine 200’ 5 /10/ 50 /500
Vise 20 /40/200 /2000 Lodging
Waterskin 5 /10/ 50 /500 Costs are per day unless noted.
Whistle 2 / 4 / 20 /200 Bath 2 / 4 / 20 /200
Wooden Pole 6’ 1 / 2 / 10 /100 Bed 1 / 2 / 10 /100
Meal 2 / 4 / 20 /200
Food Room with Key 2 / 4 / 20 /200
Costs are per pound unless noted. Weekly Rate 10 /20/100 /1000
Bread 1 / 2 / 10 /100 Monthly Rate 30 /60/300 /3000
Cheese 2 / 4 / 20 /200 Yearly Rate 300 /600/3000/30000
Eggs, dozen
Fish
1 / 2 / 10 /100
1 / 2 / 10 /100
Contraband
Illegal x2 cost
Fowl 1 / 2 / 10 /100
Dangerous x3 cost
Fruit (dried) 4 / 8 / 40 /400

17
RULES OF THE STREET

Reputation REPUTATION & STANDING

Allies
- Assistance and protection
6 - Access to rare goods and
services
Max
- Discounted prices and
free common goods

Helpful
- Lucrative tasks or jobs
- Access to specialized
4+ goods and services
- Discounted prices
(½ price)

Friendly
- Offer minor tasks or jobs
1+ - Provide access to lesser
goods and services

Reputation is a form of social

currency within the political web of
the city (pg. 57). A helpful or
0 Indifferent

friendly relationship with a faction

will grant characters access and
assistance, while a hostile one may
have the characters being hunted Unfriendly
down by agents of said faction. - Higher Prices (x2 price)
Good or bad, characters must -1 - Barred from some
carefully manage their reputation establishments
and social standing if they intend to
survive and thrive.
Hostile
Faction Reputation - Higher Prices (x10 price)
- Barred from most
Each faction you interact with will
have a social standing, representing
-3 establishments
how friendly or hostile you are with - Sends agents to sabotage,
them. A positive reputation harm, or spy on you
represents a good standing, showing
you have been helpful to their Enemies
plights and how they will assist you - Refuse any and all
in turn. A negative reputation
represents hostilities and harmful
-5 -
dealings
Attack on sight
or
actions you have undertaken against less - Actively send agents to
them and how actively they seek to destroy your assets and
return the favor... assassinate you

18
 RULES OF THE STREET
Gaining and Losing Reputation
Accepting jobs or tasks may put you at odds with the certain factions of the
city. As well, taking jobs on behalf of factions will improve your standing
with them but also put you at odds with their rivals or enemies.
GAINS & LOSSES OF REPUTATION
Great Deed – Large, dangerous, or expensive deeds that greatly
benefit the faction and their operations.
- Fulfilling a dangerous mission on their behalf
+2 - Severely damaging a hated rival
- Helping complete one of their long-term tasks
Minor Deed – Actions that benefit the faction or aspects of
their operations.
- Fulfilling a difficult task
- Providing a much needed resource
+1 - Assisting with a scheme or project
- Greatly helping an ally of the faction
- Greatly harming a rival of the faction
Minor Misgiving – Actions that hinder or harm the
faction’s operations.
- Stealing resources or assets
- Attacking or harassing members of the faction
-1 - Sabotaging a scheme or project
- Greatly harming an ally of the faction
- Greatly helping a rival of the faction
Great Misgiving – Extraordinarily harmful actions that directly
damage the faction as a whole.
- Stealing or destroying a much-needed resource
-2 - Killing an important leader or operator
- Sabotaging one of their long-term tasks

Betrayal – The backstabbing or sabotage of an ally or friend for gain.

Reduce your standing to Hostile.

19
RULES OF THE STREET

Hazards & Disasters

Hazards
Smaller more common dangers.
Found when skulking somewhere
uninvited or passing through a place
long neglected.

1 Fire Hazard - “The kindling is laid,”

so to speak. All it takes is one wrong
move to set it ablaze…
1 Unstable Furnace - A rusty oven,
still warm to the touch. Opening
or disturbing the furnace ignites
the volatile fumes trapped within.
Save v. Breath or suffer 3d6 fire
damage as the furnace explodes.
2 Lamp Oil Spill - The air reeks of
fumes, the floor stained dark. Any
open flames will ignite the fumes
and floor. Save v. Breath each turn
or suffer 2d6 fire damage;
additionally, the building will
burn if the fires are not put out.
Towers rise and towers fall, best 3 Arson Mites - Piles of powdery
not be caught in their shadow dust lie on the floor, dots of red
during the latter… can be seen crawling within.
Buildings rise, sewers are excavated, These tiny mites burn like sparks
and life blooms exponentially when disturbed. Unless properly
throughout the cavernous streets. avoided Arson Mites will cling to
The city seethes at these irritations. clothing and flammable
Torpid and swollen it may be, it is substances, causing them to ignite
known to itch and scratch at the in 1d6 minutes. They can be
verminous life that burrows into its removed in 1d3 hours with a fine
back. When it stirs, disaster follows, comb or medicinal shampoo.
and only when the streets fill with
blood and rubble is the Wurm 2 Unstable Architecture - Neglect or
hardship has left this building in
content. dangerous disrepair. Every step may
From the structural hazards of a result in an accident…
collapsing building to the 1 Rotted Beams - The floors are
catastrophe of an entire weak and creak suspiciously. The
neighborhood burning down, the floor can only be navigated
city is host to all manner of natural cautiously and slowly. Anyone
and unnatural dangers. Those who who attempts to leap or run must
wish to make a life of exploring and save v. breath or fall through the
delving the streets and depths of the floor for 2d6 damage.
urban labyrinth need to be prepared 2 Sabotaged Stairs - Each step sends
for all manner of accident or shivers through the rest. The
calamity. supports in the stairs have been
The following is a list of possible damaged; walking on them causes
environmental hazards or dangers them to collapse for 2d6 damage.
sorted by severity and use in an Save v. Breath for half damage.
adventure.

20
 RULES OF THE STREET
3 Crumbling Ceiling - The ceiling cling to clothing and skin, causing
bows and seems to tremble. a terrible itching that makes
Prodding or disturbing the ceiling mental concentration difficult.
in any way causes it to collapse They can be removed in 1d3
and bury anyone caught hours with a caustic bath or
underneath. Suffer 2d6 damage medicinal shampoo.
from the collapse and save v. Hold
to dig yourself out or suffer 1d6 5 Spell Residue - The area is thick
with an unseen energy; your hair
each turn. stands on end while a strange aura
3 Miasma - The air is foul beyond
belief, eyes water and your body
clings to the physical space.
Magic has collected like soot
heaves as it tries to make sense of the within this area. Every minute spent
wretched smells. Filth has permeated here risks a 1-in-6 chance of being
the air here, hanging about like a ill affected by one of the following:
cloud. Every minute spent within
the foul air requires a save v. Poison 1 Zone of Truth - For 1d6 days,
or become sickened for 1d6 hours. there is a 1-in-2 chance that any
lie or half-truth spoken is instead
4 Decay - Death has left this spot, yet
in its place lingers a terrible and
a clear and honest answer.
2 Hideous Laughter - Every hour
dangerous life…
for 1d20 hours, save v. Magic or
1 Diseased Corpse - A desiccated suffer an intense and loud bout
corpse, stains of effluent and of laughter.
blood cake its face. The victim
died long ago, but their body still 3 Nightmare - For 1d3 days, night is
holds the illness that killed them. plagued with horrible nightmares
Touching or improperly handling that make it impossible to sleep.
the corpse risks contagion of a 4 Charmed - For 1d6 hours affected
minor random disease (roll 1d6 are highly suggestible and must
on the Disease chart, pg. 28, to save v. Charm to resist any
determine disease). request, so long as it does not
2 Ebony Mold - Blossoming tendrils harm them.
of black coat the walls, wicked 5 Sleep - Immediately fall asleep for
spores drift lazily in the air. A 1d3 hours.
virulent and dangerous mold has 6 Slow - Actions and speech are
taken residence here. Every slowed for 1d3 hours.
minute spent in this room
requires a save v. Poison with
cumulative failures causing more
6 Trap - A danger lies in wait. Who
laid the trap or why isn’t known…
dire effects. Face mask to avoid. 1 Slip-Snare - Ragged twine and
frayed rope lie scattered on the
Fail 1 - Persistent loud coughs. floor. A snare has been hidden
here; walking across it springs it.
Fail 2 - Nosebleed, 1 damage each Save v. Breath or be violently
turn until fresh air is found. suspended off the ground.
Fail 3 - Dizziness, disadvantage on 2 Nail Step - A loose board on the
tests of tests of skill. stairs. Hidden nails, strategically
Fail 4 - Lethargy, slowed. placed to punch through their
board when stepped on. Suffer
Fail 5 - Comatose for 1d3 hours. 1d6 damage and save v. Breath to
3 Shrill Mites - A faint pitched avoid being hobbled and slowed.
buzzing can be heard from the 3 Razor-Wire - Light catches against
floor, minuscule life seeps out of something thin. Thin, sharpened
the cracks. Itching, stinging fleas wire, secured between two points.
that are marked only by their Walking results in a trip, while
high-pitched buzzing. Unless running into it deals 2d6 damage
properly avoided, Shrill Mites will as it slices flesh and arteries.

21
 RULES OF THE STREET
Disasters
Dangerous events. Death is quite
3 Crumbling Buildings - Panicked
shouts and cracking beams as large
buildings strain to stay upright.
common and sharp wits are Traffic - Panicked crowds push and
necessary to avoid such grisly fates. trample, blocking the way out and
filling the streets. Save v. Hold or
Each disaster is listed with a series
Breath, or find a way to avoid the
of dangers that they pose. To escape
crowds. Failure: Knocked down,
disasters, these dangers must be
suffer from Falling Debris
avoided or contended with.
(see below).
1 Burning Block - Windows vomit
fire, timbers heard snapping and
Falling Debris - Pieces crumble and
residents toss their belongings out
searing, the sky fills with smoke.
the windows. Every minute spent
Smoke - Smoke impedes vision and nearby or inside the building and
stings the eyes, making it difficult each failed attempt to avoid the
to find a way out. Save v. Poison traffic results in being pelted with
or find a way to avoid the smoke. debris for 1d6 damage (outside)
Failure: Suffer blindness for 1d3 or 2d6 damage (inside).
minutes. Additionally, there is a 2-in-6
Traffic - Panicked crowds push and chance that you become trapped
trample, blocking the way out and under the debris. Save v. Hold.
filling the streets. Save v. Hold or Failure: Trapped for 1d3 minutes.
Breath, or find a way to avoid the Collapse - The building will fall
crowds. Failure: Knocked down, soon… In 3d6 minutes the
suffer from Fire (see below). building collapses, crushing and
Fire - The fire gnashes and bites at killing everyone within proximity.
terrified heels. Every minute spent
in the area and each failed 4 Pollution - Something runs foul, the
very air seems unfit to breathe…
attempt to avoid the traffic or
Corrosive Air - The air is thick and
smoke results in 1d6 fire damage.
cloudy with alchemical particles
2 Bridge Collapse - Murmurs, shouts,
then screams; the sound of
that sting the skin and burn the
lungs. Each day spent in or
collapsing brick is heard over the traveling through this area deals
gathering crowd. 1d6 damage and blindness for 1d6
Traffic - Panicked crowds push and days. A face-mask or avoiding the
trample, blocking the way out and open streets avoids this damage.
filling the streets. Save v. Hold or Poisonous Water - The wells and
Breath, or find a way to avoid the drinking water are suffused with a
crowds. Failure: Knocked down, toxic chemical. Eating, drinking,
suffer from Crushed (see below). or swimming here deals 2d6
Crushed - The traffic piles tightly, damage and causes characters to
crushing out air, ending lives. be sickened for 1d6 days.
Every minute spent in the area, Fell Miasma - Arcane and magical
and each failed attempt to avoid residue have irradiated this space
the traffic results in 1d3 damage. with dangerous energies. Those
Panic - Fear grips some and they exposed lose 1d3 hit points each
lash out with violence. Roll on the day for 1d10 days from the arcane
encounter table. burn. Hit points lost this way
cannot be recovered through
conventional means, only being
recovered once the burn runs its
course. Lead-lined armor or
clothing prevents this effect.

22
 RULES OF THE STREET
5 Disease - Illness abounds as a
deadly microbial life has taken hold 3 Wildfire - A carpet of fire rolls
across the skyline, screams are
of this place… heard amid the smoke, and heat
A dangerous disease permeates this burns away any thought except
place. Roll 1d10 on the Disease terror.
table (pg. 28) to determine what has Smoke - Smoke impedes vision and
infected the denizens and space. stings the eyes, making it difficult
to find a way out. Save v. Poison
6 Flood - Savage rivers of effluent fill
the space where streets used to be; or find a way to avoid the smoke.
survivors climb to roofs, all while Failure: Suffer blindness for 1d3
buildings strain against the tides. minutes.
Flooding - The waters rise, surging Stampede - Screaming crowds rush
dangerously. Save v. Hold or and trample, blocking the way out
Breath if in the open waters. and filling the streets. Save v. Hold
Failure: Knocked down, suffer or Breath, or find a way to avoid
from Drowning (see below). the crowds. Failure: Stunned for
1d3 minutes.
Drowning - Sewage, debris and
water mix into a dangerous Fire - The fire gnashes and bites at
hazard. 1d6 damage each turn terrified heels. Every minute spent
unless you make 2 successful in the area, and each failed
saves. Others may attempt to save attempt to avoid the traffic or
you, or offer you tools, providing smoke results in 1d6 fire damage.
advantage on the rolls. Growing Danger - Each failed
Swept Away - Those who are attempt to escape or avoid the
knocked unconscious or reduced danger increases its deadliness.
to 0 hp while in the water are Add +1d6 to the damage for each
swept away, their body lost. consecutive failed attempt.

Catastrophes 4 Undercity Collapse - A cascade of

stone and brick is dragged below as
the ground is swallowed by the
Deadly and historic calamity. When yawning darkness.
the dust settles and the screams die
down, the bodies left behind will be Tremor - The ground rumbles and
without number… ground swells like a river. Every
minute save v. Hold or Breath
1 Outbreak - Death rides through the
city streets and upon their head is a
Failure: Knocked down and 2d6
damage.
crown of pestilence.
Stampede - Screaming crowds rush
An apocalyptic disease permeates and trample, blocking the way out
this place. Roll 1d10+10 on the and filling the streets. Save v. Hold
Disease table (pg. 28) to determine or Breath, or find a way to avoid
what has infected the denizens the crowds. Failure: Stunned for
and space. 1d3 minutes.
2 Purge - A chorus of despairing
howls wail to the beat of heavy boots;
Collapse - The ground will fall
soon… In 1d6 minutes the
Spire guards gleefully prepare for building and streets will sink into
bloody work. the ground, crushing and killing
Roll an encounter every minute, everyone within proximity. A new
adding +1 to the roll for every entrance to the Undercity appears
successive encounter roll. here, along with monsters and
scavenging opportunists.

23
RULES OF THE STREET

Cobblestone Changes
Poverty, hunger, and the cruel will
of rulers wear on the mind, body
and, soul of common folk. Such
pain forces out ill conditions…
The following is series of fell
changes and mutations brought on
by the crushing powers of the city.
They can be used as a random chart
of traits, injuries, or with the
Devoured by the City rules below:

Devoured by the City

Anytime a character is victimized by
the city there is a chance they
acquire a change. Possible triggers
for such a change are:
• Mugged (pg. 12)
• Mortally wounded
• Losing all wealth
• A month without shelter
• Surviving an encounter with a
Noble or similar abomination

D20 COBBLESTONE CHANGES

Penny Allergy - You are allergic to copper coins; touching them
1
causes painful rashes and hives to appear
Malignant Watcher – Someone or something is always watching you;
2 they hide just out of sight and follow your every step to sabotage and
harm. You can hear their sadistic chuckles from time to time…
Grey Tongue – Food and drink loses all taste. You take no joy or
3
pleasure from eating, only using it as fuel for your body
Enemy of Dogs – Canine beasts and creatures are always indifferent
4 or hostile to your presence and never friendly. They will single you
out in attacks and become unnaturally aggressive
Vicious Tapeworm – A hungry and violent tapeworm colony takes
5 residence in your bowels. You must eat double the amount of meals
you normally would or risk starvation
Street Blindness – You are incapable or seeing or remembering
6 streets and directions. Unless you are joined by a companion, you
will always become lost for hours at a time
Plague Bringer – Your body becomes a vector for the pestilence of
7 the city. Touching you or being within arm’s reach of you while you
are infected with a disease automatically risks infection
Harlequin’s Fear – You cannot stand to have your face seen or out
8 in the open. You take up wearing masks or face-coverings and are
filled with dread any time you do not cover your face

24
 RULES OF THE STREET
D20 COBBLESTONE CHANGES (CONTINUED)
Suet Sweats – Your sweat becomes sweet and sticky, attracting the
9 attention of birds, bugs, and rats. Excessive sweating causes the
creatures to enter a dangerous feeding frenzy.
Echoing Mummers – You are haunted by the words and
conversations of long-dead denizens. Even abandoned and empty
10
places are plagued with distracting and incessant whispers. What is
odd is they sometimes mention you...
Most Dangerous Game – An aristocrat and their murderous house
have selected you to be their quarry. They send a jovial letter
11
introducing themselves and formally declare their intent to hunt you
for sport. They will not cease unless killed...
Aversion to Baths – You develop an unnatural dislike of baths or
hygiene. Your body begins to reek and unpleasant microbial life
12
blossoms in your diseased form. Only intervention or force can make
you clean
Sewer Allergies – Being in the presence of sewer tunnels or their
waters causes a severe allergic reaction. You become overcome with
13
a fit of coughs and runny nose. There is a 1-in-6 chance your eyes
swell shut and blind you as long as you are within a sewer
Hunger of the Bricks – You know the brick walls and floors of the
city will attempt to devour you after a prolonged time. No one
14
believes you, but you must avoid bricks as much as possible. You can
hear the hungry gullet of the city, waiting to swallow you whole...
Heart Void – Something in you snaps and all emotion fades from
you. Your psyche is a grey void without joy, sadness, anger, or fear.
15
You may become prone to dangerous or risky behavior in search of
any emotional stimuli
Lost Name – You have lost your name and with it a portion of your
identity. You are no longer recognized by many and must seek out
16
your name or take up a new one. Be wary, for if someone finds and
takes your old name, they shall inherit all that you once were
Nibbler Infestation – An infestation of some unknown pest is
constantly eating holes in your clothing. Clothing in your care or
17
ownership lasts one day before holes and perforations begin
appearing
Thieving Fingers – Your fingers and hands steal things of their own
accord. You must be cautious anytime you are out, as you will
18
inexplicably find your hands and pockets filled with items and coins,
along with the ire of their owners
Dreams of a Worm – 1d6 times a week you are visited by the same
horrifying nightmare that prevents sleep. All around you, a slithering
19 monster stirs. You are trapped and unable to move; slowly the
monster devours you whole all while whispering the names of those
it will devour after you...
Sickness of Gold – You become addicted to chasing and amassing
personal wealth. The compulsion requires you to seek out wealth
20
and only act in ways that would gain you more wealth. There is
nothing you won’t do to make a quick coin...

25
RULES OF THE STREET

Cobblestone Boons
Those who, against all odds, survive
the rigors and hardships of the city
find themselves permanently altered
by their subversion of will…
The following is series of boons and
mutations brought on by surviving
the city. They can be used as a
random chart of traits or with
Adapting to the City below:

Adapting to the City

Anytime a character subverts the
powers of the city or makes their
name known, there is a chance they
acquire a boon. Possible triggers for
gaining such a boon are:
• Robbing/tricking an aristocrat
• Pulling off a daring or
dangerous score
• Gaining an opulent or grand
treasure
• Gaining the favor of a faction
• Defeating a Noble or similarly
powerful abomination

D20 COBBLESTONE BOONS

Verminspeak – You are able to speak to the vermin of the city. Rats,
bugs, and all other form of pest can hear your voice and answer back
1
in a way you understand. Many will assist you for a proper tribute of
food and drink.
Vacant Nostrils – You lose most sense of smell, a blessing in the city.
2 While you cannot smell pleasant things, you are also immune to
becoming sickened or compelled by scents or odors.
Mysterious Benefactor – A secretive being has taken an interest in
3 your endeavors. They will never reveal themselves but they will make
their presence felt, acting in the shadows to assist you.
Friend to Cats – Feline creatures and beasts take a liking to you.
Cats, sphinxes, and other comparable beings are either indifferent or
4
friendly when they meet you; they will help you in small ways so
long as you remain on their good side.
Whispers of Gold – The secret and subtle sound of gold becomes
known to you. If you close your eyes and listen carefully for a
5
minute, you can know the location and approximate amount of gold,
coins, and treasures within 50 feet of you.
Demon Blood – Demonic ancestry or exposure changes you.
6 Demonic blood, now awakened, flows through your veins.
Gain a random Demon Ability (pg. 40).

26
 RULES OF THE STREET
D20 COBBLESTONE BOONS (CONTINUED)
Quickened Sleep – Your physiology changes to need less sleep.
7 Each night you only need 1d6 hours of sleep to be fully rested,
although you constantly appear tired and haggard.
Noblesense – Keen senses allow you to detect the abominable
presence of the Nobles. You get a ringing in your ears whenever a
8
Noble or one of their lackeys is nearby, growing almost painful the
closer they are to you.
Sordid Guts – Your body becomes capable of digesting the most
horrid of meals. You gain advantage on avoiding sickness or disease
9
from befouled foods. You can also acquire sustenance from booze,
leather scraps, or bone meal in place of actual food.
Cobble-tread – Cracked and leathery callouses coat the entirety of
10 your feet. You are always counted as wearing heavy work-boots and
can walk over broken glass, hot coals, and caltrops without danger.
Cement Molars – Your teeth harden to an incredible density. You can
11 bite through any metal weaker than steel with some difficulty and
can shatter most tools and weapons with a forceful bite.
Visions of a Hound – You are haunted by visions of a bloody and
terrifying hound. Anytime you are in danger or someone is in need
12
of saving, the hound will appear at the edge of vision, silently
watching you. Only you can see it, only you know what it wants...
Tunnel Walker – The numberless tunnels of the city speak through
you. If you meditate in a pipe, tunnel, or passage for 10 minutes, you
13
can reliably determine where the tunnel leads and what dangers you
may encounter along the way.
Noble’s Eye – A dangerous power awakens in your eyes. Your eyes
14 take on a shimmering golden hue and become capable of seeing the
approximate value of any object in your vision.
Internal Map – Your remember all streets and directions. As long as
15 you have seen or heard about a location within the past month, you
can reliably find it again by walking or pointing to it on a map.
Robber’s Hand – A useful third arm springs from your body.
Imperceptible under clothing, the third arm is quick and dexterous,
16
able to wield tools or weapons or swiftly steal from unsuspecting
pockets.
Face in the Crowd – Your visage and demeanor becomes
17 unassuming and undetectable. When hiding, you can quickly and
easily blend into crowds, vanishing from injudicious sight.
Coin Eater – You can eat coins in place of meals. Rather than eat
18 meals, your body can devour the equivalent value in coins to no
ill-effect.
Charlatan’s Tongue – You become physiologically adept at telling
lies. Your tongue takes on a silvery hue, and you can tell small or
19
believable lies without detection and gain advantage on telling bold
or outlandish lies.
Street Whispers – The streets tell you who has walked them. If you
sit on a street or road, bury a rod into it, and place your temple to
20
the rod, you can reliably learn who has been on the road and how
long ago they passed over it.

27
RULES OF THE STREET

Diseases
There is one who rules above the
Nobles; their crown is filth, their DISEASE
blade named “Pestilence” and
their throne a pile of corpses… 1 Ulcerbites
Sickness lurks in the city, clinging to
the blood of unsuspecting lives, 2 Yellow-Weep
riding upon the mantle of so many
vermin, or dancing on the wind to
greet its next host. 3 Creeping Rash
Pestilence is no stranger to the city,
passing through the townhouses 4 Crust-Lock
choked with desperate lives and
slithering through the gutters 5 Dontannelida
packed with filth. Without proper
health initiatives and caution,
disease runs rampant, blowing 6 Sump Foot
through the city like an ill wind.
The following table is a series of 7 Vintner's Mites
diseases, ordered by general
severity, followed by an alphabetical 8 The Slips
list with detailed descriptions for
use in game.
9 Heintower Wart

10 The Silver Pox

11 Whipping Cough

12 Waltz Worms

13 Jinx of the Magi

14 Arcane Emissions

15 Arsonist’s Fever

16 Gilding

17 Candle-Wax Death

18 The Unwinding

19 Sanguine Seep

20 Possession of the Wurm

28
 RULES OF THE STREET
Disease Descriptions
Arcane Emissions
The magic seems to burst out in the
most inopportune times, a danger to
everything in proximity…
A bout of hiccups that trigger the
casting of spells. Non-spellcasters
see it as a minor nuisance, while
powerful mages see it as a
dangerous pox.
Transmission: Contact or Inhalation
near affected.
Effect: Each hour, save v. Magic or
cast a random spell you have
memorized or stored on you.
Cure: A magical “cleanse” lasting
1 week, where you have no contact Candle-Wax Death
with any magic. Soft and delicate flesh, malleable
and warped like wax; heat spells a
painful doom…
A full-body disease that causes flesh,
organ, and bone to act like candle
wax. Moderate heat can be
dangerous and painful, while
intense heat spells certain doom.
Transmission: Contact with skin.
Effect: Temperatures hot enough to
melt wax deal 1d6 damage each
hour of exposure, while fire and
heat damage always do the
maximum amount. Damage received
this way cannot be healed until a
cool or temperate spot is reached
and the body can be reshaped.
Cure: Ingesting a goblet of ice
sprinkled with a rare medicinal salt
Arsonist's Fever each day for a month.
A walking fire hazard, sweat that
reeks of turpentine, a fever that Creeping Rash
threatens to burn everything… Spreads and dances from body to
An intense fever accompanied by a body, an unwanted vagrant of skin
sweat that is as flammable and and intimacy…
volatile as kerosene. A red rash that appears on the skin,
Transmission: Contact with sweat. itchy at times but mostly harmless.
The stigma surrounding it tends to
Effect: Each day, save v. Poison or be the most dangerous aspect.
suffer 1d4 damage and disadvantage
on mental-based checks. Additionally, Transmission: Contact with skin.
every day you are drenched in a Effect: Red rash appears
sweat that acts like lamp oil. periodically and sometimes itches.
Cure: Three consecutive saves, or an Cure: No non-magical cure, but a
ice-bath with rare medicinal salts. medicinal bath soothes symptoms.

29
RULES OF THE STREET
Crust-Lock
Mortar and paste to the bones and
joints, building a body that will
never move again…
A calcified plaque begins to build
up on the joints and bones, making
movement difficult and painful.
Transmission: Contact with skin or
infected waste water.
Effect: Each day, save v. Poison or
suffer disadvantage on dexterity
based checks. Failing a second time
halves movement.
Cure: Two consecutive saves, or
three sessions of joint acupuncture
followed by medicinal baths.
Heintower Wart
Dontannelida The holy touch, a gift from the saint,
Weaving and winding through ivory verdant life springs from the flesh…
caves, the smiling worms make their A fast-spreading cluster of warts that
homes in that humid dark… slowly encase and immobilize the
Clusters of pale worms painfully afflicted.
burrow into the teeth, making Transmission: Contact with skin.
eating difficult. Effect: Each day, save v. Poison.
Transmission: Ingesting infected Number of Failed Saves & Effects
food or waste water.
1 - Noticeable cluster of warts
Effect: Save v. Poison each time you
eat solid food or be unable to 4 - Disadvantage on dexterity
handle the pain and not eat. 8 - Movement halved
Cure: Expensive dental work 12 - Immobile
involving drills and gold filings. Cure: A caustic ointment and series
of topical surgeries that deal 1d3
Gilding damage per failed save.
The promise of as much gold as you
can carry, carried in your bones, Jinx of the Magi
flesh and blood… ‘Tis a cruel jest to suffer the slings
A terrifying disease that changes the and arrows of the arcane…
body to gold. The cruel few will An arcane affliction that causes
wait for the afflicted to die, in order nearby spells and magic to target
to “harvest” their bodies for coin. and affect the afflicted.
Transmission: Inhaling gold dust Transmission: Exposure to
made from the afflicted. magically polluted areas or contact
Effect: Each day, save v. Magic or with infected spell-books.
lose 1d3 dexterity as the gold takes Effect: Anytime a spell with a
over your body. This cannot be specific target is cast within eyesight
healed until the disease is broken of you, all instances of that spell
and the gold is surgically removed. hone in on you like a magnet.
Cure: Three consecutive saves stops Cure: Ingesting an expensive
the disease. Regaining the lost medicine made from milled anti-
dexterity requires a painful surgery magic charms for a week. It acts as a
that deals 1d6 damage for each strong and painful purgative, usually
point of dexterity lost. involving sparks & small fires.

30
 RULES OF THE STREET
Possession of the Wurm
Woe be mortals when the City howls
for blood, unwilling servants made
to slake its thirst…
A disease that warps the minds of
mortals, changing them into
screaming predators bent on
bloodshed. A doom made manifest
by the will of the city.
Transmission: Bite or ingesting
blood from the afflicted.
Effect: Save v. Madness every hour
or become overwhelmed with the
desire to hunt down and kill every
living being, friend or foe alike.
Cure: Four consecutive saves.
The Silver Pox
Their pain unseen by mortal eyes,
Alternatively, the spores of a ill coins like desperate plague fleas…
powerful and illegal hallucinogenic
mold found in the Undercity sedates An illness spread by silver coins that
the afflicted into a peaceful trance, causes lethargy and eventually
whereupon sanctified oil and an blindness.
hour-long ritual chant must be Transmission: Contact with an
administered. infected silver coin.
Effect: Each day, save v. Poison.
Number of Failed Saves & Effects
1 - Slightly tired
3 - Lethargy, disadvantage on
mental-based rolls
5 - Blurry vision, disadvantage on
sight-based rolls
10 - Blindness
Cure: Avoid contact with infected
coins (can be disinfected with a
strong vinegar) and a medicinal
tonic made from rust and the
ground-up bones of a racketeer.
Sanguine Seep
The body weeps in tragedy, crimson The Slips
tears spilling like so much wine… Effluent grows and demands release,
A dangerous and highly contagious organs roil and violently comply…
disease that causes the body to A disease brought on by rotten food
rapidly drain of blood. or soiled water. The afflicted purge
Transmission: Contact with blood from every orifice in their body.
or infected water. Transmission: Ingesting befouled
Effect: Each day, save v. Poison or food or waste-water.
suffer 1d6 damage as blood seeps Effect: Each day, save v. Poison or
from every pore. This damage can suffer 1d6 damage and disadvantage
only be healed after a successful on all rolls as your body violently
daily save. empties itself.
Cure: Three consecutive saves. Cure: Two consecutive saves or a
Medicine only provides advantage medicine made of mineral dust and
on the saves. a special mold spore.

31
RULES OF THE STREET
Sump Foot
Rot and decay, just changes along
the way to something new…
A disease common to the Undercity,
it causes afflicted areas to swell and
rot away into strange and odd
forms.
Transmission: Contact with infected
waste-water.
Effect: Each day, save v. Poison or
suffer an intense swelling in an
afflicted limb. This will persist for
1d6 days until the flesh starts to
necrotize and fall off, revealing a
new (typically animal) limb The Unwinding
underneath. The new limb is equally A body of thread, twisted and tight,
beneficial and detrimental, causing strands finally free to drift into the
no changes to quality of life. ethereal night…
Cure: Applying a medicinal An ailment that breaks the ability of
ointment to the affected area before the afflicted to exist on the physical
the change occurs. plane.
Transmission: Powerful ambient
magic or exposure to magically
polluted areas.
Effect: Each day, save v. Magic or
lose 1d6 to a random ability as your
body begins to fade and visibly fray
into wispy ethereal tatters.
Cure: A tonic made from a ground-
up lodestone and a week spent
inside a ritual circle made from salt,
metal filings, and mortal bone-meal.

Vintner's Mites
Ulcerbites Debaucherous guests, reeking of
booze, they demand more room and
Tiny lives nestled into skin, rioting the flesh obliges…
against their sore and inflamed Mites that burrow into scan and
homes… cause affected limbs to bruise and
Caused by the larvae of an Ulcer-fly swell to comical proportions. They
burrowing their way into skin. Many are always accompanied by the
larvae do not survive, but they smell of fermented grapes.
create painful swollen bumps that Transmission: Prolonged contact
distract and irritate. with afflicted skin and or an
Transmission: Contact with an infested or unsanitary area.
infested or unsanitary area. Effect: One random limb swells to
Effect: Each day, save v. Madness or three times its size. Based on limb,
suffer disadvantage on a random either dexterity and fine-motor skills
ability, as the painful boils make are at disadvantage or movement
certain tasks difficult. is halved.
Cure: Two daily doses of a caustic Cure: Three daily doses of a caustic
medicinal ointment flushes out and medicinal ointment that kills the
kills the larvae. mites and their eggs.

32
 RULES OF THE STREET
Waltz Worms Yellow-Weep
An infectious merriment, woven into Tears of yellow streak the face and
sinew by manic threads for a waltz hands, as the visage weeps in
that never ends… painful unison…
Long hair-like worms that weave A chronic allergic reaction to the
their way into the muscle fiber of curious pollen that seems to plague
victims and cause a manic the city, marked by a near-constant
uncoordinated “dancing.” stream of vibrant yellow mucous.
Transmission: Ingesting or contact Transmission: Contact or inhalation
with waste water. of pollen.
Effect: Each day, save v. Madness or Effect: Constant sneezes and coughs
be overcome with the need to flail along with mucus-coated orifices
and dance. Movement is halved, fine make charismatic or mental efforts
motor skills are impossible, and the difficult.
act is incredibly exhausting. Cure: A special tincture from a
Cure: A surgical procedure that medicinal herb to avoid the effects
slowly pulls the worms out and lasts for the day; otherwise the pollen
1d3 days. must be avoided.

Whipping Cough
Blow by blow the illness strikes the
body, until the mouth runs red with
ragged barks…
Vicious coughing spells that leave
whip-like bruises and lacerations on
the back and chest.
Transmission: Contact or Inhalation
near affected.
Effect: Each day, save v. Poison or
suffer a loud and persistent cough
that deals 1d6 damage and makes
acts of strength and agility difficult.
Cure: Three consecutive saves, or
inhaling the steam of a tonic derived
from distilled water and a rare mold.

33
Cobblestone Beasts

Unlike the dark forests of other ancient lands that are filled
with creatures familiar and friendly to the eye, such beasts
do not lurk here. Even the lowliest of vermin have been
twisted by the ubiquitous evil within. Grotesque and hateful
creatures lurk behind the scrim of stone and refuse and
skitter round the feet of those who call the streets their home.
Dark eyes without a hint of kindness is the last some ever see.
Truly whatever similarities they once held to their pastoral
brethren has been quashed beneath the boot-heel of this city.
“On Urban Ecology,” Xelie A. Larch, Wandering Historian;
Tales of My Travels, Vol II
COBBLESTONE BEASTS

Reading the Statblocks

The monsters are laid out in a

system-neutral fashion. This allows
it to be usable by most systems,
with some small modifications at the
GM’s discretion.
• DEFENSE - The measure of how
hard it is to hit a creature, relative
to player characters’ armor. • DAMAGE - The damage of each
(“Scale” is as hard to hit as scale successful attack. Multiple damage
armor, and so forth.) listings mean the creature makes
multiple attacks.
• HIT DICE - Determines Hit
Points, attack bonus, saves, and • QUANTITY - How many creatures
strength of abilities. What this are usually found at a given time.
means is a creature with 4HD will • XP - The experience points
have the following stats: awarded for defeating the
Hit Points as a Cleric of equal creature, given in 5e terms. Other
level (1d8+1d8+1d8+1d8). systems may be more or less.
Attack bonus as an average fighter • SPECIAL - Some creatures have
of equal level (Fighter level 4). special attacks and abilities that
are detailed below. Some abilities
Saves as a character of equal level replace the creature’s regular
(typically Fighter). attack and are listed with
Difficulty saves for spells and “As Attack” in their descriptor.
abilities should be treated as a
character of equal level (Cleric/
Wizard Level 4). Creature Sidebar
• HIT POINTS - Rather than roll for Some creatures include a sidebar for
hit points every time, the useful trophies, items, materials, or
recommended Hit Points can be exploits that can be gleaned from
used for convenience. them or their bodies.
• MOVE - Standard is the average Goods that can be sold are marked
speed of an unencumbered with a scaling price, while trophies
human. Double Standard and Half or exploits are described for use at
Standard are based off of that. the table.

36
 COBBLESTONE BEASTS

•
•
Brick Tick
Defense: As Chain
Hit Dice: 1HD
• Hit Points: 4
• Move: Standard
• Damage: Slam 1d2 or
Brick to the Head
• Quantity: Solo, Cluster 2d4,
Wall 4d6
• XP: 100
• Camouflage: When still and
hidden in a wall, a Brick Tick is
nearly imperceptible to the naked
eye, save for some slight twitches.
• Brick to the Head: As attack,
if a Brick Tick attacks from its
hiding spot it will instinctively
hurl itself at a victim’s head.
Save v. Breath, Success: suffer
1d6 damage. Failure: suffer 2d6
damage and become stunned for
1d3 rounds.
The sound of shifting granite, as if a
small section of the wall is moving;
then, the tiny pensive clicks. A single
brick sporting an array of knuckled
spider legs shifts against a wall of
identical material. It freezes for only
a moment, before hurling itself
towards your head with the force of
a vicious throw.
The Brick Tick is an animated brick
with a series of spider-like legs
protruding from its body. It makes
its home by burrowing into stone
and brick walls, replacing missing
bricks and slowly taking on the
physical attributes of its “home
wall.” From here it will attempt to
ambush unsuspecting travelers by No one knows the origins of the
launching itself at their heads. It Brick Tick. Some whisper they are
can’t actually eat the victims it kills miniature aspects of the city,
in this matter and usually just springing to life and punishing the
impotently clings to the bodies until unsuspecting and weak in order to
growing bored and crawling back feed the city’s lust for blood. Others
into its home wall. Most insidious is rationally speculate it is the
its ability to multiply, for a Brick byproduct of a wizard’s idiotic
Tick that stays lodged in its home experiment combining a brick with
wall for too long will begin to a literal tick. This explains its
animate the surrounding bricks into instinctive need to fall on
Brick Ticks as well. victims’ heads.

37
COBBLESTONE BEASTS

•
•
COBBLESTONE CRAB
Defense: As Plate
Hit Dice: 4HD
The Cobblestone Crab is a massive
crustacean known for living within
• Hit Points: 24 the streets of the city. With their
• Move: Standard carapace mimicking the
• Damage: Claw 1d10 and Crush cobblestones surrounding them,
• Quantity: Solo or Clutch 1d4 unsuspecting travelers are at risk of
• XP: 1050 walking right into their terrifying
• Camouflage: When still and claws. Voracious omnivores, there is
hidden, a Cobblestone Crab is nothing a hungry crab will not
nearly imperceptible to the naked attempt to wrestle back into its lair.
eye, save for shifting cobblestone. Attempts to cull the number of
• Crush: Their claws break granite Cobblestone Crabs have been
and stone. Save v. Breath or unsuccessful. The surly creatures
Hold, or a non-magical piece of have been said to break swords
armor, tool, or weapon breaks. between their pincers and carry off
• Snatch: Deadly ambushes as they entire carriages. Often there are
entomb their prey below. If struck large bounties placed on notorious
unaware by a hidden Cobblestone crabs, not just for their destruction,
Crab, save v. Breath or be but for their delicious meat.
dragged into the earth and slowly
suffocated over 1d6 minutes.
Pavers quiver in their slots and the
Cobble-Crab Meat
strange rasp of chitin on cement is Flaky and sweet, the meat is
the only warning one has before a considered a common delicacy.
giant crab emerges from the middle A source of meat for some
of the street. Massive pincers crush neighborhoods, many restaurants
brick and quickly snatch whatever pay top coin for fresh morsels.
tasty morsels can be found before Each crab yields 6d6 lbs. of meat
the crustacean scuttles back into its and takes 1d6 hours to process.
sinkhole abode.
Cost, per pound: 4/8/40/400 coins

38
 COBBLESTONE BEASTS

•
•
Defense: As Hide
Hit Dice: 3HD
COURT SPIDER
• Hit Points: 15
• Move: Standard
• Damage: Blades 1d6/1d6
and Court Poison
• Quantity: Solo or Clutch 1d4
• XP: 1050
• Court Poison: Infamous poisons,
deadly tools of the trade. Each
Court Spider has 1d3 vials of
Court Poison (see sidebar).
• Hidden Steps: A Court Spider
moves without sound. When
moving slower than a run and in
a crowded or dark space, a Court
Spider can only be spotted with
a dedicated search.
• Quiet Bite: From the shadows the
spider bites. If struck unaware by
a Court Spider, 2-in-6 chance you
don’t perceive them.
A thin quivering shadow passes over
you, no sound or smell lingers in the
air but the weight of doom presses
down upon your shoulders. Spindly
arms holding curved, vicious
daggers reach out from the darkness
and strike. Between the gargles of
death a lean figure watches pitiless;
a Spider has killed.
Each and every one of the Court
Spiders is raised from birth and
immediately put through grueling
training in the art of subterfuge and
Court Poisons
assassination. With horrifying body Deadly drugs distilled in the Spires.
modifications they seek to become a 1d6 Court Poisons
living weapon for the Nobles who 1 Scorch - 1d6 fire damage every
own them. Each Spider has a style minute unless soaked in ice water.
of killing that is unique to them, Lasts 1d6 minutes.
though daggers and darts are
among their favored weapons. 2 Drowsy - Fall into a deep,
unshakable sleep for 1d3 days.
With an unwavering devotion to
their masters, Spiders live in 3 Choke - 1d10 choking damage
seclusion until they are summoned every round unless the airway is
for a job. Occasionally they are opened up. Lasts 1d3 rounds
hired out to wealthy aristocrats but 4 Frenzy - Attack anyone nearby.
answer only to the Nobles. It is said Lasts 1d6 minutes.
that upon graduating each Spider 5 Vile - Violently ill for 1d3 days.
has their tongue cut out so they 6 Still - Frozen stiff for 1d6 minutes.
cannot spill the secrets of those they
serve. They do this themselves. Cost, per vial: 100 (contraband)

39
COBBLESTONE BEASTS

DEMONS
“Demons” is a catch-all term for the
eclectic and colorful denizens of the
Minor Demon
Usually no larger than house-cats,
city who sprang from magical compensated with larger personality.
means, distant realms, or bizarre HD 1 | HP 5
coincidence. Existing alongside Move: Standard
mortal folks in equal means and Magic: Knows 1d3 random spells
measure, they can be every bit as Morale: Flees injured or battle
cruel or kind as any other member appears to be lost.
of the city. Middling Demon
About the size of the average mortal,
Demon Abilities and most often seen alongside them.
HD 2 | HP 10
Many times, demons are armed with
some natural weapon or ability. Move: Standard
Magic: Knows 1d3 random spells
1d10 DEMON ABILITIES Morale: Flees if reduced to less than
1 None, fights with weapon half HP or battle appears to be lost.
2 Claws 1d4/1d4 Greater Demon
As large as warhorses or even
3 Poison, stuns for 1d6 minutes elephants, many are cautious to not
4 Flight, standard harm others lest authorities unjustly
single them out as “monsters.”
5 Acid Blood, 1d4 touch damage
HD 5 | HP 25
6 Bite 1d6 Slam 1d8 | Move: Standard
7 Breath Weapon 1d6/15ft. Morale: Flees if reduced to less than
half HP or battle appears to be lost.
8 Knows 1 random spell
Grand Demon
9 Movement double standard Powerful and primordial beings,
10 Roll again twice they often hold places of authority
and therefore prone to corruption…
HD 10 | HP 55
Strike 1d6/1d6 | Move: Standard
Magic: Knows 1d6 random spells
Morale: Fights to the death.

40
 COBBLESTONE BEASTS
Demon Appearance 1d12 MANNERISMS
1 Polite & friendly
1d4 BODY 2 Dour & Snappy
1 Humanoid 3 Petulant & Stoic
2 Plant 4 Sanguine & Violent
3 Animal 5 Lazy & Boring
4 Insect 6 Mischievous & Snarky
1d6 SKIN 7 Quiet & Peevish
1 Fur, Armor as Hide 8 Mysterious & Vivacious
2 Scales, Armor as Brigandine 9 Rude & Sultry
3 Slime, Armor as Hide 10 Nervous & Suspicious
4 Feathers, Armor as Hide 11 Loud & Zealous
5 Chitin, Armor as Scale 12 Unhelpful & Gregarious
6 Mineral, Armor as Plate
1d20 Quirks
1d8 LIMBS 1 Bucktooth grin
1 None, crawls around 2 Mismatched eyes
2 Two limbs, arms or legs 3 Eerie number of teeth
3 Mismatched vestigial wings 4 Delicate paw pads
4 Four limbs, arms and legs 5 Long tongue, always out
5 Arachnid limbs, odd number 6 Color changes based on mood
6 Six limbs, arms, legs, tails 7 Gold-tipped hooves
7 Nothing but claws 8 Covered in sparkling makeup
8 Dozens of limbs, usually avian 9 Constantly in armor
1d10 FEATURES 10 Dressed in latest fashions
1 Two heads, always arguing 11 Hooked ibis beak
2 Spiny protrusions 12 Terrible odor
3 Glorious horns or antlers 13 Knotted hair obscures body
4 Over-sized head 14 Hovers off the ground
5 Long slithering neck & body 15 Gently sweating ichor
6 Exoskeleton, squeaky 16 Heavily tattooed
7 Iridescent patterning 17 Smoke pours out of orifices
8 Fins & gills 18 Lichen grows on skin
9 Membranous joints 19 Always dancing
10 Rubbery bones 20 Long exquisite beard

41
COBBLESTONE BEASTS

Dire Pigeon The Dire Pigeon is a monstrous

counterpart to its common cousin.
Standing two heads taller than the
average person, it is a predator and
scavenger that plagues the streets
and roofs of the city. Most are
unable to properly bathe themselves
and so pick up horrible odors as
well as being infested with lice
and parasites.
Dire pigeons are voracious eaters.
When unable to scavenge meals
from the garbage, they will attack
and eat anything smaller than
themselves (including pets and
children) before returning to their
hidden roosts. Dire Pigeon roosts
are hidden in the forgotten and
abandoned places of the city and
are marked by the trademark white
droppings that paint the exterior
sides of their homes. Folks are wary
of abandoned towers and
warehouses that bear these
• Defense: As Hide trademark alabaster stains. However,
• Hit Dice: 6HD attacks can be avoided by
• Hit Points: 30 distracting the birds with large
• Move: Fly Double Standard, quantities of bread and seed.
Walk Half Standard
• Damage: Peck 1d8 and Eye-gouge
• Quantity: Solo, Flock 2d6 As a Mount
• XP: 700 While feral Dire Pigeons are a
• Stench: A Dire Pigeon reeks of dangerous menace, there have been
refuse and garbage. Anyone successful attempts to domesticate
within arm’s length, save v. and train them. If properly trained,
Poison, Success: no effect. they can be used as reliable
Failure: Sickened for 1d4 rounds airborne mounts, provided the rider
as you are overcome with nausea. is experienced and the bird is well
• Eye-gouge: The Dire Pigeon tends fed. One particularly enterprising
to attack the eyes of its victims. merchant has even started a
Each successful Peck has a 1-in-6 “legitimate” delivery company using
chance of blinding a character for the birds to deliver packages and
1d6 rounds. parcels across the city and beyond.
The sound of heavy wings beating Cost: 1000 coins (contraband)
against the air and a wave of
horrible animal odors surround Speed: Fly 54 Miles/Day
you. A pigeon the size of a garden or 6 Miles/Hour
shed and encrusted in filth lands Carry Capacity: Can carry as much
heavily, a mass of ragged feathers as two strong mortals or two
and avian muscles. It lets out a average-sized passengers.
series of guttural coos, all the while Saddle: 400 coins (contraband)
eyeing you with hungry yellow eyes.

42
 COBBLESTONE BEASTS

•
•
Fists of the City
Defense: As Plate
Hit Dice: 5HD
• Hit Points: 35
• Move: Standard
• Damage: As Weapon
• Quantity: Solo, Pair, or Pack 1d6
• XP: 800
• Brutal Defense: The Fists are
spiteful and aggressive. Anytime
the Fist is hit in combat, there is
1-in-6 chance they immediately
retaliate and make a free attack.
• Enshackle: Fists are experts with
their manacles and chains. Fists
have advantage on making
grapples and maintaining them.
• Like Hounds: Fists can smell and
sniff out hiding or running prey if
they have the scent. They are
capable of tracking prey like a
dog or wolf.
The sound of heavy footfalls and
metal plates slowly grinding against
one another and growls like that of
a chained beast. A monstrous mortal
clad in brutal pig-iron armor towers
above you, its helm fashioned in the
motif of a raging boar. Long shackles
and irons dance lazily in its
clenched fist as it gazes out at the
world with a cold, calculating, and
malicious hunger.
Standing as tall and broad as a
warhorse, the Fists of the City
appear as enormous monstrous
knights clad in ornate iron armor.
They wield massive crushing
weapons such as hammers and
clubs and always carry a series of
heavy chains and manacles they
use to seize unfortunate victims. While monstrous and deadly
Brutal and domineering, they prowl opponents, the Fists tend not to kill
the city streets like hounds, the their victims (unless expressly
sound of their footfalls and chains ordered to do so); instead, they
announcing their presence. incapacitate and subdue their
Silent, save for strange animal-like opponents before binding them in
noises, they are the de-facto chains and dragging them off into
guardsmen of the city. Traveling in the dark. Few who are taken in this
“packs” and at the orders of various way ever return, and those that do
magisters and nobles, they carry out speak of horrifying dungeons,
the dark will of the elite with savage packed to the brim with both the
cruelty and bloody efficiency. living and the dead.

43
COBBLESTONE BEASTS

KRUKSGRIPPEN

• Defense: As Hide
• Hit Dice: 10HD
• Hit Points: 60
• Move: Standard
• Damage: 4 Slams 1d6
& Snatching Limbs
• Quantity: Solo
• XP: 1050
• Incorporeal Jaunt: Not a beast, The Kruksgrippen appears in a
but a spirit. The Kruksgrippen variety of shapes and sizes, taking
may become ethereal at will, many physical attributes from its
allowing it and anything it is prey. Typically a long fleshy body
holding to pass through solid with anywhere from four to
matter. Lodestone powder or eighteen sets of legs, long matted
Noble blood stops this ability. mane of hair, and numerous arms
• Snatching Limbs: Many hands to that sprout from the inside of the
slay and steal. Save v. Breath or mouth. Most common around lesser-
Hold. Success: 1-in-6 chance of used tunnels or dead ends.
having a random item stolen.
Failure: Grappeled and a random It is a skilled and illusive hunter,
item is stolen. able to mimic the voice of loved
• Mimicry: The Kruksgrippen can ones and disappear once it has had
perfectly imitate the voice of loved its fill. Chasing one down and
ones or associates. vanquishing it is almost never heard
of, causing most to simply mourn
There is the feeling of being watched, rather than seek vengeance. Many
yet no eyes catch light amid the songs and children’s tales include
darkness. The squelch of mud Kruksgrippen as a warning for
beneath a massive form grows children not to stray far from the
nearer. Breaching the muck, a long path. It is as if it was made to hunt
dark greasy mane grows from a the denizens of the city, a primordial
bulging worm-like body with a manifestation of the Wurm’s cruel
multitude of pallid feet dotting its and hungry will.
sides. A mouth-like seam opens up
and twitching limbs gush out,
reaching and grabbing, desperately
hungry.

44
 COBBLESTONE BEASTS

•
•
GARBAGE SHAMBLER
Defense: As Hide
Hit Dice: 9HD
picking up more garbage to add to
its already corpulent mass. While
• Hit Points: 55 they prefer collecting rotted garbage
• Move: Half Standard and trash, they have no issue
• Damage: Filthy Slam 2d6 attacking living beings to add to
and Filth their growing form. They act with
• Quantity: Solo or Dump 1d4 singular purpose and will only
• XP: 1050 retreat if better garbage is available
• Filth: Garbage Shamblers are elsewhere.
breeding grounds for pathogens. Garbage Shamblers collect where
If struck by Garbage Shambler, refuse and poor sanitation gathers.
save v. Poison, Success: Queasy, The upper echelons of society have
but otherwise unaffected. Failure: never heard of the creatures, while
Sickened for 1d3 hours and a those who live in the lower levels of
2-in-6 chance of gaining a random the city consider them a constant
disease (pg. 28). threat. Poor city planning, badly
• Stench: A Garbage Shambler reeks maintained sewers, and sumps
of refuse and effluent. Anyone become breeding grounds for these
within arm’s length, save v. creatures.
Poison, Success: no effect.
Failure: Sickened for 1d4 rounds
as you are overcome with nausea. Treasure:
Rancid, sickening smells penetrate Enterprising individuals have
your nostrils while the sound of discovered that Garbage Shamblers
labored groans echo in the alley. are cornucopias of trinkets and
A mound of rotten filth, loose treasures; so long as you don’t mind
cobblestones, and rusted metal spills cleaning off the filth. Each Shambler
across the ground towards you. Its has 1d12 items.
body opens up in the shape of a 2d6 You Find…
crude mouth; a maw filled with teeth 1-6 1d4 random tools (pg 16).
of stone, metal and broken glass.
7-8 Smattering of 1d50 coins.
Weighing as much as a draft horse,
this semi-solid creature is composed 9 A fine weapon. Worth 1d3x50
of discarded waste and various 10 Fancy jewelry piece. Worth 200
heaps of trash. It oozes through 11 Lost artwork! Worth 1d12x50
dark alleys and overflowing sewers
12 A magical item (pg 238).

45
COBBLESTONE BEASTS

•
•
Master of Procession
Defense: As Chain
Hit Dice: 4HD
The Masters of Procession announce
the coming of the Nobles, leading a
• Hit Points: 48 parade in their honor and whipping
• Move: Standard unlucky onlookers into a dangerous
• Damage: 3 x Baton 1d8 frenzy. They avoid direct conflict
• Quantity: Solo and 3d10 Revelers themselves, instead preferring to
• XP: 700 watch the carnage they bring from a
• Aura of Revelry: The Master leads safe distance. That being said, they
the parade, turning onlookers into are more than happy to crack the
hedonistic revelers. skulls of “un-festive delinquents”
Each turn, anyone within 30ft with the head of their baton.
save v. Charm or Madness. Citizens of the city know to fear the
Success: No effect, a faint desire sound of violent revelry, locking
to dance. themselves away until the street
Minor Failure: Begin dancing. goes quiet and only looking out
Speed halved, attacks are at until they are absolutely certain the
disadvantage. parade has passed. These parades
Failure: Become overwhelmed can range in size from small to truly
with insatiable greed. Attempt to grand displays of opulence, dozens
steal from nearest character. of extravagant floats, thousands of
Major Failure: Filled with a performers, and every display or
violent madness. Attack nearest earthly delight you can imagine. At
person, friend or foe. the end of it all, however, is always
• Split: When its robes are ruined, a Noble, striding across a street
its true form is revealed. The first laden in riches and broken bodies.
time the Master is dropped to half
health it divides into 1d6+1 Imps
Imp - Defense: Unarmored
HD 1 | HP 6 | Claws & Teeth 1d4
Move: Standard | Morale: Fights to
the death.
A plump, wretched creature with a
malicious grin of sharpened teeth.

The commotion of a parade draws

near. Hedonistic revelers dance,
scream, and fight with violent
abandon. At the pulsing chaotic
heart is a monster that coils and
writhes like a serpent. Cloaked in the
finest vestments, it leads the parade
with its bloody baton, a sadistic
smile etched on its face.
The Master of Procession appears as
a large, ornate carnival puppet given
terrible life. Its form twitches and
moves as if controlled by many tiny
erratic bodies, while its head is a
beautiful, albeit terrifying, mask of a
grinning face.

46
 COBBLESTONE BEASTS

• Defense: As Leather
SUTFILK
•
•
Hit Dice: 2HD
Hit Points: 7
Sutsmog
• Move: Standard May be used in place of Pollution
• Damage: Slam 1d4 or Weapon on pg. 22.
• Quantity: Solo, Crowd 1d20 A terrible smog obscures vision and
• XP: 200 fills the lungs. Silent figures seem to
• Suffocation: When in arm’s congregate in the streets.
reach of 3 or more Sutfilk, save Traveling through this area takes
v. Poison. Success: Hard to twice as long, due to the poor
breathe, attacks at disadvantage. visibility and lack of air. Strenuous
Failure: You begin to suffocate, or athletic tasks are at disadvantage,
1d4 damage and disadvantage on as well there will always be 1d20
attacks. Sutfilk silently patrolling the streets.
• Raise Sutfilk: Those killed by a
Sutfilk return as a Sutfilk during
the next Sutsmog (sidebar).
• Vulnerable to Silver: Sutfilk
actively avoid those armed with it.
The haze of pollution-filled streets
obscures the faint shapes of people
moving silently about their day.
Billows of opaque fog appear to
emanate from these individuals and
when you duck around one you are
met with the grotesque warped face
and eager hands ready to pull you
into the ocean of smog.
While rare, the Sutfilk are some of
the more dangerous features of the
city. They are spirits that appear as
ordinary folk from behind but
transform into horrific, twisted
specters from the front. They appear
in great numbers during particularly
foggy days to feed on the unwary
and unprotected, always walking
backwards in an eerie unison.
Sutfilk make no noise of their own
and are rumored to devour the
sound their victims make. Few
things can disperse a crowd of the
wisps other than a very strong
breeze or rain. The spirits add to
their ranks with the shades of their
victims, taking entire families with
this ruse.

47
COBBLESTONE BEASTS

Animal
SHORTBLOCK
Armor: Hide | HD 1 | HP 3
Mugger or Street Tough
Armor: Gambeson | HD 2 | HP 12
Bite 1d4 | Move: Double Standard Club or Improvised weapon 1d8 |
Morale: 5-in-6 Flees if injured, Move: Standard | Morale: Flees if
1-in-6 Fights to the death. reduced to less than half HP or half
Aristocrat or Magister of comrades are killed.
Armor: Brigandine | HD 2 | HP 12 Sewer Gator
Sword 1d8 | Move: Standard Armor: Scale | HD 3 | HP 18
Magic: Knows 1d3 random spells Bite 1d8 and Jaws | Move: Standard
Morale: Flees if reduced to less than Swim Double Standard
half HP or battle appears to be lost. Jaws: Save v. Hold or be grappled.
Beggar or Bystander Morale: Flees if reduced to half
Armor: Unarmored | HD 1 | HP 3 health, 1-in-6 Fights to the death.
Fist or Shiv 1d3 | Move: Standard Thief
Morale: 5-in-6 Flees if injured, Armor: Unarmored | HD 1 | HP 6
1-in-6 Fights to the death. Knife 1d6 | Move: Standard |
Giant Pest Morale: Flees at full speed, fights
Armor: Hide | HD 3 | HP 15 only if cornered or desperate.
Bite or Claw 1d6 | Move: Standard Verminous Swarm
Disease: When bitten, 1-in-6 chance Armor: Unarmored | HD 1 | HP 15
of a random disease (pg. 28). Swarm Bites 1d6 | Move: Standard
Morale: Flees if reduced to half Disease: When bitten, 1-in-6 chance
health, 1-in-6 Fights to the death. of a random disease (pg. 28).
Guard or Soldier Morale: Flees if reduced to half
Armor: Chain Shirt | HD 3 | HP 18 health, 1-in-6 Fights to the death.
Pike 1d10 or Shield and Blade 1d8
or Crossbow 1d8 | Move: Standard
Morale: 5-in-6 Flees if reduced to
less than half HP or half of allies are
killed, 1-in-6 Fights to the death.
Headhunting Aristocrat
Armor: Plate | HD 4 | HP 30
Harpoon 1d10 or Longbow 1d8
Move: Horseback, Double Standard
Net: As Attack, save v. Breath or
become grappled in a net. Two
consecutive checks to escape.
Morale: Fights to the death, only
blood will suffice!

48
 COBBLESTONE BEASTS
D50 ENCOUNTER AND 1D6 MOOD
1d6 Bystanders Mood 1-2 Helpful 3-4 Busy, would rather not be
1-10
disturbed 5-6 Irate, hostile if bothered.
1d8 Demons Mood 1-2 Helpful 3-4 Busy, would rather not be
11-18
disturbed 5-6 Arguing with each other, hostile if bothered.
Giant Pest Mood 1-2 Torpid, just ate 3-5 Hungry, will attack unless
19-20
given food 6 Frenzied, attacks anything nearby
1d6 Brick Ticks Mood 1-3 On the move, hostile if bothered
21-22
4-6 Hiding, ready to ambush a passerby
1d3 Aristocrats and 1d6 Soldiers Mood 1-2 Busy, hostile if
disturbed 3-4 Bully and confiscate any weapons the characters have
23
5-6 Claim characters are breaking a law and have the soldiers
apprehend them or pay 2d10x10 coins.
1d3 Giant Pests Mood 1-3 On the move, hostile if bothered
24 4-5 Hungry, will attack unless given food
6 Frenzied, attacks anything nearby
1d6 Guards Mood 1-2 Bored, demands 1d20 coins or arrest if
25-26 bothered 3-4 Patrolling, hostile if bothered 5-6 Hostile, attempts to
accost characters for an obscure crime.
Dire Pigeon Mood 1-2 Curious, follows in case of food 3-5 Hungry,
27
will attack unless given food 6 Frenzied, attacks anything nearby
1d3 Verminous Swarms Mood 1-3 Hungry, will attack unless given
28-29
food 4-6 Frenzied, attacks anything nearby
1d4 Fists of the City Mood 1-3 Patrolling, hostile if bothered
30-31
4-6 Singles out characters for violence
Pack of 1d6 Animals Mood 1-3 On the move, hostile if bothered
32-35
4-6 Hungry, will attack unless given food
Gang of 1d4 Thieves and 1d6 Street Toughs Mood 1-3 Helpful, for a
36-38 steep price 4-5 Demands 1d6x10 coins or attack 6 Singles out
characters for violence
Cobble Crab Mood 1 Torpid, just ate 2-3 Hungry, will attack unless
39-40
given food 4-6 Hiding, ready to ambush a passerby
Garbage Shambler Mood 1-3 Torpid, just collected garbage
41-42 4-5 On the move, hostile if bothered
6 Frenzied, attacks anything nearby
43 Court Spider Mood Hiding, ready to ambush characters
44-45 Kruksgrippen Mood Hiding, ready to ambush a passerby
Raid of 1d8 Soldiers and 1d4 Fists of the City Mood Hostile to
46
anything caught in their path
Mob of 1d20 Bystanders and 1d10 Street Toughs or Demons
47-48 Mood 1-2 On the move, hostile if bothered 3-4 Demands characters
join them and their cause 5-6 Singles out characters for violence
49 Crawling Wall of 5d10 Brick Ticks Mood Frenzied, attacks anything
50 Noble Parade Mood Hostile to anything caught in its path

49
 To Build a City

Some of the most dramatic conquests of engineering done by

mortal hands can be found upon these streets. Stone is
molded and shaped like clay beneath the master’s hand,
pressing against the boundaries of one’s imagination and
intuition. Some of these works are created simply out of the
desire for architectural beauty while others materialize out of
the need of the clamoring population. Gurgling fountains of
bronze splendor, creamy marble facades, delicate and precise
iron work create landmarks out of the simplest of features.
“The Grand Work,” Xelie A. Larch, Wandering Historian;
Tales of My Travels, Vol II
TO BUILD A CITY

The City Adventure

Buildings tower above, threatening party, allowing them to use that

to block out the sky; streets are wealth to assist and protect them as
filled with innumerable faces, well as interact with a myriad of
changing in an instant; and a characters and rivals that they will
deafening sound surrounds you, encounter every day of their
shifting in pitch and tone but never journey.
subsiding. There is treasure and These differences change the way
riches to be sure; ill-gotten goods players operate in the adventure
the Nobles hoard while the common cycle, as well as how Referees and
folk starve around them. This is the Gamemasters need to run and
city, a writhing beast that twists and record during a session. A city
coils around itself a thousand times allows easier and expedited
over. To live upon its back is to fear purchases of useful tools, goods,
it, lest you risk its ire and it devours and hirelings, but is also limited by
you whole… the times of day and complicated by
The city falls into an odd space as a the wealth level of the area.
destination for adventuring; it The city is an environment wholly
seemingly removes the dangers of unto itself, with its own unique
starvation and exposure present in a dangers and interesting perks.
wilderness setting, but has far more Adventurers used to a rural or
reactive and interactive parts than underpopulated environment may
most dungeons. Additionally, food, find the differences awkward and
shelter, and assistance are artificially overwhelming at first. However,
kept away from the adventurers by those who can adapt will find riches
extortive costs, a sadistic trick the beyond their wildest imaginations
city is all too willing to play. scattered throughout the sea of
It is a place that is intrinsically tied cobblestone streets.
to the wealth of an adventuring

52
 TO BUILD A CITY
Why a City? fostered and played, can keep the
adventurers out of trouble or gain
The wilderness and dungeon are access to very useful boons. Be
know for a certain level of warned though: building a
sparseness. More often than not relationship with one faction in the
they are realms of quiet unease open may cause another to look on
punctuated by moments of intense disdainfully.
and calculated violence. There is
mystery and uncertainty, but it all
happens within a closed-off
Wealth as Safety and Risk
environment. A city is none of that; While a city appears to have
by default a city is a vibrant, removed the risks of the wilderness
decadent and raucous environment, such as roving creatures, starvation
just as willing to lash out or assist and exposure, it only does so at a
the adventurers at any given notice. cost. Money and credit is the single
It is a place of action and reaction, most important resource when
constantly moving and changing, adventuring within the limits of a
encouraging players to be quick- city. Larger wealth will provide a
witted and reactive rather than slow level of comfort and safety, but that
and methodical. The moments of wealth will always be at risk, and
quiet and downtime are few and far losing said wealth puts the
between, becoming important adventurers into further danger.
moments to plan and prepare for Wealth is closely tied to the vitality
the chaos of the following day. and health of an adventuring party,
In addition to this rapidity and since with wealth comes security.
chaos, the city also eschews the Food, lodging, tools, travel – the city
typical problems of a dungeon is capable of providing any and all
environment for things entirely necessities of an adventuring party,
unique to itself. Theft, wealth so long as they are able to pay for it.
disparity, militarized security are A true metropolis (in the fantasy
constant hazards of the metropolis setting) is the closest thing
setting. While a dungeon seeks only adventurers will encounter to a
to kill or expel you, a city has far post-scarcity area, with any good or
more insidious dangers that target service being available so long as
your wealth (theft, extortion, they are willing to pay for it. The
economic disparity), your legal only thing that may prevent a party
status (angry guards, upset nobles), from having access to a good or
and even your basic necessities service is if it is rare, illicit, or
(price spikes, gated neighborhoods). dangerous, in which case the
While the city may not be willing to particular good or service must be
kill as brazenly as a dungeon, it is intentionally sought out or be
more than willing to inflict a slow prohibitively expense.
and painful death on those who However, with wealth being so
can’t keep up. closely tied to security, loss of
Since the dangers of the city are wealth and exorbitant prices
highly organized and reactive, represent a threat to the safety of
remaining inactive so long as the the adventurers while they remain
adventurers follow the “rules” of the in the city. Food, shelter, and
powers that be, this also means that protection are seen as commodities
they can be bargained with. The – not rights – within the city, forcing
city, overflowing with life and social adventurers to constantly seek out
connections, presents an wealth or alternative ways of
opportunity for diplomacy and meeting basic needs. Muggings and
alliance usually not found within the thefts expound this threat, since
typical adventure setting. Every everyone in the city is beholden to
burglar, guard, aristocrat, and the danger poverty brings. In
politician has social ties that, if addition, wealthy areas with their

53
TO BUILD A CITY
excessive costs for even everyday
goods become dangerous due to the Running the City
fact that they drain excessive As a Referee or Gamemaster there
amounts of wealth from players so are certain facets of a city adventure
quickly; a meal and lodging may be that have to be taken into account
unaffordable in a noble’s before and during a session.
neighborhood, exposing players to Time – If strict timetables must be
starvation and a likely encounter on kept in a dungeon or wilderness
the street. setting, this is applied doubly so for
a city adventure. Unlike the typical
Reactive, Not Random, Danger adventure where the timeline is
based off of the adventurers (camp,
The city is a filled with all possible
encounters, both hostile and benign. rest, and downtime occur when the
While there certainly are an party says so), a city operates on its
countless number of dangers and own timeline. Shops close, denizens
threats to the adventurers, these return home, and less savory folks
threats do not manifest themselves travel under the cover of night,
randomly or without reason. completely changing the tone, level
Encounters in the city, unlike other of danger, and access to services
adventuring settings, are a reaction compared to the daytime. When the
to the adventurers’ actions and adventurers choose to do something
follow regular patterns that, if or allot effort to it, the referee
observed and planned around, can should record and announce how
be avoided. much time this will take making
sure that the time of day is
City encounters tend to follow a accounted for and that nightfall not
coherence and regularity that is not come as a surprise.
found in wilderness or dungeon
settings. Unlike a dungeon, a city is Access to Services – The key
brimming with possible encounters difference between a dungeon and
and life rarely seen in the sparse the city is the constant access to
corridors or rooms that make up a tools, hirelings, and services. At any
dungeon complex. Unlike the point of travel, downtime, or
wilderness, the encounters occur at planning, adventurers can buy what
regular enough intervals with they need requiring little more than
common similarities throughout. traveling a block or so to a market
or shop. So long as they have the
In addition an encounter on the money and the thing they are
streets is not necessarily a random looking to buy is not rare or illicit,
event; rather it is the city taking a the GM simply announces the
specific interest in the adventurers amount of time it takes and how
as a reaction to something they have much it will cost. As noted
done or failed to do. When the previously, time of day may affect
adventurers flash too much wealth, what services are available; while
a thief might approach; when an some shops and hirelings may be
estate is broken into, the guards are available during nightfall, it is likely
called; and when an aristocrat feels they are harder to find and more
they are being troubled, the Fists of expensive.
the City arrive to expunge it. Most
encounters follow this same reactive Cost – With wealth so intrinsically
nature, serving their own interests tied to survival and adventurers
and only bothering with the being able to purchase tools and
adventurers when those interests services on the fly, the actual cost of
have been crossed. items at any given time has to be
taken into account. The book
provides a table of prices for
common goods and services (pg.16)
as well as the scale at which they
increase based on the wealth level

54
 TO BUILD A CITY
of the area (pg. 71). While wealthier
neighborhoods may have access to
rare commodities and hirelings, the
quality of them does not change
based solely on cost. After all,
sometimes, things that are expensive
are worse.

The city is an interesting beast; on

one hand, it plays by strict and
uncompromising rules of law,
conversely, it embraces a chaos that
only a metropolis of millions of
people can create. It reacts and
changes based on the actions of the
adventurers, allowing it to be
exploited and subverted. So long as
the great beast of the city is not
riled, it becomes a place of intrigue,
exploit, decadence, and delight. Just
stay one step ahead of the powers
that be…

Key Points
• Common goods and services are
available quickly and
conveniently.
• Danger is reactive and
motivated.
• Wealth is tied to security and
safety.
• Expensive areas are a danger to
character’s wealth.

55
TO BUILD A CITY

The Undercity

56
 TO BUILD A CITY

Faction Relationships
As the city churns and roils, there
are those who stand upon the
2. Grab a handful of 6-sided dice
and drop them onto the paper.
chaos, riding it like a wave or even Record their placement and face up
attempting to direct its flow. Gangs number. Each one of these dice
of low-level criminals try their best represent a faction.
to make ends meet brush up against
corrupt political organizations
climbing the social ladder. All the 2 3
while cabals of Nobles and their 1 6 4
legions of servants wield their
power with callousness and
indifference, much to the terror of 5

3
the common folk…
The city is woven together with a
1
complex net of political and social
intrigue. Powerful gangs go to war
while aristocratic houses play power 3. For each die, draw a line to each
games among each other. This of the nearest 1-3 die. Each line
section provides a way of generating signifies a relationship between the
and visualizing the abstract web of factions.
relationships and factions found
within the city.
2 3
The following is a series of steps for
the creation of a social web, the 1 6 4
relationships in that web, and the
factions therein.
5
3

The Political Web 1

1. Create the Web - Draw two
concentric circles on a piece of
paper or use the following page as a
reference or game aid. 4. Determine Relationship – For
each line, roll a D20, consult the
chart on the next page and record
the listed relationship. This
represents the social dynamic
between the two factions.

7 3
Label the areas of the paper as
2
12 4
follows:
Inner Circle: Those who Rule
– Groups of Nobles, powerful lords,
despotic rulers of the city. 5. Determine Faction – For each
Middle Ring: Those who Follow faction, take the number and
– Power-hungry statesmen, rich placement on the paper, and consult
guilds, extensive criminal the chart (pg. 58). This represents
organizations. the type of faction, as well as their
Rest of Paper: Those who Struggle potential goals and operations.
– Small gangs, anarchist collectives,
common folk communities.

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TO BUILD A CITY
d20 RELATIONSHIP
1 Close allies
Factions
d6 THOSE WHO RULE
2 Hated enemies 1 Overlord
3 Long-time rivals, nonviolent 2 Noble Family
4 Secretly at war 3 Grand Guild
5 Secretly allies 4 Mage Cabal
6 Crumbling alliance 5 Occult Circle
7 Growing cooperation 6 Religious Institution
8 One is buying dangerous or
illicit goods from the other d6 THOSE WHO FOLLOW
9 One provides special/ 1 Enforcers
discreet services to the other
2 Crime Syndicate
10 Constant back-and-forth
subterfuge 3 High Guild

11 One bankrolls the other 4 Cult

12 One is a puppet organization 5 College

of the other
6 Political Party
13 One is extorting the other

14 Allies of convenience d6 THOSE WHO STRUGGLE

15 Growing animosity 1 Neighborhood Watch

16 One is frightened and pays 2 Criminal Gang

tribute to the other
3 Lesser Guild
17 Mutual resolute truce
4 Artist Circle
18 One is bribing the other
5 Local Business
19 One is frightened and fleeing
from the other 6 Anarchists

20 Open, bloody war

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 TO BUILD A CITY

Those Who Struggle

Those Who Follow

Those Who Rule

59
TO BUILD A CITY
Factions They can be found… Scattered
throughout the city, far from the
seats of power, wherever there is
Anarchists injustice of authority there is usually
an anarchist carefully working to
With community, reason, and subvert it.
action these are the righteous many They can provide… From a simple
who strive to break the cycle of meal and scandalous information, to
injustice and inequality. weapons and tools for when the
They are… The Anarchist groups time is right. Anarchists have power
within the city can roughly be in numbers; as more join the cause
divided into three categories based so too do their abilities and assets
on their operations and goals. increase.
1 The Hands - The builders and They desire… Tools, assets, and
organizers, constantly carving out supplies are always welcome.
places of safety and mutual aid for Assistance with helping those in
their communities. Those with the need, uniting other anarchists and
mind for logistics and the back for deposing corrupt officials and
labor are quick to join the Hands, their lackeys.
building a foundation for the new
city to rise from.
2 The Voices - The educators and
speakers, sowing dissent against
the Nobles and providing
information to sympathizers.
From whispers of truths the
Nobles wish destroyed, to zealous
speeches before a strike, the
Voices ensure that injustice is
decried and truth is heard.
3 The Teeth - The defenders and
fighters, those willing to risk their
lives to ensure that others are
safe. Those who are cunning and
quick to action join the Teeth with
grim determination. The road to
the new city will be hard fought
and not without sacrifice…

The Painted Hound

A story spreads through the city.
Whispers and visions of a
hound, its bloody neck slit by a
cruel lord. It haunts the dreams
and stirs the blood of common
folks, silently calling for action
and justice.
The Nobles punish any who dare
mention the Painted Hound, but
sightings of the phantom grow
in number. The city is on the
precipice of a change, and the
Wurm recoils in fear…

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 TO BUILD A CITY
Artist Circle
Those who put thought and dream to
form, with impeccable craft or
maddening zeal.
They are… A loose and colorful
collection of artists and craftsfolk,
each with their own story to tell.
While artists are not specific to
medium, many will gather around a
common movement or belief.
1 Demolitionists - Tempestuous and
ferocious artists, deeply anti-
establishment and obsessed with
beauty in destruction. Known for
their self-destructing works, use of
decaying or broken materials, and
themes of rebirth through razing.
2 Harlequinists - Abrasively jovial
and deceivingly cunning, these
artist use deception and pranks
throughout their work. With
elaborate public stunts and
charmingly offensive pieces, they
believe that “honest lies beget
more honest truths.”
3 Melancholists - Insufferably dour
and cynical artists; when not
vocalizing their profound ennui
they are brooding in solitude.
Known for pieces that elicit deep
melancholy they seek to articulate
the peace found in loneliness gallery shows, their works are
and despair. intentionally nonsensical,
4 Nobleists - Reviled by anyone with infuriating the aristocracy and
taste, these are the greedy few mirroring the city.
who revere and follow the artistic They can be found… Abandoned
desires of the aristocracy. They are buildings turned into studio spaces,
cynical and artless hacks who gallery shows, concert and theater
have forsaken any meaningful halls, and tea houses late into
creation outside of the pursuit of the night.
fame and money.
They can provide… Art is a
5 Vivanists - Frighteningly energetic powerful tool in the right hands and
and vivacious, artists who a physical work or theater piece can
frantically chase vibrancy and be quite useful (or at least quite
abhor subtlety. Their works are profitable). Additionally, many artists
dazzling and filled with frenzied have connections with friends in
energy, all in the belief that art high places and are quite capable of
can create life if it is imbued with making introductions.
enough passion.
They desire… Financial stability
6 Zazaists - An endearingly odd but and notoriety. Artistic pursuit does
intellectually difficult bunch, not come without its hardships.
delighting in absurdist humor and Artists are despised by many who
grim non-sequitur. With strange do not see the value in art (outside
public works and incendiary of a price tag).

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TO BUILD A CITY
They desire… Money and public
College recognition are never far off in the
minds of the college’s leading body.
An institution of higher learning
shaped by alacrious new minds and However, be it for research or
tempered by old and esoteric ones. prestige, they may require
something dangerous or rare be
They are… Powerful establishments “acquired” in a discreet manner; the
that provide the highest levels of pay is said to be quite handsome…
education, for a price. While each
college is unique they can roughly
be divided into the following: Crime Syndicate
1 Arcane Academy - Esoteric and Criminal enterprises have their own
strict, the arcane academy finds hierarchy, some powerful and grand
those with a talent for the arcane enough to be practically legitimate.
arts and provides them a place to They are… A highly organized and
refine and practice their abilities well-connected crime operation,
with close supervision. powerful enough to enjoy a level of
Impenetrably secretive, there are immunity due to their power and
rumors of terrible fates befalling influence. Each syndicate preforms
those who “fail,” and whispers of any number of the listed operations:
dangerous eldritch magics locked
deep within their halls. 1 Assassination - High-value
murders, or large-scale slayings.
2 Historic Prestige - With rich
history and grandiose reputation, 2 Espionage - Massive information
this college boasts the finest networks of spies and intercepted
facilities and scholars that coin communications.
can buy. Known far and wide for 3 Extortion - Intimidation,
some of the most prestigious blackmail, or monetary pressure
alumni, the school rides in no for financial and political gain.
small part on its fame, exclusivity, 4 Production - Industrial-level
and perilously steep cost. growing, refining, or assembly of
3 Institute of Tomorrow - Tight- contraband goods.
lipped and constantly in motion, 5 Racketeering - Large-scale
this institute is the birth-place of laundering, theft, and fraud under
many modern marvels. The the guise of legitimate business.
laboratories and workshops play
host to the most forward-thinking 6 Smuggling - Mass-transit and
technology and intellectuals. Those delivery of high-value or
who can’t keep up are burned and contraband good.
tossed aside like used matches. They can be found… Some appear
They can be found… Their campus as legitimate businesses, albeit with
takes up large swaths of space with heavy security and secret rooms.
several wings and dormitories, Others are hidden in secret
functionally turning it into a locations or inside personal villas.
community outside the reach of the They can provide… Outside of
city. Additionally, research buildings their own specialties, they promise
and tangential businesses associated wealth and connections that few
with the college can be found legal avenues can afford to offer…
scattered throughout the city. They desire… Competition is fierce
They can provide… Bastions of and dangerous, having to contend
knowledge and progress, earning with foes outside and within.
the goodwill of a college can net Removing roadblocks and enemies
you everything from obscure is almost always rewarded.
information, access to private
research, or even a team of eager
and highly trained students.

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 TO BUILD A CITY
Cult
Religious and philosophical cells
fueled by unwavering belief and
shrouded in mystique.
They are… A secretive collective of
individuals who have willingly
joined or been seduced by the
promises of a strange belief. While
members and beliefs can range
wildly, the structure of a cult can be
divided into the following:
Criminal Gang 1 Personality - A figure with
immense charismatic power and
Where there are laws to be enforced influence has placed themselves at
there will be crimes to commit. the center of this cult. Followers
They are… Small illegal operations hang on their every word, with
involving an organized effort of low only a select few trusted to
to mid-level criminals and their understand the validity of their
associates. Each gang and their leader’s words and true power…
members can be broken down into 2 Idol Worship - A system of belief
any number of the following: has sprung up around an artifact
1 Pushers - Street-to-street sellers or beast of great significance. The
and distributors of contraband. beliefs are strange and the idol is
2 Runners - Transporters and hidden from common eyes, yet
delivery-folk who move goods and followers of the idol swear to its
assets around the city. many miracles and the alien
gospel it imparts…
3 Cut-Throats - Mercenaries who
deal in violence and intimidation. 3 Fringe Teaching - Misinterpreted
philosophy or obscure lessons
4 Grifters - Con-artists and from “distant lands,” adherents
scammers, making their money gather and ascribe their own
through deception. meanings and beliefs. Many wrap
5 Thieves - Experts in pick- themselves in exoticism and
pocketing and lock-picking, mystique, but some swear to the
stealing and breaking in for gain. teachings and become vessels for
6 Arsonists - Versed in destruction a dangerous hidden will…
for profit and infamy. They can be found… While some
They can be found… Some make proselytize in the open streets,
the mistake of doing “business” many worship in secret. Hidden
where they live. Others pick out away in safe-houses, abandoned
hideouts and fronts to hide their buildings, or residences, the cult
daily operations and meetings. prefers discretion.
They can provide… Those willing They can provide… Besides absurd
to do discreet work will be sermons or crackpot conspiracies,
compensated accordingly. Gangs cults provide secret places of respite
also offer payment in favors or vices to hide and lay low. Not all cults are
that remain unapproved by the law. built on farce and some have
strange and terrible powers at
They desire… Crime might pay, but their disposal…
it will always be dangerous. Plagued
by city officials, logistical issues, and They desire… More “criminal” cults
rival gangs, the average criminal desire finances and discretion above
gang will take any help it can get in all else, while those who are true
assuaging these problems. believers seek out objects of power
or artifacts. Both desire followers.

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TO BUILD A CITY
Enforcers
Sworn to coins, laws, or holy oaths,
they are those who impose the
Noble’s “order” upon the city.
They are… Guards, soldiers, and
footmen sworn to protect the
interests of the city and their
financial benefactors. Depending on
their motives and allegiance, the
enforcers fall roughly into three
categories:
1 Lawmen - Those sworn to uphold
the laws written by the aristocrats,
no matter how abhorrent the laws
may be. Sponsored by the taxes of
the city, the Lawmen can be found
routinely patrolling the city,
looking to assert their power…
2 Private Guard - Hired by wealthy
benefactors, these volatile
mercenary companies are
equipped with the finest arms and
Grand Guild
supplies money can buy. They run Vast and unstoppable industries,
security and protection for the each operating and organizing
most part, but are not above the under a single global Guildhall.
occasional armed insurrection, so They are… A great and powerful
long as the pay is good… collective of a single industry. So
3 Military Order - Knights and vast is their reach and financial
footmen from ancient and esoteric power that they determine the value
lines. Sworn to an oath and trained of their chosen industry, the only
in the ways of war, they are called limit being what the city is willing
upon only in dire circumstances; to pay.
when that call is made, the streets They can be found… The Grand
run crimson with blood… Guildhalls resemble palaces. Lavish
They can be found… Many operate headquarters where the guild
out of highly defended keeps, leaders and shareholders conduct
strongholds that function as business and drunkenly fraternize,
barracks and armories. Typically while an army of middle-managers
they can be found on the streets, and staff scurry about their jobs.
preforming regular patrols or They can provide… There is no
heading to some assignment. bottom to the pockets of a Grand
They can provide… Those who can Guild, and those who ingratiate
be hired will offer protection and themselves to such guilds will be
mercenary work for high coin, while paid kingly sums.
those who follow the law and code They desire… Grand Guilds
must be convinced with political operate at global levels and their
sway or influence. problems have less to do with
They desire… Enforcers are simple industry and more to do with
and brutish in their desires: order, political and government policy.
power, and coin. Provide them with Paving the way for new avenues of
any number of those desires and business or discreetly eliminating
they are likely to oblige your governing bodies that block
requests. progress is always commended.

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 TO BUILD A CITY
High Guild Lesser Guild
Large and well-known industry Artisans and workhouses, bound
collectives, well-known and together under shared business
regarded across the city. ventures and industries.
They are… A large and influential They are… A small collective of
collective of businesses, all similar businesses and artisans,
operating under a single governing united under shared rules and
body. With deep pockets and high regulations. Under the thumb of
demand, they facilitate the mass- larger powers and industries, the
production for a single industry guild bolsters it numbers to stay
within the city. afloat and competitive.
They can be found… The High They can be found… The Lesser
Guildhalls are imposing structures, Guildhalls are usually no more than
part bureaucratic offices, with a single building or rented room.
accountants and managers running Many of the members keep to their
the day-to-day operations, and part own workshops and businesses,
social hall, for guild leaders and only stopping by the Guildhall for
business partners to mingle and scheduled meetings and updates.
discuss business. They can provide… Hard work for
They can provide… The pay is honest pay; in addition they can
good for those seeking to work with offer access to their time and
a guild. Strings can be pulled to workshops for custom orders.
offer goods and services normally They desire… Work is hard and the
reserved for the Nobles. hours are long; assistance is always
They desire… Rival guilds and appreciated. Sending new clients
material scarcity are constant and rare materials to them is fairly
threats, while despotic and capitalist paid and remembered as well.
guilds may suffer from labor
shortages and strikes. The High
Guilds would prefer such problems
removed, at least for a time.

d20 GUILD INDUSTRY

1 Textile & Cloth 11 Pigments & Dye-making

2 Printmaking & Press-work 12 Carpentry & Wood-craft

3 Painting & Luxury Art 13 Pottery & Brick-making

4 Grain & Milling 14 Blade-smithing & Armoring

5 Meat & Butchery 15 Cooking & Hospitality

6 Fishing & Sailing 16 Tanning & Bone-craft

7 Construction & Masonry 17 Barbery & Apothecary

8 Engineering & Tinkering 18 Gem-cutting & Gold Smithing
9 Smithing & Smelting 19 Potion-making & Brewing
10 Animal Husbandry 20 Revelry & Recreation

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TO BUILD A CITY
than not) bicker and squabble
Local Business among each other over their many
inter-coven rivalries.
Small ventures for coin with
familiar faces and humble origins. 3 Magus Supreme - Sometimes
mages only respect one thing, and
They are… A singular business with that is raw, unchained power. The
local renown or infamy. Due to their Magus Supreme is the absolute
finances, reputation, or connections ruler of a loose band of dangerous
within the city, they have entered lawless mages, a title that anyone
the political web. You may use the can take, so long as they defeat
Shop Generator on pg. 92 to create the current Magus Supreme in
this business. ritual combat.
They can be found… Within their They can be found… Preferring
shop, or shops if they’ve begun to extravagant seats of power, Mage
franchise. Cabals will usually establish
They can provide… Discounts, themselves in enormous magical
better rates, and back-room deals. towers, dwarfed only by the Spires.
Those with connections can put you Filled with laboratories, private
in touch with powerful people or libraries, and all manner of
special services. unnatural collections, these towers
They desire… Anything that are at both wondrous and
happens on the streets affects local nightmarish.
businesses in similar fashion. They can provide… Magical power
Helping them through troubled and arcane knowledge of the
times is always beneficial. highest degree.
They desire… Magical knowledge
Mage Cabal and funding for their expensive and
The most powerful and dangerous lengthy research projects. Those
loci of magical powers, gathered more power-hungry and malevolent
and bound by common interest. Mage Cabals seek out political
They are… A collection of the most power and subterfuge, seeking to
powerful spellcasters in the city, overthrow the Nobles and take their
organized into a governing body. place as rulers of the city. “Things
While these cabals can come in any will be different,” they promise…
shape or size, there are three
prominent “styles” of organization
that they fall into:
1 The Solar Temple - Highly
organized hierarchical structure,
with dozens of lower-ranking
initiates at the bottom and a single
or trio of wizard kings at the top.
These wizard kings, the Rex
Solari, direct the actions of the
Temple and oversee the rites and
rituals necessary to climb the
many levels of the organization.
2 Seven-fold Coven - Seven covens
of magic and arcane theory
operate with dozens of members
in each, the most powerful of
which are the Coven Heads. The
Coven Heads gather periodically
to discuss theory, plan their
collective actions, and (more often

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 TO BUILD A CITY
Neighborhood Watch
Ranging from the eagle-eyed
window-watchers to the street-tough
vigilantes.
They are… Loose-knit local
chapters of vigilantes and do-
gooders. Based on how they
respond to danger and operate, they
tend to fall in to three categories:
1 Nosy Folk - The local rumor mill
and somewhat of a community
spy network. A collection of
snooping and gossip that keeps
tabs on nearly every member of
the local community, typically
without their permission…
2 Peacekeepers - Volunteer guards
who work close with the local
community to stop violence. While
some have good intentions and
seek to mediate or halt conflict,
others see themselves as crusaders
of justice in an unlawful world,
free to dole out harsh punishment
as they see fit…
3 Snitches - They are obsessed with
order and status quo. Will never Noble Family
willingly show themselves or A powerful silver-spoon dynasty of
actively confront issues; rather, Noblespawn, demanding all and
their power lies in the speed and having earned nothing.
zeal at which they summon They are… An unbroken bloodline
authorities, taking smug of aristocracy, spawned from the
satisfaction in “justice being done,” Nobles and their many paramours.
no matter the cost… Decadent rulers, waited on hand
They can be found… Meetings are and foot by their many servants,
held at local halls, homes, or pubs; they want for nothing, save for the
many members prefer a level of petty and deadly power-games they
anonymity, only seeking out play among their own family. There
adventurers when trouble is afoot. is always a single Noble at the
They can provide… Ingratiating center of this family with their own
oneself to the Neighborhood Watch sordid reputation (pg. 154).
provides a constant feed on local They can be found… High within
happenings, rumors, and events that the Spires (pg. 138), languishing in
may be brewing. some part of the aerial tower.
They desire… Most just want the They can provide… Much like the
neighborhood to be safe and Nobles, there is little that is out of
uneventful. However, those with an their reach, albeit with many strings
appetite for fame will want attached…
recognition and respect. They desire… Constantly fighting
and usurping one another like
petulant children, they look for
ways to discreetly topple their
relatives and family members;
sometimes permanently…

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TO BUILD A CITY
Occult Circle
When a cult accrues true power and
backing of the elite, they change into
something far more dangerous.
They are… A secret cult that
permeates the highest levels of the
aristocracy, bent on fulfilling some
terrible and esoteric goal. While
these circles each have their own
goals and structures, they typically
fall into one of the following beliefs:
1 Masons of the Inverted Tower -
A doomsday cult, those who
revere and prepare for the day of
some great calamity. While many
prepare for the “Day of Collapse”
by hoarding wealth and resources,
others directly influence the fall,
engineering calamity and chaos to
expedite the “Day of Collapse.”
2 The Quicksilver Chalice -
Prosperity gospel to the highest
degree, believing that greater
wealth begets divinity. Leaders of
industry and empire flock to “Sup
from the Chalice” and accrue
extravagant wealth, believing
those without wealth a caste of
soulless masses to be used.
3 Maze of Grape and Candles -
Debauchery and hedonism,
undertaking ritual acts of extreme
sensation and action. Those who
“Enter the Maze” seek to become
higher beings by experiencing
forbidden and dangerous tastes,
becoming numb to the toil and
pain of the “unholy” world.
4 Sarcophagi of the Wurm - Intense
ritual and unwavering discipline,
the followers give everything they
can to fulfill their goal. Bent on
releasing and harnessing a They can provide… The Occult
physical manifestation of the city’s Circle typically boasts members
will, they seek out powerful from the upper echelons of society,
objects and ritual magic to bring status, money, and all matter of
about The Waking of the Wurm… earthly delights belong to those they
They can be found… Hidden deem useful.
sanctums and ritual rooms, They desire… The completion of
aristocrats are careful to keep their their goals, which requires the
practices hidden, save for the accrual of esoteric objects, the
occasional signet ring or charm they execution of powerful rituals, and
use to find one another. the removal of specific individuals…

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 TO BUILD A CITY
Overlord Political Party
Power unfettered, their ego and will Divisions in ideology and actions,
made manifest; “So says the harnessed and made wider by the
Overlord, and so shall it be…” cunning few.
They are… An undisputed ruler, a They are… Collections of politically
singular point of power and minded folks, swaying the minds
authority that is rivaled but never and actions of policy and politician.
overtaken. They are all fascists but While each claim wild and different
present themselves in some of the ideologies, their political power
following ways: typically falls into the following
1 Tyrant - Terrifying and wicked, archetypes:
their will is law and their word 1 The Vox Polis - A grassroots
absolute. They have built a movement, based on the
government of corruption and ideologies and actions of the
nepotism, ensuring that any who masses. This populist party relies
try to rise in ranks or stir trouble on the group-think of a mob,
are made examples of. perhaps even influencing and
2 Demagogue - Prophets of cultivating the thoughts of that
falsehoods and lies, wielding mob mob to begin with.
mentality like a cudgel. Their 2 The One Truth - A movement
power lies in their cunning based on carefully manicured
charisma, for while they are “facts” and “truths.” When their
despised by most, they are own credibility comes into
beloved and worshiped by the question they attack the lies and
violent and powerful few. falsehood of rivals, much easier
3 Absent - Rarely seen but always than feigning honesty.
felt and heard, their many 3 The Golden Line - A dynasty of
speakers and servants act on their political leaders all stemming from
behalf. There is rumor that they a single family line or house.
have been dead for ages, their Their prowess of beliefs matter
reputation propped up by a little, relying on the reputation
puppet government that violently and wealth of their fore-bearers.
denies this “traitorous falsehood.” They can be found… Local chapter
They can be found… Protected by houses and on the campaign trail.
their vast fortress palaces, it is Some party leaders even make stops
impossible to seek audience without in safe areas of the city to feign a
the proper connections. Their many common folk demeanor.
sycophants offer this privilege, They can provide… Established
for a price… political parties boast deep coffers
They can provide… Most suffer and powerful connections. Some are
under the will of the overlord, but even willing to enact policy, for the
those who prove themselves right price…
consistently useful or entertaining They desire… Some may genuinely
will be rewarded with wealth, believe in the causes they champion.
property, or even positions of power. However, most are just in it for
They desire… There are those who power and money, and will pay
question the will of the Overlord handsomely to remove rivals or
and hamper their reign. They must roadblocks.
be destroyed or punished…

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TO BUILD A CITY
They can be found… Grand
Religious Institution temples and palaces where their
seats of power convene.
Those who speak on behalf of the
gods and deities, their authority They can provide… Money and
unchecked and unchallenged. influence are always at their
disposal. Those who ingratiate
themselves to the institution might
They are… Massive organizations even be gifted blessings and relics.
that operate on behalf of a codified
belief or deity. They desire… New converts and
influence within political circles.
The Belief Destroying or subverting rival
1 Choir of the Golden Platter - Those religions and powers to ensure they
who worship the Nobles as gods can reign supreme.
made flesh and exalt their deeds.
Draped in gold and lavish colors
to denote special holidays or
services, they observe the
teachings of the Nobles and aspire
to follow in their footsteps.
2 Temple of the Iron Will - A religion
of strict codes and obedience to
authority. Black robes and heavy
chains are the usual garb. They
observe the will of the strong and
bow to superiors while bullying
those “beneath” their own will.
3 Assembly of the Wanting Gate -
Seekers of strange knowledge and
followers of esoteric philosophies.
They wear sashes and head-wraps
of pure white, constantly learning
from the many books and
teachings that make up their holy
literature.
The Structure
1 Pyramid - A clear chain of
command and hierarchy with a
single grand figure at the head.
The supreme head speaks on
behalf of the divine will, which is
carried out by the many lower
levels of command.
2 Council - A circle or committee of
powerful individuals convene to
commune with their divine patron
and determine the best course of
action for the institution.
Subterfuge and power-plays are
common among the inner circle…
3 Decentralized - There is no chain
of command or unifying power.
Disparate and conflicting sects of
the faith spring up and worship of
their own volition.

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 TO BUILD A CITY

Generating a City
I have seen burning homes give
way to opulent villas, bustling
2. Based on the face-up number,
record the wealth of the hex, with
markets into busy junkyards, empty hexes being “common”
and lavish tea houses just blocks wealth.
away from an execution. Who D6 Wealth Value Modifier
knows what I shall see tomorrow?
1-3 Middling x2
It would be impossible to generalize
a city. Each block may contain 4-5 Rich x10
character as unique to the folks that 6 Opulent x100
inhabit it. More likely, large swaths
are defined by the socio-economic
status of the citizens within, the
features and highlights, and the
4R MM 2
dangers and issues unique to the
economic status of the area. The 2
problems faced by wealthy
neighborhoods are incomparable to
the issues of common folk.
M1 O6 R 5
The following section details
methods for generating a hexcrawl
map of a city. This is done by M3 R M
1

5
generating areas at a regional scale
(wealth disparity and global
dangers), and a local scale (a 6-mile
borough with unique features and 3. This represents an economic
issues). map of the world. Different levels
of wealth determine the features
The Six-Mile Scale and encounters found when
On a larger scale the city is exploring, as well
distinguished by the wealth as the dangers
disparity from one area to the next and costs of
and the various large-scale dangers goods and
that drift and spread like storms. services.
1. Determine Wealth Disparity -
Drop a handful of 6-sided dice on
the 6-mile hex map, taking note
where the dice land and the face-up
number.

4
2
2
1 5
6
3 1
5

1 Hex = 6 Miles
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TO BUILD A CITY
4. Determine Danger - Drop a
handful of 6-sided dice on the
6-mile hex map.
Dangers
The dice representing danger will

R MM 5
always slow adventurers traveling
through them (see pg. 8). The face
up number also represents a unique
danger moving through the city and
6 causing chaos for the adventurers

MO R
5
traveling through.
1

D6 Danger
1 Traffic (pg. 10) - The city roils
and churns as the streets fill.

M M
3

2 Traffic or Encounter (pg. 49) -

R Too many bodies or just the

dangerous ones.
3 Encounter - Keep you wits sharp
5. If there is a die on the hex, this and you blades sharper.
hex has something happening that 4 Dangerous Encounter -
will affect travel in some way. (roll encounter twice and take
6. These dice stay on the map and the higher result) Be on guard
move each day, representing a and don’t let them catch you.
mobile disruption or dangerous 5 Disaster (pg. 22) - Buildings
event that can be tracked, predicted, burn or bridges fall.
and navigated around.
6 Noble (pg. 154) - They walk
7. Each day, roll 1d6 for each die the streets, a sadistic deity
on the map to see what direction made flesh.
each one moves.

1 The One-Mile Scale

6 2 On a smaller scale, the individual

6
miles can be fleshed out and given
character and personality, each with
their own unique features and
5 3 malign issues.
4
8. If one die bumps into another
or goes off the edge, re-drop it onto
the map.
The purpose of mapping the world in
this fashion is two-fold:
First, it forms a heat map of wealth
centers, creating places that are both
risky, since they are dangerously
expensive, and profitable, since they
have better treasure.
Second, it makes the map a “living”
thing for players to keep track of.
As the danger drifts and bounces
around the city, wary adventurers
will seek alternate routes or take
precautions against such a threat.
1 Hex = 1 Mile
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 TO BUILD A CITY
Features
Interesting or useful places unique
to each one-mile hex. Roll once.

D10 Common Middling Wealthy Opulent

Entrance
1 Entrance to Undercity Zoo
to Spires
Abandoned
2 Public Park Thespian Sector
Blocks
3 Necropolis
4 Vast Market / Revelry Quarters Bazaar
5 Grease Street Dining Mile Gastronomical Boulevard
6 Reclaimers Thrift Shop Consignment Boutique
7 Drinking Mile Vintner’s Gallery
8 The Stacks Gated Community Villa
9 Canal System
10 Docks Leisure Boutiques

Issues
Possible troubles or recent events
that affect each one-mile hex.

D10 Common Middling Wealthy Opulent

1 Pollution Mage Standoff Grand Ritual
Sewage Decaying
2 Conformity Laws Lawless
Overflow Infrastructure
Crumbling Teetering
3 Sinkholes
Foundation Megastructure
4 Infestation Cult Demagogue
5 Burglary Rise Wealth Disparity
6 Guard Crackdown Toll Checkpoints Sovereign Lords
Grand
7 Demolition Construction
Construction
8 Kidnappings Hunting Season
Militarized
9 Violent Crime Private Guards
Security
10 Plague

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TO BUILD A CITY
Features & Issues Drinking Mile - Rows of pubs,
taverns, and breweries. From cheap
Features grog to strange and mysterious
brews, there is a variety of common
Abandoned Blocks - Broken
and uncommon beverages to imbibe
windows and an eerie silence grip
and enjoy.
the area. Entire blocks have been
abandoned and left in disrepair, Entrance to Spires - A way to the
leaving behind perfect locations to lair of the Nobles. Either opulent
camp out in or even set up a and heavily guarded or secret and
hideout (pg. 84). known to only the entitled few.
Dare you enter the Spires above?
Bazaar - A fantastical open-air
(pg. 138)
market filled with only the most
luxurious goods. From rare spices Entrance to Undercity - A road to
from halfway across the world to the city buried below, as innocuous
strange goods kept from the as a broken wall in a cellar or as
common folk, if it can be bought, it striking as a gaping canyon in the
can be procured at this market of middle of a city block. Entire
the shopping elite. communities live below these
streets, sunlight being a rare treat to
Canal System - Deep canals take
many that call the Undercity their
the place of streets and causeways.
home (pg. 98).
Gondolas, barges, and individual
rafts make up a majority of the Faction Headquarters - Be it a
traffic, while bridges and piers are massive fortress of industry and
tightly packed with pedestrians. action or a hidden room of
conspiracy and secrecy. The base of
Consignment Boutique - Shops
operations or branch of a prominent
trafficking in rare, historical, and
faction (pg 57).
expensive treasures. Aristocrats are
always shopping for the most Gastronomical Boulevard -
fashionable old-world treasures and Exclusive and “sophisticated” dining
shop owners are quick to buy up experiences for the wealthiest
art, artifacts, and priceless trinkets. clientele. Only the rarest and
freshest ingredients are served
Dining Mile - Rows of restaurants
within. Wait-lists, dress codes, and
and cafes form a more “upscale”
prices ensure only specific
dining experience. The insides have
customers are ever seated.
a pleasant ambiance and seating for
a more relaxed dining experience. Gated Community - Manicured
The food is alright. homes, quarantined by thick walls
and iron bars. Affluent businesses
Docks - Strange ships and
and homeowners have created a
mountains of cargo. Busy traders,
place to escape from the “violence
weary travelers, and hopeful
of the city.” Encounters are less
immigrants congregate on the
common here as residents are quick
crowded docks and piers. Exotic
to report “troublemakers” and folks
goods can be found here at
who seem out of place.
wholesale price as well as
fare to distant lands Grease Street - A road slick with
by boat. cooking grease from the rows of
street food vendors. A place to grab
an affordable and colorful bite to
eat, with common folk dining here
at all hours of the day. Despite the
sanitary and digestive risks, it
remains a tried and true culinary
hot spot.

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 TO BUILD A CITY
Leisure Boutiques - Esoteric and
discreet places of recreation. From
exclusive lounges serving
psychotropic teas to fragrance shops
with bizarre and otherworldly
perfumes, it is a hub of expensive
and sometimes dark pleasures for
the ultra-wealthy or elite.
Necropolis - Tombs and crypts take
the place of homes and shops. An
expansive resting place for the dead
has been built alongside the living.
Enterprising necromancers and
grave-robbers frequent such places Thrift Shop - Rows of shops with
for “materials” and coin. worn clothes, household items,
Public Park - An open space of trinkets and antiques. There’s a slim
manicured green and weathered chance of finding a valuable
sculptures. One of the few places heirloom and the shopkeeper may
locals feel safe congregating during be able to provide local gossip.
the day, oblivious to other Vast Market - An open market with
exchanges and transactions. hundreds of stalls selling foods,
Reclaimers - An enormous junkyard clothes, and household
and market sifted and picked commodities. Bustling with people,
through for valuables. Hundreds of this market offers basic to fanciful
common folk comb through the goods that meet the needs of most.
scrap for possible valuables or items Villa - A single grandiose estate
that can be repaired. Little ever goes takes up the entirety of this area.
to waste and for many it is the best Grounds framed by trees, topiaries,
choice for affordable luxuries and and intricate landscaping; the
goods. interior is adorned with gems and
Revelry Quarters - Heavily scented gold leaf. Only those with
perfumes waft from this section of connections or an invitation may
the city as workers wait for clients visit this private mansion.
outside. Well-obscured from the Vintner’s Gallery - Wineries and
heavily trafficked streets, it is a breweries with historic renown.
chance for raucous fun or discrete Establishments offer tasting tours of
pleasure to those who frequent it. award-wining and sophisticated
The Stacks - Monoliths of stone brews, with some vintages costing
and wood, crumbling housing that as much as a mansion. Each vintner
blots out the sun. A complex of guards their trade secrets, even at
high-density and cramped living risk of their lives.
quarters for common folk. Multiple Zoo - Exotic animals are placed on
families or generations live in a display to entertain the wealthy.
single unit as coin meets the needs These creatures are adorned with
but doesn’t allow for luxuries. jewels and cloaks to appeal to the
Thespian Sector - Theaters of all clientele. Rumor has it that live and
kinds line the streets of this area, dead specimens can be procured for
from intimate shows to grand a price...
performances. Actors and musicians
intermingle with attendees at
elegant soirees after the program.

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TO BUILD A CITY
Issues Demolition - Entire neighborhoods
are under threat of demolition.
Burglary Rise - Break-ins and theft Dozens of homes have been slated
cases grow in number. Gangs of for destruction under the guise of
enterprising thieves and rogue “renovation and modernization.”
opportunists target rich and poor Many folks are without shelter or a
alike. Folks are cautious to flash place to live, and the authorities
coins in the street and wealthier turn a blind eye to their suffering.
individuals tighten security around Grand Construction - Whole blocks
their estates. are demolished for a grand structure
Conformity Laws - New laws to to be erected. No one knows what
ensure “perfect citizens.” A series of is being built, or how long this
sweeping regulations have been project will take. It is rumored that
enacted to place limits on it will indefinitely change the
“unbecoming behavior and skyline and city; the toll for this is
degeneracy” in the population. paid in countless coin and lives.
Common folks and travelers avoid Grand Ritual - A cabal of powerful
these streets for fear of being fined sorcerers have gathered for a
or worse... singular purpose. An arcane ritual is
Construction - A clamor of under way and the city quakes as
equipment is heard as repairs to dangerous magic gathers. There is a
infrastructure and facades are made. terrible danger if the ritual goes
This disruption interrupts the daily awry, something the sorcerers seem
flow of traffic and is a hindrance to dismissive of.
locals and travelers alike. Guard Crackdown - Guards have
Crumbling Foundation - The entire begun a show of force on the
area is sinking into the ground. populace. Citing ancient laws or
Weak or soft foundation is causing magisterial indifference, the City
streets and buildings to rapidly sink; Guard has been terrorizing citizens
some have already been fully for minor infractions. Brutal attacks
buried. It won’t be long before this and lethal force has been used,
part is paved over and joins the leaving folks terrified and shocked.
Undercity. Hunting Season - With no woods to
Cult - Niche and dangerous beliefs hunt in, the elite take to the streets.
spread among the affluent. A cult Targets are either stalked or
has risen up and grown in captured beforehand to provide a
popularity. The members have chase. This is an unfortunate end
strange and dangerous convictions for those who go missing and are
while the truly devout begin to unable to escape.
accrue resources for some nefarious Kidnappings - Children and adults
purpose. are reportedly missing while
Decaying Infrastructure - Roads, authorities turn a blind eye. One can
bridges, and public works crumble. only imagine what happens to these
Negligence and misappropriated victims after being captured and
funds have left important pieces of folks fear leaving their homes.
infrastructure to ruin. Common folk Infestation - Swarms of diminutive
warn of the dangers and it will not creatures run rampant throughout
be long before disaster strikes. the city. Plaguing homes and
Demagogue - A charismatic leader civilians, vermin cause illness and
has grown into a religious figure. filth as they congregate in mass.
Through charm and guile a single Large groups of ravenous vermin
individual has grown a cult of become genuine dangers to those
personality around them. Devout unprepared.
followers proselytize and serve
unquestioningly, unaware of their
leader’s true goals and motives...

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 TO BUILD A CITY
Lawless - The elite are beholden to Sinkholes - In an instant, the
no laws here. A hedonistic “utopia” ground cracks and opens up.
has been established for this Sinkholes of varying sizes swallow
collection of the ultra-wealthy. All buildings and people. Those that
actions and desires are permissible, survive are greeted by the Undercity
no matter how reprehensible. and its denizens, although the peace
Mage Standoff - A tenuous cease- is tenuous as the surface quickly
fire of powerful magic. Schools of prepares to fill the holes.
powerful mages have been waging Sovereign Lords - A micronation
cataclysmic magical warfare. They has formed within the city.
are at peace for the time being, but Declaring itself a sovereign nation,
when that peace breaks, the the lords of this area begin setting
collateral violence will be terrible. up their own jurisdiction and rules.
Militarized Security - Martial law is These lords are deluded idiots at
in effect. The typical guards have best and dangerous megalomaniacs
been replaced with a dangerous and at worst.
heavily armed military force. With Teetering Megastructure - The
curfews and regular patrols, it is a foundation of a monolithic building
genuine hazard to be out in the has deteriorated substantially.
streets. Tenuous efforts at fixing it are in
Plague - A dangerous ailment vain and what is left supporting this
sweeps through the streets. Piles of megastructure is on the brink of
bodies fill the lower districts while collapse. Such a collapse would
sickness grips the population. spell doom for the entire area.
Unprotected travel through here Toll Checkpoints - A series of paid
risks infection or worse: spreading it security checkpoints have been
to other areas of the city. established. Toll gates costing as
Pollution - Industry and poor much as a day’s wages at best or a
sanitation has caused a public week’s wages at worst limit the flow
health crisis. Whether it is miasmatic of traffic. Those who can afford it
smog drifting through the air or move freely, while those who cannot
effluent in the water supply, are trapped.
common folk become ill and Violent Crime - Assault, robbery,
desperate as sickness grips the area. and murder are common
Private Guards - Wealthier occurrences in these parts.
individuals have hired private Authorities do not care and refuse
security forces to contend with the to assist those in need. People are
“systemic rise in crime.” These left to their own devices to repair
individuals are loose-cannon the damage.
mercenaries and now Wealth Disparity - Money is no
operate with legal object here. The aristocrats here
immunity. have amassed so much wealth
Sewage Overflow - that they have destroyed
The stench of black the local value of the
water permeates the currency. Every good
air when the sewage and service here costs
system is blocked. two-hundred times its
Backwater floods low- normal cost.
lying homes and streets;
nothing can be fixed
until the source is
cleared. Foul
sludge remains
even after it has
drained.

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TO BUILD A CITY

Generating a Building
Each building in the city is a
character in and of itself, a reflection
3. Record each room’s content and
purpose, based on the face-up
of the denizens that surround it and number on the dice. This will be the
those that dwell within it. Be it a floor-plan of the building and
wealthy storefront or a decrepit determines how the rooms are
slop, those who find themselves connected and laid out.
exploring or breaking in need to be
wary of the secrets such buildings
hold... Workshop
ll
Cellar Kitchen Main Ha
The following section details
methods for generating the average
building found in the city. This is
done by generating the floor-plan,
followed by applying a unique Lavatory
atmosphere and series of features to
the rooms. Optional: The vertical sides of the
dice with even numbers represent
The House Block windows or entryways.
1. Determine Floor-plan - Gather
3 to 6 six-sided dice. These will
4
determine the number of rooms in 3 212
the building.
2. Roll each one and place them 24 5 3
next to one another in a shape
befitting a building. Windows 1 2
4. Determine Atmosphere and
4 Features - Select or randomly
choose one of the atmospheres on

321 the following pages for the building.

Roll for each room or use the same
number as the dice roll for the floor-
3

plan.
5. Second Story - Select one of
the rooms to contain a stair-well,
ladder, etc. and repeat the previous
steps, stacking the dice on top of
the ones below.

4
63
42
33 25
31

21
2 44 2 5
12

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 TO BUILD A CITY
1d6 Building Rooms
1 Common: Room intended for public,
business, or gathering.
1 Atrium – Entryway and greeting
area meant for guests. Boots,
shoes, and stockings are laid out
on the ground and mementos of
the tenants adorn the walls.
2 Main Hall – Larger common area
containing a hearth and seating
arrangements. 2d6 personal
effects and trinkets are scattered
about the room. 4 Private: Rooms with specialized use,
be it labor or privacy.
3 Storefront – A shop meant for 1 Workshop – A packed room
conducting business (pg. 92 for containing anything from craft
further furnishings). tools and supplies to specialized
machines and chemicals. Contains
2 Dining: Room intended for meals or
food storage. 1d10 tools and trinkets; 1-in-6
1 Kitchen – Table, cabinet, and chance of treasure or contraband.
cooking hearth meant to make 2 Sitting Room – Small and quiet
and serve meals. 1d4 random food room with trinkets meant for light
items and 1d4 various tools meant labor and introspection. Contains
for cooking. 1d6 tools or trinkets.
2 Larder – Small, cool room with
sturdy walls and many shelves for
5 Quarters: Rooms meant for sleep
and dress.
food. Stocked with 1d10 random 1 Bedroom – Room containing a
food and drink items, typically bed, chest, and personal effects of
meats, cheeses, and easily the tenants who dwell here. 1d10
perishable items. articles of clothing; 1-in-10 chance
3 Pantry – Cramped, dry room with of containing treasure.
many shelves and bags for grain. 2 Apartment – A tight, crowded
Stocked with 1d10 random food room containing a bed, chamber-
items, typically dried goods and pot, and keepsakes of a single
grains. renter or tenant. 1d10 trinkets and
articles of clothing; 1-in-4 chance
3 Utility: Room intended for storage
or specific use. of containing treasure or
1 Lavatory – Foul-smelling closet contraband.
with a privy seat and bundles of
scented herbs. Contains a
6 Oddity: Rooms bearing strange
purpose and contents…
chamber pot or a hole leading 1 Cabinet – A room containing
down into the sewers. shelves and displays of strange
2 Storeroom – Tightly packed closet collections, trophies, or artifacts.
with shelves, bins, and coffers; 1d10 trinkets and 1d3 treasures.
loaded with a collection of 2 Parlor – Room dedicated to
mismatched goods. 1d20 random hosting guests and company, with
items and trinkets haphazardly seating and the occasional
stacked and “organized.” decoration. 1d6 drinks or trinkets;
3 Cellar – A deep and tight 1-in-20 chance of contraband.
crawlspace that descends into the 3 Hidden Room – Tucked away
ground, used for storage or behind a false wall or shelf lies a
private affairs… 1d6 random tools; quiet and hidden room. Whatever
1-in-10 chance of treasure, secret lies within, the tenants do
contraband, or encounter. not want it discovered...

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TO BUILD A CITY
1d6 Atmospheres 5 Spectral Encounter – A creature
beyond the pale appears,
disturbed by your intrusion.
1 - Haunted 1d3 Mood: 1 Ambivalent unless
attacked. 2 Hostile, demands
Children take dares to go inside,
characters leave. 3 Attacks intruders.
while parents warn to keep away
from this ominous building. Rumors 1d3 Appears: 1 Mist & fell light.
abound of the fell deeds that 2 Bones and dripping dark.
transpired within, and the ghastly 3 Blood and piercing howls.
spirits that still haunt its rooms…
Appearance: Everything is coated in Armor: None | HD 1d6 | HP 5d6
dust and seemingly undisturbed; Slam 1d8 | Move: Standard
even pests seem to avoid this place. Spectral: Only harmed with magic
The building creaks and groans with or holy, attacks ignore armor.
noises like struggling voices. Morale: Fights to the death.
1 Visions and Sounds – The space is
quiet and undisturbed, yet shapes 6 Grim Display – A shrine, an art
seemingly dance out of view. piece, or some other form of grim
Curious sounds or visions play out and unspeakable reverence. The
for those attuned to the spiritual creation that adorns this room is
world, perhaps hinting at the chilling and perhaps hints to
nature of this haunting. something deeper at work...
2 Cursed Food – Miraculously fresh
and unspoiled food, so it seems… 2 - Decrepit
Any food within appears normal Old beyond measure and crumbling
and safe to eat; however, once it is away to nothing. A building on its
bitten or drunk the illusion last dry-rotted legs.
disappears, revealing it to be pest- Appearance: Dust and debris litters
ridden or decaying. Save v. Poison the floor; ceilings and walls bow.
or be sick for 1d6 days. Little in this building is without a
3 Mirage Trap – The room appears dangerous amount of wear.
empty and safe, yet something 1 Makeshift Trap – Perhaps to deal
catches the eye for but a moment. with vermin, or perhaps to deal
An illusion is laid across this with intruders… (See Trap, pg. 21)
room, the floor is absent or gives 2 Rot and Flies – Food or waste has
way at the slightest weight. Save v. rotted away into a bed of muck,
Breath to avoid falling for 3d6 attracting a swarm of stinging
damage. Magic or holy items flies. Blindness for 1d6 minutes,
break the illusion. unless avoided.
4 Curious Remains – A desiccated 3 Vermin Encounter – The walls
corpse, scattered bones, or tremble with the sound of
perhaps the tell-tale signs of countless squirming bodies; a
violence: the root of this haunting horde or vermin descend upon
or perhaps just another victim? the room.
Disturbing the corpse risks a
1-in-6 chance of an encounter. 1d3 Mood: 1 Irritated, hostile a few
moments later. 2 Hungry, attacks
unless offered an easy meal.
3 Frenzied, hostile.

Armor: Leather | HD 1d3 | HP 3d6

Bites 1d6 | Move: Standard
Swarming: Makes attacks on
anyone within range.
Morale: Fights to the death.

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 TO BUILD A CITY
4 Diseased Corpse – Rotted and 4 Sealed Off – All entryways and
smelling of death, their body windows to this room have been
oozes with dangerous effluent. sealed off with planks and pitch.
(See pg. 21) Whatever lies within was bad
5 Powerful Dweller – A dangerous enough to warrant a full
or secretive individual has taken quarantine...
up residence within. Whatever 5 Absolutely Spotless – The room is
their story, they prefer to be utterly barren of decoration and
undisturbed. has been stripped of any trace of
1d6 Mood: 1 Curious, interested in dust or wear; it would be a shame
the company. 2-3 Spooked, hostile to disturb it, right?
unless offered something. 6 Meticulous Collection – Trinkets,
4-5 Paranoid, demands characters tools or treasures are arranged on
leave. 6 Ambush, attacks intruders the floor in a strange albeit clearly
while hidden. organized manner. Disturbing
6 Unstable Architecture – The walls them or moving them immediately
and floor creak with unease, summons an enraged cleaner who
nearly on the verge of collapse. then calls for guards.
(pg. 20)
4 - Filthy
3 - Well-Kept The building exists as a gangrenous
A shining and pristine building that pustule within a neighborhood. Its
stands out among the usual grime. It scent brings flies and vermin, and
shines as if it is hardly even used. its foundation seems to ooze
effluent.
Appearance: Everything within is
either new or utterly spotless. The Appearance: Everything within is
floors and walls are stripped and caked in some form of filth or
any decorations are organized with grime. Its stench is enough to cause
an almost manic energy. dizzy spells and vermin freely crawl
across every surface.
1 Obsessive Cleaner – A curious and
tense individual who greets guests 1 Fly Cloud – The room buzzes with
and maintains the rooms. They are verminous life; it has become the
clean to the point of shining. breeding ground for a swarm of
stinging flies. Blindness for 1d6
1d3 Mood: 1 “Friendly,” demands minutes, unless avoided or
characters bathe and provides itchy, protection is used.
clean robes before entering.
2 Cautious, follows characters and 2 Ebony Mold - Black mold coats
stops them from dirtying the rooms. the walls and surfaces, wicked
3 Irritated, demands characters spores drift lazily in the air. A
leave before summoning authorities. virulent and dangerous mold has
taken residence here. (pg. 21)
2 Organized – Anything in this
room is organized by size, shape, 3 Cesspool – Liquid waste and
and color; each item completely excrement forms a deep pool
unmarred. within this room. Attempting to
wade through or falling
3 Chemical Stockpile – The room in risks illness.
reeks of powerful chemicals and Save v. Poison or
solutions. 1d12 bottles of become sickened for
dangerous cleaning solution (treat 1d3 days.
as strong acid) are carefully
stacked and organized.

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TO BUILD A CITY
4 Vermin Encounter - The walls 2 Forgotten Trap – A hidden trap
tremble with the sound of has been left to kill the vermin
countless squirming bodies, a within. A futile effort, although
horde of vermin descend upon the still dangerous (pg. 21).
room. 3 Shrill Mites - A faint pitched
1d3 Mood: 1 Irritated, hostile a few buzzing as minuscule life seeps
moments later. 2 Hungry, attacks out of the cracks. Itching, stinging
unless offered an easy meal. fleas infest this room (pg. 21).
3 Frenzied, hostile. 4 Feral Animal – A large beast has
taken residence here to hunt for
Armor: Leather | HD 1d3 | HP 3d6 vermin or perhaps seek shelter.
Bites 1d6 | Move: Standard 1d3 Mood: 1 Curious, attacks if
Swarming: Makes attacks on disturbed. 2 Hungry, looking for an
anyone within range. easy meal. 3 Hostile, defending lair.
Morale: Fights to the death.
Armor: Hide | HD 1d6 | HP 6d6
5 Ailing Dweller – Either the owner Bite and Claw 1d6/1d6
or a reclusive tenant hides out in Move: Standard
this room, too ill to leave or Pin: If both attacks hit, the victim is
perhaps resigned to stay within. knocked down and grappled.
Mood: Demands the characters Morale: Flees if at half health.
leave, friendly if the characters offer
them medicine or assistance. 5 Vermin Nest – Verminous odors
6 Diseased Corpses – Rotted and grow strongest here, a nest of
smelling of death, their bodies rubble and bones is host to
ooze with dangerous waste countless vicious creatures. The
(pg. 20). nest spawns 1d3 hostile Vermin
Swarms each day until properly
exterminated.

Armor: Leather | HD 1d3 | HP 3d6

Bites 1d6 | Move: Standard
Swarming: Makes attacks on
anyone within range.
Morale: Fights to the death.

5 - Infested 6 Eaten Remains – The scattered

remains of unfortunate locals or
Vermin buzz and wild animals howl failed exterminators litter the
from within the walls of this floor. 1d3 trinkets and a 1-in-20
building. More of a den at this chance of a treasure.
point, folks are careful not to get too
close, lest they are attacked by the
creatures within.
Appearance: Walls riddled with
pests, surfaces covered with fur and
tracks, and corners slowly collecting
pungent dung. The air reeks of
bestial odors and is filled with the
din of countless vermin.
1 Termite Hive – A colony of
industrious termites have eaten
away at the structure of this room.
If attempting to cross, save v.
Breath or suffer 2d6 damage from
a collapse or fall of some sort.

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 TO BUILD A CITY
6 - Heap
Baubles and junk spill out from the
entryways into the street. The edifice
seems to swell and teeter with the
weight of the hoard within it.
Appearance: Every room is
crowded with some form of junk or
detritus, making movement difficult.
The occasional smell of rot
punctuates the musty stacks and
trash heaps.
1 Barricade Pile – Garbage here has
been arranged into a tight and
impassible barricade. It will take
specialized tools and 1d6 hours to
properly carved a path through
the mess.
2 Rotting Stockpile – Food and
supplies here have begun to rot
away into a foul smelling mess.
Eating or drinking anything from
this room causes sickness for 1d3
days.
3 Effluent Heap – Waste and
garbage has been piled into this
room. If entered without
protection, save v. Poison or be
sickened for 1d6 hours.
4 Trinket Hoard – Dozens of broken
and partially repaired trinkets are
haphazardly stacked on every
surface. An additional 1d20
trinkets can be found in this
room.
5 Furious Dweller – The reclusive
resident of this building lurks in
this room. They are hostile to
intruders they spot and attack
with a wild abandon unless
talked down.

Armor: Leather | HD 1d3 | HP 3d6

As Weapon | Move: Standard
Frenzy: Makes 1d3 attacks.
Morale: Fights to the death.

6 Booby-trapped Maze – The

entryway is strategically filled
with junk to form dangerous
crawls and tunnels. Navigating
them without proper tools
requires a save v. Hold to avoid
being crushed by the hidden traps
for 5d6 damage.

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TO BUILD A CITY

Hideouts

Hideouts act as both a base of

operations and give the characters a Finding & Acquiring a Hideout
place to live without costs and fees Buildings that have been
(so long as they are not abandoned, discovered and/or
compromised). Over time they can cleared by the players may be
grow and offer boons and benefits turned into a hideout. Additionally,
to the characters as well as provide characters may purchase the
for the surrounding community. property for its listed price (this is
However, the larger they grow the affected by the wealth disparity of
higher the chance of them being the area). You may use the building
discovered and rooted out by the generator on pg. 78 for creating the
malicious authorities of the city. floor-plan.
BUILDING ROOMS COST (C/M/W/O) SUSPICION
Apartment 1d3 400/800/4,000/40,000 +0
Small
1d6 1,000/2,000/10,000/100,000 +1
Building
Large
2d6 2,000/4,000/20,000/200,000 +5
Building
Redoubt 3d8 5,000/10,000/50,000/500,000 +10
Mansion 4d12 10,000/20,000/100,000/1,000,000 +20
Can only be acquired by force or
Spire Tower 5d20 +50
gifted by a Noble.

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 TO BUILD A CITY
Suspicion and Trouble
The more attention drawn to
yourself and your hideout increases
the chances of it attracting the eye
of scoundrels, authorities, or
factions you have upset.
Roll 1d20+Suspicion on the
following table once per week.
TROUBLE
1-5 An oddly quiet week…
Infestation - Swarms of
Upgrading Rooms
The rooms of your hideout may be
pests and creatures fill the
6-10 converted into specialized
hideout. Lose half of any
food items stored within. workshops or clandestine halls.
Additionally, each room has options
Robbery - Local thieves or for how they are run, typically
burglars loot the place. determining their boons to the
11-15
Lose 1 random item per characters, the effect they have on
room or 10d10 coins. suspicion, or money they make for
Demand Tribute - Local the hideout. Each room takes 1d3
toughs and racketeers weeks to build.
demand a tribute from the Bath House
hideout. Pay them half of Cost: 2000, 2 rooms
16-20
your most recent score, Bodies are cleansed and rumors are
fend them off with shared within the scalding waters.
violence, or convince them
otherwise. Steam-choked private bathing tubs
or large crowded public pools.
Arson - A coordinated or Heated water and soap allows for
random act of destruction. guest to clean themselves and make
Lose 1d6 random rooms; idle or curious conversation.
21-25
repairs take one week and Private: -2 Suspicion, 1d6x5 coins
cost 100 coins for each per week, 1-in-3 chance of a
room. lucrative rumor each week.
Demand Tax - Authorities Public: -3 Suspicion, -30 coins a
and a local aristocrat week, 1d3 rumors per week.
demand tax from your Black Market Dealer
26-30 property. Pay 10 coins for Cost: 1000 coins, 1 room
every room, fight them off, A purveyor of stolen goods and
or convince them contraband.
otherwise.
A dark windowless room overseen
Raid - A coordinated by a shady individual and crowded
attack on your hideout with all manner of unsavory
leaves it broken and merchandise. Stolen goods may be
looted. Lose 2d20 random sold and fenced here for their
31-35
items and 1d10 random acquired value and free from the
rooms; repairs take two gaze of authorities.
weeks and cost 100 coins
for each room. Business: +5 Suspicion, 1d3x10
coins per week.
Invasion - A powerful foe Co-op: +5 Suspicion, 1-in-6 chance
and their followers attack of a piece of contraband per week.
36+ your hideout. Fight them
off or have your hideout
taken over or destroyed.

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TO BUILD A CITY
Defenses Hostel
Cost: 100, 1 room Cost: 200, 1 room
Contraptions or fortifications for Sanctuary for weary bodies and
added protection and discretion. minds.
Traps, defensive perimeters, or hired Dormitory style halls or a series of
muscle to protect the hideout. private rooms, a hostel acts as a
-1 Suspicion, -10 coins per week. place to comfortably and safely rest.
Escape Hatch Business: 1d3x5 coins per week.
Cost: 200, 1 room Shelter: -1d3 suspicion, -5 coins a
Sometimes flight is the best option. week, a safe place to sleep for those
in need.
A tunnel hidden behind a false wall,
a carefully disguised floor hatch, or Laboratory
just a window with a rope ladder. Cost: 1d2x1000, 1 rooms
A place for cautious creation and
So long as it is not discovered, the wild experimentation.
Escape Hatch offers a quick and
reliable way to flee the hideout. Delicate machinery, trunks of notes,
and all manner of strange materials.
Gambling Hall Once built, you may offer it a space
Cost: 2000 coins, 2 rooms to either a scholar, alchemist, or
Establishment of cheap thrills and wizard. All are quite knowledgeable
financial opportunity. and can answer many questions.
Whether it’s games, races, or fights, Research: Once a week, the scholar
a raucous crowd of spectators has a 1-in-20 chance of making a
hungrily bet coin and favor under discovery that can be published for
the watch of grinning bookies. 1d3x50 coins.
+10 Suspicion, 1d20x10 coins per Creation: Once a week, the wizard
week. or alchemist can manufacture 1d6
Garden alchemical components, items, or
Cost: 100, 2 rooms tools. Additionally, there is a a
Furtive life between the cracks of 1-in-100 chance, +1 for each
cold and lifeless bricks. laboratory, of accidentally creating
a random magic item.
From stacked beds to rooftop
paddies, the garden offers a small, Library
but reliable source of produce. Cost: 2000, 1 room
A repository of knowledge and a
Business: 1d6x5 coins per week.
bastion against ignorance.
Community Garden: 1d10 meals’
worth of produce each week. A collection of shelves, trunks, and
Grow Room: +5 Suspicion, 1-in-6 piles containing all manner of
chance of one grown or distilled literary material and most common
contraband each week. information.
Hospital Public: -1d6 Suspicion
Cost: 1000, 2 rooms Private: Once per
The mending of bodies and exorcism week you may search
of ailments. the library for a piece
of secretive or hidden
Clean beds, sterilized instruments,
knowledge, with a
and all manner of medicine, the
1-in-100 chance of
hospital offers healing services or
finding it +1 for every
medicinal care for patients.
additional library in
Business: 1d6x10 coins per week. the building.
Co-op: Services or profession
offered for free once per week.
Community Clinic: -3 Suspicion,
-30 coins a week, healing and
medicinal services offered freely.

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 TO BUILD A CITY

Observatory
Cost: 2000, 1 room
Curious eyes find purchase with the
help of even more curious tools.
From telescope arrays to listening
pipes, an eclectic array of tools
assist with picking up on rumors or
spotting danger.
Spotter: Roll and learn of Troubles
one week before they occur.
Spy: +5 Suspicion, 1 lucrative or
salacious rumor each week.
Panic Room
Cost: 1000, 1 room
Sturdy walls and entryways to bar
assailants and danger.
A small reinforced room hidden
away and stockpiled with supplies.
Shop
Each panic room can fit up to 10 Cost: 300, 1 room
people and has 1d6 days worth of Commerce and business, or perhaps
supplies. Those within are safe from a clever front.
attack (so long as they are not
discovered) and have a 1-in-6 A crowded market stall or a quiet
chance of surviving destruction. specialty store, the shop contains a
specific collection of mundane items
Pigeon Coop (pg. 92 for contents of store).
Cost: 200, 1 room
Miniature feathered lives, housed in Business: 1d6x5 coins per week.
soiled little roosts. Co-op: 1d6 mundane items or tools
for free once per week.
Dozens of pigeons or other small Front: -1d3 Suspicion
game birds, housed in individual
nest boxes or simply a series of Vault
alcoves. Cost: 1000, 1 room
Iron and bolt as a bulwark against
Food: 1d8 meals’ worth of meat or theft and arson.
eggs each week.
Carrier: Can transport messages A reinforced and windowless room
between other hideouts or places with a heavy locked door.
that contain a roost. Items stored in a vault are safe from
Restaurant anything short of a master thief,
Cost: 300, 2 rooms while the room has a 5-in-6 chance
Sustenance and drink, for hungry of surviving any acts of arson or
mouths and weary stomachs. destruction.
A bustling public eatery or a quiet Workshop
and private dining hall, food and Cost: 1d3x500, 1 room
drink are served here. For the practice of profession and
specialized craft.
Business: -1 Suspicion, 1d3x5 coins
per week. A shop specially tailored for a
Community Kitchen: -1 Suspicion, specific type of craft, profession, or
-10 coins a week, you are always art. Once built, you may offer the
guaranteed a free meal while here. space to a tradesman/professional.
Speakeasy: +5 Suspicion, 1d6x5 Business: 1d6x5 coins per week.
coins per week, 1-in-3 chance of a Co-op: Services or profession
lucrative rumor each week. offered for free once per week.

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TO BUILD A CITY

D50
Street Generator
STREET NAME PREFIX
1 Stockpile 26 Rust
2 Bellowbird 27 Tanner
3 Seacrawler 28 Lover’s
4 Extempliary 29 Park
5 Officiates 30 Blood and Gems
6 Barber 31 Shiv
7 Harken 32 Executioner
8 Pigeon 33 Cat Burglar
9 Saltmoor 34 Broadsword
10 Sweetgum 35 Drake Bone
11 Cross-bow 36 Piss
12 Jeri’s 37 Dye-maker
13 Caravan’s 38 Kingmaker
14 Copper 39 Thirteenth
15 Jackdaw 40 Wicker
16 Saint-blood 41 Eggshell
17 Whispering 42 Tar and Feather
18 Grey 43 Weaver
19 Pig-sty 44 Smithy
20 Noble-spit 45 Hang-man
21 Mosaic 46 Brick Breaker
22 Belt Maker 47 Peasant Skin
23 Main 48 Soot
24 High Rope 49 Masque
25 Fell Water 50 Worm Spine

D50 STREET SUFFIX

1 Causeway 11 Overlook
2 Terrance 12 Step
3 Avenue 13 Dead-End
4 Drive 14 Turn-About
5 Center 15 Circuit
6 Street 16 Alley
7 Bridge 17 Highway
8 Crest 18 Close
9 Choir 19 Run
10 Lane 20 Way

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 TO BUILD A CITY
D66 (ROLL 1D6 TWICE) RANDOM STREET
11 Rain spouts carved like beasts and gush water at the unsuspecting.
12 Everything is covered in red dust from inferior red clay roof tiles.
13 Peppered with hundreds of memorials from road rage deaths.
14 Swarms of flies from the sewers cake every surface.
15 Street is constantly bombarded by pigeon excrement.
16 Major parade route, windows and streets are reinforced.
21 Strings of paper lanterns above street cause a perpetual fire hazard.

22
Pillars of stone hold up all of the buildings with an air of overarching
oppression.
23 Every surface is covered with fliers and graffiti.
24 Sewer pipes run close to the surface causing near constant flooding.
25 Crowded and noisy from small racetracks and sporting games
Cobblestones are enormous and uneven, rumor is that anyone who
26
trips over the cobblestones is destined to die soon…
31 As soon as the sun sets, packs of wild dogs pour out from alleys.
32 Window boxes are full of sickly smelling flowers
33 Streets and building mortar made with bone-meal and teeth.
34 Eerie screaming visages are set or carved into every doorway.
35 Street runs beneath a ruined palace, utter darkness save for candles.
36 Every surface is covered in bright, garish designs and colors.
41 Street winds, twists, and loops like the body of a dead snake.
42 Buildings made from red stone spolia, its origins lost to time…
43 Road is paved with querns and millstones stolen from farmers.
44 Fires and pit ovens burn openly on the smoke-filled street.
45 Tall makeshift bell-towers cap every building and ring constantly.
46 Crumbling sarcophagi are used as foundation for buildings.
51
Every building and denizen is decorated with spirals, even the curved
street seems to follow this obsessive configuration…
52 Garbage has been left to pile into massive steaming drifts
53 No one leaves their homes, instead traveling by covered walkways.
54 The street is a single uninterrupted slab of blackened shale.
55 Dark and ominous statues of Nobles watch the street from pillars.
56 Cages with imps act as town criers every block, they mostly just spit.
61 Motifs of spiders decorate beams and corners, some appear to move…
62 A grim and curious silence is observed for all but one hour a day.
63 Buildings made sturdy wood supports and walls of painted canvas.
64 Roofs and walkways are plated with beaten copper, hot to the touch.
65 Disaster has sundered this place, weary rebuilding noisily continues.
66 Everything is melted or cracked, nothing solid lasts for long here…

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TO BUILD A CITY

NPC Generator

D20 NAME PROFESSION

1 Dagden Rope maker
2 Judin Forswoth Freelance recycler
3 Marquez Commons Ham packer
4 Elmira Cazz Personal assistant
5 Castor Vilu Barber
6 SlimBob Brick tick exterminator
7 Borneo Velasquez Pigeon wrangler
8 Toulouse Rapshire Furnace operator
9 Astrid Vapers Mason
10 Punji Jammen Wanted poster artist
11 Jun Sandalwood Carpenter
12 Archer Flativious Cooper
13 Marigold Stu Animal breeder and wrangler
14 Hippolyta Tour guide
15 Septimus Gong farmer and raker
16 Chip Greasley Accountant
17 Jorno General craftsman
18 Limon Gatz Fledgling alchemist
19 Sam Toole Artisan
20 Martin Swallsword Grocer

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 TO BUILD A CITY
D20 APPEARANCE MANNERS QUIRK
Uncanny ability to make
Dirty and Ostentatious and
1 anything into an
disheveled loud
instrument
Pristine and Can’t read, but can speak
2 Intense and direct
fashionable most languages
Known to throw rocks at
3 Achingly beautiful Achingly dumb
parades
Has installed escape
Stubborn and
4 Plain and utilitarian hatches in more than
close-minded
one Spire
Ardently shy and Has a twin with the
5 Gaunt and frail
soft spoken same name
Has too many dead
Jovial and
6 Heavy-set and stout spouses and no
gregarious
convictions…
Sickly and Always has knives
7 Gruff and blunt
corpse-like hidden in their clothes
Easily dissuaded Had tongue cut out by
8 Tall and ominous
and flighty enraged Noble
Violent and Has more dropped
9 Short and impish
short-tempered charges than teeth
Overseer of a large, and
Aged and
10 Militant and strict loyal, feral cat
weathered
population
Ragged and Incredible knowledge of
11 Skittish but loyal
wounded secret tunnels
Young and Will take in any stray or
12 Monotone and dry
fair-faced hurt animal

13
Crooked and Mischievous and Close friends with a
withered curious powerful persona
Somber and Literally two left feet,
14 Wide and bumbling
spiritual famous ballroom dancer
Persistent and Knows a fence for just
15 Thin and precise
argumentative about anything

16
Strong and Curious and Perpetually questions the
off-putting thoughtful need for flags
Secretly practices
17 Smells like death Prickly and sensitive
dangerous alchemy

18
Colorful and Paranoid and Parents were absurdly
unorthodox sensational wealthy and powerful
Patchwork, but Looking for a curious
19 Gentle and wise
wears it well and hidden artifact
20 Roll again twice Roll again twice Boring, no inner life

91
TO BUILD A CITY

Shop Generator

D20 THEY OFFER… THEY’RE CALLED

1 Inn The Hairy Frog
2 Food, Drink, Lodging The Spot II
3 The Foggy Step
Tavern/Cafe
4 Saltpeter’s Corner
Drink
5 Zip’s Hole in the Wall
6 From the Cinders (formerly the Spot)
Restaurant
7 Mrs. Sweetwater’s Fancy
Food, Drink
8 The Squealing Rat
9 Sal’s
Tack Shop
10 Ursa & Daughters
Tools
11 Pipeshack
12 Grocer South Bend Market
13 Food Blind Tiff’s Bodega
14 Livery Soggy Dog & Co.
15 Tools, Transportation Wicker’s Rest
16 Clothier Brick and Book
17 Clothing Chicory ‘n Poke
Artificery
18 Quirrel’s Curious Collects
Magical/Oddities
Contraband,
19 Beetle’s Pop-Up
Roll again
20 Roll again twice Mork & Borgs

92
 TO BUILD A CITY
D20 INSIDE IS… REPUTATION QUIRK
Dirty - Garbage
Despises aristocracy,
collects in corners, Mysteriously appears in
1 (has a Noble’s hand
soot clearly visible new places
on display)
on the ceiling
Strict - Signs that
Abysmal Cat in the window,
2 tell you what to do
salespeople knows many things…
and where to stand
Crowded - Place is
Quality goods, Offers payment in blood,
3 packed with people
terrible prices 1HP per 10 value
and containers
Smelly - Stinging Operates all hours and
4 Experts in field
unpleasant scents all days
Smokey - The air is Powerful Demon locked
5 Poorly stocked
thick and choking inside, makes bargains
Dilapidated - Talking tree growing
Great prices, terrible
6 Broken glass and through in shop’s center,
quality
hasty repairs cruel but powerful…
Pristine - Cleaned
Everything sold is Offers discreet and
7 and organized
somehow greasy speedy delivery
obsessively
Dusty - Thick dust Always new graffiti
8 Panic room under shop
coats everything on the walls
9
Welcoming - Warm Windows are always Illegal backroom
and friendly being broken inventory
Stuffy - Hard to Local performance
10 Will fence ANYTHING
breath and hot and music spot
Fragrant - Smells Violent to bad
11 No currency, only barter
wonderful & clean customers
12
Barren - Barely Stock is molding Can’t physically leave
anything to show from neglect until you buy something
13
Damp - Walls are Aristocrats shop and Front for a cult, looking
moist with wet air socialize here for recruits or help
Loud - Someone is Owner has friends in
Chronic bug
14 always shouting or high places, capable of
infestation
working loudly making introductions
Sticky - Every
Always has what Accepts credit, with
15 surface feels like
you need interest of course…
dried syrup
Confusing - Layout Sits on an entrance to
16 Local rumor-mill
makes no sense the Undercity
Dark - Little light, Criminal connections,
17 Excellent service
difficult to see looking for “help”
18
Relaxed - Calm and Seemingly never Floorplan is always
quiet atmosphere open shifting and hungry…
19
Unsettling - Things Cursed items are Time moves fast, lose
here are not right… common 1d6 hours when leaving
20 Roll again twice Owner is a friend… Never asks questions

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TO BUILD A CITY

d50
"I Search the Body" YOU FIND…
1 Solid silver gear 26 Loaf of stale bread
2 8 inches of gold chain 27 Copper drinking vessel
3 Pristine glass lens 28 Mysterious egg
Package of fine sewing Small wooden sculpture
4 29
needles of a deer
5 Meat hook 30 Empty crate
6 Discarded handkerchief 31 Tin of food
7 Empty “medicine” bottle 32 Pair of shears
8 Small keg of alcohol 33 Delicate silver ring (not hand)
9 Soiled fur cap 34 1d6 sticks of chalk
10 1d4 tickets to a show 35 50ft of hemp rope
Very large duck carved of Cane with hidden
11 36
ivory and wood compartment
12 Tiny glass cloche 37 Gold plated flask
13 Aged leather belt 38 Enamel hat pin
14 Dented but solid tin bucket 39 Vial of blue liquid
15 Collectible coin 40 Ornamental brick
16 1d10 brass tacks 41 10ft of reinforced hose
17 Ring of strange keys 42 Sturdy terracotta vase
18 Cloth measuring tape 43 Tarnished metal button
19 Broken clay pipe 44 Sharpened knitting needles
20 Simple tuning fork 45 1d3 metal clamps
21 Set of decorative game darts 46 Sack of random grain
22 Dry-rotted bridle 47 Set of fine carving tools
23 Page of exquisite pottery 48 Pair of kitchen knives
24 Tin of half-used makeup 49 Satchel of laced tobacco
25 Wool socks 50 Hat stained with blood

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 TO BUILD A CITY

Cobblestone Treasures
D50 TREASURE AND VALUE IN COINS
1-20 Useful Tool (GM’s discretion) As tool, pg. 16
21-30 Purse or coin coffer 2d20 coins
1 - Buttons
2 - Platter
3 - Cutlery
31-40 1d6x5 coins
4 - Buckle
5 - Card Tin
6 - Inkwell
1 - Knife
2 - Chamber Pot
3 - Candlestick Holder
41-45 1d6x10 coins
4 - Mirror
5 - Parasol
6 - Fancy Hat
1 - Painting
2 - Ring
3 - Earrings
4 - Brooch
46-49 1d6x50 coins
5 - Bracelet
6 - Necklace
7 - Snuff Box
8 - Walking Cane
1 - Vase
2 - Figurine
3 - Music Box
4 - Tea Set
50 1d6x100 coins
5 - Goblet
6 - Pocket Watch
7 - Grimoire
8 - Decorative Egg

95
The Undercity

Few of those who walk the cobbles above know that far
beneath their very feet there is a society that not only survives
in the gloom, but flourishes. Akin to living on the backside of
a mirror, the resourceful peoples who populate the Undercity
have not just reined in a cutthroat and dangerous realm;
they have uncovered secrets that make them not the
uncivilized savages the nobles and their ilk would have you
believe. Blessed are these cunning and anarchistic foils to
those puppeteers in gossamer and gold.
“A City Upon a City” Xelie A. Larch, Wandering Historian;
Tales of My Travels, Vol II
THE UNDERCITY

The Undercity
As the city rises higher and higher,
it builds upon the dwellings of
those who cannot escape its will,
buying them under brick and
cobblestone, generation after
generation. These ancient iterations
of the city lie crushed and forgotten
under miles of rubble and
foundation, flooded with sewage
and connected by a maze of caverns
and sewer pipes. This grand
subterranean realm is known as the
Undercity, a sunless world of
nocturnal creatures and curious
denizens who live beyond the gaze
of the Nobles above.
Disparate Civilization
Far from the amenities of the
surface, the forgotten or shunned
build their communities in the safety
of the larger nodes and tunnels.
Such “safety” is usually relative and
communities are stretched far and
wide across the many passages of
the Undercity. Even then, members
of these hamlets and villages are
forced to scavenge for resources in
their nearby tunnels, braving travel
only when absolutely necessary.
Dangerous Travel
When desperation strikes and
resources run out, the only option is
to travel the network of tunnels and
passages that make up the
Undercity. Traveling these tunnels is
not for the timid or unprepared, as
the tunnels crawl with hidden
beasts, dangerous hazards, and all beings, labor, trade, and live within
manner of strange magics that have the sunless depth. They, along with
felled even the hardiest of others who who find themselves
adventurers. Merchants and travelers shunned or forgotten, are all
only brave these labyrinthine routes regarded as equals within the
when they are certain of their safety, anarchy of the Undercity and
usually in the form of trustworthy without the cruel touch of the
sell-swords. Nobles. It is well known that the
Cooperation or Death authority above has no hold on the
realm below, as any attempt to
Those who survive and thrive
among the many dangers of the “civilize” or exploit the Undercity by
Undercity do so through collective the aristocracy has been met with
action and cooperation. The Alley- calculated and coordinated violence.
Whelps, a rag-tag culture of curious

98
 THE UNDERCITY

The Under-Crawl
The Under-Crawl purchase goods and services unless
they encounter a camp, trader, or
The Undercity is a collection of village able to provide them. What’s
cavernous subterranean areas more, most locations only offer
connected by a network of passages. certain types of goods or services,
The subterranean areas contain meaning players will have to make
anything from poisonous mushroom due with what is available or march
fields to enormous lakes with on in hopes of finding what they
friendly fishing hamlets. Populating need.
them are all manner of strange and In addition to scarcity, a majority of
dangerous monsters as well as the the Undercity functions like
helpful but cautious Alley-Whelp wilderness, requiring encounter rolls
denizens. as long as the characters are
These locations and beings are the traveling or out in the open.
setting for the “Under-Crawl,” a Characters who leave the relative
sunless maze of disparate safety of villages and camps will
civilizations and danger, boasting all have to contend with the monsters,
manner of eerie monster and bizarre hazards, and assailants who are
treasure, and far from the reach of regularly found prowling just
the authorities above. outside. Rations, camping gear, and
spelunking equipment are also a
Hybrid Sewer-Crawl necessity if characters intend to
survive the treacherous journey
The Under-Crawl functions as both
a point-crawl style dungeon from one safe spot to the next.
punctuated with areas of respite and
limited civilization. It is represented Running the Undercity
by a series of points or nodes As a Referee or Gamemaster, the
connected by mile-long tunnels or Under-Crawl is run differently than
passageways. Such nodes are a typical City or Dungeon adventure
populated with individual and has these key points.
landscapes and features, as well as Getting In – From a forgotten well
either hazards or boons. buried in the basement of a home,
Safer nodes will contain small to a mysterious chasm found in the
villages or camps and provide sewers, the city is populated with
services or opportunities for hidden and clandestine entrances to
characters. Dangerous nodes can be the Undercity, so long as
filled with anything from monster adventurers know where to look or
lairs or hazardous terrain, akin to whom to ask.
the typical dungeon-style adventure. Scarcity – Goods and services are
Both nodes, safe or dangerous, are only available if a location
punctuated with additional features specifically says it has them.
that could help or hinder characters
as they explore, making each node a Wandering Encounters –
small micro-environment in and of Encounters of variable danger occur
itself. regularly, unless lodging or a
hideout is found.
Danger and Scarcity Point Crawl – The Undercity is
organized by a series of points,
While adventuring in the city above representing locations, connected
gives players access to goods and with tunnels and passages to travel.
services on the fly, the Undercity
strips such access. Characters cannot

99
THE UNDERCITY

100
 THE UNDERCITY

The Alley-Whelps
The forgotten, the curious, and the They can provide… Those who
have provided direct action or
left-behind, they make their homes
and bonds away from tyranny. mutual aid to Alley-Whelp
communities and clans are always
They are… Those trapped in treated as comrades. While each
poverty and forced to eek out a community or clan is limited by
living in the forgotten parts of the what resources they have on hand, a
city will find themselves inextricably good deed is always returned if
changed by pollution, magic, and able, while food, lodging, and
the malign will of the city. These supplies are always provided in
chimeric folks are the Alley-Whelps, return for some help with the
a collective culture of families and chores. Outside of supplies and
outcasts who have bonded together goods, Alley-Whelps boast the best
for survival against the cruel will of delvers, sneaks, and guides to the
the city. While many Alley-Whelp Undercity and surface above; most
individuals sport strange mutations will assist with any job that targets
and mismatched body parts, all tend aristocrats or authority figures for a
to wear hoods to hide their features cut of the loot or a favor in return.
and faces, a tradition dating back to They desire… Most communites are
the first Alley-Whelps who shrouded in need of tools and supplies from
themselves to avoid the searching the surface, offering their services in
gaze of the Nobles and their cruel exchange.
servants.
It is rumored… It is no secret that
Led by… There is no strict the Undercity has always operated
hierarchy or circle of leaders within outside of the jurisdiction of the
Alley-Whelp communities. When Nobility. Every attempted purge or
there are problems that pose wide- military operation into the Undercity
reaching threats or a single clan has been met with swift, brutal, and
requires the assistance of others, organized violence from every able-
Alley-Whelp clans will elect bodied clan, as per an unspoken
representatives and hold a moot to treaty. While the Nobles brush this
discuss issues and solutions. Aside off as the “ignorance of savages”
from such representatives, there are and more trouble than it’s worth,
a plethora of cunning sneaks, they are anxious about the ingenuity
stalwart warriors, and larger-than- and power of the Alley-Whelps and
life adventurers within Alley-Whelp their allies. While carefully
communities who have attained a expunged from history and
status akin to folk heroes. The collective knowledge, no Noble has
stories surrounding such characters forgotten the “Noblecide Parade,” a
are the inspiration to common folk, day that saw the Alley-Whelps strike
the adoration of youngsters, and the down an entire Noble family and
irritation of authority figures. disappear without a trace...
They can be found… While
generations upon generations of
Alley-Whelps have lived in small Playing an Alley-Whelp
hidden communities scattered Players may freely choose to play as
throughout the Undercity, many an Alley-Whelp. They are filled with
brave the dangerous path to the city the same vices, virtues, and
above in hopes of finding riches and ambitions as any other mortal.
providing for their communities.

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Exploring the Undercity

Scarcity and Danger
Characters exploring the
Undercity do not have access to
the goods and services normally
available on the surface and will
be at constant risk of random
encounters unless they find a
pocket of safety.
The few disparate communities
within the Undercity are the only
places where commodities and tools
are available for characters;
however, they are often limited in
what they are capable or willing to
buy and sell.
Landmarks and features will state if
goods and services can be
purchased, and what specifically can
be bought and sold (up to the GM’s
discretion in some cases).
As well, characters will have random
encounters each day unless they
find a place that specifically offers
lodging or a safe place to rest.

Travel & Time in the Undercity

Below are travel times and quirks of
exploration in the Undercity
Travel Speed in the Undercity is
1 mile/hour, as the tunnels and
landmarks are rife with tight or
chaotic passages. Tunnels – The Undercity is
This speed assumes characters are connected and traveled through a
being careful and taking their series of tunnels that can be
time. Characters may double their anything from ancient sewer pipes,
speed at the risk of attracting more buried city roads, or weathered
dangerous encounters. cavern passages.
Landmarks – Landmarks are open Encounters – Roll on the encounter
spaces and caverns and represent table every mile traveled, every time
the points of interest to be explored a Landmark is entered, and at the
and interacted with by character. start of each new day.
They may contain hazards, Sound and activity in the
curiosities, or points of respite and Undercity attracts potentially
trade. unwanted attention. Add 1d6 to
Searching or traveling across a the encounter roll if characters are
Landmark takes 1 hour, due to being loud or have recently been in
their enormous size and treacherous a fight. Add 1d6 if the characters are
terrain. expediting their travel.

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Generating the Undercity

A labyrinthine network of tunnels
and landmarks, comprised of buried
3. Create Landmarks - Select half
of the intersections and draw circles
cites of a forgotten era. on each. These will be landmarks.
The following section details a
method for creating and populating
a network of underground
landmarks and tunnels.
Generating the Undercity
1. Create the Tunnels - Drop a
handful of 6-sided dice on a 1 mile
hex-grid

1
6 4. Drop a few additional dice on
3 the map.
5. Mark them with landmarks and
2 connect them to the nearest tunnels.

5
1 Hex = 1 Mile 3
2. Based on the number, draw a
line (or lines) originating from each
die. This is a tunnel.
4
1
6 1
3 6. Populate Landmarks - For each
of the landmarks, roll on the
2 landmark list (pg. 104) and record.
Some landmarks may be duplicates;
5 this is fine as the Undercity is not
known to be a place of coherent
urban planning.

D6 Tunnel Directions
1 North & South
2 East & West
3 Cardinal Cross
4 North-East & South-West
5 North West & South-East
6 Ordinal Cross

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Undercity Landmarks
“Show me a city, where sunlight
itself is just a foreign passerby.”
Features
1 Forgotten Outpost - The
The following is a list of possible scattered remains of a mining
landmarks found within the outpost, mysteriously abandoned.
Undercity. For each landmark There are 1d10 random tools and
generated, roll a d20 and consult a usable furnace scattered about.
the chart. In addition, each 2 Hallowed Hollows - Pockets of
Landmark can have 1-3 features, tunnel that have been sealed off,
picked from its own entry or the mysteriously filled with desiccated
General Features list (pg. 120). This corpses…
can be done before or during an 1d8 Looting a Hallowed Hollow
Under-Crawl adventure. 1-3 Broken and rusted equipment.
4-6 Coins and effects worth 5d10.
1D20 Undercity Landmarks 7-8 A spell (pg. 246).
1 Abandoned Mine Looting a hollow risks a 1-in-6
chance of angering the corpse
Broken tunnels and mine-shafts within…
echo faintly with the ghosts of miners
who dug too deep. Foul water oozes
down the sides like tapestries, while Hollow Corpse
gaping ruts in the ground mark the Angry, blind and forgotten; filled
passage of countless mine carts. with a potent rage…
HD 3 | HP 10 | Armor: As Hide
Be it ore, gemstones, or the crushed Claws 1d6/1d6 | Move: Standard
remains of a palace, many a delver Death Curse: When slain, save v.
and prospector has flocked to this Magic or acquire The Unwinding
place in hopes of striking it rich. disease (pg. 32).
Morale: Fights to the death.
Delving the Mines
Characters may search the mines for
deposits of ore or valuables. For
each hour spent searching, roll on
the table below.
2d6 Abandoned Mine Finds
1-6 Nothing.
7 Raw ore, worth 1d10 to a forge.
8 Gemstones, glittering and uncut,
worth 1d10x10 a cluster.
9 Fossilized Remains, an unlucky
beast or denizen, worth 1d3x50 to
a collector or scholar.
10 Precious Metal, fused and
crushed, worth 1d3x50 coins.
11 Treasure, jewelry or relic worth
1d3x100 coins.
12 Magical Artifact (pg. 238).
Characters must have proper tools
to mine any valuable found this way,
and roll an encounter roll of 1d20
+1 for every hour spent in the
mines; such labor attracts monsters.

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2 Brine Clogs
The smell of salt and surf mixed
with rotting chum and wood.
Scavenging insects and birds call
out from this swamp of bubbling
sludge and rotting fish.
A wide and shallow channel of
water, perpetually clogged with an
island of maritime waste. The smelly
clogs are heaps of fish guts, bones,
broken boats, and worse.
Save v. Poison or become sickened
for 1d3 hours; a face-mask or
breathing apparatus prevents this.
Features
1 Trapper Camp - Filled with
patchy tents and muddy lanes, the
Trapper Camp is full of fisherfolk
and wizened veterans of the briny
waters. The anglers and trappers
will buy and sell fishing and
hunting related food and tools. As
well, veterans many be persuaded
to give valuable information
regarding fishing areas, dangerous
locations, or contested areas.
2 Feeding Frenzy - A fresh lump of
chum from above has caused a
feeding frenzy. Locals flock to this
area in hopes of spearing one of
the many snapping fish that churn
the usually stagnant waters. Bow
or spear-fishing here for 1 hour
yields one of the following:
1d8 Feeding Frenzy Finds
1 Nothing but a clump of sludge.
2-3 Chunk of fish, half eaten,
1 meal worth.
4-5 Wriggling lamprey or hag-fish,
1d3 meals.
6-7 Blind cave catfish, 1d6 meals
8 Huge deep sewer coelacanth,
worth 3d6 coins or 1d6 rations.
3 The Brine Shambler - A terrible
monster of rot holds domain here:
The Brine Shambler, an infamous
offshoot of the Garbage Shambler,
the size of a small island and
made from the waste of the clog.
Characterized by its hunched,
spiny back from the multitude of
bony corpses it decorates itself
with, it drowns and infects any
who dare to enter its lair.

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3 The Catch
Millions of blocks stacked in a wall
across a yawning chasm. Surging
water pours from channels along
one side while an eerie and silent
reservoir is held on the other.
At first glance the Catch appears to
be nothing more than a massive
dam meant to hold back excessive
water. Yet there is an almost ever
present scraping and rumbling felt
within the multitude of blocks.
Something other than water is held
back by stone…
Features
1 Catch-mill - Using the churning
and ever-flowing water to their
advantage, endeavoring folks have
created vast machinery to harness
the powerful flow. Mill stones
grind whatever is placed between
them, forges bellow with an
unprecedented fury, and all
manner of machines operate with
an ease not seen above ground.
So sophisticated is the contraption
that it is regarded in almost a
religious manner. Tools and some
services can be found here and
are always of the highest quality.
2 The Depth Guard - Legends have
surrounded the Catch since its
discovery, and while some have
been proven false, those who
enlist in the Depth Guard know
that something lurks in the 4 Cart Canyon
darkened waters. Huge ballistas, A massive canyon echos with the
loaded with hooked harpoons, sit shouts of hawkers and traders.
and watch the tepid waters, while Hundreds of buildings cling to the
a rotating system of guards stand vertical planes of rock like spiders,
vigilant for any disturbance on the while countless rope bridges and
water. The Depth Guard buys any hastily struck pinions hold a town of
weapons and armor for most gangplanks afloat.
asking prices. Built cantilever style into the very
side of the canyon, the hub of
shipping in the Undercity is always
awake. Cables and tethers crisscross
the canyon, while lifts and cranes
carry carts and commerce up and
down its walls. Almost anything can
be purchased and sold here, as it is
one of the main arteries between
the Surface and the Undercity.

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5 Chandelier Tunnels 2 Phasimorphic - Objects seem to
The air is heavy with acrid and fade and the body feels light.
dangerous fumes, while the tunnel Solid bodies become intangible
itself is a jagged network of colorful and ghost-like. For 1d3 hours,
stalactites that seem to thrum with a objects and people exposed may
chaotic energy. travel through solid matter but
suffer 1d6 damage for every foot
The toxic fumes of the sewer water of matter traveled through. Being
coming out of the forge district has exposed additional times risks a
made crystalline stalactites grow 1-in-20 chance of phasing through
from the ceilings. Glimmering with the ground, disappearing forever.
magic, they are rumored to do
everything from turn cockroaches 3 Transmutic - The ceiling aches
into dogs and bone into gold. and contorts, fissures of strange
material spread like mold. Solid
Navigating the Chandelier Tunnels matter transmutes to something
else. Suffer 1d3x1d6 damage from
The Chandelier Tunnels are the change, while unprotected
constantly filled with dangerous and objects exposed to the area are
chaotic energy that emanate from alchemically changed.
the pulsing crystal formations. Every
half hour spent exposed to the 1d10 Changes: 1 Metal, 2 Stone,
tunnels causes one of the following: 3 Bone, 4 Glass, 5 Precious Metal,
6 Gemstone, 7 Wood, 8 Clay,
1d4 Tunnel Effect 9 Meat, 10 Tar.
1 Metamorphic - Flesh shifts and Hit points lost this way can only be
tendons contort with change. Life regained by removing the affected
changes and blossoms into new areas through topical surgery. Those
uncanny shapes. Exposure heals who die in this fashion are treated
1d6 hit points; however, there is a as being petrified.
1-in-6 chance of sprouting a
bizarre mutation. 4 Arkanactive - The air crackles and
an ozone smell permeates the
1d6 Mutations: senses. A powerful arcane
1 Metaroach - 1 Chitinous Skin, radiation permeates and burns the
2 Articulated Limbs, 3 Extra Eyes space. For 1d6 minutes, spells cast
2 Fleshweald - 1 Amorphous Body, under exposure perform at the
2 Sticky Skin, 3 Rubber Bones maximum ability of the caster
(damage, time, distance, etc.).
3 Verminik - 1 Coarse Fur, However, those exposed will lose
2 Elongated Jaws, 3 Claw Hands 1d3 hit points each day for 1d10
4 Rootman - 1 Bark Skin, days from the arcane burn. Hit
2 Fractal Limbs, 3 Mouthless Face points lost this way cannot be
5 Fisken - 1 Fish-like Eyes, recovered through conventional
2 Vestigial Gills, means, only being recovered once
3 Lengthened Body the burn runs its course.
6 Shademoth - 1 Wispy Antennae, Harvesting Crystals
2 Long Limbs, 3 Skin Wings.
The crystals that emanate the
Gaining three of the mutations powerful transformative energy
effectively transforms one into one here can be harvested with proper
of the listed creatures (pg. 130), mining gear at a rate of one viable
saving the mind but trapping them cluster every half hour. The crystal
in a possibly non-verbal body. clusters can be sold to alchemists,
who will process and distill them
into powerful potions, for 1d6x100
per cluster. These crystals will still
emit their transformative properties
unless sealed in a lead-line case.

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6 Crooked Palace
Rough stone and brick gives way to
a tremendous sight: a beautiful
palace lies broken and half-buried
in the muck, as if tossed aside like a
broken toy by some disgusted giant.
A crumbling, once magnificent,
castle has since sunk down into the
depths of the Undercity. Sitting at an
almost 45-degree angle, many have
sought the treasures inside, but few
have returned.

Delving the Crooked Palace

The Crooked Palace functions as its
own separate dungeon. Those who
wish to explore or run the
adventure may use the Spire Rooms
& Features on pg. 145 (albeit with a
darker and decayed atmosphere) or
use it as an excuse to insert a
separate adventure module.
1D10 PALACE ENCOUNTERS

1
1d3 Fists of the City, rusted
and ragged with age.
2
Waking Wall, curious and
cunning.
3
1d4 Leipodaps, searching for
a nesting ground.
4
1d6 Banished Aristocrats,
dangerous and crazed.
5
1d3 Garbage Shamblers,
looking for biomass.
6
Vulpesphinx, feral and wild
with hunger. 2 Delver Town - A small village has
7 1d6 Metaroaches, hungry. sprung up around the Crooked
Palace, boosted by the economy
8
1d20 Brick Ticks, ready to of delvers and adventurers who
ambush the unsuspecting. frequent the ruins and offer their
9 1d4 Delvers, lost & need help. services as guides. Delver Town
freely buys and sells most
10 1d8 Fleshwealds, hungry.
common goods and has
arrangements for lodging.
Features 3 Crooked Vault - In the deepest
1 Crooked Regency - A twisted region of the Crooked Palace lies
aristocrat has taken up residency a tremendous vault with a series
in the palace and plans to of intricate and devious
establish their own feudal colony safeguards in place. No one
in the Undercity. As long as this knows what lies inside the vault,
aristocrat is in charge, Fists of the but whatever it was, it was
City (pg. 43) will appear here and dangerous enough to justify
in neighboring areas. burying an entire palace...

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7 The Drip
An overwhelming smell of burning
candles fills the hot air, as wax
stalactites the size of watchtowers
pour into bubbling ponds of molten
tallow and fat.
Few eek out a living among the Features
lumpy tallow-coated terrain, their 1 Candle Makers - With buckets
clothing weighed down by the and special fires, the Candle
drying wax and hair almost Makers are essential to life in the
permanently styled in odd angles. Undercity. They refine the raw
No one is certain where the wax materials in their ramshackle
comes from; some claiming it is a workshop and craft candles in a
byproduct of the countless dead of variety of sizes, shapes, and
the city being crushed after burial, colors. Such candles are of
others claim it is the leaking fat of a superior quality.
titanic corpse buried just beneath
the city’s foundation…
Undercity Candles
Navigating The Drip Thick hardened candles of superior
make and craft.
Softening wax from underground
thermal vents makes it treacherous Made only in the Undercity, these
and slow to cross without proper candles are prized by locals, miners,
tools or guidance. Traveling safely and delvers for their quality of light
adds an extra 1d3 hours to travel and long burn time.
time, while traveling quickly risks Each candle burns for 6 hours and
one of the following. gives off the light of a torch.
D6 Effect Cost: 5/10/50/500
1 Coated in Wax, agility or speed
at disadvantage until cleaned. 2 Wax Graves - Locals will be quick
2-4 Scalded, coated in wax and to point out patches of discolored
1d3 damage. or motley wax. Slick prisons for
5-6 Sink, coated in wax and unfortunate souls who were
save v. Hold or 2d6 damage. entombed in the wax. While
Stilts or a similar precaution avoids dredging out corpses is frowned
this danger. As well, there is a 1-in-6 upon, it is not unheard of.
chance of a nearby ferry that offers Dredging corpses takes 1d3 hours
their services for 1d10 coins. and yields 1d6 scavenged items
each time.

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8 Forlorn Catacombs Features
1 Mortuary Mural - Scenes are
Tunnels give way to cleanly cut painted ten feet tall upon the
stone walls and a carefully carved smooth stone, untouched for a
geometric entrance. Within the main millennia. Strange beings entreat
hall are dozens of carefully carved with one another, while massive
passages that branch off into the geometric structures loom in the
dark, their walls filled with alcoves background. Those who meditate
containing carefully interred in this room for a full day have a
corpses, all dressed in ancient 1-in-20 chance of learning a
funerary garb… random spell, as their mind swirls
Often looted and befouled by grave- with visions of the primordial
robbers, these massive grave cities and their watchers...
structures are unique in their 2 Mammoth Sarcophagi - A deep
austere artistry and antiquity. and quiet chamber filled with 1d4
Characters who spend the night huge stone sarcophagi. It is
here do not risk random encounters, curious how such objects were
however, there is a 1-in-6 chance transported so deep, as the stone
they are plagued with nightmares of is not native and any doorways
being interred alive, losing a night found are too small for their
of sleep. passage. Finding one that has not
been tampered with is rare and
Exploring the Catacombs hold a variety of strange things:
Characters may search the alcoves
and corpses for treasure. For each 1d8 Sarcophagi Contents
hour spent searching, roll on the 1 Dust and scraps of vellum
table below. containing strange funerary rites…
2d6 Corpse Finds 2 Broken carapaces of unusual
beetles, gilded with strange
1-6 Nothing golden patterns…
7 1d6 trinkets. 3 Clay vessels holding mysterious
8 1d20 coins. liquid that seems to move when
9 Pristine piece of historic clothing exposed to light…
or decoration, worth 3d20 coins to 4 Bones wrapped in long yellowed
a collector or aristocrat. leaves; they spring to life when
10 Skull of a historic figure, worth drenched in blood…
1d4x50 coins to a collector. 5 Intricate weaving made of hair,
11 Treasure, jewelry, or relic worth the pattern almost like writing…
1d3x100 coins. 6 Giant mummified wings, twitch
12 Magical Artifact (pg. 238). when touched…
Partaking in this is condemned by 7 Glass figurines filled with
most locals, and if you are unknown dust. Their faces are
discovered you will likely have a hideous and frightening…
bounty on your head… 8 Another sarcophagi with a strange
creature sealed within; it whispers
to be freed…

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9 Fury Halls
Hot, rancid air makes breathing
difficult, while the impenetrable
dark of the ceilings seem to echo
with the sound of hideous buzzing...
A series of high ceiling chambers
known to contain legions of
Leipodop. Some view this place as a
heroic proving ground. To “Run the
Fury Halls” and survive is viewed as
10 Garbage Sluices
Torrents of roaring waters can be
an esteemed deed; others see it as a heard echoing down the tunnels.
death trap for the foolish. Enormous rusted gates rattle and
Encounters creak as a flood of sewage rushes
For every 10 minutes spent in the down corroded stone channels into
Fury Halls there is a 1-in-3 chance the mysterious depths...
of encountering 1d3 Leipodop. Giant metal sluices barely control
Features the flow of constant rushing sewage
1 Cairn of Rags - Piles of festering here. There are 1d6 channels, each
leather litter the grounds here. measuring 20 feet across and 40 feet
Closer inspection reveals them to deep: all are filled with a coursing
be the mouldering skins of the river of effluent. Those who attempt
Leipodaps’ countless victims. Each to cross the channel take their lives
pile can be scavenged in 1 minute into their own hands.
and contains 1d6 items of note. Crossing the Sluices
2 Egg Chamber - The air reeks with The water and refuse of the city
a stinging sweetness; a thick rush at such a speed they cannot be
molasses-like sludge coats the crossed safely on foot. Tools, magic,
walls in places. Inspecting the or ingenuity are required to pass
sludge reveals dozens of this landmark.
translucent Leipodap eggs, the
sludge acting as protective coating Those who fall into the river of
and nutrients for hatching. The sewage without a safety line are
eggs can be sold as dangerous dragged away, never to be seen
contraband, worth 300 for every again...
dozen. The eggs and sludge smell
strongly, and carrying them in an Features
unsealed container risks being 1 Folly’s Web - Dozens of decaying
hunted down by Leipodaps ropes and handmade bridges
attracted to the scent... attempt to span the Sluices and
bring travelers to the other side;
safety is not guaranteed. The
bridges or ropes provide a means
to cross, but each crossing has a
1-in-6 chance of breaking and
sending the victim plummeting
into the rushing waters below.
2 Sewertide - The channels here
periodically empty and fill like the
tides of an ocean. Each day, at the
same time, the channels are empty
(save for a thick quagmire of
sludge) for 1d12 hours. However,
once the time is up, the
Sewertides rush in with a
vengeance.

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11 The Grand Dais Features
1 Tepid Bazaar - A great tent city is
A great plateau lies in the center of a built upon the crumbling art
sea of filth, its surface capped with where travelers can dry their
metal, glass, and fired clay; a great clothes and barter for goods.
mosaic, its beauty is hidden from Directions to stalls and names of
the greedy eyes above. alleys are based on the art
Nobody knows who built the great underfoot, some merchants even
raised platform but undoubtedly naming their enterprises off of the
they never meant for the beautiful nearby imagery. The Tepid Bazaar
mosaic to be surrounded by the freely buys and sells most
sewer. common goods and has 1d6
random magical artifacts for sale
What is the Dais? among its various stalls.
Each Dais is a herculean feat of 2 Sanctified Ground - The Dais and
artistry and engineering that puzzles art here is viewed as a neutral and
both explorers and scholars alike. It peaceful ground, a custom is
is unknown how many are hidden upheld by most members of the
within the Undercity, each a unique Undercity. Enemies and rivals
piece of art wholly unto itself. meet to broker peace and
1d8 Dais Imagery negotiate without fear of violence
and bloodshed. Those who break
1 A great battle of fleas against a this tradition are openly shunned
titanic coiling worm. and despised by members of the
2 Hundreds of gods and deities, Undercity, news of the desecration
each being beheaded or a traveling quickly through the
similarly grim fate. many communities.
3 A sea of fire, spreading to devour 3 Pilgrimage Spot - Many folk,
the world and all its people. both Undercity and above, view
4 The story of a giant ferocious wolf the Grand Dais as a sacred point
carrying folk to safety on its back. and make regular pilgrimages to
it. There is no specific religion or
5 Ancient rulers, devouring gold ritual surrounding the dais; rather,
and transforming into daemons. the dais has a magnetic and
6 An endless sea of portraits, each hallowed power that is respected
realistically depicting someone. by many who gaze upon its
7 Concentric circles of skeletons awesome beauty.
being buried and danced upon by
the living.
8 The city is laid out in beautiful
detail. Look closely, is that you in
the crowd?
Scholars will pay handsomely to be
safely led to the Grand Dais, and
even more to help with their
recording and study of the giant
constructions.

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12 Great Trash Pile Features
1 The Rag Queen’s Vestments -
A gigantic accumulation of refuse A painted hut built upon stilts;
that has come from every corner of hundreds of clotheslines laden
the city, the only thing more with colorful cloth surround it like
immense than its size and diversity a spider web. One of the many
is its stench. homes and businesses of the
An apocalyptic amount of trash has marvelous and sultry Rag Queen.
gathered here, a combination of The Rag Merchants will buy and
collective dumping and the sell clothing or cloth goods and
convergence of several tunnels into are able to tell the quality, origin,
this titanic space. Large enough to and hidden lore of any piece of
cover several city blocks, the Great cloth.
Trash Pile quakes and grinds its way 2 Pursof’s Purloined Goods - An
through the tunnel like an iceberg. enormous ramshackle cart,
Scavenge stacked with an impossible
amount of junk. The mobile home
The Great Trash Pile bustles with and business of the crusty and
life. Creatures root through the cantankerous merchant Pursof.
refuse for easy meals, while Pursof and his crew will buy and
enterprising individuals scavenge sell tools and contraband.
through it for reusable goods and
bits of treasure. 3 Sewer Walrus Mating Grounds -
A chorus of bellows sound from
Adventurers may spend time the sloping shores of garbage and
scavenging through the Great Trash liquid waste. Hundreds of Sewer
Pile for something usable or shiny. Walruses use the Great Trash Pile
For each hour spent scavenging, as a mating ground, sending many
roll on the table. of the males into a violent rut.
D20 Scavenge Result Every hour spent in the Great
1 Trash Quake, save v. Breath or Trash Pile, there is a 1-in-10
suffer 1d6 damage. 1-in-10 chance of encountering a hostile
chance of a “trash-slide,” in Sewer Walrus.
which case the damage is 3d6.
2-5 Hungry Creature, roll on the
encounter table (pg. 122).
6-7 Unfriendly Scavengers, 1d6
Scavengers who demand
whatever you’ve found or an
equal amount in coin.
8-9 Helpful Scavengers, helpful folk,
willing to work together. For
additional scavenging attempts,
double any valuables found and
avoid trouble or damage.
10-14 Something Edible, 1d3
questionable food or drink
items.
15-19 Something Useful, 1d3 slightly
worn tools or weapons.
20 Something Shiny, a random
magic item.

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13 Humid Bowels 2 Spore Bloom - The air is hazy
and stagnant with clouds of
Hot air so thick with moisture that it innumerable drifting spores. The
could be cut with a knife, while the fungal life has bloomed and
sound of corroded machinery plays released their dangerous spores
for multiplicitous fungal life that across the chamber. Passing
seems to dance and sway to the through this area without proper
noise. protection requires a save v.
Massive fungal growths have taken Poison or suffer one of the
over the many large vent-houses following effects:
used to control the stench of the 1d4 Spore Bloom Effect
sewers. It constantly extrudes 1 Hallucinations - Terrifying
massive amounts of heat and hallucinations for 1d6 hours,
humidity into the surrounding area. requiring you to save v. Madness
when performing risky or
Harvesting Mushrooms
dangerous actions.
The edible and medicinal
2 Paralysis - Drowsy for 1d6 mins.
mushrooms here can be harvested
then paralyzed for 1d3 hrs.
at a rate of one pound every half
hour. However, there is a 1-in-3 3 Pneumonia - A wretched cough
chance that the clutch will be that persists for 1d6 days; save v.
poisonous or dangerous. Those with Poison at the start of each day or
a background in foraging or suffer 1d6 damage as blood and
mushroom identification do not run phlegm are coughed up.
this risk. 4 Necrosis - An organ begins to shut
down; lose 1 hit point per day
Features that cannot be recovered naturally.
This effect can only be cured by
1 Mycellifulk Village - Concentric medicine, an apothecary, or magic.
circles of huts made of twisted
metal and loam forms a village for A face mask gives advantage on
the mushroom-based mortals who saves, while a respirator or gas
inhabit it. Known as the mask avoids the hazard entirely.
Mycellifulk, they process and feed 3 Marching Mold - The walls crawl
off of the piles of decaying matter with a film of deep crimson mold,
found within the Undercity. They lurching and twisting where the
cannot speak, instead shadows are darkest. A sentient
communicating via neural tendrils; and dangerous mold hunts and
however, most learn how to read stalks this area like a predator.
and write in a local language to The mold is attracted to body
help with trade and heat, but will avoid and retreat
communication. If peaceful from fire and powerful light.
contact is made, they are willing Those who fail to ward off the
to buy tools and food and sell mold must save v. Breath every
services as guides, translators, and minute or suffer 1d6 damage as
hunters. the mold tears at skin and drains
blood.

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14 Ink Pits 18-19 Expunged Histories, historical
account of some terrible event,
A smell like rotting leaves and mysteriously absent from recorded
boiling pitch. Black pools of ink history. Scholars will pay up to
bubble and churn like tar, 1d8x100 for a transcript, while
spattering and staining every aristocrats will pay to have it
surface they touch. destroyed...
The corrosive Ink Pits have eaten 20 Eldritch Ritual, swirling symbols
through pipe and stone and found and words of power give
their way to the depths of the instruction on the preparation and
Undercity. The otherwise stagnant performance of a grand magical
black pools seem tranquil; however, ritual. Those who know of this
there is no telling how deep they go ritual will be hunted down by
or what might be lurking in their wizards and their cohorts.
opaque depths. 2 Ink Dredgers - Small messy
Features camps of ink-stained folk dredge
1 The Writing - Scratched and the pits for items and to create a
spattered onto the walls around special ink. Utilizing rakes, nets,
the Ink Pits are pictographs and and an odd series of machines,
strange writings, nearly the Ink Dredgers search for odd
indecipherable. Rumors abound of bits and baubles to clean and
mad scribes flushed down with resell, all while cleaning and
their coagulated inks, forever recycling the ink into a special
trapped in the pits. The strange brand of extra-dark ink prized by
writings and scribbles can be many scribes. The Ink Dredgers
studied and compiled; each hour sell up to 1d20 common goods
spent sorting through the writing (all stained with ink) as well as
reveals: “Undercity Black” ink.
1d20 Ink Pit Writing Alternatively, offering to help the
dredgers with a day's work earns
1-10 Nothing, a rambling or messy 1d3 vials of Undercity Black ink.
dead-end.
11-13 Esoteric Literature, archaic
poems, tragic plays, or Undercity Black Ink
contemplative tales; a beautiful An ink black as night; swirls with
and rare work of art. Scholars will subtle vibrancy, yet devours all light.
pay up to 1d3x50 coins for a Made only in the Undercity, this ink
proper transcript and translation. is utterly permanent and waterproof.
14-15 Alchemical Formulae, arcane Prized by those who make their
symbols and charts weave living with calligraphy and writing,
together a strange and powerful it holds a mythic reputation among
chemical process. Alchemists will scribes and craftsfolk.
pay up to 1d10x50 for a transcript Cost: 6/12/60/600, or
and possibly a sample of the 12/24/120/1200 to Scribes,
formula’s product. Archivists, or similar professionals
16-17 Forgotten Theorem, picto-
graphs, charts, and manic
scribbles reveal an equation of
terrible precedent. Scholars will
pay up to 1d10x50 for a transcript
or to have it destroyed...

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15 The Rib Cage
Rows of great white bones stretch for
miles and disappear into the
darkness, bones as large as castle
turrets, covered in etchings like
titanic scrimshaw ivory.
The bones have existed longer than
any living memory. Strange carvings
are etched into their ivory surface as
well as directions, pleas for help,
and offers of raunchy encounters.
Rib Cage Graffiti
Characters may spend 1 hour
studying the etchings with a chance
of finding something interesting.
1-in-20 chance of something useful:
- Directions to a safe camping site.
- Recipe for a fortifying tonic.
1-in-100 chance of something grand:
- Treasure map to a Noble’s grave. 16 Pipe Maze
- Star-chart predicting the future. Enormous pipes of crumbling clay
- A great and terrible spell… and corroded metal twist and coil in
Features every direction like colossal snakes;
1 Lantern Village - A sparkling mysterious sounds emulate and echo
refuge of civilization lives within from within...
the Ribs, known for their floating The remains of countless water and
paper lanterns used to ward off waste pipes for the city have since
evil spirits. A place of relative collapsed into disuse and disrepair.
peace and tranquility in the Jutting out of the ground and sky
Undercity. Food, lodgings, and like enormous twisted veins, there is
supplies may be purchased here. no telling what dangers hide within
During festivals many of the these great hollow colossi.
inhabitants dress up in costume
and don paper-mâché masks in
order to confuse spirits. Traveling the Pipes
2 Ivory Shrine - Not all who live The pipes in this room lead to every
within the white towering bones corner of the city and the larger
feel that they should be regarded ones can be traveled much like a
as a home and instead see it as a cave tunnel. Traveling the pipes in
holy space. Believing that some of this way takes 1d6 hours and leads
the etchings are teachings from a to one of the following locations:
higher being a cult actively seeks D6 Pipe Locations
out and attacks any who would 1 Nearby Undercity landmark
deface them and act against any
new establishments in the Rib 2 Open sewer on the city surface
Cage. An ample and pious 3 Dry well on the city surface.
donation avoids such fates. 4 Inside an abandoned building
5 Inside an occupied building
6 Privy of an aristocrat’s home
There is a 1-in-3 chance of
encountering something traveling,
stalking or nesting within the
tunnel. Roll 1d20 for the encounters.

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17 The Sinking Falls

A cathedral-sized cistern where
sewer waters converge into a great
star-shaped hole. Unimaginably
deep, the roaring sound of coursing
water is ever-present.
This massive vertical drain
constantly flows with the brackish
and befouled sewer water from the
city above. No one knows for
certain where the water flows to as
it rushes into the cistern below,
causing many to be cautious of the
water, lest they disappear into the
drowning darkness below.

Navigating the Sinking Falls

Traveling through this area without Features:
proper guidance or tools can prove 1 Cave Fishery - Hundreds of nets
dangerous as rushing waste-water suspended from the walls by long
pounds against the walls and slick poles and high-tension lines. A
filth collects on every surface. hot spot for catching the “Ghost
Traversing the slippery footholds Trout,” blind and semi-translucent
and recesses without climbing tools cave fish that climb up the sewer
or similar gear risks one of the falls for spawning. The anglers
following. and fishers will buy and sell
D6 Effect fishing related food and tools.
1 Miraculously safe. 2 Stilt City - Impossibly suspended
by countless platforms, rope, and
2-3 Difficult Travel, lose 1d3 hours. stilts sits a staggered complex of
4-5 Tumble, 2d6 damage from ramshackle buildings. Built above
slipping and falling. the rushing water, this bustling
6 Hard Tumble, 4d6 damage from micro-city makes its living from
a hard and dangerous fall. catching the treasures that filter
down the rivers and sewer-falls
Those who are knocked towards the convergence. The Stilt
unconscious or reduced to 0 hit City freely buys and sells most
points from this, fall into the common goods and has
rushing waters below, never to be arrangements for lodging.
seen again.

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18 Slime Forest Features
1 Hunting Grounds - Gently rolling
What was once a rich arboreal hills once spotted with huge thick
game-lands has fallen to rot and trees that hung with moss and
decay deep within the earth. Trees trailing vines. Now the rotting and
still stand upright are covered with sodden vegetation harbors not
thick sticky mucus in place of idyllic wildlife and game but
leaves. Trails of stepping stones twisted and warped creatures.
mark long forgotten paths through
the slimy terrain. Anyone attempting to hunt in the
slime forest must roll on the
encounter table.
Navigating the Slime Forest
2 Green Man - A verdant spirit
The ubiquitous slime makes the haunts these woods. Once altars
forest slow to cross without proper were bedecked and anointed to
tools or guidance. Traveling safely them in hopes of a good hunt,
adds an extra 1d3 hours to travel now they wander the forest,
time, while traveling quickly causes chasing echoes of hunts long ago.
characters to become coated in Moldering skeletons of their
slime, causing feats of agility to be hunting companions still follow
at disadvantage until cleaned off. them, leaving ooze and slime
Stilts or similar precautions avoids wherever they step.
this danger. Those who encounter the Green
Hunting the Slime Forest Man may challenge them for their
Parties equipped with hunting gear favor. If the spirit accepts, they
and traps may attempt to hunt the will choose an appropriate task
wildlife that hides in the forest. for the party to undertake.
Hunting here for 1 hour yields one 1d3 The Green Man’s Task
of the following: 1 Seek out a mighty beast and offer
1d10 Slime Forest Finds its heart to the Green Man.
1-5 Nothing, all is quiet. 2 Hunt a beetle with wings of light
6-7 Juicy isopod or bulbous grub, and bring it back unharmed.
1 meals’ worth. 3 Survive until morning as the
8 Large vole or slithering worm, Green Man’s party hunts you.
1d3 meals’ worth. If the challenger completes the
9 Corpulent soft-shell turtle or blind task and survives, they will
cave hog, 1d6 meals. receive the favor of the Green
10 A large and irate creature, roll on Man, ensuring whatever they hunt
the encounter table twice and take will always meet a swift end.
the higher roll.

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19 The Vents 3 Dirigiblewerks - A curious and
vertical shipyard stretches to the
Thousands of vents, pipes and ceiling. Docks and gangplanks are
tunnels line the walls and ceiling haphazardly stacked on top of
like the inside of a massive beehive. each other while strange canvas
The air is heavy with putrid gas that and wood contraptions are filled
is heard hissing from the vents with gas from the vents.
above…
A massive honeycomb-like chamber
full of tunnels that pump in the
Undercity Dirigible
putrid vapors of decomposing A rowboat-like vessel, suspended by
garbage from above. a foul-smelling canvas balloon and
rigging.
Save v. Poison or become sickened
for 1d3 hours; a face-mask or Small enough to travel through
breathing apparatus prevents this. many of the Undercity locales, and
Additionally, open fires have a 1-in-6 easy to break down for transport
chance of detonating, dealing 1d6 through the tunnels, the Undercity
damage to all in arm’s reach. Dirigibles are an inventive vehicle
crafted by the Dirigiblewrights.
Features
It should be noted that such
1 Scalder Vent - A series of levers vehicles are banned by the Nobles,
and valves trap the increasing as they make it too easy to
heat from the decomposition and approach and assault their Spires…
other means and release it on a
timed schedule. Each day, at the Cost: 2000 (contraband on surface)
same time, the tunnels are Speed: Fly 54 Miles/Day
oppressively hot but passable for or 6 Miles/Hour
1d12 hours. However, when the Carry Capacity: As much as a small
time passes the vents release their horse-cart or 4 passengers.
scalding and sometimes
flammable air, cooking anything
that doesn’t get out in time.
2 Gas Farms - Those who can
handle the stench have begun
bottling and distilling it for sale.

Venter Gas
Bottles of volatile foul-smelling gas.
Bottled by folks in the Undercity,
the gas is a handy if unsavory tool.
Venter Gas Types:
Explosion - Explodes when
exposed to flame for 1d8 damage
Sleep - Lulls the individual into a
restful sleep for 1d4 minutes.
Rancid - A foul and unbearable
stench, causes sickness for 1d6
minutes and will clear a room.
Cost: 5/10/50/500
Memory wipe - A stench so sharp
and acidic it causes the afflicted to
forget the last 1d3 days.
Cost: 50/100/500/5000

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20 Yawning Lake
A titanic cavern of brick and stone
opens to reveal a vast nocturnal sea.
Small waves gently lap on shores of
sand and broken mortar while the
edges of the lake disappear into the
dark.
Some Undercity dwellers consider
the Yawning Lake to be limitless,
more sea than lake. Lights have
been seen sparkling out on its
waters from time to time.
Traversing the Yawning Lake
1d12 General Features
The following features may be used
The presence of the lake makes alongside or to replace the features
traveling through this landmark listed with the Landmarks.
lengthy, adding an extra 1d3 hours
to cross it via the winding shoreline. 1 Kiln – A series of large ovens are
Cutting through the lake by boat or layered in an ascending line to
some other watercraft ignores this. increase their ability to generate
heat. A collective of craftsfolk
Features: operate the kiln to make all
manner of primitive and beautiful
1 Flotilla Barge - An island of ceramics, as well as cook up some
watercraft and scrap, all stacked delicious foods. Food and
and lashed together into a floating ceramics may be bought here;
hamlet complete with its own furnace or pottery services are
docks and residents. The Flotilla offered for fair prices.
Barge freely buys and sells tools
and food, and has arrangements 2 Hamlet – A humble collection of
for lodging. They will also provide buildings make up a small and
speedy transportation across the tight-knit community of Alley-
Yawning Lake for 1d6 coin. Whelps and outsiders. They are
cautious but friendly to well-
2 Sea-side Village - A ramshackle meaning outsiders; however, there
collection of huts, rafts, and docks is a 1-in-6 chance they are in need
made from scrap and recycled of some good, service, or
items. The air reeks of fish and dangerous task. Food and lodging
chum, yet the catches from the may be bought here, along with
lake are alien and strange… The 1d3 random tools or services.
Sea-side Village freely buys and
sells most common goods and has 3 Top-Side Merchant - A merchant
arrangements for lodging. from the surface has brought their
wares and livelihood to the
3 Lake-Beast - A ripple drifts along Undercity. Their large cart has
the surface of the lake as been converted into a makeshift
something terrible stirs beneath hovel and the merchant is usually
the surface of the water. Crossing a little worse for wear and in need
the Yawning Lake risks a 1-in-6 of help securing more goods from
chance of encountering this above. The merchant buys and
mysterious and dangerous beast. sells either food, tools, or
Be wary... clothing for common prices.
4 Dangerous Wildlife – A
dangerous creature has moved
into this area, perhaps to hunt or
perhaps to escape a larger threat.
Roll twice on the encounter table
and take the higher roll.

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5 Pesky Vermin – Small and 9 The Old City – Remnants and
troublesome life has infested this ruins of the previous cities lie
place. Sewer rats, dire fleas, or broken and scattered. Crumbling
cave gulls run amok and will homes press into each other,
gladly snatch supplies from those shattered towers act as supports
unprepared. Passing through this for the ceiling, and ancient alleys
area risks a 1-in-3 chance of feel like cavernous tunnels.
having half of any rations or food Abandoned buildings may be
the party is carrying pilfered or searched and offer possible safety,
spoiled. Food must be secured in but hidden dwellers stalk the
a locked chest or bin in order to ruined streets when no one is
avoid this fate. looking...
6 Foraging Spot – A patch of 10 Hermitage – A lone denizen
palatable bounty may be foraged makes their home far from the
here. Aromatic cave moss clings to reaches of others. Hidden away in
damp walls, succulent morels a small and spartan dwelling, they
spring from warm soil, and plump commune with the secrets of the
grubs slowly crawl across the city and ponder the dreams of the
ground. Each day, 1d3 hours may Wurm below. If peaceful and
be spent to forage 1d6 meals’ amicable contact is made with the
worth of food. There is usually a hermit; they may offer you a spell,
group of cautious Alley-Whelp a boon, or a grand secret...
foragers gathering food and a 11 Forgotten Machinery – Great
1-in-6 chance of a random and terrible machines of a bygone
encounter. age litter the area. Massive gears,
7 Descent – The entrance to a place pipes and all manner of
that descends below the mysterious instruments corrode
Undercity. A cave entrance, a away into piles of rust. Scholars or
carved entryway, or a mysterious inventors will pay handsomely to
chasm that plummets deep into be safely led to this place, and
the earth. What lies beyond is a even more to help with their
mystery to most; only ominous recording and study of the giant
rumors and hearsay hint to what constructions.
might lie within… 12 Memorial – A memorial complex
8 Trophy Hunting Camp – A group marks a site of great importance
of 1d10 Trophy Hunters from the or tragedy. Black stone slabs are
surface have set up a fortified etched with a dedication to a
camp as their base of operations. terrible event, the grave of one or
Purely here for sport, they boast a many, or perhaps some unknown
dangerous amount of armaments tragedy. There are always 1d6
and intend to use them on the mourners or pilgrims paying their
various creatures and oddities that respects to the memorial and 1d10
stalk the Undercity. Weapons and Alley-Whelp guards and tenders.
tools may be bought and sold So long as you are respectful and
with the camp, and food and courteous, you may camp here
lodging is offered if you join or without risk of random
assist their hunt. However, they encounters.
are a dangerous lot, and if their
mood sours they are more than
happy to hunt you for a cheap
thrill.

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Undercity Encounters
“The sordid and trash-choked
tunnels of the Undercity are home
to all manner of hungry monster
and violent mystery…”
Roll on the encounter table:
- Every mile traveled
- Each Landmark entered
- At the start of each new day
The GM may roll 1d10 for areas that
are safer and 1d20 for areas that are
more hostile or wild.
Add 1d6 to the encounter roll if
characters are being loud or have
recently been in a fight. Add 1d6
if the characters are expediting
their travel.

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Undercity Encounters Table
ENCOUNTER AND 1D6 MOOD
0-5 Nothing, all is quiet for now…
1d10 Trash Egrets Mood: 1-2 Spooked, avoid characters. 3-5 Curious,
6
follow and attempt to steal food. 6 Hungry, attack unless given meal.
Caravan, 3d6 Delvers, Merchants and 1d3 Trophy Hunters
7 Mood: 1-4 Indifferent, only stops for business. 5-6 Helpful, open to
trade and offer safe passage along their route.
1d6 Mutants Mood: 1 Friendly, asks for assistance if able.
8
2-5 Indifferent, just want to be left alone. 6 Hostile, looking for food.
1d3 Hulking Silverfish Mood: 1-3 Indifferent, hostile if bothered.
9
4-5 Hungry, attacks unless fed. 6 Hostile and aggressive.
Grimbender Mood: 1-3 Indifferent, hostile if bothered.
10
4-5 Hungry, attacks unless fed. 6 Hostile, waits to ambush.
1d3 Trophy Hunters Mood: 1 Friendly, willing to trade and talk
11
2-4 Indifferent. 5-6 Demands ransom or attacks.
12 Nachtwik Mood: Silently follows characters until exorcised.
Banished Aristocrat and 1d3 Delvers Mood: 1-2 Indifferent, hostile if
13
bothered. 3-6 Demands ransom or attacks.
1d6 Chiroharpies Mood: 1-3 Indifferent, hostile if bothered.
14
4-5 Hungry, attack unless fed. 6 Hostile, waits to ambush.
Ambush, 1d8 Delvers Mood: 1-4 Demands ransom or attacks.
15
5-6 Hostile, waits to ambush.
Leipodap Mood: 1 Hiding, hostile if bothered.
16
2-3 Hungry, attacks unless fed. 4-6 Hostile, waits to ambush.
Waking Wall Mood: 1-2 Curious, looking to make a deal. 3-4 Hungry,
17
attacks unless fed or bargained with. 5-6 Hostile, waits to ambush.
Gulper Toad Mood: 1-2 Hiding, hostile if bothered.
18
3-4 Hungry, attacks unless fed. 5-6 Hostile, waits to ambush.
Numenwicht Mood: 1-2 Indifferent, hostile if bothered.
19
3-4 Irate, demands obedience or attacks. 5-6 Hostile, fervent.
20 Wurmtongue Mood: Hostile and aggressive, seeks to kill and maim.
Leipodap Swarm Mood: 1-3 Hungry, attacks unless fed. 4-5 Hostile,
21
waits to ambush. 6 Hostile, attacks without warning and pursues.
Fell Hunting Party; Banished Aristocrat, 1d6 Delvers & 1d4 Trophy
22 Hunters Mood: 1-2 Indifferent, hostile if bothered. 3-5 Demands
ransom or attacks. 6 Hostile, waits to ambush.
1d6 Sewer Walrus Mood: 1-3 Irate, attacks to scare off characters.
23
4-6 Hostile, attacks without warning and pursues.
Seething Rabble; 2d6 Mutants and 1d6 Scrapgrafts Mood: Frenzied,
24
attack and pursue anything in their path.
25+ Siltlurker Mood: Hungry and aggressive, attacks to kill and eat.

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•
•
The Waking Wall
Defense: As Plate
Hit Dice: 6HD
• Hit Points: 48
• Move: Double Standard
• Damage: Bite 1d10
• Quantity: Solo
• XP: 900
• Camouflage: When still a Waking
Wall is nearly invisible to the
naked eye, save for the sound of
clicking teeth.
• Wall Glider: The Waking Wall can
travel across any flat surface so
long as they are physically
connected.
• Swallow Whole: A bottomless gut
that is always hungry... As attack,
anyone within arm’s length, save
v. Hold or Breath, Failure:
Swallowed whole and 2d6 damage
each turn until you escape.
• Serrated Teeth: A cruel smile of
sharpened teeth. There is a 1-in-20
chance when the Waking Wall Waking Wall Secrets
deals damage that it snaps off a The walls hear and see everything
random body part, devouring it in the city. They have been listening
with a grin. and observing since the first secret
A silent shape drifts along the was whispered in the dark,
sunless walls as teeth glint in the delighting in the untold and hidden
dim light. The wall parts into a pair truths that built the world above…
of grinning lips, revealing a Those who manage to make contact
monstrous smile of vicious teeth. It with a waking wall and offer it 1d6
hisses in hungry anticipation as a meals’ worth of fresh meat will be
bead of drool drips from its lips… granted a secret about the city.
These cruel and ancient creatures 1d8 Waking Secrets
have stalked the darkest parts of the 1 The illegitimate child of a noble
city since the beginning. The who bears terrible powers.
Waking Wall appears as a 2 Grim revelation of a character’s
disembodied mouth that glides true lineage and parent.
along the broken walls and cavern
floors of the Undercity. A stealthy 3 Location of a secret body that
and cunning predator, it ambushes “guides” city officials.
unaware victims and disappears as 4 The resting place of a heretical
soon as it has had its fill. spellbook fashioned from skin.
5 The name of a cult that seeks to
Despite their cruelty, they are not bring a mighty calamity.
simple monsters. Capable of speech
in many modern and archaic 6 A way to commune with the
languages, they are deviously beating heart of the city.
intelligent with stores of secret and 7 The knowledge of who killed a
profane information. “A pound of loved one.
flesh for a secret,” as the beings 8 The way to seek the Wurm that
mockingly say… sleeps below…

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•
•
Defense: As Leather
Hit Dice: 4HD
Leipodap its next meal. They are solitary
creatures, only congregating during
• Hit Points: 20 the mating season, a dangerous and
• Move: Fly Double Standard mysterious event as few survive
• Damage: Serrated Claws long enough to document the
1d4/1d4/1d4, or Proboscis 1d4 behavior.
and Digestive Fluid The scales on the back of the
• Quantity: Solo, Eclipse 1d6, Leipodap’s wings are almost
or colony 3d6 holographic, allowing for subtle
• XP: 800 shifting of muted colors to assist
• Camouflage: When still and with blending into the environment.
hidden on a wall, a Leipodap is However, their undersides are
nearly invisible to the naked eye, another story altogether: hundreds
save for the smell of rotting cedar. of dizzying colors that shift and
• Digestive Fluid: A fluid meant for blend with the subtlest changes in
dissolving soft flesh and organs. light and movement. When beaten
Save v. Poison every minute, or quickly it overwhelms the visual
suffer 1d4 damage from the acid; synapses of sentient creatures,
this persists for 1d20 minutes. causing them to go comatose for a
• Prismatic Wings: The Leipodap brief period of time. Just long
beats its hypnotic wings furiously. enough for the Leipodap to begin
Anyone within eyesight, save v. digesting and drinking the victims'
Breath. Success: Sickened, the insides.
color is overwhelming. Failure:
Paralyzed as long as you remain
within eyesight.

A low hum in the claustrophobic

dark that is felt but not heard. The
crumbling wall begins to shift, a
creature hidden in plain sight
against the facade. There is a burst
of movement and the air fills
with a deafening buzz. Vision
blurs and consciousness ebbs
away as a kaleidoscope of
violent hypnotic colors pulse
and dance against the wings of
an enormous carnivorous moth.
Rightfully feared, the Leipodap
leaves behind only the desiccated
skin and bones of its victims,
earning them the nickname “Skinner
Moths,” and a reverence typically
only afforded to serial killers.
Standing 8ft tall with a 10ft
wingspan, this giant moth roams the
deep and sunless back alleys
searching for prey. Its mottled
ragged wings mimic the pattern of
ruined brick and crumbling mortar,
providing camouflage as it waits
against building facades to ambush

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•
•
Sewer Walrus
Defense: As Chain
Hit Dice: 8HD
• Hit Points: 40 (Trash King 60)
• Move: Half Standard,
Swim Standard
• Damage: Slam 1d8 and Weighted
Blow, or Tusk Gore 1d10
• Quantity: Solo, Huddle 1d6,
or Beach 3d6 and Trash King
• XP: 1000
• Bull Rush: As Attack, the Sewer
Walrus barrels into opponents
with a fury. If the Sewer Walrus
moves more than 10 feet before
attacking, it may make both a
Slam and a Tusk Gore attack. If
the opponent is knocked down
from the Slam, Tusk Gore does
maximum damage.
• Senses: The sewer walrus is blind,
but can reliably locate prey based
on sound and smell. Grimebenders will intentionally
• Weighted Blow: The Sewer move their hunting grounds to avoid
Walrus throws its full weight into being torn apart by territorial Walrus
its attacks. Save v. Hold or bulls. It is specifically during mating
become knocked down. season that Sewer Walruses are their
Deep throaty bellows reverberate most dangerous, taking over
through the tunnels. A massive beast beaches, murdering trespassers, and
coated in scars and filth drags itself congregating around the largest and
with a pair of flippers. Its face is most powerful males, colloquially
laden with sores and its mouth filled called “Trash Kings.”
with vicious mismatched tusks.
Weighing roughly 2,000 pounds and
measuring 12 feet in length, the
Sewer Walrus Leather
The leather made from the hides of
Sewer Walrus is the vicious, these terrifying beasts have been
diseased, and subterranean known to withstand crossbow bolts;
counterpart to its seaside cousin. just needs a VERY thorough
They have adapted to their cleaning is all…
environment over the countless
generations, evolving powerful Sewer Walrus leather is a prized
mole-like claws to dig out beaches good and is fashioned into
in the crumbling tunnel walls. They everything from sailing rope to
are completely blind, a byproduct of delver boots, all boasting an
a life with little to no sunlight. incredible strength and resilience.
When provoked or in a rut they are Each walrus yields 1d6 yards of hide
incredibly aggressive and territorial, and takes 1 hour to process
wielding their massive weight and Cost, per yard:
face of jagged tusks to brutal effect. Hide: 8/16/80/800 coins
Delvers know to avoid particular Leather*: 15/30/150/1500 coins
areas when Sewer Walrus mating
calls echo through the tunnels and *Must be processed by a Tanner

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•
• Hit Dice: 5HD
Grimebender
Defense: As Hide Roughly the size of fully grown
alligators, Grimbenders are a species
• Hit Points: 30 of predatory salamanders that sport
• Move: Standard, a powerful bite, hooked teeth, and a
Swim Double Standard bioluminescent lure. Capable of
• Damage: Bite 1d10 and prowling the tunnels on foot or
Snaring Teeth swimming through thick sewage
• Quantity: Solo with ease, they make their hunting
• XP: 700 grounds and spawning areas in
• Camouflage: When still and every corner of the Undercity.
hidden in muck, a Grimebender is Predominantly ambush predators,
nearly imperceptible. Grimebenders use the element of
• Lure: An anglerfish-like lure that surprise to take down larger or
glows like a lamp but burns with more dangerous prey. Hiding in the
an odd intensity. Attracts curious muck and waiting for days on end,
and less wise prey, peering they will pick high-traffic areas to
directly into the light makes hunt in, boasting an incredible
vision difficult. memory and sense of direction.
• Snaring Teeth: Grimebender teeth They avoid direct conflict unless
pierce and snare like fish hooks. desperate, choosing to snare their
Save v. Breath or become prey and pull them away from their
grappled. Save v. Hold to escape allies, leading to horrifying stories
or suffer 1d10 damage every turn told by delvers of friends being
as the teeth pierce and tear flesh. dragged away, screaming, into
A light sways lazily in the dark, the dark.
illuminating the soft wet filth that
surrounds it. Something stirs
beneath the light: two beady eyes
Grimlamp
peer out from the grime, rows of The Grimebender’s lure can be
slender hooked teeth seem to twitch harvested and fashioned into a
in the muck, and a large special lantern by most of the
salamander form lies coiled, ready Undercity’s craftsmen.
to snare its prey. Prized by some of the more
disturbed Undercity delvers, it
functions just like a lantern, but is
fueled by blood rather than oil…
Cost: 50/100/500/5000 coins

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Siltlurker

• Defense: As Scale A gentle lapping of waves against a

• Hit Dice: 12HD dirty shoreline is broken by the
• Hit Points: 84 violent propulsion of a gigantic fish
• Move: Half Standard, coming to shore, mouth agape.
Swim Double Standard Behind the rows and rows of
• Damage: Bite 2d10 or serrated teeth and thick mucus-
4 Snaring Tentacles 1d3 covered tentacles that lash out,
• Quantity: Solo trying to grab anything its gaping
• XP: 1500 maw cannot.
• Stunning Blow: Few ambushed Siltlurkers are whale-sized fish that
by the beast realize they’re already haunt the deepest and darkest
dead. Anyone ambushed and waters of the UnderCity. Their long
struck by the Siltlurker while bodies are covered in bony plates
unaware, save v. Hold or be that may see centuries of scars and
stunned for 1d3 turns. nicks. They use their long snouts to
• Swallow Whole: As attack, snap at prey out of the water, their
save v. Hold or Breath, or be stout fins acting as feet to help them
swallowed whole and suffer 3d6 maneuver around while their
damage each turn until you whiskers ooze a sticky resin to trap
escape. escaping quarry.
• Snaring Tentacles: Writhing limbs
coated in ooze. Anyone struck by According to fishermen and
these attacks must save v. Breath trappers, the Siltlurker has a habit of
or become grappled. stealing from nets and capsizing
small vessels to snatch the survivors
from the surface. However, its
beaching technique is what it is best
known for, as few who are surprised
by the creature live to tell of it.

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 THE UNDERCITY

Numenwicht A massive spectral form takes on the

facade of a broken and chipped
statue. Only a thin sensual mouth
remains on its face, belying the
circlet of arms that sprout from
behind it. The air fills with the smell
of blood and a sky before a storm...
Shaped like a holy deity and
embossed with gilt and
gems, the Numenwicht lusts
for the devotion and
religious fervor it once
inspired. Those who
it cannot
subjugate with
its lording
voice it
seeks to
vanquish
with its
godly arsenal.
The Numenwicht is
older than many of the
tunnels and halls of the
Undercity; where it came
from and who gave it life is
• Defense: As Chain unknown. While scholars have
• Hit Dice: 5HD debated its connection with the
• Hit Points: 30 many strange artifacts found
• Move: Fly Standard throughout the Undercity, without
• Damage: 4 As Weapon (2 ranged) the ability to interpret the language
and 2 Spells of the Numenwicht, there is little
• Quantity: Solo hope in understanding its fervent
• XP: 900 quest for worship.
• Command: The spirit demands
obedience and service. As attack,
the Numenwicht may issue a Lodestone Weapons
simple command (kneel, disarm, The ancient weapons and blades of
halt) to be followed. Save v. the Numenwicht are composed of
Charm or obey the command until finely crafted magnetic stone.
a new one is issued. The weapons can be weilded by
• Sovereign Rage: None dare anyone with martial experience,
challenge its reign. Mind-altering while many monsters and magics
spells or magic always fail against have an aversion to the strange
the creature and cause it to fly stone that composes them.
into a blind rage.
• Spells: The Numenwicht knows Cost: As normal weapon x2
Magic Missile 1d4 random spells.

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Mutants
Through pollution, magic or the fell
will of the city, some mortals are
Shademoth
A giant moth with bat-like wings of
twisted into strange and horrifying stretched skin that end in claws.
forms. Many find purpose or Armor: Hide | HD 2 | HP 6
comfort among the Alley-Whelps Claws 1d8 | Move: Fly Standard
and fringe communities, whole Morale: Flees if reduced to less than
others go mad from the change and half HP or battle appears to be lost.
eek out a living as cruel and
dangerous beasts. Verminik
An over-sized vermin with shaggy
Fisken matted fur and humanoid claws.
An enormous amphibious beast, its Armor: Hide | HD 2 | HP 10
face appears as a bloated and Bite & Claws 1d8 | Move: Standard
stretched mortal with pulsing gills.. Frightening Fury: When hostile,
Armor: Hide | HD 2 | HP 12 save v. Madness or become
Bite 1d6 | Move: Standard, frightened for 1d3 turns.
Swim Double Standard Morale: Flees if reduced to less than
Swallow Whole: As attack, save v. half HP or battle appears to be lost.
Hold or be swallowed for 1d6
damage each turn.
Morale: Flees if reduced to less than
half HP or battle appears to be lost.
Fleshweald
A shifting and undulating pile of
flesh and bones that seems to drone.
Armor: None | HD 2 | HP 15
Slam 1d3 | Move: Half Standard
Sticky: There is a 1-in-6 chance any
weapon that strikes this creature
becomes stuck to it, requiring a
strength check to pry it off.
Morale: Flees if reduced to less than
half HP.
Metaroach
A massive four-legged roach, its face
and hands eerily human.
Armor: Scale | HD 3 | HP 12
Bite 1d6 | Move: Climb Standard
Odor: When hostile, save v. Poison
or be sickened for 1d3 minutes.
Morale: Flees if reduced to less than
half HP or battle appears to be lost.
Rootman
A gnarled and twisted tree bearing
painful sullen eyes among its
twisting branches and vines.
Armor: Scale | HD 3 | HP 24
No Attacks| Move: None
Snare: Those within arm’s reach of
a Rootman must save v. Breath or
become grappled and choked each
turn for 2d6 damage.
Morale: Fights to the death.

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 THE UNDERCITY
Short Statblocks
Banished Aristocrat
Nachtwik
Wispy figure that drifts lazily on
absent breezes. A glowing crater sits
Dispossessed and disgraced, with where their face should be…
nothing but the clothes on their back Armor: None | HD 3 | HP 3
and a burning hatred in their heart. No Attacks | Move: Fly Standard
Armor: Brigandine | HD 3 | HP 18 Arcane: Spells cast within eye-sight
Shiv 1d4 | Move: Standard of the Nachtwik backfire or target
Magic: Knows 1d3 random spells the caster instead.
Morale: Flees if reduced to less than Wraith: Cannot be harmed except
half HP or battle appears to be lost. by lodestone or lead instruments.
Morale: Flees if injured.
Chiroharpy
Haunting and beauteous melodies Scrapgrafts
sung by giant bats with the bodies of Limbs and parts, cruelly grafted
feral, hungry mortals. together by the Nobles, now vessels
Armor: Hide | HD 2 | HP 9 for pain and hatred to inhabit.
Claws 1d6 | Move: Fly Standard Armor: Hide | HD 1d6 | HP 6d6
Charming Song: If song is heard, 1d6 Limbs 1d4 | Move: Standard
save v. Charm or become stunned. Stunning Blow: If hit with more
Teamwork: 3 or more Chiroharpies than 3 limbs, save v. Poison or be
may freely grapple and carry stunned for 1d3 rounds.
average sized characters. Death Throes: Makes a full round
Morale: Flees if reduced to less than of attacks upon death.
half HP or battle appears to be lost. Morale: Fights to the death.
Delvers, Merchant, or Trapper Trash Egret
Locals from below or explorers from Fat, stooped birds, often more
above, hellbent on making a name nuisance than threat.
for themselves in the Undercity. Armor: Leather | HD 1 | HP 2
Armor: Chain | HD 2 | HP 12 Beak 1d3 | Move: Fly Half Standard
Blade 1d6 or Bow 1d6 Tempered Beak: Beak attack
Move: Standard ignores non-magical armor.
Morale: Flees if reduced to less than Morale: Flees if harmed.
half HP or battle appears to be lost. Trophy Hunter
Gulper Toad Ruthless hunters from the surface,
Massive squat amphibian with caught in a constant search for
gnarled and tough outer skin that bigger, stronger quarry.
blends seamlessly with its scummy Armor: Chain | HD 4 | HP 24
surrounding. Walrus Gun 2d6 | Move: Standard
Armor: Scale | HD 5 | HP 30 Morale: Flees if reduced to less than
Bite 1d8 | Move: Standard half HP or battle appears to be lost,
Swallow Whole: As attack, save v. 1-in-6 fights to the death.
Hold or be swallowed for 2d6 Wurmtongue
damage each turn. A mortal, marred by the city and
Morale: Flees if reduced to less than bound with a rusted helm, they hiss
half HP, 1-in-6 fights to the death. and thrash with sickening fervor,
Hulking Silverfish whispering chants of the Wurm...
An insect gorged on decaying flesh, Armor: Hide | HD 6 | HP 36
with its tremendous size its appetite Cudgel 1d8/1d8 | Move: Standard
has only increased. Deathless Fervor: When reduced to
Armor: Scale | HD 4 | HP 20 0 HP, remains fighting for 1d3 turns.
Bite 1d6 | Move: Double Standard Possession of the Wurm: Those
Morale: Flees if reduced to less than who touch the blood or spittle of
half HP, 1-in-6 fights to the death. the Wurmtongue risk contracting
Possession of the Wurm (pg. 31).
Morale: Fights to the death.

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THE UNDERCITY

Scarcity and Trade Clothing

Due to the lack of reliable supply Alley-Whelp Cowl 3
lines and resources, prices for goods Protects the face and anonymity.
and services tend to vary wildly in Sneak Boots 10
the Undercity. Padded soles for stealthy movement.
D6 SCARCITY Snare Gloves 20
Covered in small clinging barbs.
1-3 No change in cost.
4-5 Scarce - Cost x2 Tools
6 Desperate - Cost x10 Crawler Mask 30
However, this scarcity price can be Filter/1d6 hrs. 10
circumnavigated with a trade, as Heavy leather mask with goggles
most folks in the Undercity will and a tubed breathing apparatus.
trade goods of equivalent base value Waterproof and airtight, prevents
(or common value if it was from the inhalation of dangerous miasmas
surface). and has an intimidating look.
Deep Compass 50
Hirelings & Services Specially made to tell depth along
Name Base Cost with cardinal directions.
Bootlegger 5 Smelling Salts 2
Maker, purveyor, and transporter of Glass vial of potent chemicals,
strange and unorthodox liquors. awakens unconscious companions.
Delver 3 per Landmark Stink Bomb 5
or Tunnel Causes most vermin and animals to
Adept at guiding folks safely through flee from the smell.
tunnels and landmarks. Armed with Sun Flare 15
climbing gear, lantern, and caving A dangerously powerful flare that
tools. can be struck to fill a room with
Dredger 3 per Landmark brilliant light for 1d6 minutes.
or Tunnel Staring directly at the light causes
Expert on crossing and traveling the blindness for 1d3 hours, while
sludgy waterways. Armed with a tossing one into a fire causes an
small raft, paddles, and tackle box. explosion like a firebomb.
Trophy Hunter 6 per Landmark Vermin-proof bin 25
or Tunnel Waterproof box with clasps and
Capable hunter, able to take down seals to keep food safe from vermin.
or frighten predators. Armed with Walrus Gun 200
lantern, weapons and armor, 2d6 damage/150 feet
including a powerful and loud Powder 10
musket. Slugs 5
Miner 6 per Landmark A powerful weapon, crafted by the
or Tunnel Alley-Whelps and co-opted by trophy
Competent at caving and digging. hunters. Meant for hunting or
Armed with mining tools, lantern, defending against the monsters of
and 1d3 explosives. the Undercity, it is cataclysmically
loud and usually stuns the wielder.
Stewsayer 10
Able to cook and turn even the most
horrid of ingredients into a meal.

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 THE UNDERCITY
Food
Alley Fritter 1
Minced mystery meat, battered and
deep-fried. A culinary and cultural
keystone of the Undercity.
Crawler Stew 1
Made from bits and chunks of every
manner of monster.
Morel Jam 2
Used as a pungent sweetener.
Moss Butter 3
Aromatic and earthy delicacy.
Walrus Jerky 2
Hard and leathery, usually boiled
before eaten.

Drink
Alleyshine 4
A dangerously strong liquor, known
to explode near open flames. Can be
used in place of lamp-oil.
Kvass 1
Bubbly and pleasant beverage made
from cave rye.

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THE UNDERCITY

d50
Undercity Trinkets YOU FIND…
1 Cloudy magnifying glass 26 Sharp angled manacles
2 Metal file 27 Box of wooden shims
3 50 feet of tough rope 28 Animal bell
4 6 stout round jars 29 Chunk of measuring tape
5 Squeaky pulley 30 6 feet of tightly braided cord
6 Dented copper flask 31 4d6 boot strings
7 Bent tin flute 32 Twelve vellum envelopes
8 Tiny case of makeup 33 Grappling hook
Leaky bucket, plugged with a Flattened box of matches
9 34
cork stopper (still functional)
10 Brass doorknob 35 Tin of sticky resin
11 Handful of porcelain buttons 36 Studded leather knife sheath
12 2 feet of fuse string 37 Trolling line with many hooks
13 2d4 grease pencils 38 Tin of white chalk, powdered
14 Ceramic crock 39 Lodestone spike
15 Rusty iron fireplace poker 40 Mismatched boots
16 Box of 2 inch-long staples 41 Set of small copper hooks
17 Head of a hammer 42 Awkwardly shaped bottle
18 Vial of scented oil 43 Tube of purple oil paint
19 Spool of dirty thread 44 Hand drill that sticks
20 Broken spade-head 45 Clump of congealed soap
21 Crusty drinking vessel 46 Pouch of dried medicinal root
22 Jar of tacks 47 Petrified chunk of jerky
Poisonous frog, preserved in a Rusty but serviceable
23 48
sealed jar wood saw
24 Defaced brass statuette 49 Official looking stamp
25 4d6 stout oak stakes 50 3 sq. ft. of metal mesh

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 THE UNDERCITY

d20
Undercity Treasure UNDERCITY TREASURE
Fossilized fairy, pressed into a green-veined rock. The stark outline of the
1
deceased fae still sheds glittering dust…
Pewter and bronze ashtray shaped to look like the foot of a primordial
2
animal. It reeks of brimstone and bile…
Red leather scroll, the paper within is a hardly used calendar with marks
3
on unusual dates…
Long necked pipe with ivory bowl and turquoise inlay shaped like eyes.
4
Whispers can be heard when it is lit…
Ceramic statue of a cat with its paw outstretched and a ruby mouse
5
perched upon it; the cat seems to grin and chuckle when unobserved…
Sharp, distinctive perfume in a small yellow crystal vial carved to look
6
like a rabbit; time seems to slow and grow hazy in its presence…
Crown of fused and rusted nails. Disturbingly sharp and vicious
7
looking, it seems supernaturally keen on drawing blood…
Pair of black silk gloves. Smooth and sleek like oil on the skin, light and
8
vision seem to slide off of them…
Ornate arrowhead with small cameo of a jester carved of aventurine; the
9
arrowhead vibrates in the presence of music…
Large gold coin depicting a gentle-faced ruler. The visage has been
10
scratched out and the coin feels hot to the touch…
Tiny lead-lined rose window. Each petal is an individual piece of hand
11
cut glass; distant shadows and light seem to dance behind the glass…
Tigerwood cane carved to be a phoenix in flight. The cracks and stripes
12
of the wood reveal a small pulsing light coming from within the cane…
Golden ring shaped like a serpent with a carnelian stone in its mouth.
13
An inexplicable desire to wear the ring crosses your mind…
Tarnished silver pocket watch with dozens of curious faces in place
14
of hours or minutes; the watch waits to be wound again…
Gold-plated box, filled with paper-thin ceremonial wafers, and dusted
15
with salt and saffron; a ravenous hunger builds within you…
Wooden earrings shaped like songbirds carrying a cluster of amethyst
16
grapes. Each grape seems to sparkle with a fey light…
Orb of lodestone, carved into a perfect shimmering sphere; it hums
17
with an inexplicable energy…
Wicked and dirty curved knife, its blade jagged with gnarled teeth
18
and pommel etched with a coiling serpent; it casts no shadow…
Old and enormous hammer, made of twisted wrought iron, its shape
19
akin to a gigantic jeweler’s mallet…
Wooden cup of simple make and weathered with age; it’s heavy as
20
lead and cold to the touch; its inside is stained with ancient blood…

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 The Spires

Grandeur beyond what my humble eyes have ever seen before

greeted me on my sojourn into the Spires. No expense was
spared at any point in the design, construction, or
furnishing of the glamorous towers. Some, I was told, even
boasted of solid gold hinges on their doors and silver nails in
their flooring. To think that there are countless numbers of
these vertical palaces is almost beyond my mortal brain.
However, there were innumerable doors I was not permitted
to peek within and hallways that led to unknowable
destinations. The only thing more prevalent in the Spires
than gold and fortune seemed to be mystery and subterfuge.
“Golden Gods,” Xelie A. Larch, Wandering Historian;
Tales of My Travels, Vol II
THE SPIRES

The Spires
High above the city skyline, in
towers that seem to sadistically
pierce the sky, the Nobles dwell in
arrogant splendor...
The Spires are the dwellings of the
all powerful Nobles and their
despotic cast of followers. Clusters
of resplendent towers connected
with bridges rise miles above the
heads of the common folk below.
Their interiors are even more
glamorous, room after room
decorated and filled with the finest
and most decadent furnishings.

Opulence Unchained
Those who dwell within the Spires
want for nothing. These gargantuan
vertical palaces are filled with room
after room of only the finest things
the world has to offer. There is
artwork and culture to be sure, but
only work that would serve to show
off their cultural intellect, and
always locked away so that the
world at large may never know of it.
The ownership of such great and
important things is foremost in the
minds of these elite creatures.

Hedonism Unchecked
Living a world away from the rest of
society and surrounded by all
earthly needs breeds a violent strain
of hedonism. Devoid of sympathy
for the “lesser folk,” the spires are
host to all manner of savage and
sadistic revelry. Those who do not
hold place on the court or perhaps
fall “out of favor” are just as likely to
be the next victim of some
aristocrat’s entertainment.

The Lair of the Nobles

Lording over all, both splendor and
perversion, are the divine Nobles. mortality, instead living a life of
Long ago, these beings accumulated pure indulgence and unchallenged
so much wealth and experienced so tyranny. They stalk the halls of the
many earthly delights that they Spires, sowing fear in all who cross
ascended to monstrous demigods. their path.
The Nobles have eschewed their

138
 THE SPIRES

The Spire Dungeon

The Spires are a collection of mile-
high towers connected by bridges
dangerous environment in the city.
Specially trained guards, paid top
where the aristocracy lives (akin to coin, patrol every hallway; aristocrats,
the the palace of Versailles broken many schooled in magic or swordplay,
into towers). Lording over the spires await the next piece of “sport,” and
are the Nobles, beings that through above all them are Nobles, demigods
extreme wealth and earthly delights made flesh, who are more than happy
have become monstrous demigods. to indulge in violence and sadism.
Many other aristocrats and powerful Moreover, to enter the Spires puts
individuals also take residence within adventurers at immediate risk. Anyone
the spires. who is not personally invited or
Such a location serves as the escorted in is considered a trespasser
centerpiece for the “Spire Dungeon,” and thief. Both of these crimes are
a multi-level collection of towers punishable by death or, at the very
boasting some of the city’s most least, a swift push out the nearest
dangerous adversaries, and its most window…
valuable treasure… However, risking this level of danger
is not without reason. The Spires have
Palace Crawl in the Sky the highest concentration of wealth
and treasure in the entire city. A single
The Spire Dungeon functions as a
series of interconnected rooms either pair of shoes from an aristocrat’s
stacked on top of one another or wardrobe may fetch enough to pay a
traversed by bridge. Each one of these years’ wages, let alone some of the
rooms will contain encounters, magical treasures.
hazards, or oddities similar to the
traditional dungeon-crawl experience. Running the Spires
Unlike the rest of the city that exists For Referees or Gamemasters, the
to be explored or lived within, the Spire Dungeon is run differently than
Spires exist outside of general society. a typical City or Dungeon adventure
Divorced from the crowds and shops and has these key points:
that make up the streets far below, it Getting In - Some Spires have
is an environment with its own rules magical portals that connect to
and ecosystem. While the city may be discreet locations known only to a
able to be “played with,” the Spires are few servants and the Noble.
an environment that must be “fought.” Otherwise, most spires are cut off
It then serves to reason that the Spires from the outside world and the only
are a location to be explored and way in is by scaling or flying the mile-
exploited. Daring heists against the high length of tower to reach the
richest and most dangerous members bridges.
of the city must be planned far in Alarm (pg. 142) - The Spires remain
advance for any hope of success. on high alert, responding to
Once inside, the adventurers will have trespassers with more and more force.
the choice of grabbing only what they Given enough time and trouble, a
“need” or pushing their luck against Noble may even show up to handle it
the dangers inside. As long as the personally…
adventurers have a way into the
Spires, they are capable of planning High Value - All items (except when
their own daring raid. noted) are considered to have opulent
value (pg. 16).
High Danger, High Reward No Access to Services - Unlike the
rest of the city, goods and services can
Before adventurers embark on raids not be quickly purchased. What the
and break-ins, it should be mentioned adventurers arrive with is all they get.
that the Spires serve as the most

139
THE SPIRES

140
 THE SPIRES

The Nobles
Undisputed in their rule, the tyrants 1d8 Noble Desires
shimmer of gold and quicksilver. 1 The complete and total
eradication of a powerful faction
They are… Demigods made flesh, within the city, down to the
the Nobles are the tyrannical beings last life...
that lord over the city. Wielding 2 Procure a priceless and heavily
terrible powers and a vast army of guarded artifact from a deep and
thralls, they command and exploit terrible sanctuary.
the denizens of the city with cruel 3 Slaughter a legendary beast and
impunity. bring its fresh corpse to be ritually
Led by... The “Will” of the City, a “processed”…
gospel they expound upon and 4 Steal a deep and closely guarded
invoke to explain their actions and arcane power from a cabal of
decrees. Whether the “Will” actually powerful and crazed mages.
exists or is merely an excuse for the
callous and self-serving actions of 5 Preform a great and esoteric play,
the Nobles is up for debate. meant to herald a cataclysmic shift
However, some swear on a terrible in the cosmic order.
power, a great being that writhes 6 Find a long-lost god who has
and coils within the depths of grown weak and frightened of the
the city. Nobles.
They can be found… Ruling from 7 Undertake a dangerous rite of
atop the Spires. It is in their throne ritualistic pain and sensory
rooms that the Nobles hold council deprivation that will transport you
and dispense decrees, occasionally to a “realm of piercing truth.”
walking the halls to indulge in some 8 Find the beating heart of the city
corrupt desire. Rarely, they will and return with it intact.
descend into the street below,
escorted by a massive retinue and It is Rumored… While no one
heralded by a grand parade in order knows for certain where the Nobles
to remind the populace of the originated from, there is a myth they
Nobles’ “Right to Rule.” were mortals, once. Rich beyond
any scope of the imagination, they
They can provide… Any mortal reveled in lifetimes of hedonism,
desire, so long as you swear loyalty cruelty, and despotism. Somehow,
to their divine might and prove your be it accident or intent, they shed
worth to them… their mortal bodies, and they were
They desire… While each Noble remade in the image of the treasures
has indulged in nearly every they accrued. Titanic in form and
common vice and delight, there are with powers that should not exist,
more esoteric and clandestine they conquered and enslaved,
desires that lie just out of their building a seat of power upon the
reach, for now… pinnacle of their cruel deeds.

141
THE SPIRES

Exploration & Alarm

Alarm and Encounters
Roll on the Spire Encounter Table
(pg. 150) every hour in the Spires.
The denizens might be ignorant but
they are not stupid. Spending time
and causing trouble in the Spires
alert the denizens and they will in
turn respond with more and more
force.
ALARM is a way to track how much
the Spires have caught on to the
characters’ actions. Over the course
of the adventure the characters will
gain more Alarm, influencing the
encounters they have in the Spires.
If they are not careful, they will alert
the Noble.
Character gain ALARM for:
1 for every room explored
1 for every room looted
1 for every time they are spotted
(unless wearing an appropriate
disguise)
1d3 for every guard killed (unless
properly disposed of)
1d6 for every aristocrat killed
(unless properly disposed of)

Travel & Time in the Spire

Below are travel times and quirks of
exploration in the Spires
Traveling from room to room
takes 10 minutes and always
involves a set of lavish stairs and at
least one doorway.
Traveling from tower to tower
takes 30 minutes, the bridges are
usually 1-2 miles in length.
Searching/looting a room takes Bridges - The bridges that connect
30 minutes since the rooms are the towers are 15ft across and
massive and fully furnished. typically made with smoothed stone.
These speeds are assuming the Anyone who drops off the edge falls
characters are moving slowly and approximately 1 mile and is usually
carefully. A party may double their assumed dead upon impact.
speed but they will gain an extra If you are carrying food onto the
Alarm anytime they would gain it bridge, there is a 3-in-6 chance of
from entering or looting rooms. being attacked by a Dire Pigeon.

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Generating the Spires

A dizzying web of bridges and
towers, the Spires are a chaotic
6. Populate Rooms - For each of
the rooms, roll on the room list
megastructure in every sense. (pg. 145) and record. Some rooms
The following section details a may be duplicates; this is fine as it
method of creating, connecting, and reflects the egotistical whims and
populating a network of gilded lack of foresight of the Nobles.
towers belonging to the Nobles. Spire Complexes - If you wish to
expand the Spire beyond a 6-mile
Generating the Spires hex, repeat the steps for an adjacent
hex and have one of the towers
1. Create the Towers - Roll 1d6 to connect to a tower in the adjacent
determine the amount of towers that hex.
will appear in a 1-mile hex.
3

5 Towers Hex 3 2

2. Drop that number of dice onto a

1
Hex 2
sheet of paper, recording their 3
position and face-up number. 5

3. Each dice represents a tower. Hex 1 4

2
1
The number on the dice determines 3
how many rooms or levels will be 2
present in the tower. 1
4 rooms
3 rooms
5 rooms
1 room
3 rooms
4. For each room, draw a circle
stacked on top of one another,
Rooms in a tower are always
arranged vertically and connected
by stairs.
5. Connect each tower with line, in
the shortest distance. This line
represents a bridge. Bridges should
connect from nearest room to
nearest room.
Tower 3
4
Tower 4 5 Tower 5
3 4
3
2 3
2
1 2
1
1
3
1
2
1 Tower 1
Tower 2

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144
 THE SPIRES

Spire Rooms & Features

“What makes a palace befitting
of a god?” 3 Tea Room - A warm and cozy
room with fine carpeting and a
The following is a list of possible series of chairs and tables. The air
rooms found within the spire. For is filled with dazzling scents.
each room generated, roll a d20 The tea room has a fully stocked
and consult the chart. This can be pantry of decadent pastries and
done before or during a Spire odd sandwiches. There is a
Dungeon adventure. beautiful tea set (1,500 coin) along
with 1d6 of the following teas.
1D20 Spire Rooms 1 Apocryphal Orange - Fruity and
robust with flavor. Fills your head
1 Ballroom - An extravagant room
with a tall ceiling draped in with false visions.
ornamental fabrics. The floor is 2 Grave Dirt - Earthy and strong,
polished to a mirror shine. A band but pleasant (stains the teeth).
can be heard playing nearby. Speak to the dead for 1 minute.
This room plays host to social 3 Alabaster Earl - Chalky and
events and entertainment for the leaves a gritty aftertaste. Lets you
aristocracy. There are 2d6 speak to statues, who are
aristocrats and 4d6 Servants at any typically boorish and bored.
given time and they are distracted 4 Hot Velvet - Less of a taste and
with a: more an electric sensation. Gives
1 Ballroom Dance - A massive a perfect buzz for 5 minutes.
synchronized dance put on by 5 Chai - Smooth and Spicy.
the aristocrats and attendees. The Hits the spot.
movement makes it difficult to
cross the floor (Save v. Breath); 6 Poet’s Delight - Sweet and well-
disturbing the dance causes 1d3 rounded flavor. Allows you to
Alarm. read any language for 1 minute.
2 Impromptu Play - A troupe of
aristocratic hobbyist actors are
4 Treasure Vault - A massive vault
made of pig iron sits recessed into
putting on a poor, over-acted one wall, its surface engraved with
version of a play. The crowd images of wealth.
swoons and awes all the same. This vault guards a massive
3 Raucous Blood-sport - A ring is treasure hoard. 1d4x2 Fists are
formed in the center of the room. posted at all times. Its lock is very
Two servants are being made to challenging to unlock. Inside it
fight to the death while the holds 1d6x500 silver coins in
crowd jeers and places bets. various chests and 1d10 treasures
(pg. 158).
2 Sitting Room - (Not to be confused
with a Parlor Room) A quiet,
private room with reclining couches
and ample seating.
A room for the aristocracy to
escape their busy day of over-
indulgence. There are typically 1d3
volumes of rare scandalous poetry
(1d6x500 each) and a masterwork
instrument (300)

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 THE SPIRES
5 Gallery - A circular room with a
massive chandelier lights a room 7 Menagerie An smelly room with
lavish cages and a floor of straw.
filled with beautiful (if somewhat Beautiful and strange animals
pretentious and gaudy) artwork. lazily plod about the cages
A private collection for the occasionally nibbling on food.
aristocracy’s enjoyment. This A room to display the aristocrats’
collection is: “collection” of exotic animals and
1 Semi-erotic Statuary: Sculptures creatures. The animals are well-fed
of beautiful mortals in perfect but lacking in stimulation and
physique wrestling animals and docile if let out of their cages. They
each other. Each is worth 500 will become hostile and attack if
coin if it is safely moved. threatened or upset and are all
quite deadly.
2 Paintings Upon Paintings: From
floor to ceiling there are
paintings. Every conceivable
8 Bedroom - Lavish drapes and a
beautiful carpet decorate this room.
subject and style is present (but A massive four-post bed sits in the
nearly all contain at least one center with sheets and pillows that
urn). Each painting is worth seem worth a small fortune.
1d3x100 coin. A private bedroom for the
3 Lavish Tapestries: Massive textiles aristocracy. The drapes, carpet, and
hang from the walls, each one bed sheets are worth 100 each and
depicting historical and mythic there is a 1-in-6 chance of the room
figures. They are unwieldy to being occupied by a sleeping
move and are worth 300 aristocrat. Alerting them or waking
coins each. them increases the Alarm by 5.

6 Library - The room is filled from

floor to ceiling with bookshelves,
9 Sauna Room - Steam clouds your
vision and the smell of aromatics
each stocked with beautifully bound wafts through the air. This tiled and
manuscripts and ornate scrolls. low-vaulted room has bathing pools
There are rolling ladders, desks, of various temperatures along with
and busts of historical figures. a large coal furnace for producing
steam and heating the water.
Normally a large repository of
information, the Nobles tend to Used for bathing and relaxing, this
only stock aesthetically pleasing room also contains a cabinet
books or works that make them stocked with an assortment of rare
seem well-read. Searching the oils and perfumes (1d3x100 coin
shelves you find 1d6 books: for the lot). Anyone encountered in
this room is typically in a state of
1-12 Pretty Book: Little literature undress.
value, but a very attractive cover
and gaudy binding. 200 coins.
13-19 Important Book: A famous
and influential work, uncut and
clearly unread. 100 coins or
1d6x100 coin to a collector.
20 Powerful Book: A wizard’s
grimoire OR contains deadly and
incriminating information. Tt’s
uncertain if this was left in the
open on purpose...

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 THE SPIRES
10 Humidor - A cool room with
wooden walls is lined with rows of
1 Taxidermied Animals: The bodies
and heads of exotic animals fill
shelves holding small kegs and the walls and space of this room.
coffers. Each container is filled with Each one is posed to appear
assortments of strong smelling threatening or alive. Small hand-
plants and trimmings. held specimens are worth 100
A private collection of recreational while the larger ones are worth
herbs, gathered from across the 1d6x100 if they can be moved.
land and all of the highest quality 2 Historical Artifacts: Framed
(300 coin a coffer). The collection is documents, pieces of statue, and
predominantly: various pieces of stolen history
1 Vizier's Secret - Crystallized, sit in display cases. There are 1d6
green leaf trimmings for smoking that fetch a price of 500, but
or vaporizing. Calming and doing so marks you as a despised
euphoric sensation, best used criminal of a local culture.
with a hookah. Returning them is greatly
appreciated.
2 Dreamcap - Tiny odd-looking
mushrooms that taste foul when 3 Weapons: Magnificent blades,
eaten or made into tea. Cause shields, and various exotic
vivid religious-like hallucinations weapons are proudly displayed.
for 1d6 hours. There are enough weapons
within this room to put most
3 Cardinal’s Reckoning - Pink and armories to shame with each one
shiny orchids that are tasteless being worth 1d4x50. Moreover,
and sweet smelling. Cause vivid there is a 1-in-6 chance one of
psychedelic hallucinations and them is magical.
sensations along with lowered
inhibitions. 12 Greenhouse - Every wall of this
room is made of frosted glass and
4 Eternal Carousel - Dried, the space is filled with beautiful
fermented-smelling berries, tastes arrangements of plants and trees
bitter and overly sweet when that stretch to the ceiling. The room
eaten. Sends user into an is heavy with moisture and the
overwhelming euphoric mania. smell of fertilizer.
5 Fescus - Powdered and dried A private indoor garden for the
yellow mold, smells of dirt and denizens of the tower. It is host to
can be eaten. Sends users into a beautiful and exotic specimens of
spiraling numbing trance. plants, some of which are only
Typically eaten with a small found within this particular
ritual spoon. greenhouse. A handful of flowers
6 Fairy Lightning - Light Blue and sell for 1d10x10sp while those who
crystalline powder for snorting. have knowledge of plants can find
Excites the senses and fills users a rare specimen of plant worth 500.
with manic energy. Made from
heavily processed fairy bones
making it worth 600.
11 Trophy Room - A cozy room with a
fireplace, the walls are adorned
with trophies and marvelous relics
from faraway places.
A room filled with treasures,
artifacts, or items of interest that
the aristocrats have procured
through misbegotten means. The
room is predominantly filled with:

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 THE SPIRES
13 room
Dressing Room - A clearly private
with multiple doors marked
with seasons and styles. Behind
each door is a massive wardrobe of
dazzling and decadent clothing.
A dressing room for one of the
denizens of the tower. The clothing
is all of the finest make and quality
and can be sold for 1d10x100sp or
adorned as an appropriate disguise.
There is also a team of 1d6
exhausted seamstresses who
are willing to help the
characters in exchange
for an escape from the
spires.
14 Kitchen - An expansive
room filled with prep tables,
iceboxes, and roaring fires. The
kitchen is alive with an army of
chefs frantically preparing some
extravagant meal.
The kitchen is never empty, with
food being prepared at all hours of 16 Dining Hall - An extravagant room
with rows of tables and chairs line
the day for the gluttonous desires this room. The tables are filled with
of the aristocracy. Passing through extravagant culinary displays and
this room is a challenge, due to the the floor is littered with half-eaten
frantic energy of the room, and scraps of the decadent food.
requires three saves v. Breath to
cross. Success means you pass The various meals and feasts are
without trouble, while each failure held within this room. Lavish
raises the Alarm by 1. courses and excessive quantities are
served alongside fine wine and
Bribing the Staff: Bribing the staff liquor. There is a 3-in-6 chance
with fine wine or drink removes anytime the characters enter the
1d6 Alarm for each bottle given room a meal is taking place, with
and a toast is declared in your 3d6 aristocrats cackling, chatting,
honor. and forcefully scarfing down food
Stealing Food: Attempting to sneak and drink.
a bite results with a knife to the
hand for 1d6 damage.
17 Oubliette - A windowless dungeon,
cold, wet, and without light. Cells
15 Parlor Room - (Not to be confused
with a Sitting Room) A quiet,
with iron bars and heavy locks line
the walls.
private room with reclining couches A dungeon reserved for those who
and ample seating. are caught trespassing, stealing, or
A room for the aristocracy to simply displeasing the Noble. The
escape their busy day of over- room is guarded by 1d6 Fists of the
indulgence. There is typically 1d3 City, each with a key to the cells
volumes of rare scandalous poetry and a lantern, the only light in the
(1d6x50sp each) and a masterwork room. There are also 2d20
instrument (300sp) prisoners, willing and ready to
escape with you if given the
opportunity.

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 THE SPIRES
18 Wine Cellar - A dark and cool
room with a vaulted ceiling.
5 Whalewick Stout - A carved ivory
scrimshaw flask. Black as night,
Massive wooden barrels are set into smells of oak and sea salt, tastes
the wall and an enormous cabinet hearty and faintly of chestnut.
of bottles sits at the other end of the The bottles are hand carved by a
wall. single maritime artisan and
A private and well stocked prized by collectors.
collection of wines and liquors for 6 Flower Maiden Soju - A small,
the rulers of the Spires. Everything white porcelain bottle. Colorless,
is of impeccable vintage and age. smells of a field of flowers in full
Searching the room reveals 1d6 bloom. Overwhelming sweetness
bottles and 1d3 casks of: of fruit. Causes colors to seem
1 Satyr’s Downfall Brandy - Red- brighter and the ability to see
tinted glass. The color of cooked faces where there are none (at
apple skins, smells of wild spices, least that’s what everyone else
tastes of honey and revelry. says).
Twist: Drinking this gives Each bottle is worth 200sp.
advantage on any Charisma-based Alternatively, an entire cask is
roll but disadvantage on any worth 2000sp if it can be
other roll. transported safely.
2 Looking Glass Wine - Bottled with
amber glass. Its colors shift from 19 Throne Room - An awe-inspiring
space, the walls are adorned in
blood red to pale gold when magnificent and terrifying
swirled. Its flavor evokes a happy tapestries while the room is
childhood memory and therefore decorated with treasures that defy
tastes different for everyone. reasoning. In the center sits an
3 Gnarlwood Whiskey - Small gray enormous and magnificent throne.
knotted-wood keg. The color of The Noble sits in repose.
dead leaves, smells of burnt This is the throne room for the
wood, tastes of fire and dead Noble of this spire. There are 2d6
trees. Twist: User passes through aristocrats in attendance. If you are
all wooden substances like a spotted, the Noble will personally
ghost for 1d3 hours; they have no attempt to hunt you down.
control of this effect. BEWARE.
4 Green Wilds Absinthe - Black
glass. A deep emerald green, 20 Atrium - A large room with coat
racks and shoe stands. In the center
smells of lightning, the memory of the room sits a single oddly
of the taste vanishes before you simple door connected to nothing.
can recall it. Twist: 1d3 drinks of A magical door that leads to a
this cause your vision to become secret undisclosed location. Can
green-tinted. Another 1d6 drinks serve as a future entrance (or
allow you to see an Emerald escape) from the Spires. There are
Devil; they are sharply dressed 1d4 guards posted in this room at
and an excellent (albeit devious) any given time.
drinking partner. Finishing the
bottle or 13th drink sends you to
a strange fae realm for 13
minutes.

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Spire Encounters
“Those gilded halls crawl with all
manner of monster. Their souls
as hollow and vain as the jewels
Spire Short Statblocks
they adorn themselves in…” Aristocrat, Retainer, or Statesman
Roll on the Draped in resplendent and gaudy
Spire Encounter Table every hour clothing, their expressions and forms
spent inside the Spires. are devious and cruel…
Armor: Brigandine | HD 3 | HP 18
Additional monsters and denizens Sword 1d8 | Move: Standard
have been included in a “Short Magic: Knows 1d3 random spells
Statblock” version. Morale: Flees if reduced to less than
half HP or battle appears to be lost.
Escaped Pet or Hunting Animal
A colorful beast of feathers, fur, and
scales. A collar and bell rings from
within their erratic form.
Armor: Hide | HD 2 | HP 10
Bite 1d6 | Move: Double Standard
Morale: 5-in-6 Flees if injured,
1-in-6 Fights to the death.
Footman
Ostentatious and colorful uniforms.
Their armor and weapons gleam
with cruel authority.
Armor: Chain Shirt | HD 3 | HP 18
Pike 1d10 or Shield and Blade 1d8
or Crossbow 1d8 | Move: Standard
Morale: 5-in-6 Flees if reduced to
less than half HP or half of allies are
killed, 1-in-6 fights to the death.
Head-hunting Aristocrat
Clad in ornate and wicked armor,
their faces are hidden behind
hideous masks. The smell of blood
announces their intent…
Armor: Plate | HD 4 | HP 30
Harpoon 1d10 or Longbow 1d8
Move: Horseback, Double Standard
Net: As Attack, save v. Breath or
become grappled in a net. Two
consecutive checks to escape.
Morale: Fights to the death, only
blood will suffice!
Servant
A tired face and body, wrapped in
the tattered but clean remains of a
servant’s uniform.
Armor: Unarmored | HD 1 | HP 3
Fist or Knife 1d3 | Move: Standard
Morale: 5-in-6 Flees if injured,
1-in-6 Fights to the death.

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 THE SPIRES
Spire Encounters Table
Roll 1d20 and add Alarm every hour
ENCOUNTER AND 1D6 MOOD
1-5 Nothing, all is quiet for now…

6-9 1d6 Servants Mood: 1-3 Willing to assist, for a price 4-5 Curious, but keep their
distance. 6 Calls for aid, 1 Alarm

10-11 Retainer and 1d6 Servants Mood: 1-2 Curious, but keep their distance.
3-4 Retainer is confrontational, demands answers. 5-6 Calls for aid, 1 Alarm

12 Lone Aristocrat Mood: 1-2 Curious, chatty, as long as it’s cordial | 3-4 Bored,
demands entertainment or calls out, 1d3 Alarm | 5-6 Scared, 1d3 Alarm

13 Escaped Pet Mood: 1 Friendly, follows and begs for treats | 2-4 Excitable, very
loud unless pacified, 1 Alarm | 5-6 Foul-tempered, attacks and alerts, 1d3 Alarm

14 1d4 Statesmen Mood: 1-2 Deep in conversation, inattentive | 3-5 Curious,

demands answers or calls for aid, 1d3 Alarm | 6 “Allies” and then betrays soon…

15 Bored Footman Mood: 1-2 Bored, demands entertainment or calls out, 1d3 Alarm
3-4 Confrontational, demands answers, 1d3 Alarm | 5-6 Hostile, 1d3 Alarm

1d3 Curious Aristocrats and 1d10 Servants. Mood: 1-2 Deep in conversation,
16-17 servants exhausted and inattentive | 3-4 Curious, chatty, demands stimulation or
calls out, 1d3 Alarm | 5-6 Confrontational, orders servants to attack 1d3 Alarm

18 Aristocrat and 1d6 Footmen Mood: 1-4 Confrontational, demands answers, 1d3
Alarm | 5-6 Hostile, 1d3 Alarm

19 1d8 Footmen Mood: 1-4 Hostile, attack on sight | 5-6 Hostile, calls for aid and
then attacks 1d3 Alarm

20 Vulpesphinx Mood: 1-3 Bored, demands entertainment, 1d3 Alarm. | 4-6 Hostile

21-22 1d6 Fists of the City Mood: 1-2 Hostile, attacks to kill | 3-6 Hostile, attacks to
subdue.

23 1d10 Angry Aristocrats Mood: 1-2 More bark than bite, will only attack if
characters attack first. | 3-5 Confrontational, charge in, but will retreat once 1d3
of them die. | 6 Mad as hell, fights to the death.

24-25 False Scion Mood: 1-2 Scheming, offers choice: become one of their thralls or die
3-4 Hostile, attacks to subdue. | 3-4 Hostile, attacks to kill.

1d8 Head-hunting Aristocrats and 2d6 Hunting Animals Mood: 1-3: Blows a horn
26 to announce they will give the characters a 10 minute head start before they hunt
them. | 4-5 Attempt to net and kidnap a character alive for some dark purpose...
| 6 Vainglorious, alerts others before charging, 1d6 Alarm.

27-28 2d6 Fists of the City with kill order Mood: Hostile, attacks to kill.

29 False Scion and 1d10 Aristocrat Thralls Mood: Hostile, attacks to kill.

30+ The Noble Mood: Kill the intruders.

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THE SPIRES

FALSE SCION
•
•
Defense: As Chain
Hit Dice: 10HD
• Hit Points: 65
• Move: Standard
• Damage: 2x As Weapon
• Quantity: Solo, Cabal 1 & 1d10
Aristocrats
• XP: 2000
• Bastard’s Fury: Ferocious and
primal power lies within them.
Each False Scion weilds one of the
following as an attack.
1 Scathing Anger - All within
arms’ reach, save v. Breath or
suffer 2d6 fire damage.
2 Chilling Gaze - Character within
eyesight, save v. Breath or suffer
2d6 cold damage and become
frozen in place. Must break free.
3 Piercing Scream - All within
60ft., save v. Poison or go deaf
for 1d6 hours. All non-magical
glass or ceramic shatters.
4 Burning Words - An object of
the Scion’s choosing bursts into
flame. Deals 2d6 fire damage
every turn until extinguished.
5 Frightening Tone - All within
earshot, save versus madness or
become compelled to flee to the
nearest exit.
6 Commanding Presence - Allies
within eyesight of the False
Scion are compelled to fight to
the bitter end. They will never
flee and have a 1-in-6 chance of
shrugging off death.
• Spells: False Scions are potent
spellcasters. 2d6 random spells.
• Volatile: Their powers are
dangerous, even in death. When a
False Scion is killed there is a
1-in-2 chance that the remainder
of their power is unleashed in a
cataclysmic reaction. Everyone
within 30ft save v. Breath,
Success: 5d6 damage and blinded
for 1d4 hours. Failure: 5d20
damage and blinded permanently.

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 THE SPIRES
A faint tremble in the air, the smell
of burning copper, and the rustle of
armor and delicate fabrics. A
False Scion Schemes
False Scions are tyrannical monsters
mortal form, elegant and strong,
through and through, but they are
cloaked in burning light and royal
not above an advantageous alliance.
garb steps into view. Their gaze feels
hot while the space churns with a When encountered (and in a good
raw and vicious energy. mood), they may be willing to
involve the characters in their
The False Scions appear as
scheme. Provided the characters
aristocrats, wreathed in magical
prove their worth and remain
flame and standing a head higher
useful, they will periodically task
than most mortals. Dressed in both
them with secret assignments and
splendid armor and the latest
provide handsome rewards if
fashions, they are foul-tempered
completed.
and arrogant lords who rule over
vast swaths of the city and are
beholden only to their Noble. Schemes and Assignments
Their birth or creation is shrouded
in mystery. Rumors abound that
1 Find a secret for leverage -
Discover and deliver a dangerous
they are the bastard offspring of or scandalous secret.
Nobles and mortals, while others
speculate they are mortals who 2 Violently depose of their
competitor - Kill a rival False Scion.
tried and failed to become true
Nobles. In any case, all hold high 3 Put financial pressure against
their Noble - Rob 1d4 Treasure
positions of power, are schooled in Vaults in the Spires.
a vast array of subjects and
etiquette, and are sworn to serve
their Noble.
4 Spread Misinformation - Convince
3d10 aristocrats of a particular lie.
When not attending to matters of
house, indulging in recreation, or
5 Amass magical power - Procure
1d10 spellbooks or dangerous
undertaking special orders; they are artifacts.
actively scheming against their
superiors. Publicly, they are loyal 6 Find useful thralls - Kidnap and
deliver (alive) 1d10 Aristocrats.
and competent subjects of their
Noble, but behind the sycophantic 7 Gain a sample of their Master’s
power - Procure a single drop of a
praise lies a fierce and violent envy. Noble’s blood.
All False Scions know they will
never rule unchecked, always
answering to their Nobles, and so
8 “Clean House” - Kill or remove
every resident of a single tower.
they plot and plan in the dark,
preparing for the perfect moment to
overthrow their masters and rule in
their place…

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THE SPIRES

•
THE NOBLE
Defense: As Plate
• Hit Dice: 20HD
• Hit Points: 200
• Move: Standard
• Damage:
3x Giant Weapon 2d10
• Quantity: Solo
• XP: 3000

Allegiance of Gold : Nobles

bend the minds of the wealthy.
Once per day, the Noble may
issue an offer to join them in
infinite decadence. To anyone
listening, there is a 1-in-100
chance that they will fall under
their control as if under a curse.
This chance is increased by 1 for
every 100 coins of wealth or
treasure the listener is carrying.

Spells: Nobles are schooled in the

ways of magic. Nobles cast spells
as level 10 Wizards and can cast
at will:
Detect Magic, Magic Missile, See
Invisibility, and Zone of Truth

A monster that stands as tall as a

tree, resembling a god-king made
of gold and jewels, adorned in the
finest of cloth. Its face is shaped to
appear calm and benevolent, but
its eyes reveal nothing but malice
and sadism. This is the Noble of
this Spire, and they do not tolerate
unwelcome guests.
The most dangerous singular
beings in the city. Ruling over a
vast army of terrified subjects and
acting with impunity in all things,
they delight in their tyrannical
power. While loathe to face
opponents themselves, they gain
no small joy in reminding the
“lesser beings” of their
unquestionable power.

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 THE SPIRES
THE POWER OF A NOBLE
In addition to being powerful
4 The Silvertongue - The greatest of
diplomats and fiercest of speakers.
Anytime they speak, all within
monster’s in their own right, each earshot must save v. Charm or
Noble has its own unique title and become affected with a Charm spell.
wields a specific power that is linked
to their namesake. 5 The Diamond Faces - The bending
of light to suit their appearance. At
will, the Noble may change their
1d10 They are... size, physical appearance, and voice
1 Lord of Lords to anything they desire. This power
only subsides on death.
2 Lead-Cast Duchess
3 Shade-Twinned Baron 6 The Cloistered Perfume -
Miraculous scents, the mind cannot
4 Pale Countess comprehend. Anyone within striking
5 Unbroken Earl distance of the Noble must save v.
6 Thrice-Pious Heirophant Poison or be overcome with
hallucinations and sensory overload.
7 Carmine Tyrant Anytime they attack there is a 3-in-6
8 Shimmering Empress chance they strike at an imaginary
9 Black Star Duke foe or their own compatriot.
10 Exalted Baron 7 The Hands of Greed - Shining
hands that fill hearts with want.
1d10 Their Deed is... Every turn, characters must save v.
Madness or be overcome with greed
1 Devourer of the False Moon and attempt to violently steal from
2 Breaker of the Low-Born the nearest character.
3 Painter of the Undercity
4 The Hammer of the Wurm
8 The Will of the Wurm - The City
speaks through them… Once per
day, the Noble may issue a single
5 Seeker of the Piercing Realm decree. Those who fail to cover
6 Herald of the Golden Chapter their ears in time will be compelled
7 Speaker of the Beetle to follow the decree, even in death.
8 Courtier of the Fleeing God
9 Child of the Jeweled Will KILLING A NOBLE
10 Supplicant of the First Coin Noble’s bodies are made of living
precious metal and jewelry.
1d8 They Wield... If characters somehow manage to
kill a Noble, they can butcher its
1 The Sun-Star Gaze - Eyes that burn
with solar will. Those caught in the
corpse and sell the parts. Each
noble has 1d10 body parts.
Noble’s gaze suffer 2d6 fire damage
every turn and must save v. Breath 2d6 This is… Worth
to avoid catching fire. 1-6 Quicksilver Blood (dram) 2,000
2 The Sadim Touch - That which they
touch turns to gold. Their touch
7-8 Skin Porcelain
9 Sinew-Silk
4,000
6,000
functions as a petrify spell. Save v.
Breath or be turned to gold. 10 Gilded Veins 10,000
11 Diamond Bones 20,000
3 The Tears of Pearl - Baleful and
beautiful tears, their anguish 12 Rubyflesh Heart 30,000
spreads. Anytime the Noble is In addition, the object of power
injured there is a 1-in-20 chance
they unleash a baleful scream; save may be taken from their body and
v. Breath Fail: 5d6 sonic damage. devoured, permanently granting the
Pass: Half damage. eater the same power.

155
THE SPIRES

•
•
Defense: As Hide
Hit Dice: 9HD
VULPESPHINX of the Spires. Adorned in jewelry to
match their prismatic coats of fur,
• Hit Points: 45 they are powerful indifferent
• Move: Double Standard creatures equally prone to bouts of
• Damage: Bejeweled Claws curious intrigue or sadistic cruelty.
1d8/1d8, Serrated Bite 1d12 When they speak, it is always tinged
• Quantity: Solo with the threat of violence…
• XP: 1400 Part guard animals and part
• Fragrance: A fragrant aura that esteemed guests, the Vulpesphinxes
holds sway over mortal minds. were invited into the Spires by
The Vulpesphinx constantly emits Nobles long ago. They make full
a natural perfume that has a range of the rooms much like a
number of possible effects. They house-cat would, going where they
may only emit one scent at a time. please and doing whatever
- Sleep - Smells of rain and cinder, entertains them. However, they are
save v. Poison or fall asleep for afforded the respect of powerful
1d3 hours. lords, spending their days toying
- Charm - Smells of wine and with residents, lounging in parlors,
honey, save v. Charm or become dining on the finest of cuisine, and
highly suggestible (per a Charm hunting servants like mice.
spell) for 1d3 hours.
- Fear - Stings of blood and
lightning, save v. Madness or
become compelled to flee.
- Sick - Reeks of refuse and pus,
save v. Poison or become
sickened for 1d6 minutes.
• Dominating Gaze: Their eyes
dance and swirl with hideous
power. Anyone who meets the
gaze of a Vulpesphinx must save
v. Breath. Success: Feel slightly
nauseous, but unaffected.
Fail: Fall under the control of the
Vulpesphinx entirely for 1d3
minutes. Obscuring vision
provides advantage on the save,
while viewing with a mirror
protects the adventurer entirely.
Metal and gemstone click against
marble floor. A wave of fragrant air
unfurls like a carpet before the
enormous feline creature. Its body is
lithe and powerful, adorned in
beautiful jewelry. Terrible and
elegant, its vixen face rises 10 feet
off the ground while its eyes dance
with an intelligent malice.
Weighing twice as much as a lion
and standing twice as tall as many
mortals, the Vulpesphinx is a
dangerous and intelligent predator

156
 THE SPIRES

"You Spot an Aristocrat"

D20 MANNER GARB ADORNMENT
Coin-head, speaks in Matte black cloth and A terrifyingly tight
1
business words only. veil that eats light. bodice.
Torpid, loathe to Aquamarine scales, A hat far too tall to be
2
action or speech. like a shiny metal fish. practical.
Paranoid, fears friend Stripes of every color,
3 Long pointy shoes.
and enemy equally. like a horrid rainbow.
Rat, snivels and pleads Piles of frilled lace Porcelain mask with a
4
until they can escape. cover every inch. sneering grin.
Deluded, believes Business formal, dyed Cane made from a
5
themselves immortal. a shiny cobalt hue. mortal spine.
Bone white cloth with Rusted sword,
Paper-skin, tough
6 crimson piping, like a belonged to someone
until pressured.
bloodied vampire. more important.
Wolf, silent and Robe studded with Delicate wooden
7
vicious in all things. thousands of gems. mask, sorrowful face.
Slipping, sweaty, and Crimson and puffy, Bejeweled holy book,
8
always flustered. like a fancy rose. constantly perusing.
Cunning, dangerous, Skins and pelt from Skin-tight crimson
9
uses calculated words. every possible beast. dyed leather gloves.
Jester, takes nothing Gold EVERYTHING, A bronze death-mask,
10
seriously, giggles a lot. smells of fumes. worn as a helmet.
Sanguine, angry and Piles of jingling Slippers made of
11
foul-tempered. jewelry, body hidden. crystal, look painful.
Dressed to resemble a
Superior, thinks Painted mortal skull,
12 sphinx including
themselves perfect. worn as a necklace.
paper wings.
Wild, ragged with rev- Shimmering reds and Drinking goblet,
13
elry and merriment. black, like a fire. stained with wine.
Pinch, tight and Royal blues and silver Small rare bird, kept
14
haughty, scowls a lot. in a twisting pattern. on a thin silver chain.
Bummer, nihilist who Ill-fitted knight armor Immaculate tapestry,
15
spreads bitterness. of brass and satin. made into a cape.
Peacock, thinks them- Brilliant white and Bejeweled rings, too
16
self a thespian, loud. impossibly clean. many to count.
Dressed in “common
Sour, nothing is good An antique knife,
17 folk” clothing, not
enough for them. constantly tossing it.
fooling anyone.
Spaced, glassy-eyed Luscious satin robes, A crystal ball they
18
words and logic. the colors shifting. periodically consult.
Sadist, lies and hurts Inverted colors, split Painted fan they use
19
for cheap laughs. down the middle. to hide their mouth.
Regal, demands Snakeskin shoes, belt Crown made of
20
respect and authority. and nothing else… delicate gold foil.

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THE SPIRES

Treasures
The wealth of the Spires is endless,
from the decor to the tableware.
1
2
3
TREASURE
Dinner Plate - 200
Wall Sconce - 200
Servant’s Bell - 200
Few who live here have any concept 4 Cutlery - 200
of taste, making purchases and 5 Ashtray - 200
commissions based on how 6 Letter Opener - 200
expensive or shiny a particular
object is. 7 Book Ends - 200
Adventurers gain treasures from 8 Buckle - 225
the Spires in the following ways: 9 Card Tin - 225
Looting a Room - The deeper into 10 Inkwell - 250
the Spires, the greater the treasures.
When looting a room, roll d20 and 11 Decanter - 300
add the number of rooms previously 12 Knife - 300
explored.
13 Chamber Pot - 300
Robbing an Aristocrat - Aristocrats
are constantly pilfering treasures 14 Candlestick Holder - 400
from the Spires; sometimes to hide 15 Hand Mirror - 450
from intruders, other times it’s just
opportunistic petty theft. When 16 Parasol - 450
robbing a living (or dead) aristocrat, 17 Bird Cage - 450
roll d10 and add the current alarm. 18 Codpiece - 475
19 Ring - 500
20 Earrings - 500
21 Brooch - 550
22 Bracelet - 600
23 Spectacles - 650
24 Snuff Box - 700
25 Walking Cane - 750
26 Vase - 1,000
27 Figurine - 1,000
28 Portrait Locket - 1,250
29 Tea Set - 1,500
30 Mystery Piercing… - 1,500
31 Necklace - 2,000
32 Goblet - 3,000
33 Pocket Watch - 3,500
34 Grimoire - 4,500
35 Decorative Egg - 5,000
36 Music Box - 6,000
37 Scepter - 7,00
38 Crown - 8,000
39 Tiara - 8,000
40 Reliquary - 10,000

158
 THE SPIRES
d20 MATERIAL ADORNMENT MAGIC?
Crystal, cut with Studded with dozens of
1
intricate precision. pale-blue moonstone.
Pewter, etched with Panels of carved opal,
2
impossible detail. portraits of cruel faces.
Bone, a single piece Ivory panels, carved to
3
from a great beast. show great horned beasts.
Ivory, perfectly fused Inlay of golden figures,
4
and delicately carved. sculpted as savage animals.
Stained oak, inlaid Corners and edges
5
with painted lacquer. accented with platinum.
Blown glass, rainbows Dazzling array of rainbow
6
of shifting colors. gemstones set in a circle.
Jade, a brilliant and Painting of an aristocrats
7 None
mesmerizing green. face, inset with gold edges.
Bronze, etched and Demonic visage carved of
8
polished like gold. bone with ruby eyes.
Porcelain, brilliant Tempera painted scenes of
9
white and smooth. aristocrats hunting snails.
Wootz steel, patterns Studded with amber beads,
10
and bands like water. fairies trapped within.
Copper bands, coiled Obsidian skulls the size of
11
and woven like reed. peas line the edges.
Tin, inlaid with gold Dozens of emeralds,
12
and intricate design. spelling out a house name.
Brass, tinted to a Ancient gold coins, fused
13
shimmering magenta. on and used as accents.
Gold-leafed wood, Sheet music of a macabre
14
perfectly smooth. song, made of silver inlay.
Yes, but only
Marble, many colors Decaying teeth, a warlord’s cosmetic
15
like rainbow waves. name carved into them. Glows,
Solid silver, polished Dozens of pearls held with changes
16 color, shoots
to a mirror sheen. electrum settings.
sparks, etc.
Birch-wood, inlaid Glittering diamonds set
17
with mithril filigree. into the edges like studs.
Cinnabar, drilled with Rare butterflies and moths
18
life-like shapes. lacquered to the surface. 1 Random
Onyx, appears to Resin and lapis lazuli Spell
19
swallow the light. pictographs of debauchery.
Stoneware, with raw A topaz relief of the Spires 1d3 Random
20
and primitive glazes. being constructed. Spells

159
Cultivist District

Laid out before me, the Cultivist District glittered like an

uncut gem. Towering facades drenched in wisteria and ivy,
glistening panes of glass set delicately within one another
created splashes of color on the cobblestones like puddles of
rainbows. With air filled by the scent of a thousand roses and
the gentle caress of silken leaves one can be forgiven for
thinking that beauty creates beauty. Beneath the lush
gardens and sparkling streets there is the wet and decaying
compost from which this viridian daydream ascends; the
glamor is watered with blood. For every delicate butterfly
there is a ravenous worm.
“A Serpent’s Garden,” Xelie A. Larch, Wandering Historian;
Tales of My Travels, Vol II
THE CULTIVIST DISTRICT

Cultivists
The air is thick with a haze of
pollen, clouds of busy insects scatter
through the air, and streets of
heliotropic moss are flanked by
rows of blossoming manicured
trees. This is the Cultivist District, a
two-faced oasis of green in a sea of
grey cobblestone.

A Paradise of Growth
None who walk the streets of the
Cultivist District can escape its
entrancing beauty. From the
glittering greenhouse palaces to the
streets covered in prismatic moss,
the place is crawling with beautiful,
manicured life. Its awe-inspiring
beauty is noted by every member of
society, with the affluent enviously
fighting for real-estate, while
common folk dream of seeing its
growing towers and streets of
blossoming moss. Those looking on
from the outside would dare to call
it a paradise.

And a Dungeon of Rot

Yet, this beauty is enjoyed only by
those with the means to live a life of
leisure. The manicured beauty and
artificial prosperity of the Cultivist
District is maintained through an
exploited subterranean labor force.
Common folk are promised housing
and wages, so long as they agree to
work as composters and gardeners;
too late do folks realize it as a life of
indentured servitude, with only
enough pay to survive with little
chance to even escape. Those who
fail to meet rigorous quotas are sent
to the composting pits, vast
cavernous piles where every scrap
of biological waste is recycled, even blossoming flower, who rule the
the bodies of those working it... tallest branches and lowest
composting pits. They are adored
Ruled by the Changed and feared, carefully manicuring and
pruning the city as they see fit. To
The Cultivist District is home to a them everything must be perfect,
uniquely insidious mutation. Known and they will go to any length to
as the Changed, they are the ensure that the glamour of
beautiful fey nobles, part insect, part perfection does not wane...

162
 THE CULTIVIST DISTRICT
Features & Issues
The following lists may be used in
3 Hive Residences - High density
residences, built by the armies of
trained wasps. They appear as
massive, bulbous structures, made
place of the normal features and
from a mottled grey paper. Their
issues lists on pg. 73.
insides are tight, winding tunnels
and they house thousands of folks
1d10 Cultivist Features within their cavernous forms.
Every inch of the Cultivist District is
crawling with both malevolent and
4 Hedgerow Garden - The street-plan
has been styled like some enormous
benign life. Whether it is a beautiful hedgerow garden. Tall, perfectly
greenhouse or a composting pit, the manicured hedges and flower
skewed cycle of life and death is on bushes form a beautiful geometric
full display. maze. Those not local to the area
tend to get lost easily, and less
1 Greenhouse Palace - The entire
area is enclosed within a
savory individuals will capitalize on
this...
shimmering glass complex. The air
is thick with moisture and
sometimes difficult to breathe,
5 Green Market - A sprawling plaza
decorated with glittering mosaics is
always just hot enough for the home to countless vendors and
plants within to reach their full tents, each one sporting an emerald
potential; mortals make do. green top. This is the legendary
Green Market, not just the greatest
1 Eternal Bloom - The greenhouse is fruit and produce, but every
in eternal bloom. Tourists flock possible herb, spice, and herbal
from all corners to see this remedy. If it was grown, it can be
evergreen paradise. Food, flowers found here, for a price...
and tea are plentiful.
2 Vivarium - This is a grand closed 6 Compost Site - The surface is
dotted with tall featureless towers
terrarium, the folks inside its that lazily belch heated air, while
subjects. No one is allowed in or carts dump green waste into wide
out, with escape attempts featureless pits. Below is a world of
constantly underway. cruel industry, layer upon layer of
3 Nocturnal - The glass is tinted, workers tilling, sorting, and
plunging the greenhouse into an processing the decaying waste into
eternal night. Glowing plants, usable compost. Nothing goes to
enormous moths and swarms of waste, not even the dead...
bats fill its skies.
2 Growing Tower - Stretching up to
7 Mushroom Warehouses - The smell
of exotic manure and rich loam
the sky, a tower of pumice stone wafts through the air. Massive
and woven trees blossoms in the wooden warehouses house vast
light. Each level sports a hanging nocturnal fields of mushrooms.
garden, tended to by specialized and 1 Glowing - The interior is filled
highly-trained gardeners. with a pulsing bio-luminescent
1 Flowers - The tower blossoms with glow. Mushrooms as bright as
every color on the spectrum, from lanterns are grown and sold here.
common bouquet flowers to rare 2 Food - Mushrooms as fat as hogs
and extraordinary specimens. are grown and harvested, as well
2 Fruits - The air smells sweet and as pungent and expensive truffles
rich. Bushes and trees are laden for the affluent chefs.
with the sweetest, strangest fruits. 3 Rare - Under heavy security.
3 Tea - Strange and powerful Inside rare medicines, dangerous
aromas waft from this tower in poisons, and powerful
miles. This tower boasts a fine tea psychedelics are crafted from the
market and opulent tea houses. mushrooms grown within.

163
 THE CULTIVIST DISTRICT
8 Marshland Streets - Water is
pumped to cascading fountains, and 2 Spore Bloom - The ubiquitous
fungal life is in full bloom, filling
the streets have been turned into an the air with billions of microscopic
artificial wetlands. Dazzling wildlife spores. Mostly they just trigger
and colorful aquatic plants grow allergies, but rare and truly
thick and bountiful, while vibrant dangerous spores tend to mix in...
gondolas serve as transportation to
those who can afford it. 3 Sinking Buildings - The rich fertile
soil beneath has begun to give way.
9 Weaver District - Gossamer silk
drifts through the air, and large
Entire blocks are beginning to sink
into the soft earth, at risk of being
secretive workshops quietly work buried and composted.
behind closed doors. The finest
garments and textiles are produced 4 Kudzu Takeover - Thick green vines
of kudzu cover nearly every inch of
here; however, trade secrets are architecture. The coiling, climbing
guarded on penalty of death. plant grows rapidly, threatening to
1 Worm-silk - Rich shimmering bury everything in green.
cloth, prized by Nobles and
clothiers, is produced in 5 Treebourne Disease - Unnoticed
until it was too late, certain species
bolts here. of structural trees have been
2 Spider-silk - Coils of pale tensile infected. It is only a matter of time
twine and rope is sold to builders before they die and collapse.
and boatswains. Weighing next to
nothing, some claim it is stronger 6 Pollen Winds - The air is choked
with a thick ochre fog. Pollen,
than iron chains. sometimes an inch thick, coats the
3 Lotus-silk - Sold only to priests city, forcing folks to wear makeshift
and esoteric disciples, this fine masks and goggles just to breathe.
delicate cloth is the rarest yet,
even out of reach of the envious 7 Tranquility Officers - Officials in
beautiful armor patrol the streets,
Nobles. ensuring beautification codes are
10 Methane Balloons - Enormous
decorated blimps hang in the air.
kept and “peace” is maintained.
Disturbing the tranquility is met
Messes of tubes sprout from its with severe punishments.
body like countless strands of
intestine. Methane gas from the 8 Hallucinogenic Water - Accidental
exposure or intentional tampering
compost pits below is pumped into has tainted the water with
these airborne repositories, then psychotropics. Mild doses are an
distributed to the distant regions of annoyance, but heavy doses are
the city as natural gas. dangerous.

1d10 Cultivist Issues 9 Composting Expansion - Vents are

built above and caverns dug below,
The blossoming green streets are far the area being slated for a new
from a paradise to those who live in composting site. The citizens
them. Nobles desire perfection and worryingly joke: “perhaps they’ll
beauty while every inch of the city join the compost below...”
seethes with dangerous life. 10 Beautification Codes - Severe new
1 Kquarl Infestation - Street after
street is crawling with voracious
laws dictating fashion standards and
exterior building styles have been
destructive life. A massive declared. Affluent members marvel
infestation of Kquarl (pg. 178) at the new beauty, while common
threatens the lives and homes of folk fear eviction.
everyone living here.

164
 THE CULTIVIST DISTRICT
Factions and NPCs
Nobles above attempt to enforce
their “beauty” upon the city, while
Nobles below ensure that
undesirables are “pruned” and
recycled. Meanwhile, common folk
and druids attempt to break away,
establishing self-sufficient
communes away from the prying
eyes of the guards and rulers.

The Emerald Court

A ruling house of changed
aristocrats, obsessed with cultivating
the perfect beauty.
They are… Aristocrats who have
been changed under the patronage
of their leader. They now serve their
will and do everything in their
power to “prune, weed, and shape”
the district and its inhabitants into a
more pleasing form.
Led by... Verdigris Glamour, a
changed being of vibrant petals and
glittering chitin; their glamour and
beauty is unmatched. They act with
graceful movements and delicate
words, even as they order secret
executions and the demolitions of
residences.
They can be found… The House
of Jade, a towering greenhouse
fortress of stained glass, gold leaf,
and carved jade. The administration
operates from this place and serves
as the “ideal standard” of beauty
that they demand their subjects
aspire too.
They can provide… Wealth and
real estate are commonly traded. For
those with more aggressive
appetites, they can sponsor a
mortal’s ascension through the
Bloom (pg. 177).
They desire… assistance with the
rival powers and complacent
administrators who deny or slow the
changes to the city.
It is rumored… Nepotism runs
rampant in the court, putting idiot
sycophants in places of power. The
court needs to be pruned of such
rotten fruit...

165
THE CULTIVIST DISTRICT
The Million Strands
A massive subterranean composting
network, lorded over by a
Machiavellian demigod.
They are… Countless workers,
supervisors, and beasts that toil in
the dark below. Tasked with
breaking down and repurposing the
countless tonnes of waste that the
city produces, even bodies are
recycled to feed the demands of the
district’s many beautification
The Mulchwood Circle
projects. Druids and farmers who escaped the
indentured servitude and seek to
Led by... Weeping Silk, a changed break others out as well.
Noble whose body is stretched into
miles of twitching fungal filament. They are… communal druids and
They are cunning without compare farmers seeking to break out of the
and seem to wield great power over exploitation of the Cultivist rulers.
the other Nobles within the district. They form and tend illegal farms
They can be found… The Wanting and greenhouses.
Hive - An underground disposal Led by... Doursod, a druid who
system with countless tunnels and escaped from the mulch pits and
access points across the city. now fosters hidden anarchist
Resembling a colossal ant colony, communes throughout the city.
Weeping Silk resides in the deepest Never far from his magical spade, he
point, directing the actions from speaks plainly and openly, never
their cavernous sanctum. holding secrets and trusting only
They can provide… All manner of those who prove to be competent
unseen riches that find their way and honest.
into the composting piles, that and They can be found… The Hidden
access to forbidden powers known Grove - an expansive tiered farming
only to the fungal life within… commune that vanishes and
They desire… “Pruning” lords who reappears throughout the city.
draw too deeply from their supplies Created and protected by the many
or securing fertile and decaying druids within the Mulchwood Circle,
places to be harvested and recycled. it feeds those in need and offers a
place for those looking to escape
It is rumored… As the Million the city.
Strands grow in power, Weeping
Silk may make a play for greater They can provide… A safe hideout
power, to rule from below and and access to rare and powerful
above unequaled… plants.
They desire… help establishing and
maintaining their secret communes.
Competent hands are always
welcome to help, but new and safe
places to establish secret gardens
are preferred.
It is rumored… Various members
of the Circle are stockpiling massive
amounts of goods outside of
agriculture. Tools, weapons, building
materials – all in preparation for
establishing a true autonomous zone
within the city.

166
 THE CULTIVIST DISTRICT

Jesop Van’Alderberry has been a Amaranthé has been the Chief

staunch supporter of the Nobility in Warden of the Hives since her
the Cultivist District. Their personal mother bequeathed the title to her
transformation has been marked by fifty years ago. As a fluent
glorious foliage and eyes that can practitioner of the honey-speech,
see through many things, including she is able to orchestrate a variety
falsehoods. A patron of the arts in of highly organized events with a
the district, their influence can be whisper to her insect compatriots.
seen in many of the sculptures However, she has recently gotten
depicting the Nobility. into hot water over inflammatory
remarks about insecticide usage.

Herrod Smunglefoot is a self- Grandmaster Clique is a poet,

professed “savant of compost.” With scholar, bard, and an important
one sniff he can tell you its member of the underground artist
contents, its age, the micro- scene. Preforming in secret with the
organisms that are most prevalent, band “The Chitinous Crew,” his
and most importantly, how valuable shows act as safe havens for
it is. He does have the unfortunate anarchists and anti-noble
habit of being very addicted to sympathizers. While he calls himself
smoking pulped sneedgrass which an artist first, he is a vociferous and
makes his breath and the compost astute opponent of the Nobility, and
he investigates smell the same. not opposed to direct action.

167
THE CULTIVIST DISTRICT

Cultivist Goods & Services

Blooming with life both large and
small, the Cultivist District boasts a Tools
culture of goods and services meant Beekeeper Suit 20 /40/200 /2000
to maintain, coexist with, and Exterminator
survive the verdant overgrowth. Suit 25 /50/100 /1000
Poison Ring 10 /20/100 /1001
Hirelings Smoker, Bellow 12 /24/120 /1200
Costs are per day or per transaction. Trap, Glue 5 /10/ 50 /500
Name C /M / W / O Trap, Snare 6 /12/ 60 /600
Botanist 7 /14/ 70 /700 Vermin Net 10 /20/100 /1000
Exterminator 10 /20/100 /1000 Watering Can 5 /10/ 50 /500
Flower Seller 2 / 4 / 20 /200
Fountaineer 6 /12/ 60 /600 Food
Funeral Planner * /14/ 70 /700 Costs are per pound unless noted.
Gardener 6 /12/ 60 /600 Candied Bugs 2 / 4 / 20 /200
Herbalist 9 /18 / 90 /900 Honey, Raw 8 /16/ 80 /800
Landscaper 7 /14/ 70 /700 Pâté 10 /20/100 /1000
Mosaic Artist * /16/ 80 /800 Jam, Jar 3 / 6 / 30 /300
Mulcher 5 /10/ * / * Mushrooms 1 / 2 / 10 /100
Seed Keeper 6 /12/ 60 /600 Truffles * /96/480 /4800
Silk Dyer * /16/ 80 /800
Tea Maker 7 /14/ 70 /700 Drink
Tour Guide 5 /10/ 50 /500 Costs are per gallon unless noted.
Urn Turner 7 /14/ 70 /700 Coffee, Pot * / 8 / 40 /400
Wise One 13 /26/130 / * Cup * / 2 / 10 /100
Sells illicit medicinal or recreational Kombucha 1 / 2 / 10 /100
drugs and goods. Nettle Wine 1 / 2 / 10 /100
Spice Tea, Pot * /16/ 80 /800
Services Cup * / 4 / 20 /200
Medicinal Bath 5 /10/ 50 /500 Jewel Brandy * / * /500 /5000
Shisha, 1 Hour * / 50 /250 /2500
Calming herbal incense, burned or
inhaled with a water pipe.
Contraband
Bip’s Folly 100 /200/ * / *
Clothing A brown potent-scented goo, sealed
in a glass vial emblazoned with a
Blooming dying lily.
Headdress * / * /100 /1000 Concocted as a weed-killer by a
Alive with flowers and bugs. well-meaning gardener, the initial
Gardener Smock 4 / 8 / 40 /400 test caused so much destruction that
Living Brooch * /50/250 /2500 they fled their home overnight.
A glittering beetle that attaches itself Bip’s Folly kills any plant-life within
to one’s clothing. 1d20x10 feet. Sentient or magical
Mulcher Boots 5 /10/ 50 /500 beings may make a save v. Poison to
Sun Hat 5 /10/ 50 /500 avoid death. Success causes them to
lose half of their health.

168
 THE CULTIVIST DISTRICT
Vita-Botanis 200 /400/2000/20000 Rock Tobacco 50 /100/500 / *
Fine powder that appears like Small rock-sugar crystals the color
ground opalescent pearls and reeks of tar and reeking of smoke and
of ammonia to the point of causing turpentine.
dizzy spells. Originally developed to keep
A dangerously powerful fertilizer composting workers “alert and
that causes plant life to grow rapidly awake” it was found to be too
and uncontrollably for a short time. potent and dangerous, so it was
A single dose of Vita-Botanis causes quickly outlawed despite the
any living plants, molds, etc. to frequent use among many laborers.
grow exponentially. Once dose of Rock Tobacco causes
Time and Effects the user to not need sleep for 1d6
days and remain hale despite
6 Seconds The surface is coated in serious injuries. After this time, they
sprouting twisting life. must save v. Poison or suffer
1 Minute The surface becomes disadvantage to 1d3 abilities for
impassable with thick, over-sized 1d6 days.
vegetation.
Ripper Spores * / * / * /60000
1 Hour The plant life expands to Pitch-black spores, sealed tightly in
the size of a small house, covering a tempered glass vial; a heavy and
and breaking anything weaker ominous sensation surrounds it…
than fortress walls.
A dangerous bio-weapon, crafted by
1 Day The growth stops, only after a mad Noble who sought to
reaching the height and width of a “depopulate” an entire district.
castle tower.
When unleashed, anyone inhaling
Seer’s Gills 100 /200/1000/10000 the spores must save v. Poison or be
Prussian blue mushroom with infected with Ripper Spores.
shimmering translucent gills that Transmission: Contact with
seem to shift and move the longer infected.
you gaze at them.
Effect: Each day, save v. Poison or
A mushroom, once the trade secret suffer 2d6 damage as the body
of seers and diviners, that allows the begins to shut down.
user to gaze upon the maddening
weaves of time and space. Cure: Three consecutive saves.
Medicine only provides advantage
Consuming the mushroom causes on the saves.
intense and potentially dangerous
hallucinations (save v. Poison or be Wink Slugs * / * /300 /3000
paralyzed for 1d3 days). Afterwards A decorative slug, with a beautiful
you are granted one random boon. spotted pattern and nervous energy.
1d3 Boons Rare heritage breed of slug, allowed
1 Re-roll any single you or the GM only for licensed and professional
make in the future. snail-fanciers.
2 Have one question answered fully When stressed the slug quickly
about the past, present, or future. duplicates itself out of thin air. This
3 Gain perfect memory for 1 week. will continue until the slug is
calmed down or killed.

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Cultivist Artifacts Endless Watering Can

Made of beaten copper and
tarnished silver filigree, this worn
but decorated watering can sloshes
with muddy, lukewarm water.
Created for a humble gardener who
won the favor of sky god, it was
said the can would ensure their
garden was never without water.
The Endless Watering Can is always
Alluring Avian Feeder filled with dirty, stagnant water;
An immaculate bird feeder of perfect for plants, but drinking
stained glass and gold filigree; directly from it risks nausea. The
images of countless painted birds water can be poured from the spout
seem to dance along its panels… in an infinite, gentle stream.
Alternatively, if the Endless Watering
Magical item, crafted by a lonely
Can is intentionally tipped over and
soul, utilized by those wishing to
dumped out, it immediately triggers
study avian beasts or simply enjoy
a Flood (pg. 23).
the polite company that birds bring.
Once per day, when filled with high
quality seed or suet and hung from
a healthy tree, the Alluring Avian
Feeder attracts every bird or bird-
like beast within a single mile and
compels them to eat from the
feeder. The birds may squabble and
make noise but are non-violent and
each wait their turn to eat from the
feeder. Breaking the peace breaks
the compulsion and the birds will
quickly flee for the day.

Composter's Crone
A bowed elderly woman, carved Ever-cut Shears
from weathered shale and reeking of Simple garden shears with handles
peat; her face is hidden with a heavy made of wood and faded emerald
cloak while her hands clutch a lacquer; the metal seems untouched
pitchfork made of rusted iron… by age, with a razor edge that seems
Found long ago in the deepest parts to shear the very light…
of the mulch pits, she has become a A pair of garden shears crafted by a
object of veneration to the mulch powerful green-witch of the city,
workers and blasphemy to the royal made to never falter even with the
gardeners. most stubborn of weeds.
Everything, both living and dead, The Ever-cut Shears can cut through
within 30 feet of the statue begins to anything, magic or mundane, that
age and decay at an accelerated rate. can comfortably sit between its
Touching the statue causes this blades. If the shears are broken or
decay to happen instantly, with disassembled, the magic is lost and
metal rusting to dust, wood rotting it reverts to a well-loved but
to sod, and flesh melting to mulch. mundane garden tool.

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Noseeum's Jawbone
The broken and worm-whittled
jawbone of a mortal, the air seems
to fill with the sound of buzzing
when touched…
Cursed charms, crafted by a
indignant mage with a penchant for
stinging flies and grudge against the
aristocracy.
When a Noseeum’s Jawbone is
hidden in a building and smeared
with a drop of blood, the building
will slowly be plagued with swarms
of pesky stinging flies. Removing
the charm or destroying it ends the
curse.
Days and Effects
1-2 Flies begin to appear and collect
Gilligan's Mold Box near windows and chamber pots.
A beaten, lacquered box the color of 3-5 Rooms are constantly filled with
a bruise; inside lies a clump of moist at least a dozen of the buzzing
grey filth that seems to cautiously insects.
move on its own. 6-7 More flies fill in, becoming
The box is home to a pile of agitated and stinging anyone
sentient mold spores, a fungal within the building with painful
colony that goes by the name of welts.
“Gilligan”; the true origins of this 8-10 The house is infested, buzzing
mold have been lost to time, can be heard during all hours
Gilligan being unconcerned or making sleep impossible.
unwilling to answer.
11-13 Flies swarm so thickly that
When a dash of the mold from vision becomes difficult or
Gilligan’s Mold Box is sprinkled on impossible.
a corpse or remains, a sentient and
mobile pile of gray mold named 14+ The building is uninhabitable
“Gilligan” will spring up, bearing the and dangerous, requiring the
physical strength and size of the charm to be removed or the
corpse it was sprinkled on. building demolished.

GILLIGAN
- Mellow and polite in all things,
always has something nice to say.
- Helpful to fault, constantly willing
to put themselves in danger or
risk, even for the smallest things.
- Pacifist, refuses to cause undo
harm or engage in violence.
- Lasts 1d8 hours before peacefully
collapsing into a pile of spores,
usually saying something along
the lines of “no, it’s okay, this is
my fault.”

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Stainless Smock Sacred Panes
An immaculate gardening smock, its A shimmering window of vibrant
heavy white fabric utterly unmarred stained glass, its surface decorated
by dirt, grass-stain, or fertilizer. with slowly shifting images of
Woven, sewn, and enchanted by a flowers.
over-compulsive gardener, the Crafted by an eccentric craftsfolk to
smock was made to defend against divine the world through the
even the most stubborn dirt. medium of floriography.
The Stainless Smock protects against You may ask the Sacred Panes any
liquids and chemicals that may question about the past, present or,
corrode, stain, or stick to it or the future. It will answer truthfully,
wearer. Such liquids simply bead up albeit only through images of
and roll off the smock, much like bouquets of flowers. What each
water upon a ginkgo leaf. bouquet means may be clear to
some or cause for speculation.

Unimpeded Spade
A sturdy and innocuous shovel, yet
its blade is engraved with dozens of
sigils and shaft covered in similar
wood-burned patterns.
A digging spade without equal,
crafted by a stubborn
fieldhand who taught
themselves magic and
sigils.
Any holes, earthworks or
tunnels dug by the spade
will never collapse,
Whispering Wind Chimes disappearing only when
filled. In addition, once
Chimes of iridescent metal with per day, the spade
etchings made to look like may be used to dig
caricatures of merchants, scholars, through 20 feet of
rakers, and such. any non-magical
A failed attempt by a cabal of now material as if it
disgraced oracles who sought to was loose soil.
divine the world by attuning these
chimes to the winds.
Once per day and if the wind is
even gently blowing, the Whispering
Wind Chimes will whisper
something to the listener. However,
they are as fickle as the winds and
the usefulness (and truthfulness) of
the statement is entirely suspect.
D6 The Chimes Whisper…
1 An uncomfortable truth.
2 A scandalous rumor.
3 An interesting fun-fact.
4 A piece of esoteric information.
5 Something you already knew.
6 A blatant lie.

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1
Cultivist Loot & Trinkets
d50
Sticky jar of raw honey.
YOU FIND…
26 Vermin trap, bait still inside.
Jade brooch, carved in the Petrified seeds made into a
2 27
shape of a beetle. beaded necklace.
Marbles made from broken Piece of amber shaped like a
3 28
stained glass windows. sunflower.
4 Broken head of a gargoyle. 29 Smoky beekeeper’s hood.
5 Pair of fine hedge trimmers. 30 Discarded silk cocoon.
Shard from a ornamental Iridescent scale, strange
6 31
bronze vase. markings on the inside…
7 Glove from Tranquility knight. 32 Tiny bright red snail shell.
Beautiful and large feather, Decorated garden trowel
8 33
its owner is nearby… sharpened to a blade.
9 Pouch of finely ground coffee. 34 1d3 Pearl buttons.
10 Very pungent bulb. 35 Rusty set of jacks.
Snuff box containing spices Bee smoker, charcoal and
11 36
and seasonings. wood chips ready for use.
Sack of worm bait, reeks of Spool of string made from
12 37
peat and chum. vines, strong as iron.
Blown glass heart, gently Silken shawl, its edges
13 38
beats when warmed in hands. covered in motifs of fungus.
Sweet jam pastry wrapped in Ornate leather mask of a
14 39
a leaf, still warm. ominous horned fawn.
Brooch in the shape of a Long-handled fruit picker,
15 dazzling butterfly, one wing 40 6 feet long, its mechanisms in
intentionally broken off. perfect working order.
16 Pure gold pine-cone. 41 Tarnished hooked machete.
1d4 perfume bottles of Ragged copper sickle, it
17 42
pungent insecticide. smells of blood…
1d6 clay jars of fertilizer, Tiny ornamental pot, delicate
18 43
meant to be thrown. seedling grows within…
19 Fine rake, excellent quality. 44 1d12 persimmons.
20 1d10 hefty wooden stakes. 45 Head of cabbage.
1d8 soft pears, need to be Bundle of cinnamon bark,
21 46
eaten as soon as possible. strong & pleasant smelling.
Discarded bouquet, a somber 1d3 bundles of herbs, hastily
22 47
air surrounds it. picked.
Brilliant and angry looking Tine of an iron pitchfork with
23 pepper, just gazing at it causes 48 a handle of wrapped leather, a
a burning sensation. makeshift shiv?
The longest bean you’ve ever Gallon pump sprayer, empty
24 49
seen. and ready to be loaded.
25 Steel hand-held sundial. 50 Squash shaped like a bird.

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Cultivist People & Places

d12 NAME WORK QUIRK

Aquila Maker of Fine Hides in unused planter pots
1
Throatbud Rakes whenever authority comes around
2 Adsila Stake Driver Constantly drunk on mushroom ale.
3 Brook Glassblower Addicted to pollen.
Jubilee Seedling
4 Can only ever find their right glove.
Clifford Caretaker
5 Hemmi Topiary Artisan Hates the color blue.
Gorden Watering Can Only sings their responses to
6
Holthhold Consultant questions.
Mulstava Cobblestone Attracts praying mantises
7
Grains Purveyor unconsciously.
Jelop Mulching Shiny carapace growing on them
8
Samus Specialist attracts magpies.
Coniferd Fountain
9 Can recognize any plant by taste.
Needles De-Clogger.
10 Acacia Exterminator Allergic to wood.
Chester Professional
11 Never takes their boots off.
Lamb Scarecrow
Sedum Compost Hair is replaced by petals that bloom
12
Larksung Historian and fall off at the end every day.

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d12 SHOP NAME SHOP APPEARANCE
Clematis’s Cures There appears to be no ceiling, just masses of
1
for Cycles vines and bird nests.
Lunamancy Shopkeep is a mass of hundreds of bees, who
2
Depot while helpful, is hard to understand.
Shepard’s Fine A mysterious odor permeates the premises that
3
Goods smells different depending upon the time of day.
Lost Vivarium There is no counter, only a massive freeze-dried
4
Outfitters taxidermy animal you can’t recognize.
5 The Worm Hole Large sentient turtle is the shop-keep.
Grapeberry’s Doorknob to the shop asks three questions before
6
Instruments you may enter.
Overflowing Everything is a display item and you have to
7
Pitcher order from a sticky catalog in the back.
8 Beans N’ More Shop is made entirely of stained glass.
9 Sheldon’s Shell Only accepts crystalized insect wings as currency.
Grasses, Barbs, Mold grows over everything in the store, giving it
10
and Boils a very dusty appearance.
The Edible & The A well written song may be exchanged for goods/
11
Serene services. on full moons
The Embellished The glass ornaments within do not cast
12
Frog reflections.

d12 STREET NAME STREET APPEARANCE

Giant drooping trumpet blossoms fall on travelers
1 3 Pane Terrance
daily, covering them in sticky pollen.
2 Gladiolas Parade Every plant grows thorns, regardless of species.
3 Basil Crescent Soggy paver stones that squeak when stepped on.
Nasturtium Wood of the buildings constantly ooze sap that
4
Causeway looks like faces.
Calf’s Hoof Lined with broken terracotta pots that pile up
5
Boulevard almost as high as the buildings.
Under the window frames hang various fruit bats
6 Cicada Alley
that whisper to each other.
7 Moldering Way Neon colored fungus cover all visible surfaces.
10 Thousand Thick vines arch across building tops, often
8
Wings Road hiding snakes.
9 Silica Strip Flooded but filled with giant, walkable lily pads.
Moonshimmer Chipped and broken ceramics make up the
10
Street paving stones.
Parades of snails write poetry with their
11 Sundew Avenue
opalescent trails.
Ecdysis Glass shards litter the crevices and seem
12
Centerway embedded in the grout of the buildings

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The Bloom
As sure as life will spring where it is The Bloom - Each time a character
not wanted, so too shall your form suffers at the hands of the city they
blossom into a shape more befitting. contract the Bloom. Additional
The following replaces the Changes suffering increases this in severity
and Boons found on pg. 24-26, with until the character is no more…
a few differences.
The Bloom is a constant pervasive
Denial
change that affects those who suffer Hard knots of bark-like growth
within the Cultivist district. sprout on your body. Tests of agility,
However, the Changed Nobles see it speed, and dexterity are made
as something else entirely, an difficult.
apotheosis to be pruned and Cure: The Bloom can be removed at
fostered to blossom. any time with a topical surgery and
caustic bath of rare herbs. Acquiring
these herbs is difficult, as they have
been outlawed by the Nobles.

Ascension
Those suffering from the bloom may choose to seek out the patronage of
another Changed. If the patron finds you worthy (or useful), they will begin
your journey to a “higher being”.

1st Acceptance of the Seed - You no longer suffer from the Bloom. The
knots of bark no longer cause you distress or harm, instead covering
your body in the equivalent of Scale or Chainmail armor. Requires: The
patronage of a Changed.

2nd Quaking of the Shell - Something strange and alien stirs within you.
Your physiology alters, you no longer need to sleep, and you are
immune to sleep-inducing effects. Requires: Payment for incredibly
expensive and rare bath oils followed by a ritual bath with your patron.

3rd Gestures of the Sprout - The bark shell cracks and reveals a form
within. Your new form grows and quickens; you heal at a rate of 1 Hit
Point per hour and no longer need to eat so long as you get a day’s
worth of sunlight. Requires: Must be invited and spend a week in your
patron’s private solarium.
Tempering of the Growth - Your strength grows as your new form takes
4th shape. The shell is gone, your alien body granting you enormous power;
gain 1d6 points to every ability score. Requires: you must kill a rival
undergoing the same change and present their blood to your patron.

5th Witness of the Blossom - The final change approaches and you sit at
the edge of ascension. Your form grows beauteous and unearthly;
anything within eyesight of you must save v. Charm or become affected
by a Charm Person or equivalent spell. Requires: Undergo a dangerous
mission or task on behalf of your patron.
Ecstasy of the Bloom - You shed the last of your humanity. Your
6th ascension is complete, gain one of Noble powers (pg. 155).
Requires: A decadent ritualistic festival, culminating with you swearing
loyalty to your patron for all eternity.

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Kquarl Frantic grinding and chewing can

be heard from dozens of unseen
mouths. The noise builds to a
frenzied crescendo, hinting to the
ravenous hunger that propels it.
Hundreds of pulsing, insect bodies
pour out from the walls as the very
architecture seems to quake and
falter at their presence…
Fat pale grubs with emerald chitin
that move with startling speed. Their
mouths bear mandibles that work to
crush and pierce, strong enough to
bite through nails. They are never
encountered alone; spotting even
one means that there are at least a
dozen more unseen.
The Kquarl are a constant and
pervasive threat to the
infrastructure and architecture of
the city. The industrious and greedy
creatures feast, multiply, and destroy
whatever buildings they inhabit
before moving on to the next one.
So infamous and dangerous are
they, that entire blocks will be razed
if there is even a risk of infestation,
less an entire district fall to ruin…

•
•
Defense: None
Hit Dice: 1HD Builder's Bane
• Hit Points: 1 each A building with a Kquarl infestation
• Move: Standard has a fixed life-expectancy, over
• Damage: Bite 1 time reducing everything to a pile
• Quantity: Swarm 20 or of rubble.
Infestation 20x1d6 The infestation level increases by
• XP: 10 each 1 every 1d3 weeks
• Builder’s Bane: Beams break and
walls crumble. Any building that Infestation Level and Effects
is host to Kquarl will soon be 1 Clicks and chewing in the walls.
reduced to rubble (see sidebar). 2 Dangerous signs of degradation.
• Infestation: They spread like Each room has a 3-in-6 chance of
wildfire, silent, until it’s too late. containing Unstable Architecture
Unless you vigorously wash your (pg. 20).
body and burn your clothes after 3 The building is beyond saving.
a Kquarl encounter, there is a Every room is considered
3-in-6 chance a new swarm will Unstable Architecture.
arise in a residence you visit after
1d3 weeks. 4 The building is on the precipice
of a great disaster. Crumbling
Building (pg. 22).

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•
•
Masque Heron
Defense: Chain
Hit Dice: 7HD
The statuesque and gleaming
Masque Herons are deadly avian
• Hit Points: 42 predators that plague the streets of
• Move: Double Standard the Cultivist District. Standing nearly
• Damage: Beak 1d8/1d8 and twice as tall as a person, they
Laceration delicately prowl the streets, waiting
• Quantity: Solo or Flock 1d3 to single out and devour
• XP: 850 unsuspecting prey. While fully
• Mimicry: Voices remembered or capable of dining on eaisier prey,
taken from victims... The Masque they seem to have a taste and
Heron can perfectly mimic any preference for mortals…
voice it has heard before. Originally bred by the Nobles as
• Laceration: Their beaks are sharp dual purpose exhibition and hunting
as blades. Attacks cause bleeding, animals, a living art object both
dealing 1d4 damage each round beauteous and deadly. The creatures
until staunched or bandaged. inevitably escaped into the city,
• Alluring Visage: The shifting establishing hunting grounds and
masque whispers sweet words. breeding in hidden nests. However,
Once per day, the Masque Heron their have been rumors that this
may change the face of its masque escape was no accident, and the
and supernaturally charm a victim. Herons are hunting common folk
Save v. Charm or be compelled to just as the Nobles desired…
drop your weapons and slowly
approach the Masque Heron.
A delicate and familiar face peers
out at you, arresting your gaze. The
sound of clicking talons and beak
reveal the form behind this
facade. A resplendent avian
beast towers above you; its
feathers glisten like jeweled knives,
while it beak dances like a
vicious rapier.

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•
•
Animated Urn
Defense: Plate
Hit Dice: 1d6HD
• Hit Points: 6 per HD
• Move: Standard
• Damage: Slam 1d6 (1d10 if 6HD)
• Quantity: Solo or Avenue 1d10
• XP: 100+100 per HD
• Call For Aid: The Urns always
work together. Once per day, an
Animated Urn can call for help.
There is a 2-in-6 chance that 1d3
additional Animated Urns arrive.
• Specimen: Their bodies are host to
beautiful and strange plants.
Each Animated Urn is host to a
random specimen with effects.
1 Bloody Thorns - Attacks deal
an additional 1d4 damage.
2 Rare Flower - If properly
harvested, can be sold for
1d6x50 coins.
3 Snaring Vines - When
attacked, save v. Breath or be
knocked down.
4 Choking Pollen - All within
arms’ reach, save v. Poison or
become blinded and stunned
for 1 round.
5 Curious Fruit - If eaten, save
v. Poison. Success: heal 1d6
HP. Failure: Sickened for
1d2 hours.
6 Poisonous Touch - When
touched, save v. Poison.
Success: 1d3 damage.
Failure: 1d6 damage &
stunned for 1 round.
The heavy sound of stone feet
plodding along the ground. A squat
ceramic pot, emblazoned with a
gargoyle-like face, leers at you from
the ground. Sprouting from its
opening is a tangle of curious plants They are quite intelligent and seem
that seem to dance and twist of their to share a collective consciousness
own accord. with one another, allowing them to
The Animated Urns are a curious quickly share information across a
race that populates the streets of the vast network. Because of this ability,
city. Ranging in size, shape, and they are notorious gossips, and few
floral arrangement, they can usually things happen in the city without
be found working together to seek their knowledge. Such information
out patches of sunlight or may be gathered, but only if a
unattended mulch piles. mutually beneficial bargain is struck.

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The Verdant Fury

• Defense: Leather The sound of snapping twigs and

• Hit Dice: 3HD crackle of decaying leaves. The
• Hit Points: 15 erratic and angry steps of a twisted
• Move: Standard creature falls into view. A mass of
• Damage: Strike 1d6 and leaves, mulch, and bramble twists
Errant Splinters on itself, all while an alien
• Quantity: Solo, Pack 1d8, or intelligence observes you with a
Swarm 3d6 burning hatred…
• XP: 400 The Verdant Fury, a crawling
• Assimilate: The clipped and collection of decaying plant matter,
discarded willingly join the Fury. is a dangerous well-known secret in
Every 100 pounds of compost, the Cultivist District. A vicious and
mulch, or plant trimmings grant unrelenting predator, it is fuelled
the Verdant Fury an additional by an unnatural hatred for all
1HD and 1d8 Hit Points. sentient life.
• Errant Splinters: The shards
angrily burrow and tear. It haunts the corners and edges of
Character’s harmed by the Verdant the district, growing in size and
Fury cannot heal until the multiplying, seemingly with some
splinters of the creature are nefarious goal in mind. What fuels
removed. This takes 1d3 hours. its murderous intent is only rumor
and heresay; some claim it’s a
• Verdant Resurgence: It is difficult wizard’s experiment gone rogue,
to kill that which refuses to die. others say it’s the psychic
Reducing a Verdant Fury to 0 Hit manifestation of countless dead and
Points only destroys its physical dying plants. The Animated Urns are
form for a time. After 3d12 hours tight-lipped but seem to know the
it will reconstruct itself at full most, alluding to a betrayed Noble,
strength unless its parts are stripped of their mind and body,
burned, dissolved, or coated in leaving only their seething hatred…
herbicide.

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Cultivist Encounters
“The streets and gardens team
with vibrant life. Many are
Hunting Dragonfly
Shimmering wings and glittering
dangerous but all are alluring.” eyes belie a cruel hunger from an
The following is a list of encounters oversized ornate dragonfly.
that can be used as-is or alongside Armor: Scale | HD 2 | HP 10
other encounter tables. Bite 1d6/1d6 | Move: Fly Double
Standard | Disorienting: Attacks
Short Statblocks
Beekeepers
against more than one dragonfly are
at disadvantage.
Morale: 4-in-6 Flees if reduced to
Ornery, lurching protectors of half health, 2-in-6 Fights to the
glistening combs and vibrating death.
hives, wreathed in ominous masks Strangle-Hope Vines
surrounded by stinging bees. A predatory plant, its long pale vines
Armor: Leather | HD 3 | HP 15 stretch across the ground and wait
Slam 1d6 | Move: Standard for prey to grasp and strangle.
Swarm: All within arms’ reach, Armor: Hide | HD 3 | HP 18
save v. Breath or suffer 1d6 damage. Vines 1d4, Strangle | Move: None
Death Throes: Save v. Breath or Strangle: Save v. Hold or become
suffer 3d6 damage from bees. grappled, 2d6 damage each turn.
Morale: Flees if reduced to half HP. Morale: Fights to the death.
Boil Wasps Tranquility Knight
Iridescent wasps the size of dogs, Statuesque knights in resplendent
unsuspecting creatures are hosts for stained glass armor, a fine blade at
their parasitic young. their side wreathed in soporific mist.
Armor: Hide | HD 1 | HP 5 Armor: Plate | HD 5 | HP 35
Sting 1d6 | Move: Fly Standard Blade As Weapon | Move: Standard
Stinging Eggs: Save v. Breath each Tranquil Mist: As attack, all within
hit. Failure leaves an egg that will arms-reach, save v. Poison or Magic,
hatch in 1d10 days for 1d6 damage. or fall asleep for 1d3 hours.
Morale: 4-in-6 Flees if injured, Arcane Glass: Magical attacks are
2-in-6 Fights to the death. reflected at the attacker.
Button Spiders Morale: 2-in-6 Flees if reduced to
Tucking their legs beneath them half health, 4-in-6 Fights to the
more than one person has been death.
fooled into thinking they have come Trumpet Worm
across a discarded button. Yellow worms the size of pythons;
Armor: Leather | HD 1 | HP 1 when disturbed the worms will toot
Bite Venom | Move: Standard in displeasure, sounding like an
“A Button?”: Nearly imperceptible out-of-tune trumpet.
when unmoving. Armor: Hide | HD 4 | HP 20
Venom: Save v. Poison or become Bite 1d8 | Move: Burrow Standard
delirious for 1d6 hours. Trumpet: Once per day, 1-in-6
Morale: 5-in-6 Flees if injured, chance sound summons another,
1-in-6 Fights to the death. roll for additional encounter.
Gardener or Mulcher Morale: 5-in-6 Flees if reduced to
Mortal clad in a heavy smock and half health, 1-in-6 Fights to the
armed with sturdy tools. death.
Armor: Leather | HD 1 | HP 5
Tool As Weapon | Move: Standard
Morale: 5-in-6 Flees if injured,
1-in-6 Fights to the death.

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D50 ENCOUNTER AND 1D6 MOOD

1d6 Gardeners or Mulchers Mood: 1-2 Amicable, helpful with

1-10 small requests. 3-5 Busy, would rather not be disturbed.
6 Hostile if bothered.

Mobile Apiary, 1d6 Gardeners & 1d3 Beekeepers

11-15 Mood: 1 Amicable, sells honey. 2-4 Busy, tending their hive-boxes.
5-6: Hostile if characters get too close.

1d3 Mulchers and 1d6 Trumpet Worms Mood: 1-3 Busy, would
16-20 rather not be disturbed. 4-5 Hostile if bothered.
6 Worms are out of control and attack wildly.

1d3 Masque Herons Mood: 1 Curious, waiting to see what you do.
21-23 2-5 Hungry, looking for an easy meal. 6 Has selected YOU as
its prey…

Kquarl Mood: 1-3 Dormant, quiet if left undisturbed.

24-25
4-6 Hostile, defending their crumbling nest.

1d8 Animated Urns Mood: 1-2 Willing to assist, for a price.

26-30 4-5 Curious, but busy and keep their distance.
6 Irate, hostile if bothered.

31-32 1d4 Verdant Fury Mood: Hostile and out for blood.

1d2 Stranglehope Vines Mood: 1-2 Torpid, just ate.

33-35
3-6 Hungry and looking for an easy meal.

1d10 Boil Wasps Mood: 1-2 Hostile if disturbed.

36-39
3-6 Hostile and aggressive.

1d3 Hunting Dragonflies Mood: 1 Curious, waiting to see what

40-42 you do. 2-5 Hungry, looking for an easy meal. 6 Hostile and
aggressive.

1d4 Tranquility Knights Mood: 1-2 Demand the characters leave

their vicinity. 3-4 Attempt to fine the characters 50 coins each for
43-44
“disrupting the terroir.” 5-6 Interrogate the characters for
1d3 hours.

1d4 Button Spiders Mood: 1-2 Hostile if disturbed.

45
3-6 Hostile and aggressive.

46-49 Mobile Garden, 1d10 Gardeners, 1d6 Beekeepers, and 1d3

Tranquility Knights Mood: Hostile if characters get too close.

Hunting Party, 1d4 Tranquility Knights and 1d10 Hunting

Dragonflies Mood: 1 Demand the characters leave their vicinity.
50 2-3 Attempt to fine the characters 50 coins each for “disrupting
the terroir.” 5-6 Hostile, out for blood and tasked to “clean
the streets.”

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Foundry District

Industry grows like a weed between the cobblestones of the

Foundry District. The ravenous beast of production with its
wailing bellow calls every living thing to dedicate itself to
soothing its unquenchable hunger. The beauty that can
emerge from such a soulless place is dazzling to my eyes.
Machines move like sinew and flesh belying the hateful hand
that created them. Eventually, like beasts of burden, their
souls too shatter. Is it truly the billowing flames and hot coals
that feed such a beast, or is it the souls of those who fall
beneath its ever turning gears that fill it with life?
“Pain of the Anvil,” Xelie A. Larch, Wandering Historian;
Tales of My Travels, Vol II
THE FOUNDRY DISTRICT

Foundry
The sky is choked with bruise-
colored smog, the deafening roar
of endless furnaces, and the
thunderous step of the folks
toiling in its beating heart. This
is the Foundry District, a place of
constant industry and creation.

A Powerhouse of Industry
Factories, mines, and workhouses
dot every inch of the skyline.
They are technological marvels,
sporting great hissing machines
and conveyors fueled by the
screaming furnaces at their
heart. What machines cannot,
workers take over, as armies of
craftsmen and laborers work to feed
the city’s insatiable demand. While
factories fill the surface, mines and
tunnels fill the ground below,
pulling ores from deep below to be
given over to the foundries above.
As it’s said: “If it can be made, it can
be found within the Foundry
District.”

And a Realm of Toil

However, this power of creation
does not come without equal danger
and the ones who actually work the
factories rarely see proper
compensation. For most folks, life in
the Foundry District is a life of toil
and suffering. Deadly accidents
happen regularly, the very air is
poisonous to most, and regular folks
are ground to dust to serve the
financial interests of the factory fortunes. What little work they do is
owners and investors. Those who spent ensuring that their great
speak out against the transparent industrial empires run smoothly and
injustice are usually visited by one efficiently, breaking dissent and
of the many “Productivity Officers” pushing working folks to their
and rarely seen again… absolute extremes. They are devoid
of humanity, holding the pursuit of
Overseen by Plutocrats wealth as the only sacred thing in
this world and willing to destroy
It is only the select few at the top anyone and anything that may
who ever see the riches of the impede the growth of their fortunes.
Foundry District. Workhouse
owners, shareholders, and capitalists
sit upon vast and incalculable

186
 THE FOUNDRY DISTRICT
Features & Issues
The following lists may be used in
4 Fuel Makers - The Foundry District
would collapse without its constant
supply of fuel. The workhouses and
factory lines serve to supply the
place of the normal features and
overwhelming demand.
issues lists on pg. 73.
1 Coal - Coal is carted in from deep
1d10 Foundary Features underground and factory lines of
soot-caked folks break down and
The fires of industry blaze bright at process the tonnes of anthracite
all hours of the day in the Foundry that flow into this area. While it
District. The skyline is choked with burns hot and steady, the smoke
the smog from countless produced is dangerous.
smokestacks while the numberless
2 Charcoal - Enormous black ovens
folk march to work unfazed.
and smoldering mounds vomit
clouds of choking hot smoke.
1 Artisans’ Quarter - The sound of
tools and specialized machinery ring Workers can be found around the
through the streets, while the clock making sure the charcoal
building are peppered with guild furnaces never grow too hot or
affiliations and personal crests. too cool, a tedious job at best.
Craftsmen of all kinds work and 3 Oil - Sap, seed oil, or fat is
cooperate here, producing some of rendered, distilled and bottled in
the finest goods in the city. the many pungent smelling
workshops. With vapors so
2 Tool Exchange - Barking
auctioneers and the clanging of prevalent open fires are forbidden,
metal echo in this enormous indoor lest the whole area explode.
market. Every tool or piece of
machinery, from enormous factory 5 Pit Burg - A strip mine nearly a
mile across plummets deep into the
assemblies to watchmaker’s earth. Despite the howling winds
screwdrivers, can be found new or from the downdraft, the titanic
used within. crater is stacked with houses that
line the steep walls and use
3 Metalworks - Massive smokestacks
on every street belch out smoke and elaborate pulley systems in place of
sparks from the mills and furnaces roads or causeways.
that supply the city with cart after
cart of shimmering metal. 6 Grand Factory - An enormous
factory takes up the entirety of this
1 Shining Crucible - Heightened area. Multi-storied and labyrinthine,
security and only the most skilled countless workers toil in this
furnace masters work these mills. gargantuan structure. Some have
It is here that precious metals are resigned to living in this place,
stripped of imperfections and building nests in the overlooked
undergo strict quality control. areas of the building.
2 Iron Foundry - Sled carts the size
of sheds are loaded with crate
7 Slaughterhouse Lane - The sounds
of screaming animals and streets
after crate of iron ingots. With running with congealed blood. Lines
such high demand the mills and of stables and abattoirs make this a
the carts in and out never stop. hot-spot for meat production. Most
folks here carry a set of well-kept
3 Steel Mill - The heat from the blast butcher blades or stunning mallets.
furnaces here can be felt an entire
street away. Super heated
crucibles that run day and night
8 Mill Complex - Sawdust peppers
the air and the grating sound of
produce shimmering unbreakable saws is heard throughout. Dozens of
ingots of steel. mills strip and process timber into
beams, planks, and even pulp. With
the city forever growing, the
demand never stops.

187
 THE FOUNDRY DISTRICT
9 Great Furnace - Dwarfing the
surrounding buildings, a furnace of
titanic proportions serves some
grand and terrible purpose. The
power needed to power it must be
cataclysmic.
1 Magic Battery - Be it a
pyromancer circle or a bound
demon, guilds of amateur mages
and practitioners put theirs skills
to use as laborers to keep it
running. With such powerful
magic, the area is prone to strange
happenings…
2 Coal Fueled - Tonnes of coal are
carted and rushed along great
conveyors. A constant stream of
fuel is needed and the furnace
hungrily devours anything that
will burn.
3 Natural Gas - Lines of pipes and
copper tubes converge into it.
Engineers and workers scramble
to adjust valves and check gauges
as volatile gas is pumped into its
raging crucible. Pray that nothing
goes wrong…
10 Night Mine - An enormous mine
5 Mine Collapse - The surface heaves
and groans as the enormous mines
lies deep below the surface where beneath the streets collapse and fill.
no light can penetrate. Hundreds of
tunnels spiral out in all directions, 6 Double Shifts - Be it a mandate or
new company policy, folks here are
forming a busy maze lit only by the being compelled to work twice the
occasional candle of the folks hours. It wears on their already
within. weary bodies and minds.
1d10 Foundry Issues 7 Rival Companies - A pair of highly
competitive businesses have
Heavy machinery fails, factory established themselves here. Rather
owners plot, and folks do what they than conduct business, they now
can to survive the hellish landscape wage vicious gang war.
of the Foundry.
1 Blackened Skies - So much smoke 8 Company Store - Folks here are not
paid in actually currency but instead
pours out of the factories that the paid in “company credits” that can
sun itself is blotted out. The area is only be spent at company owned
plunged into a hazy artificial night. businesses. Upward mobility is
2 Unstable - Neglect by rulers have impossible.
left dangerous equipment and
structures in critical condition. 9 Work Mandate - Lords and
company owners are requiring
Deadly accidents occur daily. “productive and ambitious citizens,”
3 Strike - Laborers have initiated a
general strike. Tension grows as the
specifically by forcing every able
body person to work. Squads of
factory owners and authorities plan “Quota Guards” enforce this.

4
a brutal show of force.
Ash Drifts - The soot and ash is
10 Poison Air - Hazardous and volatile
chemicals have leaked out into the
deep here, like choking piles of air. Illness is rampant, among other
snow. Easy to get trapped or lost in. strange happenings…

188
 THE FOUNDRY DISTRICT
Factions and NPCs
Despots and aristocrats run the
factories of the Foundary District
with an iron fist, while the folk who
live and toil within do their best to
survive the brutal hardships of the
work. Some find the spirit to rise up
and organize, setting the stage for a
showdown between the factory
owners and the community.

Golden Chain Foundry and Co.

One of the largest companies in the
district. It is said that every piece of
gold in the city has their mark.
They are… A company that has
nearly monopolized the entire gold
industry; from the mines, to the
foundries, and even the army of
craftsmen. They now seek to
monopolize and profit from other
avenues of industry.
Led by… Baron Vladimir
Smeltvolkin, a torpid but cunning
plutocrat whose massive form is
adorned in piles of golden jewelry.
He is a cutthroat and inhumane
despot who values profit above all
else, mortal suffering and death
rarely fazing him.
They can be found… Smeltvolkin
Tower. Smelters work deep below
as gold-slag fumes belch out from
the top of this gold-plated
monolithic tower. Inside the tower
serves as the company
headquarters; every surface is gold-
leafed and coated with gaudy
decorations.
They can provide… Wealth and
your weight in gold. Those with
business acumen may be invited in
as a shareholder or a comfortable
hands-off management position.
They desire… Dissent among
workers and organization must be
broken. The army of workers must
be convinced how much they love
to work.
It is rumored… Smeltvolkin is not
immortal and his time may be close
at hand. Who plans to take control
when he is gone?

189
THE FOUNDRY DISTRICT
Ballpeen Union
Organized and growing in number,
a movement based on labor rights
and solidarity seeks equity and
justice.
They are… A collective of artisans
and fabricators working to improve
the working conditions and lives of
the Foundry folk. They help
organize some of the largest strikes
in the city and offer protection
Nightwell Assembly
The name given to the deepest mine
against the plutocrats’ retribution. in recorded history, and the sunless
Led by… “Boss” is an ex-foreman mining community within.
turned resistance organizer. They
are short but stout and wear They are… Miners and prospectors
bandages to cover up the burns they who have abandoned the surface to
suffered from a foundry accident. work in the deepest mine in
They are level-headed and blunt, but recorded history. Couriers bring
hold a righteous and burning fury supplies down to the workers and
against injustice. bring up the strange and alien
riches the miners find in the
They can be found… Rat Depot, impenetrable dark.
an innocuous dry mine that now
hosts a speakeasy and operations Led by… Foreman Mpon, a dark
base of the Union. From here they and hollow figure, withered by
offer advice, tools, and logistical years of work. He has given up ever
support to fledgling unions through seeing the surface and toils
a vast system of couriers and alongside the other miners as an
representatives. equal, all while keeping tight-lipped
about the things he’s seen in the
They can provide… Protection dark...
from the aristocracy’s strong men
and masterwork quality goods at They can be found… Old Town, a
reasonable prices. ruined block of ancient city that was
found buried impossibly deep under
They desire… Help with organizing the rock. It now finds use as a
and funding the disparate workers subterranean mining village, a
in the city, as well as fending off wonder to archaeologists and
strike breakers if things get violent. historians alike.
It is rumored… The powers that be They can provide… Rare metals,
are quick to react, so much so that some infused with strange powers,
it’s suspected there is a mole in the are used to barter with. In addition,
Union’s ranks... it’s a well-known secret that the
miners frequently discover ancient
and unspeakable artifacts in the
depths of the mine…
They desire… Assistance procuring
equipment and supplies from the
surface. If they trust you, they might
even ask for your help with the
“things” in the mine.
It is rumored… There is something
buried in the depths that the folk
refuse to speak of. They fear it
above all else, yet are drawn to it
like a moth to a flame.

190
 THE FOUNDRY DISTRICT

Bostovious Von Arcos III is a Fahalice is often the only kind face
prominent figure in the foundry amid a jungle of gears and wires. A
district, having inherited many of machinery specialist, she trained
the factories and refineries. In an alongside her mother as a child to
attempt to entice the Nobles he is fix even the most complex of
known to put profits before mechanisms. She can diagnose most
anything else and often sends problems by just listening to a
elaborate gifts in his name to those machine and is known to make one
on high It is rumored it was his of a kind parts to fix even the most
family who developed the first disastrous breakdowns.
Arjax.

Kasgah has the misfortune of With the long-standing claim to

attributing their disfigured face to being born in a mine, Blasting Jane
the jealous rage of a senior foreman. is a regular denizen of the farthest
Ever since the heinous action they depths. No one returns to the
have dedicated themselves to surface the same after they have
ensuring fellow workers safety and witnessed the crushing darkness
rights. Even among sympathizers, found in the belly of the world, but
there is the question of how far Jane seems to get along just fine
Kasgah will go against those they with her squat frame and calcified
view as enemies. skin.

191
 THE FOUNDRY DISTRICT

Foundry Changes & Boons

The following lists may be used in

place of the normal Changes and 4 The Hollowed - Days of grueling
work and traumatic violence have
Boons lists on pages 24-26. ground away your very humanity.
You are incapable of feeling fear
1d10 Foundry Changes and sadness, but also incapable of
feeling joy or remorse.
1 Miner’s Eyes - After so much time
away from the sun your eyes water 5 Drawn to the Deep - Dark and
and sting in bright light. You are cramped places have begun to sing
considered blinded in anything a siren’s song to you. You have an
greater than low-light, unless you unnatural desire to explore and
properly protect your eyes. remain in these deep places.

2 Calcified Skin - Exposure to

corrosive and permeable minerals
6 Leadbite - Your body craves not just
sustenance to keep its fibers and
has caused your skin to harden and tissues alive, but hard metals such
be covered in calcified knots. as lead as well. The craving must be
met or the withdrawal sickness
3 Chimney Lung - The festering
tissues of your lungs have found
might kill you.
that they work best when constantly
filled with the sooty and grimy air.
7 Tool Jinx - Everything you touch
seems to wear and break. Any time
You are immune to the effects of you roll a 1 when using a tool,
impure air, but are reduced to weapon, or piece of machinery, the
coughing fits. implement breaks or
catastrophically fails.

192
 THE FOUNDRY DISTRICT
8 Worn to the Bone - Your body has
ceased keeping up appearances. 7 Chisel Fingers - Iron runs through
your hands, hardening your
Wounds, weathering, and damage fingernails. Your fingernails function
appear visibly on your body even as chisels or a similar tool.
after healing, giving you the
appearance of a tattered corpse. 8 Breaker - Some were built to make,
you were built to break. At the cost
9 Metal Fear - Witnessing and being
surrounded by metal has made you
of 1d6 HP you may break apart a
piece of machinery, a sturdy door,
develop an aversion to it. You or other artificial construction.
cannot willingly don armor or wield
metal weapons without entering 9 Iron-Handed - Heavy hands from
labor make anything a weapon. You
into a frightened state. may wield anything as an
10 Beyond Sleep - Your body can
never seem to rest easily. Anytime
improvised weapon, with damage
equal to a weapon of similar weight
you wish to sleep, you must imbibe and size.
medicine or alcohol, or be placed
under the effects of a spell. 10 Tinker, Thinker, Maker - You are
adept at improvising what you need.
Once per day, you may spend 1d3
1d10 Foundry Boons hours to combine any 2 common
tools into a tool of your choice.
1 Miner’s Eyes - Even the smallest
glimmer of light can reveal finite
details to your eyes. Your pupils
have adapted to the dim, providing
you clarity where others would find
only darkness.
2 Gem Wart - At first the growth
seems unsightly but with a little
rubbing, its true nature becomes
apparent. A gemstone glitters from
the fleshy socket of your skin, a
treasure in disguise.
3 Heat Resistant - Billowing waves of
dry, caustic heat flow over you like a
spring breeze. Your body recognizes
heat and does not panic or flash
with pain.
4 Tempered skin - What might be an
agonizing bruise to some is nothing
more than a tickle to you. Like well-
forged steel, your skin has absorbed
and evolved to take a beating.
5 Around the Clock - Without sight
of the sun and moon, the rhythms
that sway other beings no longer
apply to you. You function just as
well as any other without the need
to sleep.
6 Song of Metal - The clang of brass
or the bellow of iron, the song each
sings tells you from where in the
ground it was ferreted. Each metal
has its own tune and you know all
of them.

193
THE FOUNDRY DISTRICT

Foundry Goods & Services

Blooming with life both large and
small, the Foundry District boasts a
Goggles 10 /20/100 /1000
Heat Gauge 25 /50/500 /5000
culture of goods and services meant Jeweler Anvil 40 /80/400 /4000
to maintain, expand upon, and
survive the oppressive machines. Lantern Helm 25 /50/250 /2500
Lead Coffer 5 /10/ 50 /500
Hirelings Magnify Lens 20 /40/200 /400
Pickax 10 /20/100 /1000
Costs are per day or per transaction.
Pry-bar 12 /24/120 /1200
Name C /M / W / O
Respirator Mask * /40/200 /2000
Abattoir Worker 5 /10/ 50 /500 Filter, 1d3 hrs. * /10/ 50 /500
Blacksmith 8 /16/ 80 /800 Shovel, Fireproof
Builder 7 /14/ 70 /700 5 /10/ 50 /500
Carver 6 /12/ 60 /600 Smithy Tools 30 /60/300 /3000
Caster 8 /16/ 80 /800
Engineer * /24/120 /1200 Food
Farrier 6 /12/ 60 /600 Costs are per pound unless noted.
Furnace Operator Baked Onion 2 / 4 / 20 /200
4 / 8 / 40 /400 Grits 2 / 4 / 20 / *
Gear Maker 6 /12/ 60 /600 Hard Sausage 2 / 4 / 20 /200
Jeweler 6 /12/ 60 /600 Head Cheese 2 / 4 / 20 /200
Machinist 10 /20/100 /1000 Mince Pie 2 / 4 / 20 /200
Metallurgist * / * /140 /1400 Scrap Loaf 1/ 1/ * / *
Mover 3 / 6 / 30 /300 Gristle and sinew, boiled and baked.
Prospector 6 /12/ 60 /600
Tool Maker 9 /18/ 90 /900 Drink
Tunneler 3 / 6 / 30 /300 Costs are per gallon unless noted.
Wire Maker 4 / 8 / 40 /400 Beet Wine 2 / 4 / 20 /200
Gold-Cider * / * /100 /1000
Services Gold flakes float within
Cargo Shipping 4 / 8 / 40 /400 Slag Mezcal 4 / 8 / 40 /400
Cost is per mile, per cart-load. Flavored with a chunk of iron slag.
Fabrication 10 /20/100 /1000 Whey 1 / 2 / 10 /100
Does not include material cost.

Clothing
Dust Mask 10 /20/100 /1000
Overalls 6 /12/ 60 /600
Smithy Apron 6 /12/ 60 /600
Sweat Hat 2 / 4 / 20 /200
Sweat Kilt 4 / 8 / 40 /400

Tools
Carry Straps 2 / 4 / 20 /200
Caustic Suit * /50/250 /2500
Furnace Suit 50/ 100/500 /5000

194
 THE FOUNDRY DISTRICT
Contraband Currite Furnace * / * /5000/50000
An elaborate furnace the size of a
Autommunculi * / * /2000 /20000 small coal stove, its body and
A curious facsimile of a mortal controls are made of iron and lead,
skeleton, its insides whir with gears. while a humming energy can be felt
The clockwork contraptions were within.
made as a means to assist with The small furnaces were crafted
harsh or dangerous labor. When the with strange and somewhat curious
cost of creating and maintaining materials by an eccentric inventor.
them was viewed as too much for Despite their power and efficiency,
the factory owners, they used them they were banned once they were
as a threat to replace workers; linked to a strange and deadly
eventually the machines were illness that swept through the
outlawed altogether. factories.
An Autommunculi can be made to The Currite Furnace can be used as
mimic simple tasks that are both a kiln or furnace, able to reach
demonstrated in front of it, temperatures high enough to craft
repeating the task until a new one is steel or low enough to dry meat, all
given or it runs out of fuel. It has in mere minutes without any fuel.
the strength and agility of an However, using the furnace without
average mortal and requires 1 pint wearing lead-lined clothing or armor
of oil, per hour of use. deals 1d6 damage each day and
Arkanicite 10 /20/100 /1000 causes the victim to be sickened for
A piece of coal with veins of rainbow 1d6 days. Opening the oven while
glass & uncomfortably sharp edges. it is still on requires a save vs.
A rare mineral found deep in the Poison. Failure: 1d6 damage and
earth, it was briefly used to power sickened each day for 1d20 days.
factories, until the widespread fires Success: Half damage each day.
became too much of a danger. Forge Putty 50 /100/500/5000
A pound of Arkanicite burns just as Clay-like putty the color of brass, the
long as coal, albeit grows much impressions left by touching it are
hotter if consistently left to burn. incredibly detailed.
Hot Enough to Melt: A substance crafted for easily
1 Hrs. - Silver, Copper, Gold replicating machine parts, it was
2 Hrs. - Iron, Nickel, Stone outlawed after thieves and
3 Hrs. - Platinum, Ceramics counterfeiters began widely using it.
4 Hrs. - Tungsten Objects carefully pressed into Forge
Crucibleware 20 /40/200 /2000 Putty leave a perfect impression,
Ceramic clay the color of oxidized and when the putty is baked in a
iron, cool to the touch despite the low fire it creates a perfect mold of
temperatures around it. the object. This mold can be used to
cast anything, and is able to
Made by an alchemist as a means to withstand temperatures hot enough
safely work with molten metals, the to melt iron (but no higher).
clay was withdrawn from the public
so the Nobility could create fire-
proof suits of armor.
Anything crafted of Crucibleware is
absolutely impervious to fire, able to
be submersed in lava, and still
remain cool to the touch. To bake
Crucibleware clay, it must be heat-
dried, fired in a blast furnace, and
then submerged in powerful acid;
afterwards, it will be as strong as
stoneware and immune to heat.

195
THE FOUNDRY DISTRICT

Foundry Artifacts
Endless Box of Rags
A small wooden coffer containing a
bundle of filthy rags; they reek of
linseed oil and grease.
A curious artifact, originally found
in the detritus and waste of the
Foundry streets, it is prized by
pragmatic and conniving sorts alike.
Once per day, the coffer may
produce 1d20 cloth rags stained
with oil, grease, or other caustic
chemicals.

The Flying Wheel

A large brass gear emblazoned with
a running demon, it feels impossibly
light and almost floats.
Discovered in a destroyed factory
run by a demon, the gears from the
machines were salvaged and
auctioned off for their curious
ability.
The gear magically fits into any
large machine its attached to, and
doubles the speed, and efficiency of
the machine. Whats more, you may
feed the gear a pint of blood to
Fellcraft Hammer speed it up ten-fold for an hour, but
this risks a 1-in-10 chance of the
A rusted and fractured iron machine breaking disastrously.
hammer. A curious anger fills your
body when you touch its splintered
oaken handle… Grave Foreman's Salts
Forged and cursed by a masterwork A small paper pouch containing
craftsfolk who was ridiculed and left smelling salts that reek of grave dirt
destitute by a circle of mages, their and stormy skies.
hammer would seek bloody Concocted for a ruthless foreman
vengeance beyond the grave. who demanded their workers finish
The hammer is unwieldy and their jobs, even in death…
unusable, except when used to When placed under the nose of a
break or destroy magical items. corpse and issued a single
Magical items or artifacts struck by command, the body will spring to
the hammer immediately shatter, life for 1d6 hours and attempt to
while mages and sorcerers struck by fulfill its orders. The corpse has the
it suffer 2d6 damage that cannot be strength and skills it had in life,
guarded against. Those who carry although they can be affected if it
the hammer are compelled to is missing parts or suffered
destroy any magical item they cross. extensive decay.

196
 THE FOUNDRY DISTRICT
Awakened Construct Mood
The mood, demeanor, and
intelligence of a construct that has
been animated with Placentallic
Grease varies wildly and
dangerously.
1d3 Mood
1 Hostile: refuses requests and
attacks characters if possible.
2 Ambivalent: only follows requests
if given ample reason to do so.
3 Friendly: obediently follows
requests and given tasks.

Kiln Heart 1d3 Demeanor

1 Violent: actions are efficient but
A jagged and twisted piece of slag often brutal and damaging.
the size of an ox’s heart, warm to the
touch and gently beating. 2 Melancholy: actions are done
carefully but lethargically and
The still-living heart of a forgotten with much bemoaning.
kiln god, it still burns with the
memory of its former glory and 3 Genial: actions are done with a
the pain of being torn away from saccharine and off-puttingly
its body. positive attitude.
When held close to the chest, the 1d3 Intelligence
wielder is immune to fire, both 1 Low: unable to do complicated
magical and mundane. Additionally, tasks but also does not question
the temperature of the wielder and their existence.
the Kiln Heart increases at the rate 2 Medium: able to do most tasks,
of 50o C per minute (or 5o C per 6 sometimes has a crippling crisis
seconds). There is no upper limit to of existence and identity.
the temperature the Kiln Heart can
reach, only ceasing if the wielder 3 High: scholarly and dangerous,
expires or releases the artifact. will attempt to escape and self-
perpetuate their existence.
Placentallic Grease
A jar of thick grease that sparkles as
if made with powdered gemstones; it
feels strange to touch, as if imbued
with a faint electricity.
Ransacked from the workshop of a
legendary artificer whose greatest
achievement was a statue that
seemed to dance and a music box
that sang to be given a body.
The grease, when applied to a
machine or construct, bestows a
crude intelligence and
consciousness to the object for 1d6
hours. The demeanor and reaction
of the object to its newfound
sentience varies widely and often
requires convincing to follow
requests.

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THE FOUNDRY DISTRICT
Silverseer Rods
A pair of dowsing rods made with
silver and lodestone handles, the
rods seem to twitch and hum when
not in use.
When the city built aqueducts and
wells, the water-diviners sought
work with prospectors, changing
their tools and craft to seek out ores
and metals hidden deep below
the earth.
When held in both hands and gently
sung to, the rods will guide you to
the nearest ore deposit above or
beneath you.

Twixt Pipes
A pair of brass pipes as wide as two
fingers, etched with geometric sigils
and silver filigree; they hum when
brought close together.
Crafted by a plumber who studied
alongside mages in their youth.
Their work was deemed foolish by
the academy and their peers, yet
they always found work and lived
an honest and comfortable life.
The pipes are connected by a
magical bond, and anything that
travels through one pipe will come
Strognarm's Bone out the other. The pipes will
Small chunk of arm-bone, seemingly function up to a distance of 500 ft.
made of beaten and worn cast-iron.
Long ago, a laborer was blessed Unbreakable Rod
with bones that would not break A five-foot long polished metal rod as
and flesh that would not waver. thick as a person’s thumb,
When they died of old age, they comfortably light and devoid of any
asked that their body be divided markings or wear.
and shared, so that others might not Created on a drunken bet between
suffer from the hardships of labor. two master metallurgists, the goal
When held in the hand or worn as a being to craft a metal that would see
charm, your bones and ligaments the end of time.
become hard as iron and near The Unbreakable Rod has no
unbreakable. However, your flesh remarkable characteristics other
and blood remain unchanged and than being light enough to be used
you are still susceptible to many as a staff or pry-bar. However, it
types of harm. cannot break, bend, or be affected
by any natural or supernatural force.

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 THE FOUNDRY DISTRICT

d50
Foundry Loot & Trinkets YOU FIND…
1 50ft length of canvas hose 26 Metal shears
2 Five rusty washers 27 Lunch box (with lunch!)
3 Pouch of powdered graphite 28 Sharpened hammer
4 Lens from a pair of glasses 29 Length of braided cord
Half of a pair of broken Dented lantern, smells of
5 30
scissors, sharpened to a shiv turpentine
6 Street sign 31 Eight rubber knobs
7 Belt with many loops 32 Hand drill, missing bit
8 Rusted clamp 33 Dented helmet
9 Empty roll to house handtools 34 All-in-one spoon
10 Ruler with strange marks 35 Wrought iron hook
Thirteen steel nails wrapped Bandana with rebel symbols
11 36
in velvet stitched onto it
12 Architect’s pen, ink is dried 37 Oil can
13 Moon dial 38 Safety goggles
14 Grease marker 39 Pouch of glass shards
Bundle of neatly folded Small cask of mysterious
15 40
receipts pungent liquid
16 Splinters of exotic wood 41 Furnace cat collar
Water-stained pad of graph Hunk of slag metal in the
17 42
paper shape of a hand
18 Small broken chain 43 Plumb-bob made with lead
19 Murky glass vial 44 Rod of magnetized iron
20 Unopened can of oil 45 Braided cord climbing harness
21 Tiny puzzle box 46 Portable anvil with handles
22 Chipped wood chisel 47 10 feet of lead chain
20-foot bundle of interlocking
23 Handle to unknown tool 48
copper pipes
Lighter, needs fuel and wick
24 Oily rag 49
to function
25 Wrench with locking grasp 50 Flare that burns white

199
THE FOUNDRY DISTRICT

Foundry People & Places

D12 NAME WORK QUIRK

Gerri Assembly Claims to hear the vibrations of the
1
Pitswaller floor cleaner Wurm…
2 Carboon Teeth Grinder Smokes a pipe, is never seen to refill it.
3 Rothurt Machinist Claims to be fireproof. Is not.
Samoyed Purveyor of Only stubs of fingers remain on their left
4
Tinview Dustpans hand.
Parks Professional Can whistle a fine tune through their tin
5
Veelbower Box-Stacker teeth.
6 Hasta Labor Hand Prone to nosebleeds around soap.
7 Bulstrode Welder Has a secret junk pile in their backyard.
Copper A glass tubular level vial has gotten
Jalmen
8 Magnet stuck into their cranium; oddly they are
Stone
specialist always level.
Record Keeps rolls and rolls of schematics on
9 Pilstov
keeper them at all times.
Constance Quality Genetic anomaly has left them with an
10
Heelgrub Control Miser extra finger.
11 Bo Oil Sampler Completely deaf.
Tilli Bore Eel Has a massive key-ring with no idea
12
Vagmoot Exterminator what they go to.

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 THE FOUNDRY DISTRICT
D12 STREET NAME STREET APPEARANCE
Street and walkway is always wet with a
1 Magma Lane
shimmering sheen.
Stone-cutter Pipes burst from underneath the ground like
2
Tunnel writhing snakes.
Acid rain has left the majority of buildings with
3 Acid Leaseway
half-melted facades.
Grout between cobblestones has been replaced
4 Trifolium Alley
by excess metal runoff.
5 Fell Ingot Drive Canvas flags advertising goods and services.
Buildings are stained gray by soot and pock-
6 Pump Run Road
marked by attempts to chip the dirt away.
Strange and old symbols are painted over the
7 Hammer Street
doorways in grease.
8 Sifting Boulevard Rusted metal and broken machines line the lanes.
Hot clouds of exhaust pulse up through sewer
9 Exchange Close
grates on a timer; locals avoid them on instinct.
Most of the buildings are made from leftover
10 Bolt Avenue
industrial sized metal drums.
Denizens are mostly nocturnal and use the
11 Crucible Row
moonlight for forging.
Rope-Beater Great statues made out of unused parts keep
12
Walk watch over the stoops of family homes.

D12 SHOP NAME SHOP APPEARANCE

Trappings and Various blueprints are framed all over the shop;
1
Cudgels some look familiar…
Twice Bolted Dazzling and strange instruments hang
2
Goods precariously from the ceiling.
Rusty’s Painted lines on the shop floor seem like a map
3
Emporium of an underground system.
4 Loot & Brook Collections upon collections of doorknobs.
Hardboiled What is clearly a bore eel hole is boarded up on
5
Consignment the showroom floor.
6 The Heap All goods are strapped down, for some reason…
7 Ham’s Fine Slices
Wrought iron griffons defend the shopfront.
Casper’s Fine The owner has attempted to automate the cash
8
Grinding register; it now spits coins in displeasure.
The Aurjax’s Piles of junk obscure every window and door, yet
9
Utter the owner knows where everything is.
Huge foggy bulbs hum with light, the vibrations
10 Jesop’s Gear
can be felt in your teeth.
Slung Back Metal grit covers everything and gets into the
11
Imports most uncomfortable places.
Commodities and Huge drums of mysterious liquids fill the space;
12
Commons it is impossible to tell which one is leaking.

201
THE FOUNDRY DISTRICT

•
•
Defense: As Plate
Hit Dice: 3HD
Slag Men They are not mindless beings, only
becoming feral and violent when
• Hit Points: 18 the pain and hunger is too much to
• Move: Standard, bear. If satiated with fine metal
• Damage: Molten Touch 1d6 (higher quality alleviates more pain)
+1d6 fire and Metal Hunger and assured of their safety, a
• Quantity: Solo or Pyre 1d8 dialogue can be established. Their
• XP: 500 language is a collection of vibrations
• Immunity to Fire and fluctuations in heat, making
• Metal Hunger: The Slag Men communication difficult but not
hunger to be made whole again, impossible; and what they have to
and the metal abides. Any time say is interesting to say the least. It
the Slag Man touches metal (be has been said that a single Slag Man
it weapon or armor) the wielder knows more about metallurgy than
must save v. Breath. all the smiths in the city, speaking of
Success: the metal is pulled away metal and ore as a philosopher may
in time. Failure: The Slag Man talk about the mortal condition.
absorbs the item, drinking it like
honey, utterly destroying it.
Magical items must make the save
as well, but if they are absorbed
the Slag Man has a 3-in-6 chance
of detonating, dealing 5d6 damage
to all within 30ft and killing the
Slag Man.
Pained metallic moans bellow out
from a chest of calcified ore.
Footsteps, erratic and heavy like
lead. A mortal shape staggers into
view, its skin a cracked and
cavernous stone the color of dried
blood and ash. Its eyes and joints
glow, struggling from some terrible
molten pain within itself; all the
while its face betrays a look of agony
and hunger…
Standing no taller than the average
mortal, they appear as gaunt,
decrepit beings made of fused slag.
They are formed when raw ore is
processed, painfully tearing the
metal away from the stone, leaving
only agonized stone stripped of its
metals. This stone and slag animates
itself, driven by an unspeakable pain
to make itself whole again. They
feed on metal, fruitlessly hoping to
satiate the pain of being sundered,
but only gaining relief for brief
moments of time.

202
 THE FOUNDRY DISTRICT

• Defense: As Hide
Bore Eels
•
•
Hit Dice: 4HD
Hit Points: 24
Bore Eel Tunnels
• Move: Burrow Standard One may travel the tight and slimy
• Damage: Bite 1d10 tunnels made by the Bore Eels as an
• Quantity: Solo, Clutch 1d8 impromptu shortcut (pg. 9).
• XP: 650
• Slippery: Leathery skin and DEX or WIS to avoid danger
viscous mucus. Non-magical or D6 Hazard
non-piercing weapons deal only
half damage to the Bore Eel. 1 Nasty Fall - You fall, dealing
• Adamantine Teeth: Their teeth 1d3x1d6 damage
can even chew through steel. 2 Stuck - Lose 1d3 hours or
Non-magical armor provides no appropriate tool to get unstuck.
protection from the Rock Eel. 3 Undercity - You accidentally
• Wailing Call: Their pained cries discover a new path to the
draw companions to their aid. Undercity (pg. 98).
When first wounded, the Bore Eel 4+ Eels! - 1d6 hungry Bore Eels
has a 1-in-20 chance of attack you in the tunnels.
summoning another Bore Eel.
Leathery skin slithers between stone
leaving trails of foul-smelling slime.
A serpentine beast as thick as a
man’s leg and long as a galley ship
rears its eyeless head. Its lamprey
mouth glints with steel-like teeth and
a grating cry roils within its body.
Bore Eels are a voracious
subterranean predator found near
mines or caverns that descend deep
into the earth. They search for food
by feeling the vibrations in the
ground and changes in temperature.
Their grinding teeth allow them to
easily burrow through the earth.
They are a new and pervasive threat
to the Foundry District, having been
unleashed after a mine alerted a
colony of them. Their tunnels now
go all the way to the surface,
occasionally picking off pedestrians
on the streets above. While many
see them as no more than mindless
vermin, others postulate and fear
that this is only just the beginning,
for no one truly knows how deep
the Bore Eel tunnels go and more
seem to arrive to the surface with
each passing day…

203
THE FOUNDRY DISTRICT

Furnace Cats These unique felines are right at

home in the warm and dark climate
of the mines. Most furnace cats are
no larger than a domestic cat; they
are characterized by the velvety
graphite texture of their bodies and
bright “stripes” of magma. Despite
being able to digest nearly any
organic matter, they tend to have
fussy and finicky preferences.
Stray or newborn furnace cats are
most frequently found wherever
coal is being burned at very high
temperatures, often by magical
means. Due to their hardy
disposition, these cats make
wonderful pets, provided an
ensorcelled collar keeps them from
burning their caretaker’s furniture
and flesh. It is unknown why
furnace cats came into existence;
some claim it was to curb the grease
chimp infestations; however furnace
cats seem rather ambivalent to their
• Defense: As Hide simian rivals.
• Hit Dice: 1HD
• Hit Points: 6
• Move: Double Standard As a Companion
• Damage: Claws 1d6 and 1d6 Fire Despite their feral nature, furnace
• Quantity: Solo, Pack 2d6 cats tend to be friendly if treated
• XP: 200 well, and will even join in as a
• Burst: Their collars keep their fires companion if properly groomed,
in check, mostly... Once per day, fed, and nurtured.
anyone within arms’ length, save Feed: 1 ration per day
v. Breath. Success: 1d6 fire
damage. Failure: 2d6 fire damage Morale: 5-in-6 Flees if reduced to
and any flammable objects burst less than half HP or half of allies
into flame. are killed. 1-in-6 fights to the
• Pounce: They prefer to surprise death.
their prey. Attacks against unaware Carry Capacity: Will carry no more
victims automatically hit and deal than 1d2 items.
double damage.
A black and orange house cat curls
around the legs of a miner, a
strange sight so deep within the
quarry. However, upon second
glance the creature’s unblinking
orange eyes flicker with an internal
heat and its stripes glow from
within. The magical heat that
emanates from the feline is kept well
at bay by the delicate collar around
its neck.

204
 THE FOUNDRY DISTRICT

•
•
Defense: As Plate
Hit Dice: 10HD
Aurjax The Aurjax is a dangerous construct
that terrorizes the streets. Weighing
• Hit Points: 72 nearly as much as three oxen, they
• Move: Double Standard appear as metal beasts attached to a
• Damage: Gore 1d10 and sadistic-looking contraption
Hooves 1d8/1d8 resembling a wheat harvester. They
• Quantity: Solo prowl the City on an erratic
• XP: 1300 schedule, leaving behind streets that
• Trample: To be caught under the are perfectly clean, save for the trace
Aurjax is certain death. If the soot and charred bloodstains.
Aurjax hits a single adventurer Built on behalf of the Nobles to
with both of its Hooves, save v. “clean the streets,” the artificers did
Breath or be knocked down and not seem to account for people to
suffer 5d6 damage as the Aurjax be on the streets when the Aurjax
crushes them beneath its mass. were at work. Folks now have early
• Brass Body: Its body is solid alarm systems for when the
metal, nearly impervious. Non- monsters are spotted, giving
magical weapons and attacks deal pedestrians the chance to flee to
only half damage. higher ground or alleys.
• Incinerate: The beast is powered
with cleansing fire. Flammable
objects that touch the Aurjax
immediately burst into flames.
The sound of grinding metal and
roaring fire, as galloping hooves and
whirring blades strike the ground.
The body of a vicious brass bull
wreathed in smoke drags a whirring
contraption of bloodied blades and
gears. Flames pour from its snout
and its eyes burn with bloodlust…

205
THE FOUNDRY DISTRICT

•
• Hit Dice: 15HD
Dreadnought
Defense: As Chain An entire factory, animated by a
dark will, a Dreadnought is a
• Hit Points: 100 walking catastrophe. Standing taller
• Move: Standard than a building and taking the form
• Damage: Slam 2d10/2d10 of a lumbering beast, the creature is
and Horrid Machinery a mess of wood, stone, and metal
• Quantity: Solo surrounding the still-functioning
• XP: 1300 machines of a factory. They are a
• Horrid Machinery: The force of a rare and terrible sight, appearing
factory lies in its blows. The abruptly and leaving a trail of
Dreadnought’s attacks are are destruction in their path as they
made more dangerous by the rage against the very city that
parts that make its form. spawned them.
1 Searing Furnace - Save vs. When those within a factory suffer
Breath or flammable objects greatly, the factory feels it. When
on character burst into flame. machines are ground to nothing or
2 Caustic Cauldron - Save vs. burned away, the factory feels it.
Breath or suffer 1d4 acid When the walls and floors are so
damage each turn until the full of anguish and misery that no
chemicals are cleaned off. single thing could hope to remain
3 Grinding Gears - Save vs. sane, the factory is forced to go on.
Hold or become grappled. It is from this suffering that the first
Suffer 3d6 damage each turn Dreadnoughts rose from their
until you are freed. foundations and raged until they
4 Fetid Waste - Save vs. Poison could finally die…
or contract a random disease
(pg. 28).
• Death Throes: Its body churns
with dangerous catalysts. When
slain, there is a 1-in-20 chance the
Dreadnought’s corpse detonates,
covering a 60-foot radius with fire,
acid, and shrapnel for 5d6
damage.
• Dreadnought Plague: It spreads
its will and anguish like a disease.
The mere touch of a Dreadnought
has a chance of infecting
machines or constructs with a fell
will (see sidebar).
Titanic steps, like those of a giant,
echo through air and ground. Smoke
fills the sky and the shadow of a
colossal figure strides across the
skyline. Its body appears as if a
factory has been given fell life, as
pipes twist, rafters split, and
machines scream in anguish as the
horrid monster crashes through
building after building.

206
 THE FOUNDRY DISTRICT
Dreadnought Disease
A Dreadnought is so full of pain and
suffering, that they can spread their
powers to machines they come in
contact with, potentially animating
them into new Dreadnoughts.
Transmission: Factories that come
in contact with the creature or use
parts of its corpse.
Effect: Each day, there is a 1-in-20
chance the Disease progresses.
Progress and Effects
1 Accidents begin to occur more
frequently and are significantly
more deadly.
2 Parts of the building begin to
move when no one is looking.
3 Machines begin to operate of their
own accord, as if imbued with life.
4 The building occasionally quakes,
causing damage and usually
killing a handful of people.
4 Machinery behaves erratically,
operating in ways that harm
instead of work.
5 Machines and walls begin to
violently move, striking and
killing unexpected victims.
6 The building rises from its
foundation as a Dreadnought.
Cure: Destroying the factory.

207
THE FOUNDRY DISTRICT

Foundry Encounters
“From the ash drifts to the oil
pits, strife and danger are
Saboteur or Arsonist
Stealthy guttersnipe, armed with
commonplace in the Foundry.” an assortment of tools to break in
The following is a list of encounters or destroy.
that can be used as-is or alongside Armor: Leather | HD 3 | HP 10
other encounter tables. Sap As Weapon or Firebomb 20ft/
2d6 Fire | Move: Double Standard
Short Statblocks
Crucible Guards
Dirty Tricks: As Attack, save v.
Breath or hold or suffer ailment for
one round: 1 Blindness, 2 Stunned,
Mortals clad in heavy suits of 3 Knocked Down.
fireproof armor, wielding tools to Morale: Flees if reduced to less than
burn and break. half HP.
Armor: Plate | HD 3 | HP 18 Striker, Laborer, or Scab
Mace As Weapon or Flamethrower Mortal clad in dirty clothes with a
30ft/3d6 Fire | Move: Half Standard stern face and calloused hands.
Crucibleware Armor: Immunity to Armor: None | HD 1 | HP 8
fire or heat. Tool As Weapon | Move: Standard
Morale: 5-in-6 Flees if reduced to Morale: 4-in-6 Flees if injured,
less than half HP or half of allies are 2-in-6 Fights to the death.
killed. 1-in-6 fights to the death. Strike-Breaker or Quota-Checker
Grease Chimps Towering mortals with strong bodies
Large simian creature, whose dark and a sadistic glean in their eyes.
fur shines with foul-smelling grease. Armor: Leather | HD 2 | HP 10
Armor: None | HD 2 | HP 12 Club As Weapon | Move: Standard
Fists 1d6/1d6 or Throw Object 20ft/ Morale: 3-in-6 Flees if injured,
1d6 | Move: Climb Standard 3-in-6 Fights to the death.
Morale: 5-in-6 Flees if injured,
1-in-6 Fights to the death.

208
 THE FOUNDRY DISTRICT

D50 ENCOUNTER AND 1D6 MOOD

1d6 Laborers Mood: 1-2 Tired, helpful but lethargic. 3-5 Busy,
1-10
would rather not be disturbed unless paid. 6 Hostile if bothered.

1d6 Slag Men Mood: 1-2 Hungry, helpful if fed metals.

11-14
3-5 Pained, hostile if disturbed. 6 Hostile, frenzied with hunger.

2d20 Strikers Mood: Busy, would rather not be disturbed unless

15-18
paid. Openly hostile to scabs or company sympathizers.

Strike Breaker Mob, 1d6 Strike-Breakers and 1d10 Scabs

19-21 Mood: Busy, would rather not be disturbed unless paid.
Openly hostile to strikers or union sympathizers.

1d3 Crucible Guards Mood: 1 Demand the characters leave their

22-25 vicinity. 2-3 Attempt to fine the characters 50 coins each for
“disrupting productivity.” 5-6 Hostile, chase characters for sport.

1d3 Quota-Checkers and Crucible Guard Mood: Interrogate

26-30 anyone who doesn’t look busy for 1d4 hours, openly hostile
to strikers.

1d6 Grease Chimps Mood: 1-2 Bored, hostile if bothered.

31-34 3-4 Curious, looking for entertainment.
6 Hostile, attack bystanders.

1d4 Bore Eels Mood: 1-2 Just ate, only hostile if bothered.
35-38 3-5 Hungry, hostile until fed. 6 Ambush! Waits to strike when
characters least expect it.

1d4 Arsonists Mood: 1-2 Fleeing a scene, hostile if disturbed.

39-41 3-4 Actively torching a building, friendly if assisted, hostile if not.
5-6 Hostile, thinks you were a witness.

Street Fight, 1d20 Strikers and 1d20 Scabs, the street has erupted
42-43
into chaos as strikers and scabs wage a bloody brawl.

Street Gang, 1d6 Laborers and 1d4 Saboteurs Mood: 1-2 Square up
44-46 for a fair brawl. 3-5 Demand money from characters or a beating.
6 Hostile, out for a dead body.

Riot Suppression, 1d6 Crucible Guards and 1d10 Strike Breakers

47-48 Mood: Demand characters leave the vicinity, attack anyone who
might be affiliated with strikers or a union.

49 Aurjax Mood: Hostile to anything caught in its path.

Dreadnought Mood: Runs amok in the city, attacks those who try
50
and stop it.

209
Archivist District

At first I was lulled into the idea that the Archivist District
was one of homely scholars and scribes, duteously sheltering
the tomes and scrolls of ages long past. The spines of books
gleaming with gold embellishments, smartly trimmed quills
awaiting the page, and endless bottles of ink packed into
neat rows has that effect. All of that orderliness belies that
with every sumptuously illuminated page, there is one with
splattered ink and gouged with holes from a quill driven too
deep into the precious vellum. There is a battle being waged
between those who are privy to the secrets and scandals that
have been transmuted into text and those who ache with the
thirst for knowledge long kept from their reach.
“The Fount of Prose,” Xelie A. Larch, Wandering Historian;
Tales of My Travels, Vol II
THE ARCHIVIST DISTRICT

Archivists
The streets are stained with trails of
iridescent ink, the air pungent with
the scent of freshly cured vellum,
and everywhere are stacks of
countless tomes watched over by
secretive caretakers. This is the
Archivist District, a bibliocentric
dealer of knowledge and secrets.

A Bastion of Knowledge
A bookworm’s paradise, the
Archivist District is devoted to the
creation and maintenance of printed
and recorded material. Innumerable
workshops of ink-makers, vellum-
stretchers, and stitch-binders work
tirelessly to maintain the countless
books and scrolls. At the center of it
all are the libraries, titanic edifices
that are said to host any book one
could desire. The hallowed halls of
these libraries are a pilgrimage spot
for scholars, free-thinkers, and
philosophers, all who come to
marvel at the collections within.

And a Labyrinth of Secrets

However, not all information is
freely given and there are
powerful parties who ensure that
its secrets are kept. Every word
that passes through the libraries
is checked and curated before it
meets public eyes. Incendiary
inquisitors prowl the streets at
night, histories are re-written to
be more “palatable,” and some Curated by the Bibliothecaries
writers mysteriously vanish The libraries are lorded over by
alongside their entire collections. shadowy and near-omniscient
Those who live within the Archivist beings known as the Bibliothecaries.
District long enough begin to see it With alien minds fueled by a cold
for what it is: a place that hoards and calculating intellect, they
and revises the truth at the behest meticulously direct the actions of
of the Nobles, ensuring their secrets the Archivist District from their
are kept locked away deep within library sanctums. Leaving only when
its discerning archives… in danger or to convene with the
Nobility, they send their many wards
to operate on their behalf. Many fear
the will of the Bibliothecaries, lest
they be “rewritten” from living
history…

212
 THE ARCHIVIST DISTRICT
Features & Issues
The following lists may be used in
7 Entombed Library - A massive and
ominous library sits silent. Few
speak of it and avoid looking at it,
less they remember why the edifice
place of the normal features and
was sealed shut forever.
issues lists on pg. 73.
1 Forbidden History - The inside is
1d10 Archivist Features filled with all manner of histories
and accounts. What is puzzling is
Written words and their care that all are filled with fictional
dominates the life of the Archivist histories and absurd truths – or so
District. Streets are laden with paper it seems…
and vellum while the many ink-
2 Living Grimoires - A dangerous
stained hands of laborers and
and powerful truth began to
thinkers go to work.
animate the many books, filling
1 Sheet Makers - The smell of wood
pulp and vellum, accompanied by
the shelves with ravenous and
bloodthirsty tomes that devoured
the sound of stone chisels ringing the librarians within.
through the street. The workshops 3 Mad Bibliothecary - The powerful
here are dedicated to the craft of and all-knowing caretaker of the
writing surfaces, from fine sheets of library began to acquire dark
paper to sturdy plaques of stone. predilections and dangerous
2 Scriptorium - Hundreds of hunched
and ink-stained figures work in vast
secrets. Before they could unleash
their plans upon the world, they
candle-lit halls, scribbling furiously were sealed within their own
from an orator's direction. These library, left to go feral as they plot
deft scribes work tirelessly to copy within their decaying prison.
old works or pen new ones for the
ever-growing libraries. 8 Hall of Records - A labyrinthine
structure whose darkened halls hold
3 Binderies - Stacks of unbound
signatures, spools of thread, and
all manner of meticulously
organized records and information.
pungent glue pour in by the cart 1 Words - Stacks upon stacks of
load, while the sound of mallets and ledgers, scrolls, and note scraps
presses sound from busy laborers. It are organized by an impossibly
is here that disassembled pages and convoluted cataloging system.
manuscripts are turned into
marvelous decorated tomes. 2 Speech - Hundreds of orators,
singers, and word-smiths are kept
4 Shady Bookseller - Tucked away
from discerning eyes lies a cramped
on retainer in tight but lavish
living quarters in order to express
and secretive bookstore of banned what words cannot.
and forbidden works, all rare or
expensive. The off-putting owner 3 Minds - Written permission from
speaks in riddles and hints to some the Nobility or librarians must be
unspeakable secret hidden within… given to access this place, for
inside are the still living brains of
5 Tower of Tongues - A line of folk
gather outside of an elegant and
great thinkers and scholars kept
alive in fluid-filled jars. Memories
colorful tower decorated in banners and thoughts are accessed with
sporting countless languages. strange eldritch machines.
Staffed by linguists and translators,
the tower offers translation services
of books, phrases, and even esoteric
symbology.
6 University - Scholars and students
alike crowd the halls of this institute
of higher learning (pg. 62).

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 THE ARCHIVIST DISTRICT
9 Ink-works - Pungent smells sting
the nostrils while every surface and
5 Unsanctioned “Collecting” - The
area is gripped with a feverish need
person seems to be stained with to steal and collect. Like a strange
pigment. Strange and vibrant inks madness, break-ins and organized
are made by the barrel, all in order robberies are common, while such
to meet the demand of libraries and ill-gotten items are carefully
scribes across the city. hoarded by these “collectors.”
10 Repository Warehouse - Enormous
warehouses meant to hold the
6 Forgery Crisis - Be it an important
scholarly work or artifact, the item
un-circulated collections of libraries has been revealed as a fake.
and wealthy individuals, guarded by Scholars panic, countless years of
bored and understaffed watchmen. research are made obsolete, and
1 Moldering Books - Countless academia crumbles at this reality.
disorganized tomes are stacked in
worm-infested towers, some
7 Dangerous Grimoire - A text of
great and dangerous power has
crumbling away into piles of pulp. arrived. Thieves look to steal it,
2 Forgotten Artifacts - Dusty sheets scholars wish to read it, while the
cover hundreds of water-damaged libraries fear the horror it could
antiquities and art pieces, long- unleash…
abandoned by an uncaring or
forgetful collector.
8 Defective Ink - A massive batch of
ink is dangerously defective,
3 Eclectic Hoard - Piles of seeming wrecking havoc on both texts and
rubbish and mundane goods are folks alike.
meticulously organized and 1 Unstable - The chemical make up
maintained, albeit to what end? is corrosive, dissolving holes in
pages. What’s worse: some seem
to catch fire at random.
2 Non-adhesive - The ink refuses to
1d10 Archivist Issues dry or becomes wet again after a
Books are made illegal, dangerous time. Puddles of ink drip down
projects are researched in secret, all shelves or soak the text they were
while regular folks and scholars a part of.
attempt to maintain their sanity… 3 Poisonous - A dangerous mineral
or chemical was mixed in the ink.
1 Large-scale Banning - Those who
rule have deemed a large collection Scribes fall ill or die, and the
of texts “dangerous” or “degenerate” books poison those they touch.
to the public. Burn piles are a
common sight, while brave few 9 Dark Research - Powerful leaders
and thinkers have undertaken a foul
attempt to hide the precious texts. and dangerous research. Rumors
leak out of what they might be
2 Infestation - A breakout of vermin
and book parasites spell doom for studying while those associated with
many texts. Libraries and collections the project begin to disappear…
quarantine themselves to avoid
disaster. 10 Thought Police - Nobles and
authorities have labeled certain
beliefs and ideas “unbecoming of a
3 Intellectual Schism - Powerful
schools of thought have split and citizen.” Paranoia spreads, while
come to a violent impasse. Lines flame-wielding inquisitors prowl the
have been drawn and supporters street to weed out the “guilty.”
wage war against one another.
4 Privatized Libraries - Information
is permitted, but only to those who
can afford it. Steep fees or levies are
collected by private library owners.

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Factions and NPCs
Curators and librarians direct the
laws and actions of the Archivist
District. Some rebel against the
tyrannical secrecy while other
extreme trains of thought seek to
burn it all away…

Conclave of the Centipede

A powerful collective with eyes and
ears across the city, they control
what is known and by whom.
They are… Head librarians and
arch-curators seeking to guide the
flow of knowledge across the city.
They hold sway over most libraries
and have a say in what is available
to the public or private eye.
Led by… Grand Bibliothecary
Aurum Centis, a twisted and
powerful being of unfathomable
intellect. A cold-blooded
manipulator, they appear as nothing
more than a regal and towering
mortal of unnatural size; rumors
abound of their true shape lurking
beneath their pristine robes...
They can be found… The Bathyal
Labyrinth – A titanic and opulent
library, containing dozens of floors
of meticulously curated collections.
However, above the ground is only a
fraction of its collection, its
basements descending deep into the
earth. No one knows who built the
sub-floors or their depth, only that
the collections grow more bizarre
and unkempt, and dangerous beings
stalk the darkened halls where light
does not breach...
They can provide… Access to rare
or forbidden collections of
knowledge; if it has been penned,
the Conclave likely has a copy.
They desire… Withdrawing or
stemming the flow of recorded
knowledge and history into
something more “manageable.”
It is rumored… The Conclave and
its agents have been hard at work
seeking out an illusive and
impossibly ancient record. Done on
behalf of the Nobles, whatever the
record contains terrifies them…

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The Incendiary Annotation
With fire and soot this secretive cult
seeks to burn away the falsehoods
and sins of this world.
They are… Disgraced thinkers and
pyromaniacs who torch and
vandalize repositories of knowledge. The Transparent Press
They plot in secret and each Rogue scribes and press-operators
member varies in their dogma. who work to abolish the secrets held
Led by… The Cinderbrand, a by the powerful.
strange being that appears as an orb They are… Scribes, writers, and
of fire mounted on the headless press-operators devoted to freedom
body of a petrified corpse. They do of information and transparent
not speak, instead filling the minds authorities. Their literature can be
of their followers with a burning found everywhere, from pamphlets
hatred of the current world and to posters, their words are spread by
showing them the many cruel countless sympathizers.
realities that were willingly
forgotten by history. Led by… Johannes Lead, a humble
revolutionary who operates a secret
They can be found… Mound of printing press. Covered in
Lost Words – A large neighborhood permanent ink stains and bearing a
built into the ashes and ruins of a face marked with age, they are an
massive library that was burned to astute and plain-spoken crafts-folk
the ground. While they remain who directs a network of
hidden publicly, members of the investigators, researchers, and print-
Incendiary Annotation recruit, plot, makers to uncover truths and dispel
and hide from authorities within the propaganda from the Nobility.
safety of this neighborhood.
They can be found… Scribe’s
They can provide… Capable Redoubt – A collection of
pyromancers and calculating sneak- basements and forgotten libraries,
thieves, they are willing to teach or connected with a series of hidden
offer their services to sympathetic makeshift tunnels. Here, caches of
parties. banned books and information are
They desire… The burning or stored and moved for safety, while
destruction of sinful and false runners transport literature from the
literature or records. While each presses across the city.
member has a different opinion on They can provide… Their
what is “sinful” or “false,” burning mysterious presses can replicate any
whole libraries or important works book or printed material, including
is always viewed favorably. ones magical in nature. What is
It is rumored… Experienced and more, they have hoards of
powerful members of the cult are information forbidden by the
plotting something massive and curators and Nobles.
have begun stockpiling caches of They desire… Stealing books from
dangerous volatiles across the city. private collections to be shared
The “Day of Cinders” is close at publicly, unearthing secrets hidden
hand... by the authorities, and distributing
their printed works.
It is rumored… The authorities
have begun to upend the hidden
networks and infrastructure used by
the Transparent Press; a new
clandestine base of operations must
be found soon...

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Klaudius Klemmersnap is the head Taken in as an orphan, Sister

archivist in the Demuntium Library. Imogen was taught to read and
A staunch and rigid individual, he write by the Sisterhood of the
rose up in the ranks due in part to Golden Quill. Ever since she has
his fascination with ancient dedicated herself into helping those
historical texts as well as his less fortunate rise above their woes.
unbridled enthusiasm to flatter his While the Diadem of Luster she has
superiors. Having gained a modicum inherited is a heavy burden, she
of power has let him to become does not let it fill her with pompous
utterly insufferable to any whom he thoughts.
sees are beneath him.

The Ink Eater is often considered Jahal Kawenko started up his own
nothing more than a myth, a ghostly printing house with the money he
apparition that haunts the sewers saved up from selling scrap.
beneath the ink factories. However, Dedicated to bringing unbiased and
those who have come face to face true-to-life literature, he has
with this individual know the garnered his fair share of enemies.
rumors to be true. With lips stained However his stubborn personality
black and fingernails like sharp and his strict adherence to his
nibs, the Ink Eater can taste truth or morals has made him a pillar of the
falsehood on any written word. underground community.

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Archivist Changes & Boons

The following lists may be used in

place of the Changes and Boons 5 Key Marrow - This odd mutation is
most often found in scribes. Long
lists on pg. 24-26. hours of writing has caused strange
calcified lumps to grow on their
1d10 Archivist Changes fingers that resemble the teeth of
keys. Fine motor tasks are difficult.
1 Critic - You’ve become well-known
enough that a critic has dedicated Good luck finding gloves that fit.
column after column to your
“misdeeds.” They seem to follow
6 Unread Boils - Whenever you start
a new book but do not immediately
your every action, and word will finish it, boils begin to appear all
spread unless they are handled. over your body in the form of page
numbers or lines from the
2 Myopic - The often dim lighting
and innumerable scribbles on unfinished book.
myriads of books has left you with
deteriorating eyesight. Reading
7 Inkbludd - Your blood changes to
a strange and dark crimson ink.
takes twice as long and it is The ink stains anything it touches
difficult to see in low light. while a cult of particularly
dangerous scribes seek you out to
3 Glue-Sweats - A strange fever that
may come and go, it causes the “refill” their inkwells with your
inflicted to sweat profusely. This blood…
perspiration has such a sticky
consistency, anything touched
8 Esoteriphobia - You are medically
incapable of keeping a secret.
adheres to it. Holding a secret for more than a
day causes physical pain which can
4 Book Bane - Rumor or reputation
has spread through the shelves and only be relived by loudly sharing
now books hate you. They will hurt the secret in a public space.
you if they’re capable, from paper
cuts to eye-strain, while spell-books
weave malicious plots…

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9 Stinging Syllables - Larger words
cause a distracting amount of pain. 6 Chance Tongues - Your tongue
picks up languages quickly, but
The occasional esoteric or multi- forgets them just as easily. Each day
syllabic vernacular feels as an you wake up fluent in a second
errant sting, while scholarly essays random language, but forget the
and loquacious sesquipedalians are old one from the day before.
agonizing.
7 Tortoise Hand - Studying the
10 Devil’s Details - You are compelled
to record everything. Each day you
master calligrapher’s work has
enabled you to master one style of
spend 1d3 hours recording every writing; however, it takes you three
event and sight (large and small) times as long to write.
and burn through 1d4 vials of ink
a week. 8 Vellum Gnawer - You body
mistakes the hunger for knowledge
as a physiological need, not a
1d10 Archivist Boons metaphorical one. You may eat
Quill Fingernails - Your fingernails parchment or paper in place of a
1 lengthen and divide into quills. meal with no ill effect.
They do not cause discomfort and
always seem to be wet with a dark 9 Waxen Blood - Your blood takes
on a candle-wax consistency. Your
red ink… blood congeals faster, and wounds
that would be grievous or cause
2 The Twinned Scribe - Your hands,
eyes, and brain begin to operate bleeding staunch quickly.
independent of one another. You
can easily write and read with each 10 Keen Ears - Creeping around
libraries not making a sound has
hand and eye individually; some paid off, as you can hear even the
scribes see you as a divine being. slightest of sounds in an otherwise
silent area. However, crowds can
3 Secret Patron - A powerful and
intelligent patron has taken a secret get annoying.
interest in you. They appear in your
dreams, where they will ask tasks
of you and answer the occasional
question.
4 Bookfinder - A sense dedicated to
books opens within you. You may
seek out and find any book so long
as it is within 1 mile of you.
5 Scribblemancy - Your absent
minded scribbles hold a strange
power. Writing or doodling for 1d6
hours has a 1-in-100 of revealing a
dangerous secret or magical power.

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Archivist Goods & Services

Over-flowing with words and the
books that hold them, the Archivist Tools
District is packed with goods and Awl 2 / 4 / 20 /200
services devoted to the maintenance Ceramic Jar, 1 pint
and expansion of knowledge. 1 / 2 / 10 /100
Clockwork Timer, 1 hr.
Hirelings 25 /50/250 /2500
Name C /M / W / O Rings loudly when complete.
Costs are per day or per transaction. Glue, 1 pint 2 / 4 / 20 /200
Archivist * /30/150 /1500 Ink, vial 3 / 6 / 30 /300
Bibliographer 2 /16/ 80 /800 Color 6 /12/ 60 /600
Waterproof 4 / 8 / 40 /400
Biographer * /16/ 80 /800
Hourglass, 1 hr. 15 /30/150 /1500
Bookbinder 10 /20/100 /1000
Monocle 5 /10/ 50 /500
Book Fence 3 / 6 / 30 / *
Graphite, Vial 2 / 4 / 20 /200
Cartographer 6 /12/ 60 /600
Quill 3 / 6 / 30 /300
Embalmer 8 /16/ 80 /800
Sealing Wax * /10/ 50 /500
Genealogist 7 /14/ 70 /700
Signet Ring * /60/300 /3000
Geoastromist * /22/110 /1100
Leaned in matters of astronomy, Vellum, 5ft. roll 25 /50/250 /2500
geometry, and math. Paper, 5ft. roll 5 /10/ 50 /500
Illuminator 8 /16/ 80 /800
Ink Maker 4 / 8 / 40 /400 Food
Journalist 5 /10/ 50 /500 Dried Berries 3 / 6 / 30 /300
Notary 12 / 4 / 20 /200 Fried Vellum 1 / 2 / 10 /100
Page Hunter 6 /12/ 60 /600 Porridge 2 / 4 / 20 /200
Paper Maker
Pen-turner
6 /12/ 60 /600
4 / 8 / 40 /400
Drink
Absinthe 4 / 8 / 40 /400
Pigment Dealer * / * / 80 /800
Berry Tea 4 / 8 / 40 /400
Scribe 5 /10/ 50 /500
Ink Wine 2 / 4 / 20 / *
Solicitor * /24/120 /1200

Services Contraband
Arson’s Wick 100 /200/ * / *
Printing Press, per 10 copies
5 /10/ 50 /500 A brilliant candle, its wax the colors
of dancing fire.
Research 10 /20/100 /1000
Created by a well-meaning scribe as
Transcription, per page a way to avoid having to re-light
6 /12/ 60 /600 candles. Several scriptoriums would
Translation, per page be accidentally burnt down before
15 /30/150 /1500 the candles were banned.
Once lit, the candle burns for one
Clothing hour and cannot be put out. Fires it
creates may be extinguished, but the
Scribe Robes 6 /12/ 60 /600
candle flame will continue to burn
Stainless Gloves 3 / 6 / 30 /300 even when submerged under water
Stainless Smock 6 /12/ 60 /600 or deprived of oxygen.

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Fellmetal Awl * /200/ * / * Ink Mites 100 /200/ * / *
An oddly heavy awl, its metal tip A vial of translucent fleas that
seems to shift in color and feels hungrily dance when near paper.
uncomfortable to the touch. A vermin that remained undetected
These once invaluable tools were until the libraries became infested,
mysteriously banned overnight. the creatures are every librarian’s
Rumors circulated that the metal worst nightmare.
used held a terrible secret… Once unleashed, the fleas will begin
The Fellmetal Awl can easily punch eating the ink and pigment from
a hole in any material, so long as it books, leaving the parchment
is not magical in nature. unharmed. A single vial is capable
Grift-Signet 100 /200/ * / * of destroying 2d20 books or scrolls.
A signet ring, its face is coated in a Leech Lantern100 /200/ * / *
strange viscous metal that seems to An iron lantern, cold to the touch– a
dance and quiver. single pale crystal glows faintly
The metal, accidentally crafted by a within.
rogue alchemist, quickly found use Developed by the Bibliothecaries as
in the underworld as a powerful a way to avoid using candles, the
forgery tool. lanterns were outlawed when dying
Placing the face of the ring on an staff became unsustainable.
emblem or sigil causes it to harden A lantern that draws on life-force to
and create a perfect impression of provide light. When held, the
the design. Once hardened, the ring lantern automatically produces light
cannot be made to cast different at the cost of 1d6 damage every
impressions or designs. hour.
Gravitas Ink * /100/500 /5000
An ink vial containing a
shimmering black ink, the glass itself
seems stained from its very touch.
Created by brilliant and young ink-
maker, they set out to create an ink
that would never disappear. They
were successful, but accidentally
stained the hand of an unnamed
Noble during a demonstration.
They have never been seen since.
Anything the ink touches is
permanently stained, resisting even
magical means of removal. There is
no way to clean or scrub away the
ink, short of burning or carving
away the affected area.

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Archivist Artifacts
Auto-Scholar Curse Press
Pristine brass plates house a head- Printing rolls and press screws
sized box of whirring gears, pistons, dripping with caustic ink, this heavy
and springs; keys emblazoned with infernal printing press reeks of
numbers and letters tick away in brimstone.
curious fervor. A printing press constructed and
The inventor of these powerful cursed by a bitter demon who
machines is unknown, and while a sought to punish a local tabloid for
handful of the machines are spilling rumors of their many
accounted for, it is unknown how schemes.
many remain in obscurity. Once per day you may print a
The puzzling boxes are thinking pamphlet or paper detailing a single
machines, capable of answering a event, rumor, or claim. Whether it is
wide variety of intellectual real or not, anyone reading the
quandaries quickly and succinctly. article will believe it true. This lasts
However, they seem to have until all copies of the printing are
personalities and specialized schools destroyed, the press is broken, or a
of study, making their reliability and new article is printed at the press.
motives dubious at best.
1d6 Knowledge
1 Impossibly complex arithmetic
formulas.
2 Capable of predicting the future.
3 Can summarize any book in
public circulation.
4 Knows the history of the past
5,000 years.
5 Understands all matters biological
or physiological.
6 Genius linguist and code-breaker.
1d6 Quirks
1 Obsessed with material goods
(that they cannot use).
2 Pathological obsession with
correcting people.
3 Talks down to everyone; does not
tolerate “fools.”
4 Timid, cracks under almost any
pressure.
5 Eccentric, answers are usually
cryptic or nonsensical.
6 Juvenile sense of humor,
exhausting amount of innuendo.

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Dead Writer's Block
A writing table worn with use and
stained with ink, the ominous
outline of a figure can be seen on its
surface.
When a scribe or scholar dies at
their work, their tables are
sometimes haunted by their restless
but astute spirit.
Once per day you may place a piece
of paper on the table’s surface and
ask the table a question. If the spirit
haunting the table knows the
answer or has any pertinent
information, they will answer with
words appearing on the paper.
Occasionally, they will demand a
Golden Familiar
stack of expensive vellum or A large golden statuette in the form
parchment to continue their of a crawling arthropod, its delicate
“magnum opus” which leaves them movements betray a hidden
unusable for 1d6 weeks as they intelligence.
fervently work on a manuscript of Magical objects bound to a single
varying quality. being, they are worn as pieces of
living jewelry when not in use.
Crafted as assistants to royal scribes,
their creation and use has become
commonplace in the Archivist
District.
Those bound to a golden familiar
can control it as an extension of
themselves, feeling, hearing, and
seeing what it observes with its own
senses. If a Golden Familiar is
without a master, it may be fed a
drop of one’s blood to bind it to a
character.

Gemini Nails Paper Cat

A pair of twinkling silver nails, A household cat apparently made
inlaid with golden filigree depicting from fine vellum; its fur rustles like
a mortal brain; their points are paper being crumpled and purrs
stained with dried blood. sound like pages being flipped
Created by a pair of librarian lovers through.
to share all that they knew, the Originally created by a lonely
power of the nails inevitably led to a sphinx, these magical companions
messy separation and their being are a favored pet of scribes and
discarded. booksellers across the city.
Two characters may each embed The creatures appear and act as
one of the nails in their skull, the intelligent cats, able to understand
nails sliding in painlessly. Once some words and phrases if they are
embedded, the two characters share willing. They may be fed books and
each other’s memories and written material, with the text inside
observations so long as they are appearing on their fur in a language
within 1 mile of each other. the owner understands.

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Vexing Monocle
Tarnished gold surrounds a seeing
glass of scattered, shifting.colors.
Used by members of the
Transparent Press, the monocle
allows for encrypted messages to be
sent without fear of being
deciphered.
Writing with the monocle held over
the eye will cause anything the
character writes to appear as
indecipherable nonsense. However,
anyone reading with a Vexing
Monocle will see the message
plainly written.

Skin Scroll
Curious vellum roll of masterwork
quality, it is warm to the touch and
seems to pulse faintly when held.
Made from the flayed skin of a
heretical librarian, the scroll hides
itself from prying eyes.
Anyone holding the scroll may place
it against their bare skin for 1
minute, causing it to disappear into
their body. The scroll may be
withdrawn at anytime (albeit with
some discomfort) and anything
written on it remains intact. The
Vicious Quill
scroll is destroyed if the bearer dies A quill of ragged red plumage that
with the scroll inside them. ends with a jagged malicious tip.
It is said that the original artifacts
Un-permissive Ink were created by a narcissistic writer
who would “send” the quills to
An innocuous inkwell stamped with detractors and critics who did not
the image of a closed eye, the ink understand their “genius.”
inside seems to shift in translucency
and strains the eyes reading it. Writing a name with the Vicious
Quill causes it to fly off and strike
An ingenious artifact, concocted by the named victim with the power of
a paranoid scribe who feared their a crossbow bolt. The range of this
writings might be stolen or copied. artifact affects up to 500 feet;
This ink is invisible and incapable however, signing the name in the
of being detected when used to victim’s own blood causes the
write. Only those who add a drop of Vicious Quill to have infinite range.
their blood to the inkwell can
observe what has been written with
the ink.

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 THE ARCHIVIST DISTRICT

Archivist Loot & Trinkets

d50
1 1d8 jars of vibrant pigments.
YOU FIND…
26 Jar of powdered graphite.
Over-sized dirty quill made Soiled book, appears to be a
2 27
from a dire pigeon. random reference manual.
3 Jug of mixing medium. 28 100 feet of copper twine.
Blade from a paper guillotine, Set of drawing pencils, half
4 29
clearly used in a fight… are gone.
5 Bag of sharp rusted nibs. 30 Set of leather sewing needles.
Crumpled pamphlet about Deck of playing cards
6 31
astrology. featuring famous scholars.
Curious brass key with an Hastily written manuscript of
7 32
eyeball motif. raunchy explicit poetry.
Pocketbook filled with dates Bottle of pungent stain
8 33
and times. remover, causes dizzy spells.
Ornate letter opener, sharp as Opened can of “Griffon Glue,”
9 34
a skinning knife. made from real griffons.
10 1d3 expensive vials of ink. 35 1d3 yards of tanned leather.
Cracked pocket watch 1d10 shimmering candles
11 36
featuring a spider motif. wrapped in decorative paper.
Elaborately carved bone folder Jar filled with thick liquid,
12 37
(for display only). dubiously labeled ink.
Tiny mosaic fragment of a Dirty book, inside is pristine
13 38
stern and mysterious eye. and empty.
1d6 clay jars of turpentine, Pouch of wax seals from
14 39
meant to be thrown. various businesses.
Cane made from a printing 5 empty vials of surprising
15 40
press bar. strength.
16 Handwoven silk bookmark. 41 1d4 sticks of writing charcoal.
Tarnished silver lighter, image Soft pink quill that smells of
17 42
of a cackling fire demon. roses when used.
Bottle of cloudy absinthe, Pouch of glowing
18 43
label says “Writer’s Plumber” luminescent pigments.
Ornate knife, blade shaped Glittering crystal paperweight,
19 44
like a pen nib. a trapped moth within.
1d8 nuggets of resin, sticky Tiny animal brain, preserved
20 45
and flammable. in a pristine jar.
13 torn pages, folded together Clockwork mechanism, its
21 46
and sealed. original purpose unkown.
22 Small wooden box, empty. 47 A pair of dull steel scissors.
23 Monocle made of quartz. 48 Cat-shaped potpourri satchel.
24 Roll of uncut marbled paper. 49 Velvet pouch of indigo seeds.
25 Receipt for a mysterious book. 50 A golden library card.

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THE ARCHIVIST DISTRICT

Archivist People & Places

d12 NAME WORK QUIRK

Gewl Procurer of A firm proponent of scrolls over books,
1
Crabawl Fine Feathers willing to get into a physical fight over it.
Bonefold
2 Ink Taster “Enjoys” the smell of glue.
Jr.
Wick Does not accept money, only trades or
3 Glue Maker
Shivershins barters, is actually a cat.
Billobi Hair is filled with quills due to the habit of
4 Paper Maker
Tapers placing them there and forgetting them.
5 Vallen Label Licker Lips and tongue are the color of ink.
Zell Apprentice Falling into a vat of indigo as a child has
6
Vagthorpe Scribe left them permanently tinted blue.
Octovo Senior Snorted red ochre pigment on a dare, can
7
Leedleach Illuminator no longer smell anything else.
8 Kingsley Needlesmith Annotates in books that are not theirs.
Vellum
Regulus Considers themselves a moonlighting
9 Inspector and
Waxbone editor, talks incessantly about it.
Buyer
Lemora Ink Bottler Insists that all books should be read
10
Invictus Curator backwards.
11 Awly Awl Sharpener Wears a monocle despite heavy cataracts.
12 Keeltoes Pulp Shoveler Fingers appear to have an extra joint.

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 THE ARCHIVIST DISTRICT
d12 SHOP NAME SHOP APPEARANCE
1 Writer’s Wing All of the windows have been stained yellow.
Kerning and Only sells black covered notebooks, all other
2
Cattery inquiries will be met with rage.
Acadian Fine Housing a public press means that this shop is
3
Goods constantly packed and reeking of ink.
Perchon’s Books Candles burning continuously throughout the
4
with Friends store has left a waxy residue on everything.
Ten Silks and Vellum of strange and ominous origins may be
5
Copper Twist purchased here.
6 The Lead Block Walls held together with glue and book pages.
The Headsman’s A grand five-story shop; however, a clerk follows
7
Headband you the entire time you are there.
Archemon’s Birds hang from cages all through the shop, many
8 Specialty half bald spots from a “pick your own feather
Supplies quill” sale.
The Slippery Filled with printing-press type cases; however, the
9
Plume letter “u” is missing from all of them.
Signature & Strange silver dials and glass distillery sets
10
Strike encased in large display cabinets.
Between Mull Floor is made from wooden writing desks, many
11
& Bone have cryptic phrases carved into them.
12 Thread’s Shelves reach towards an ominous unseen ceiling.

d12 STREET NAME STREET APPEARANCE

1 Pulp Avenue Heavy stench of wood pulp is always in the air.
2 Coptic Way Piles of downy feathers clog up the sewer grates.
All of the light posts are covered with fliers and
3 Continuum Street
posters giving them a fluttering appearance.
Discarded quills, pens, and pencils litter the way,
4 Tooling Drive
causing peril to anyone walking through.
Heavy wrought-iron gates line the sidewalks with
5 Bleed Close
small brass inscriptions of long-dead scribes.
HogHair Ink has stained the cobblestones in blotches of
6
Thoroughfare black, blue, and red.
Piles of boxes of books are left at street corners
7 Gilded Pressway
to rot.
KettleBound All buildings have grotesque gargoyles perched
8
Lane on their alcoves, each night they rotate rooftops.
Street windows are all painted with exquisite
9 Ribbon Strip
lettering that changes every time it rains.
10 Iron Gall Alley Nightly brawls between rival publishing houses.
Soot & Sable Buildings have burn marks from fires started by
11
Corners book burners.
Quillshank Artists and students line the street from dawn till
12
Terrance dusk, all vying for an apprenticeship.

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THE ARCHIVIST DISTRICT

•
•
Grimoire Mummy
Defense: As Leather
Hit Dice: 5HD
• Hit Points: 30
• Move: Half Standard
• Damage: Strike 1d6/1d6 and
Pacify or Arcane Bolt 60ft/1d6
• Quantity: Solo
• XP: 700
• Immunity to Magic
• Vulnerable to Fire
• Pacify: Protecting their works
means pacifying violent intents.
Save v. Charm. Success: dizziness
and an odd calming sensation.
Failure: You are stunned for 1d6
minutes; your mind goes blank
and your body slack.
• Spells: Grimoire Mummies are
bound with the spells they protect.
Knows 1d6 random spells.
The smell of ancient vellum and the
sound of crumpling pages.
Something stirs from its slumber and
slowly steps into view. A mortal
corpse bound in sheets of
illuminated vellum gazes at you, its
eyes crackle with arcane fire, and its
expression is unkind…
Grimoire Mummies are the undead
guardian constructs of magical or
Grimore Mummy Text
Slaying the Grimoire Mummy or
esoteric works. Appearing as a reading from it grants the reader
desiccated corpse carefully wrapped access to 1d6 random spells.
in illustrated scrolls and adorned Additionally, the text contains a
with jewelry, they are tasked with unique or dangerous piece of
guarding and maintaining the texts knowledge locked within.
that adorn their bodies. While
distrustful of strangers, they are 1d6 Grimoire Mummy Texts
typically not hostile unless disturbed 1 Manual detailing the construction
or spoken to without permission. of a powerful thinking machine.
When a work is deemed too 2 Diary of a lost expedition into the
dangerous or precious to remain Wilds and the treasure they found.
unguarded, a librarian or curator 3 Heretical scripture of a monk who
may volunteer to be made into a claimed to commune with the
Grimoire Mummy upon death. Their “Ever-Gnawing God.”
bodies are bound and reanimated
with the text, possessing an intimate 4 Confessions of a Noble and the
knowledge of the information and unspeakable acts they committed.
acting as a “living” reference. Those 5 Lost works of a famed writer; this
with permission from a librarian and is the sole remaining copy.
the Grimoire Mummy may access 6 Instructions for a dangerous ritual
the knowledge bound within; those to cheat death.
who do not are summarily slain.

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 THE ARCHIVIST DISTRICT

•
•
Illuminated Archivist
Defense: As Plate
Hit Dice: 14HD
The undead clockwork beings
known as Illuminated Archivists are
• Hit Points: 80 considered a myth to many, but a
• Move: Standard terrible reality to those who work
• Damage: 4 Contraption Limbs within the deeper parts of the
1d6 each and Infernal Machinery. libraries. Appearing as a corpse
• Quantity: Solo propelled by a vast machine of
• XP: 700 clockwork legs and appendages,
• Infernal Machinery: Gears and they are repositories of knowledge
contraptions meant to keep the kept alive by twisted mechanical
archivist alive, no matter how instruments. Few have seen the
cruel the process. Anyone struck creatures and even fewer have
by the Illuminated Archivist survived such encounters.
must save v. Breath or Hold. Curious and terrifying as they are,
Success: No effect. Failure: A fell they are not without purpose,
instrument plunges its way into rather, they are shameful and closely
the vitals of its victim (roll 1d3). guarded creations of the Biblio-
1 Sanguine Syringe - Damage thecaries. When a single being
dealt to the character heals possesses a power or knowledge
the Illuminated Archivist. that is both too dangerous to be
2 Cerebral Replicator - Character freely given and too important to be
is stunned for 1d3 rounds; the lost, their bodies are exhumed,
Illuminated Archivist can copy encased in protective machines, and
any action, memory, or ability reanimated as Illuminated Archivists.
the character possesses. It is rumored that each library has at
3 Arcanoctomy - Character loses least one such creature locked or
1d3 magical powers or hidden away in its deepest archives,
memorized spells; the cursed to live forever so its
Illuminated Archivist gains knowledge may never be lost…
them as spells.
• Reactive Instruments: Machines
made to protect and strike back.
Anytime the Illuminated Archivist
is hit in melee, there is 1-in-6
chance they immediately retaliate
and make a free attack.
• Spells: Each one is a bastion of
arcane knowledge. Knows 2d6
random spells.
Gears and wheels of some
unspeakable machine hiss and click
like ravenous insects. A clockwork
monstrosity delicately strides into
view, its brass appendages twitching
like dozens of angry spiders.
Mounted upon the quivering metal
frame sits a crumbling corpse, its
limbs puppeted by the machine, yet
its hollow eye sockets glint with an
unliving consciousness.

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THE ARCHIVIST DISTRICT
Illuminated Grimoires Example Grimoire Materials
If peaceful dialogue can be - Binding leather from a great and
established with an Illuminated terrible beast.
Archivist, there is a chance they will - Sewing thread made from the hair
impart the dangerous information of star-crossed lovers.
that they know. What’s more, they
are willing to create physical copies - Vellum made from the skin of a
of their knowledge, but only if they hated foe.
are provided with sufficient - Ink crafted from the blood of a
materials. Such copies of text are Noble.
known as Illuminated Grimoires - Parchment torn from the end-
Creating Illuminated Grimoires pages of 13 forbidden books.
An Illuminated Grimoire is a - Pigment ground from the gems
powerful spell book that is imbued found in an aristocrat’s grave.
with dangerous or forbidden text. - Glue rendered from the bones of
Constructing one requires materials an extinct species.
that are either prohibitively
expensive, exceedingly rare, or
shockingly taboo; the more
materials provided, the more
powerful the grimoire will be. Once
the materials are provided, the
Illuminated Archivist will work
diligently and produce an
Illuminated Grimoire within a day
and a night.

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 THE ARCHIVIST DISTRICT
Piteous Illuminated Grimoire
Materials Required: 1
Spells: 1
A fine, but otherwise unremarkable
spellbook without powers.
Greater Illuminated Grimoire
Materials Required: 10
Spells: 3d3
Lesser Illuminated Grimoire Texts and Powers
Materials Required: 3
1 Alchemist’s Cookbook - Manual of
Spells: 1d3 dangerous chemistry. You may
Texts and Powers spend 1d6 hours to create a
bomb, incendiary device, or
1 The Venomous Apothecary - chemical weapon from seemingly
Technical journal of poisons and ordinary items.
their uses. Allows the user to
easily acquire, fabricate, and use 2 The Graven Art - Artful essays and
poisons without risk of harming techniques on killing. You may
themselves. deliver a deathblow to a single
being you have carefully studied
2 Metallurgist’s Panacea - Straight and observed for 1 month.
forward and concise blacksmith
manual. Teaches an experienced 3 Citadel of the Psion - Esoteric
smith the method for crafting near guide on protecting the mind.
unbreakable tools, arms, or armor. So long as you possess this text
you cannot be charmed or
3 Sanguine Anatomy - Complete mentally influenced by the
medical manual, a healer or mundane or magical.
hedge-witch using this text can
heal wounds twice as quickly and
gains advantage on treating most Grand Illuminated Grimoire
ailments or harm. Materials Required: 20
Spells: 3d6
Middling Illuminated Grimoire Texts and Powers
Materials Required: 5 1 Obedience of the Flesh - A guide of
Spells: 2d3 total anatomical control. Wounds
that do not kill you heal within a
Texts and Powers day, while serious injuries,
1 The Key of Psyche - Manual on poisons, and diseases are cured
influencing the minds of others. within 1d6 days.
Once per day, you may attempt to 2 Arkanomikon - Forbidden arcane
charm or pacify another mortal research and techniques. Spells
using only your voice. cast with this text are always at
2 Seven Iron Gates - Essays on their maximum potential.
martial combat and techniques. 3 Revelation Historical - An account
Anytime you are attacked in melee of events yet to pass. Once per
there is a 1-in-6 chance you may day you may choose to succeed
make a free strike, disarm the on a single task or have another
assailant, or avoid damage. fail in some spectacular manner.
3 Tree of Tongues - A guide on 4 The Noble Patron - Esoteric
languages and their connections. scripture known only to Nobles.
So long as you have this text you Once per year, you may commune
may translate any language within with the Wurm. If you survive the
the span of a week. ordeal, you will learn the secrets
of Nobility.

231
THE ARCHIVIST DISTRICT

•
•
Defense: None
Hit Dice: 1HD
Scuttle Imp While usually no more than a
nuisance, larger infestations of
• Hit Points: 3 Scuttle Imps can be dangerous.
• Move: Double Standard Larger groups have been known to
• Damage: Shiv and Bite 1d3 up-end entire libraries, smash-and-
• Quantity: Solo or Infestation 3d20 grab priceless artifacts, and kill
• XP: 75 more than a few who tried to stand
• Sneaky: Hard to spot and elusive. in their way. In any case, their
So long as their victims are not on hidden nests are eclectic treasure
high-alert, the Scuttle Imp may troves of stolen goods, unwanted
move without being seen and garbage, and forgotten artifacts.
steal without being noticed.
• Swarming: Many quick blows
become overwhelming. If 4 or
more Scuttle Imps attack the same
Nest Treasure:
Those who manage to discover or
target, their attacks automatically track down a Scuttle Imp’s nest are
hit and deal damage. greeted with a surprising hoard of
The faint but unmistakable sound of treasures. Each Nest has 1d4 items.
tiny footsteps moving impossibly fast 2d6 You Find…
and the clatter of something hitting
the floor. What at first appears as a 1-3 Garbage and cobwebs
hairless rat is instead a tiny 4-6 1d4 random tools
humanoid the color of rotting 7 Smattering of 1d20 coins
vellum with an over-sized mouth of
jagged teeth. 8 Buttons & trinkets. Worth 3d20
The Scuttle Imp is a diminutive fey 9 Stolen Book. Worth 1d3x50
creature of kleptomaniacal 10 Fancy jewelry piece. Worth 200
tendencies that makes its home in 11 Lost Grimoire Worth 1d10x50
the hidden corners of the libraries.
They are a nuisance to curators and 12 A magical item (pg 238)
librarians alike, constantly stealing
or displacing items without notice.
While intelligent enough to use
tools and communicate, they prefer
not to be spotted or interacted
with, fleeing or fighting
when in danger.

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 THE ARCHIVIST DISTRICT

Stack Panther

• Defense: As Hide
• Hit Dice: 6HD
• Hit Points: 35
• Move: Climb Standard
• Damage: Claws 2d8
• Quantity: Solo or Pair
• XP: 650
• Pounce: Few survive their deadly
ambushes. Attacks against
unaware victims automatically hit
and deal double damage.
• Silence: The beasts have sway over
sound itself. Once per day, the
Stack Panther can create a zone of
silence within 30 feet. Spells or
abilities that require verbal
components are impossible and
the Panther can move undetected.
• Squeeze: Its bones are malleable
and muscles agile. The creature
can freely travel through openings
larger than 2 feet in diameter.
Something in the dark climbs the
walls above. Its slithering movements
betray a large undulating body Originally employed by the libraries
coated in lampblack fur. The eyes as pest control, the Stack Panthers
and teeth of its feline face glint in eventually earned a dangerous level
the dark, while its many clawed of autonomy. While still ensuring
paws twitch in violent anticipation. that common and magical vermin
The Stack Panther is a dangerous remain in check, they have begun to
predatory caretaker of the libraries. hunt those they deem “pests.”
Twice as long as a mortal is tall, it Anything from talking too loudly to
appears as a soot-black panther accidentally mistreating a book
with dozens of legs along a twisting could potentially earn the ire and
serpentine body. Intelligent and attention of a hungry Stack Panther.
capable of speech, they carefully That being said, they are not above
stalk their quarry and collect bribery and it is rumored that they
trinkets from their terrified victims. enjoy of fine wine and sneedgrass.

233
THE ARCHIVIST DISTRICT

Archivist Encounters
“What lies upon the page does not
always remain there. Secrets and
Inquisitor
Fell figure, clad in soot-black chains,
terror are given terrible form.” wielding a ritual candle-holder.
The following is a list of encounters Armor: Chain | HD 5 | HP 30
that can be used as-is or alongside Candelabra Staff 1d8 and 1d6 fire
other encounter tables. Move: Standard
Cleansing Flame: As Attack, all
Short Statblocks
Candle-Man
within 30ft. (including Inquisitor)
save vs. Breath or suffer 3d6 fire
damage.
Tall and thin creatures formed from Morale: Fights to the death.
rivulets of spent candles and wax, Librarian or Curator
agonizingly searching for a wick to Wrapped in the vestments of order
burn itself out. and duty, these esteemed scholars
Armor: Leather | HD 2 | HP 10 lord over their literary charges with
Slam 1d6 | Move: Standard an iron fist.
Alight: If harmed with fire, attacks Armor: Leather | HD 5 | HP 25
deal +1d6 fire damage. Iron Staff 1d8 | Move: Standard
Melt: Fire deals max damage. Magic: Knows 1d6 random spells.
Death Throes: All within arms’ Morale: 4-in-6 Flees if half of allies
reach, save v. Breath or suffer 2d6 are killed. 2-in-6 Fights to the death.
fire damage. Marginalia Gremlin
Morale: Fights to the death if fire is A vexing creation of a stagnant
present. mind, clever and destructive
Errant Scribbles creatures spring from torn pages of
A floating mass of squirming ink magical texts.
and words, with a ghoulish appetite Armor: Hide | HD 1 | HP 3
for mayhem. Strike As Weapon or Bite 1d6 |
Armor: Leather | HD 3 | HP 9 Move: Standard
3 Strikes 1d4 | Move: Fly Standard Dirty Fighters: As attack, save vs.
Maddening Aura: All within Breath or Hold. Failure: 1 Knocked
eyesight, save vs. Madness or be Down, 2 Stunned, 3 Blinded,
stunned for 1d6 rounds. 4 Sickened (each for 1 turn).
Morale: Fights to the death. Morale: 5-in-6 Flees if wounded or
Guardgoyles half of allies are killed. 1-in-6 fights
Solemn and hideous stone beasts to the death.
that guard the interests of their Scribe
creators until they are dust. Hunched and ink-stained figure
Armor: Plate | HD 3 | HP 18 clad in robes, their eyes glint with a
Claws 1d8 | Move: Standard curious darkness.
Stone Skin: Non-Magical weapons Armor: None | HD 1 | HP 5
deal half damage. Pen-Knife 1d4 | Move: Standard
Morale: Flees if reduced to half Magic: 1-in-6 chance of knowing a
health, or fights to the death if random spell.
guarding their ward. Morale: 5-in-6 Flees if wounded or
half of allies are killed. 1-in-6 fights
to the death.

234
 THE ARCHIVIST DISTRICT
D50 ENCOUNTER AND 1D6 MOOD

1d6 Scribes Mood: 1-2 Bored, helpful and looking for something
1-10
to do. 3-4 Ambivalent. 5-6 Busy, would rather not be disturbed.

Curator Mood: 1 Bored, helpful and looking for something to do.

11-14
2-4 Ambivalent. 5-6 Busy, would rather not be disturbed.

Librarian and 2d6 Scribes Mood: 1-2 In need of help with some
15-18 small task. 3-4 Busy, would rather not be disturbed. 5-6 Irritated,
hostile if disturbed.

1d3 Curators and Inquisitor Mood: 1-3 Busy, hostile if disturbed.

19-21 4-5 Tells characters to leave vicinity, attack if ignored. 6 Demand
characters relinquish all written material, attack if ignored.

22-25 1d4 Guardgoyles Mood: Guarding their ward, hostile if disturbed.

1d4 Errant Scribbles Mood: 1-2 Passive, only hostile if attacked.

26-30
3-6 Hostile, attacks nearest thing.

1d8 Marginalia Gremlins Mood: 1-2 Busy, off to cause chaos.

31-34
3-4 Looking for an easy target to attack. 5-6 Hostile.

1d8 Candle-Men Mood: Hostile if flame is present, otherwise only

35-38
hostile if disturbed.

1d20 Scuttle Imps Mood: 1-2 Busy, just stole something.

39-41 3-5 Secretly tries to steal something from the characters.
6 Fervent, attack any living thing.

Stack Panther Mood: 1-2 Tired, just ate and possibly helpful.
42-43
3-4 Hungry, looking for an easy meal. 5-6 Ambushes characters.

1d8 Rogue Scribes and 1d6 Errant Scribbles Mood: 1-2 Busy,
44-46 hostile if disturbed. 3-4 Demand characters listen to their ravings,
attack if ignored. 5-6 Hostile.

1d3 Inquisitors and 1d6 Candle-Men Mood: 1 Busy, hostile if

47-48 disturbed. 2-4 Demand characters relinquish all written material,
attack if ignored. 5-6 Attack, claim characters carry contraband.

Grimoire Mummy Mood: Hostile, unless given permission to view

49
their contents and text.

Library Infestation, 1d10 Scuttle Imps, 1d10 Marginalia Gremlins &

1d6 Errant Scribbles Mood: 1-2 Attack unless characters flee their
50
presence or offer to join their chaos. 3-4 Torment characters with
parting attacks and theft. 5-6 Hostile and out for blood.

235
Artifacts & Spells

Many a mage and magician flock to the metropolis in hopes

of practicing their craft, so much so that the very ground
seems soaked with magic. What’s more, many are drawn to
the curious power this place seems to exude on its own. The
“Will of the City,” as it’s addressed in esoteric circles, is a
power that is both product and parasite of the many lives
and minds of the city, from the vermin to the Nobility. It is a
cruel and dangerous power, one that echoes the sentiment
and actions of those who hold power and influence here.
It begs the question: perhaps the two are intertwined?
“Will of the City,” Xelie A. Larch, Wandering Historian;
Tales of My Travels, Vol II
ARTIFACTS & SPELLS

Artifacts of the City

Altar of the Wurm
Horrid weathered stones of a blood-
red hue are stacked in an altar and
exude an oppressive presence.
Countless slithering liturgies are
scrawled on every surface as the
altar seems to thrum with a
terrifying energy…
One of the oldest and most feared
artifacts of the city, it is said to have
been the source of every tyrant's
power. Hidden within its form is a
single piece of the Wurm, the horrid
bedrock upon which the city is
built...
Offering the altar a tribute of blood
and gold inspires a catatonic fear in Artisan's Panacea
anyone who can see or hear you, A simple brooch of colored swatches
causing them to fall to their knees on a piece of porcelain, lovingly
or flee (save v. Madness to resist). pinned onto the dirty collar.
Additionally, once per day you may
dominate the mind of a single Delicate porcelain is imbued with
sentient being who can see or hear the magic and life-force of the many
you, forcing them to follow your creative people to have worn it.
every whim until the day you die. While wearing this brooch the
None who use this altar escape with subject has no problem with
their mind fully intact, as such creative blocks of any kind. So long
power is ultimately corrupting and as they continue to create, they will
the Wurm begins to whisper into not need to sleep, eat, or indulge in
the ears of its new champion… any other bodily limitation.
However, the signs of sleep
deprivation and starvation still
visually manifest themselves.

Bondmaker Nail
A twisted yet sturdy nail crafted
from dark iron, its head bears an
illegible sigil and it feels far heavier
than it should be.
Crafted by a cruel mage who sought
to make his tower stand the test of
time, he was nailed to his building
with his magic nails when the
laborers rose up against him.
When the nail is hammered into a
spot, it cannot be removed or
broken off by anything except the
one who hammered the nail in. In
addition, anything nailed together
cannot be separated until the nail is
removed.

238
 ARTIFACTS & SPELLS
Charlatan's Fortune
A seemingly cheap deck of fortune-
telling cards that shine glamorously
in the light and appear dirty and
ragged in the dark.
An oracle deck crafted by a
notorious fortune-teller who used
the cards to become rich and
destroy countless lives.
When this deck of cards is used to
tell someone’s fortune, the receiver
Crooked Cane
Every joint is gnarled and twisted,
of that fortune will believe in that mimicking the burl-wood cane
fortune and act as if the prophecy is clenched between the cankerous
coming. This charm lasts until the knuckles of its owner.
deck is used again and the receiver
of the fortune may save v. Magic to Twisted and deformed wood forms
disbelieve the prophecy if they are back on itself into a ghastly display
of strong will. of natural perversion while still
functioning as a walking cane.
Those who wield the cane have
their body contort into a twisted
and bent form. This form does not
harm movement or physical acts,
instead granting the wielder the
ability to contort their body into
crawls and passages half their size.

Doctorate of Many Things

Innocuous vellum decorated with an
impressive wax seal and spidery
handwriting.
Artifacts created by a defunct
Chimney-Scamp's Hearth university to circumvent the need
for giving their students any hands-
A large and unwieldy hearthstone, on education, or hiring professors
riddled with sigils and pictographs for that matter.
of thieves robbing nobles and setting Holding a Doctorate of Many Things
their estates on fire. gives the owner in depth knowledge
Crafted by a pack of unorthodox in one strange yet specific field.
thieves, known for their fireproof They are able to answer nearly any
cloaks and constantly singed hair. question pertaining to that field as a
When installed into the fireplace of practicing professional might.
a house and a roaring fire is built, 1d8 Possible Subjects
the fireplace turns into a one-way 1 Complete history of banisters and
portal to another lit fireplace. their craft.
Traveling into the fireplace with a 2 Fruit fly and mosquito husbandry.
destination in mind will transport 3 Historical implications of the
the user to the nearest lit fireplace, monocle.
furnace, or oven. Unfortunately, 4 Ceramic chemicals in teapot
those traveling through this way will manufacture.
still have to contend with the heat 5 Post industrial pipe-making.
of the fireplace they travel through 6 Implications and controversies of
as the artifact provides no serifs.
protection from the heat of walking 7 Linguistic dialects of pigeons.
in and out of a fire. 8 Physic formulas of circus troupes.

239
ARTIFACTS & SPELLS
Grifter's Deck
Grubby, worn, and smelling of
cheap booze, this deck of cards
seems to shift and shuffle when out
of sight.
Items enchanted by a fey spirit for a
band of racketeers and gamblers,
the original owners all met violent
ends long ago.
When used in a game of cards with
gambling and stakes, the owner of
Earwax Homunculus the deck will win every game by a
wide margin, the cards secretly
A crusty, squishy and corpulent imp
no larger than a thimble and the shifting and changing when no one
color of pus; its face gleams with a is looking. However, if anyone
knowing look. discovers the owner has been
cheating or the deck is magic before
An off-putting construct made of the game ends, the deck disappears,
earwax. Crafted by a reviled gossip- all of the owner’s winnings melt into
monger, the Homunculus is a master dung, and the remaining players
spy that takes pride in its work. become violently irate.
Those who offer to let the Earwax
Homunculus live in their ear will be
privy to the many secrets it has
acquired over the years.
Additionally, once a week you may
ask the Homunculus to spy on
another being that you have seen
and spoken to, whereupon it will
leave your ear and return in 1d10
days with information.
1d6 Information
1 Gossip and drivel.
2-3 Embarrassing or useful facts.
Hearsay Coins
These tarnished coins are stamped
4-5 Secretive or private info. with a many-eared demon; whispers
6 A grave secret. can be heard like gentle ringing.
Fascist's Bane A powerful collection of artifacts
made by a notorious spymaster, they
A single brick worn with age and were made to pass as currency
conflict. Marred by fire and unless one knows what they are
bloodshed, it fills the holder with a looking for.
righteous and fiery purpose.
When placed next to the ear, a
Appearing when it is needed most, Hearsay Coin is capable of listening
the Fascist’s Bane has ended the life in on any other Hearsay Coin of
of countless tyrants and cronies who equivalent denomination (silver
dared to impose their rule. coins can listen in on 10 copper
The Fascist’s Bane appears and acts coins, and gold can listen in on 10
as a typical brick, and it also works silver and 100 copper coins) as if
supernaturally well as a thrown the user was eavesdropping.
weapon (as longbow). Whenever Scattered around the city are 1000
thrown, it miraculously reappears copper Hearsay Coins, 100 silver, 10
near its chosen host and deals an gold, and a single platinum, all of
additional 3d6 damage to tyrants which are easily mistaken as
and those who willingly act under currency unless someone is looking
their will. out for them.

240
 ARTIFACTS & SPELLS
Icon of the Ragged Hound Jester's Scales
Sewn, painted, or carved icons of a A large beaten and tattered scale
vicious hound with a bloody throat with a statuette of a grinning jester
appear in the most downtrodden of as its pillar; the eyes of the jester
areas, reminding those with seem to glint with mischief.
privilege what fear is. It is unknown if the artifact was
Symbology surrounding the Ragged crafted as a means to scam or
Hound has long given hope to the simply cause mischief; either way, it
outcast and overlooked. Those in has been the bane of merchants for
positions of power have, by blood quite some time.
and blade, learned that the Ragged This scale swaps the weights of the
Hound will hunt them endlessly two things placed on its silvery
once given the scent. plates. This transformation lasts only
Those who see the Icon of the until the scales are used again and
Ragged Hound and hold no fealty or requires the items in question to fit
love to any tyrant are filled with a upon the scale’s plates.
righteous vigor and gain immunity
to fear or mind-affecting powers.
Tyrants and their willing servants
Knotted Sash
who see the icon are filled with a Embroidered with wriggling and
supernatural fear that causes them waving designs, this sash fits snugly
to flee in terror. In addition, anyone around the waist and envelops the
who carries the icon with them will wearer in a protective charm.
have visions of the Ragged Hound, Artifacts crafted by a clan of Alley-
its eyes filled with fury and its neck Whelps to ease digestion and
slick with blood… prevent harm in those who don’t
have access to clean food and water.
This sash deflects nausea and
sickness caused by the consumption
of excess drinking of spoiled or
imbued liquids. The wearer is
immune to ingested poisons and
sickness so long as they wear this
sash. In response to such food or
drink, the sash will form knots
along its length, protecting its
wearer from the knotted indigestion
they would have otherwise suffered.

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ARTIFACTS & SPELLS
Lunatic's Snuffbox
A dirty ivory snuff box boasting
intricate etchings and designs of a
hallucinatory nature.
Once the keepsake of a dangerously
hedonistic noble, their body remains
in a catatonic state to this day.
Each pinch of snuff taken from the
Lunatic’s Snuffbox grants a random
effect on the imbiber. There’s no
limit to the amount of snuff you can
take in a single day, although death
usually comes long before that. Each
effect lasts 1d3 hours unless noted.
1d10 Snuffbox Effects Morbid Ottoman
1 Vigor - Tasks of physical strength An ancient but well-kept ottoman
are rolled at advantage. made from polished marble and silk
2 Alacrity - Your speed and actions cushions; every inch is decorated
are doubled for 1d3 minutes. with some graven motif.
Afterward you are sickened for Crafted by a circle of necromancers
1d3 hours. who enjoyed pleasant conversation
3 Candor - Tasks of diplomacy and and tea with the subjects of their
charisma are rolled at advantage study.
and most folks find your company
enjoyable. Sitting upon the short cushioned
4 Charity - You begin giving away seat will allow the sitter to chat with
money and personal effects in a any nearby lingering spirits or
mad glee. corpses. The fashion of this
5 Worms - Everything appears and conversation is light, slightly
sounds like worms. personal, and without great exposé
6 Fear - You are terrified of or emotion.
everything and everyone.
7 Pain - Disadvantage on all rolls as Naga-Bone Necktie
your muscles seem to burn. The flashy silk tie embroidered with
8 Glut - You are immune to poisons hundreds of minuscule ivory bones
and disease, but must devour 1d6 was quite the statement piece, even
day’s worth of food or become more so when the wearer leaned
paralyzed for 1d3 hours. down to discuss the weather with a
9 Lucky - All rolls and attacks are at worm.
advantage, and you are capable of
feats normally beyond your bodily Made by an eccentric aristocrat who
limitations. wished to commune and live with
10 Bad Sniff - 3d6 damage and the wriggling beasts of the earth.
paralyzed for 1d6 hours. While this tie is neatly fashioned
around the neck, the speech of
snakes and other ground-dwelling,
wiggling creatures becomes known.
Questions asked to such creatures
are subject to their individual senses
and experiences; however,
underground rooms and passages
are always known to them. A small
side effect: the urge to be buried in
fresh soil may become
overwhelming and small animals
cause ravenous hunger.

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 ARTIFACTS & SPELLS
Orator's Podium
Enchanted long ago, this hunk of
carved marble has weathered
centuries of speeches that have
smoothed its edges and all but
obscured the maker's mark.
Before the first universities and
schools were built, humble theaters
boasting such podiums were
attended by scholars and students of
all tongues and trades.
Standing at this podium gifts the
speaker with an unspoken authority
over the room. All that they say is
understood, regardless of the
language, and the volume of their
voice is always at the perfect pitch
to be understood.

Ruttleslip's Manhole
A heavy wrought iron manhole
cover covered in elaborate sigils; it
gently hums when held aloft.
Artifact of a legendary Alley-Whelp
sneak, their crew earned their fame
for stealing from 12 different Nobles
and escaping without a trace.
When placed on the ground and the
magic word is spoken, Ruttleslip’s
Manhole creates a sewer tunnel that
leads directly into the nearest
Undercity location (pg. 103). The
tunnel lasts until the magic word is
spoken, or until the manhole is used
again or moved by another.

Rat Signal Salturnius's Slipknot

A dusty old lantern with painted A pale length of rope appeared
images of rats etched onto its panes between the bailiffs hands; just the
pulsing with light, and in that light sight of it struck fear into even the
were thousands of eyes. most stoic of rogues.
A rather common looking shuttered This rope is made in a dastardly
lantern with worn and faded weaving of hair from fifty judges
paintings of rats in various poses. and fifty hanged men. Unbreakable,
When lit and cast into the night sky uncuttable, unescapable.
with an offering of fine cheese or Taking the form of an innocuous
bread, a large aged rat will appear. pale rope, Salturnius’s Slipknot is
This is the emissary of rats, a the bane of all miscreants. It can
distinguished position within the only be taken off by those who tied
vermin kind and the most direct it and cannot be undone by non-
way to address all of the rats in the magical means. Any magical blade
city. Fond of expensive cheese and attempting to cut it has a 1-in-2
bargains, they can be a powerful chance of shattering upon the
ally or a dangerous foe. attempt.

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ARTIFACTS & SPELLS
Testillus the Tapeworm
A wriggling over sized tapeworm
with a cheery disposition. Its
segmented body is adorned in small
but expensive looking jewelry.
A magical tapeworm, said to have
been the gastronomical companion
to many aristocrats, food critics, and
even a Noble...
When ingested and permitted to live
within your bowels, Testillus will
grant you immunity from any
ingested poison or sickness;
however, you require an additional
1d3 meals per day. In addition,
Testillus will speak to you; if they
are in a good mood and will offer
secrets, gossip, and rumors
pertaining to the fine-dining or
culinary scene.
Slug-Charmer Perfume
An exquisite crystal perfume bottle
in the shape of a slug, always slimy
to the touch.
Concocted by an eccentric perfumer,
their infamous shop was
mysteriously destroyed before they
could launch their line of odeur de
limace perfume.
This perfume magically attracts
slugs in massive quantities. Based
on the amount of perfume used
determines how many slugs are
summoned along with their effect.
Single Drop – 3d12 fat and juicy
slugs, each the size of a fist,
appear within a minute.
Dozen Drops – Slugs carpet every
surface within 50 feet, causing
anyone in the area to slip and fall
Wax-Eye Chair
unless they move slowly. A fine but ordinary-looking wooden
chair pained with countless
Splash – The area fills with slugs, paranoid eyes.
measuring 100 feet across and 1d4
feet deep. Anyone caught in the Created by a baron of thieves to
slugs can only wade through with escape detection from the city
effort and those who fall into it guard’s raids.
risk drowning. When placed in the corner of a
Entire Bottle – A tidal wave of room or edifice and sat in, the sitter
ravenous slugs pour in from every will disappear from view. Not only
possible crevice within a minute. are they invisible, they are utterly
The effect is more like a flood and undetectable from scent, sound, or
everyone within 500 feet must magical means. This illusion ends if
take action or begin drowning in the sitter stands up or is touched by
the slugs. another being.

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 ARTIFACTS & SPELLS
Xippo's Pipe Zealous Zweihander
A long-necked pipe made of A massive two-handed blade that
twinkling colored glass and bone, its seems to glow with a golden light
bowl is always warm to the touch. despite its many blood-stained
Xippo the Alchemist created this markings.
pipe in order to allow others to Once owned by an extraordinarily
indulge in his many strange brave but equally stupid warrior, the
vaporous vices, whether they asked blade has earned a reputation for
for it or not... bloody and righteous killing sprees.
When packed with the vice of Anyone wielding this blade doubles
choice, lit, and blown into with the amount of attacks they make in
force, the pipe creates a 20-foot a turn and deals double damage to
cloud of choking and dense smoke those who have wronged them or
that obscures view and sound. If the their comrades. However, whenever
pipe is packed with a dangerous or in a situation that requires violence
mind-altering substance, anyone or combat, you are magically
caught in the cloud suffers from the compelled to immediately charge
effects as if they smoked it into the nearest enemy with a
themselves. righteous zeal.

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ARTIFACTS & SPELLS

Cobblestone Spells
Magic is not a separate entity, but a
product of the collective will of the
city and its denizens. While wizards
tout their monopoly on such
powers, truthfully, all may wield the
magics of the city, provided they
know where to look…
Below is a list of places where a
spell can be found within the city.
1d20 A Spell is Found…
1 Scrawled onto a brick pulled
from a hanging bridge.
2 Spelled out in the cracks of
a cobblestone street.
3 Drawn with blood in the attic of
a crumbling house.
4 Written on a tattered flier posted
near the site of a murder.
5 Scratched into the walls of
a forgotten sewer tunnel.
6 Sung in a wind-chime made
of vermin bones.
7 Whispered from the mouth of
a thief's fresh corpse.
8 Tattooed onto the back of
a three-eyed rat.
9 Muttered in the sleep of a royal
executioner.
10 Found in the spots of light
after a dangerous drunken fall.
11 Revealed in the blood of a
sadistic lord, freshly beheaded.
12 Written in the gnarled roots of
a long-dead potted plant.
13 Revealed in the hypnotic dance
of a flea-ridden sheet.
14 At the bottom of a stranger’s
bowl, after you offer them a meal.
15 Spelled in the broken glass of
desecrated place of worship.
16 Written in the dust of an ancient
and unused bookshelf.
17 Spelled in the tattered curtains
of a burning building.
18 Growled from a rusty furnace
that refuses to light.
19 In the mold where the body
of a forgotten soul was found.
20 Revealed in a catatonic
nightmare of the Wurm.

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 ARTIFACTS & SPELLS
Ashen Familiar Breadfinder
Casting Time: 10 minutes Casting Time: Instant
Range: Touch Range: 500 feet
Duration: Permanent (until cast Duration: 1 hour
again) Vittles here, vittles there, vittles
From the lowly ashes of a cold seemingly everywhere.
hearth, Ida called forth a most You quickly and easily find the
peculiar creature. nearest source of fresh food. When
You summon a small intelligent foraging or dumpster diving, you
creature from ash. An Ashen may cast this spell to find a source
Familiar can take many forms, of edible and safe food. Even in
usually a salamander or fox, and is places of scarcity or filth, you can
capable of speech, small manual always manage to find at least 1d4
tasks, and sleuthing. What’s more, rations worth of food. The spell
the Ashen Familiar can return to its ends once food has been located.
original summoning spot at will or Material Component: A dried crust
when summoned, provided the of bread acts as a dowsing rod for
hearth it was summoned from is food.
filled up with ashes once more. It is
immune to all fire, falling, stabbing, Brick by Brick
or smashing but can be washed Casting Time: 10 minutes
away and killed with water or a Range: Touch
particularly strong wind. Duration: 1 hour/level
Material Component: Hearth full of The only limit is your imagination
ashes, small animal bone. and fear of heights.
You may stack and connect building
Braggart' s Blades materials together without nails or
Casting Time: 1 minute glue. When cast, any inanimate
Range: Self and Companions objects you pick up may be stacked
Duration: 1 minute/level and connected as if they were held
Intimidation and coercion go hand together with nails and glue. Towers
in hand for those specializing in and bridges built in this manner are
enforcing their will on others. inexplicably strong if they are made
You create the illusion of martial correctly, collapsing only when the
superiority, temporarily weakening spell ends or after being
your foe. When cast, all intimidation intentionally damaged.
and attack rolls are done at Material Component: A pair of
advantage, while enemies roll all nails, fused together from heat.
attacks at disadvantage. However,
should the spell run out or be seen Brittlebrak
through, enemies gain advantage on Casting Time: 1 Hour
attack rolls for one turn. Range: Touch
Material Component: Ribbon or Duration: Permanent
medal given by an authority figure. No gilding nor glass can hide the
cracks beneath.
You imbue an object or edifice with
a supernatural brittleness. Placing
your hand on an object for one hour
causes it to become brittle, with a
single blow irreparably shattering it.
This spell only affects a cubic
meter’s worth of matter, with larger
objects requiring additional casts of
this spell to fully affect them.
Material Component: A broken
piece of shale tile.

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ARTIFACTS & SPELLS
Cattleson' s Curiosity Cinderpup
Casting Time: Instant Casting Time: 1 Day
Range: Touch Range: Touch
Duration: 10 minutes Duration: Instant
Lars got the odd idea to start asking What curious child is this? With skin
the bulls pulling the carts. To our like stone and such fiery
surprise, they answered. temperament?
You gain the ability to communicate You summon a fiery spirit from
with beasts of burden. When cast, smoldering coal and obsidian dust.
the language of cattle, mules, and While kept inside a swaddle and
other work animals becomes known close enough to feed off of your
to you. During this time you may body heat, they are dormant and
ask simple questions of these beasts, appear as nothing more than a
to which they will do the best to curious stone. When throw from its
answer them. They are simple swaddle and struck, the stone
creatures, but have an oddly keen immediately bursts into a fully
sense of what dangers or assailants fledged inferno, hot enough to set
lie within the local area. an entire building ablaze in 1d20
Material Component: Broken minutes.
horseshoe or petrified cow patty. Material Component: Velvet
swaddle, obsidian dust, burning
Chimney Cannon lump of coal.
Casting Time: Instant
Range: Touch
Duration: Instant
A silent prayer, a thunderous roar,
and the manic howls of an aerial
traveler
You turn a chimney, pipe, or chute
into a cannon of sorts. When cast,
you touch a fireplace, furnace, or
oven and cause anything within it to
be launched out of the chute with
the force of a cannon. The size of
the chute does not affect the size of
the payload and anything or anyone
launched out of it this way is
unharmed (except for some ringing
in the ears). The payload travels 1d6
miles in a direction determined by
the caster before crashing down to
the ground one minute later; this
does cause damage (and likely kills
anyone) unless precautions are
taken.
Material Component: A piece of
cracked hearthstone and a
firecracker.

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 ARTIFACTS & SPELLS
Cobble-Slip Dubious Slip
Casting Time: 10 Minutes Casting Time: Instant
Range: Touch Range: Self or Other
Duration: 1 hour/level Duration: Instant
We shall glide through these city Despite the myriad of ropes and
streets like a minnow through an chains that held the rogue firm, the
open channel. moment the warden turned their
Your body or transport glides along back they had wiggled free of all of
the cobblestone streets as if it were them.
a stream. When cast, you or a No man-made rope, chain, or cord
transport no larger than a horse-cart may bind you. When cast, all
slides into a cobblestone street and impeding bindings become just
begins hastily traveling along as if it loose enough for you or another to
were being pulled by the currents of slide out of them, regardless of
a stream, ignoring traffic so long as locks or magic.
the street is intact. The direction and Material Component: Piece of
destination is determined by the string tied around middle finger.
caster and speed of travel
determined by the busyness of the Flame Hallow
street. Casting Time: 1 minute
Range: 10 feet
TRAFFIC SPEED Duration: 1d6 minutes/level
Petty, mostly The mage raised their hands and the
2 miles/hour
empty. flames climbed like towering trees,
Modest, dozen or no longer burning us but standing
3 miles/hour sentinel to our escape.
so crowds.
For a few crucial moments you may
Middling, hundred harness the spirit of the fire, turning
6 miles/hour
or so folks. it into a guardian instead of foe.
Sizable, several Flames and their heat turn away
12 miles/hour from you for as long as the spell
hundred & more.
lasts.
When the spell ends, you or your Material Component: Small vial of
cart pop out of the street like a fish purified water.
leaping into the air.
Material Component: A pebble Flea-Faced
slick with oil. Casting Time: 10 minutes
Range: Self
Confession Duration: 30 minutes/level
Casting Time: 10 minutes What is more mundane on the
Range: Touch streets than the myriad of
Duration: Instant abandoned animals?
Like rats they shall all squeal… You become an unidentifiable shape
You touch another and cause all of and face on the street. When cast
their guilt to gush forth. When cast, with a handmade mask shaped like
you may touch another and force one of the many animals found on
them to confess any misdeeds they the street, you are able to adopt an
may (or may not) have committed. anonymous face. No one will notice
The afflicted secretly rolls 1d6: you as long as you do not draw
1-3 Admit a small crime or misdeed. attention to yourself or get too close
4-5 Admit a serious crime or regret. to a curious observer. When held up
6 Confess to a crime they did not to scrutiny, it will be revealed that
commit. you are indeed wearing a mask, but
Material Component: Dried your identity will not be known
gallbladder of a hanged man. until the spell ends.
Material Component: Animal mask
and a mirror shard.

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ARTIFACTS & SPELLS
Gilded Gobbler Hestia' s Harmonics
Casting Time: 10 minutes Casting Time: Instant
Range: Self Range: Within earshot.
Duration: 1 hour Duration: 1 hour/level
There are those who say that gold is A familiar tune that is heard far
worthless, that it will never replace a and wide, yet the words and
meal; we call such nay-sayers melodies are oddly illusive…
“cowards.” A musical spell that causes all who
You may consume coins or jewelry can hear it to fall into a more calm
in place of a meal. When cast, you and suggestible mood. When cast,
gain the ability to eat and digest all who can hear the music of the
currency, jewelry, or other objects of spell act as if they have been
value. Doing so replaces a number charmed when attempting to make
of meals equal to the value of the a sale with them. Normally
object eaten. unfriendly customers become
Value and Meals Replaced friendly, and friendly shoppers have
10+ coins: Day a 5-in-6 chance of buying whatever
50+ coins: Week you pitch to them. Frequently
100+ coins: Month played in large shopping plazas,
Material Component: Gold leaf on merchants who have the extra coin
a piece of cheese. to hire musicians often employ this
tune to open up their patron’s
Glassblower's Bane purses.
Casting Time: Instant Material Component: Gold tipped
Range: 50ft/level instrument, rosewater.
Duration: Instant
A fell note that haunts the
nightmares of artisans and
glass-makers alike.
You emit a piercing tone that causes
glass and ceramics to break. When
cast, any untempered glass
immediately shatters; ceramics,
stoneware and crystals have a 1-in-2
chance of breaking.
Material Component: A cracked
silver bell.

Gol' s Bloodcrete
Casting Time: Instant
Range: Self
Just a Pinch
Casting Time: Instant
Duration: 1 minute Range: Touch
And thus Gol the Builder spoke: It Duration: 1 minute
shall be my very blood that builds While the merchant did not seem
the foundation upon which we interested at first, a change of fate
stand. led him to buy it with alacrity.
You mix your blood with sand to When cast, you enchant an
create a powerful concrete. Once ingredient, food item, or other
cast, you may expend 1d6 hit points perishable good to be irresistible to
and a pound of sand to create a pint a buyer, so long as they have the
of concrete that dries within one finances. The spell cannot be used
minute and is as strong as granite. on solo items or on items worth
You may expend any number of hit more than 50 coins. When the spell
points in this manner to produce wears off, the buyer will be irate
multiple pints of this concrete. from the purchase.
Material Component: A pound of Material Component: Spoonful of
red sand per pint of concrete. gemstone or gold dust.

250
 ARTIFACTS & SPELLS
Out-turned Pockets
Casting Time: Instant
Range: 30 feet/level
Duration: 1 minute
Without a word all of the pilfered
items climbed from our pockets and
danced before us.
You cause an item stolen from you
to spring to life and return to you.
When an item you are familiar with
is stolen, you may briefly animate
the object into leaping from the
clutches of the thief and scurry back
Khulaed' s Exit to you like a rat. You must have
seen the item stolen and have
Casting Time: Instant
Range: Self or Other lawfully owned it to begin with.
Duration: Instant Material Component: Receipt or
There once was a demon beloved by sales tag.
common folk and despised by the
authorities for its ability to escape. Pyrite Mirage
You can break through walls and Casting Time: Instant
doorways with a supernatural burst Range: Self
of strength. When cast, you or Duration: 1d4 minutes/level
someone you touch gains the ability She flashed more coin than we had
to charge through 1 foot of solid ever seen! Curious it was that she
material, violently breaking through wouldn’t let us touch it…
it and leaving behind a hole. Walls An illusion that makes a collection
made of metal or stronger material of stones or rubbish appear as
can be broken through, but deal 5d6 precious coins. When cast, you
damage from the impact and stun cause any number of small trinkets
the caster for 1d6 hours. to appear and feel like coins for the
Material Component: Brass door- duration of the spell. The trinkets or
knob and shot of strong spirits. stone must be in roughly the same
shape and size of the coins one
Meandering Trail wishes to imitate.
Material Component: Pyrite dust
Casting Time: 1 minute
Range: Touch and mummified pickpocket’s finger.
Duration: 30 minutes/level
The dust was seen dancing in a Quashing Voice
breeze none could feel, and he Casting Time: Instant
chased it like a feral hound. Range: 30 feet
Using dust or remains of your Duration: 10 minutes
intended quarry, you may animate Above the clamor a commanding
the dust into returning to its host. tone flattens the rabble.
You require at least one handful of Harsh commands issue forth from
dry physical essence from an your mouth, subduing those with
individual, animal, or object that is weaker constitutions. When cast,
ground to a powder. Speaking you may impose your will on rowdy
words of power over the dust causes or uncooperative crowd in a 30-foot
it to float in the air and travel in the radius. Those with stronger wills
direction of its original host at a may save v. Charm to avoid, while
brisk walking pace. It will not wait everyone else is treated as if they
for you to catch up and dissipates are frightened for the duration of
when the spell ends or it reaches its the spell.
original host. Material Component: Brass bell
Material Component: Handful of and vertebrae of a lord.
powdered essence. At Higher Levels: +10 feet/level

251
ARTIFACTS & SPELLS
Smokesniffer
Casting Time: Instant
Range: 1 mile
Duration: 1 minute
There is naught so precious a smell
as the scent of cinder.
Concentrating on lingering trails of
smoke in the air, you are able to
pinpoint the approximate origins of
every fire as well as duration and
the fuel used to create them.
Prolonged or frequent use of this
spell can cause one to lose all sense
of smell other than that of smoke.
Material Component: Soot,
smeared on the bridge of the nose.

Spittle-Glue
Casting Time: 1 minute
Range: Close
Seize With Nails Duration: 1 hour/level
There are those whose words stick
Casting Time: 1 Minute
Range: Touch and others who resort to spit.
Duration: 1d10 minutes/level Your spittle is changed into a
With iron nails and sturdy bolts, powerful adhesive. When cast you
any fall is prevented. may spit out a glob of spittle that
You bind a crumbling edifice or acts like fast-drying glue. The glue
structure in place with nails. When dries within seconds and is strong
cast, nails leap forth and bury enough to hold an average person
themselves into the weak points of in place. The adhesive power ends
the structure, holding it in place and when the spell’s duration is up.
keeping it from breaking any Material Component: Spoonful of
further. Collapsing buildings or dried glue (eaten).
structures are halted for the length
of the spell, resuming once the spell
ends.
Material Component: Box of
polished iron nails.

Slab-Whisper Unrepentant
Casting Time: 1 minute
Range: Touch Riddle
Duration: 1d6 minutes/level Casting Time:
These walls of courteous block and 10 minutes
brick will help you, provided you are Range: Self or Other
friendly. Duration: 1 hour
You create a climbable surface with The best way to keep a secret is to
the help of bricks and slabs. have never known it to begin with.
Speaking to bricks in a friendly This spell grants an individual
manner with this spell causes them temporary madness. When cast, the
to shimmy in place and create target of this spell is unable to
handholds perfect for climbing. This answer any question verbally or
spell can be used on nearly any non-verbally in any meaningful way.
man-made stone structure, provided It also negates any magical spells or
it is composed of bricks or blocks. items that might compel the truth.
Material Component: A well-loved Material Component: Small ball of
mortar trowel. gum powdered with nightshade.

252
 ARTIFACTS & SPELLS

253
100 Locations

I have never felt such joy and fear in being lost as I have
when I walked the countless roads and alleys of the city. Each
mile of my journey seemed to be a world in and of itself, an
infinite archipelago of odd islands in a sea of cobblestone
and brick. No two steps were alike, and I find myself
despairing at my inability to record it all. Perhaps this is the
way it was meant to be, that none should be gifted with the
ability to see the entirety of the city, with all of its splendor
and all of its horror.
“Sea of Steps,” Xelie A. Larch, Wandering Historian;
Tales of My Travels, Vol II
100 LOCATIONS
Abbey Road
This busy street runs directly
through the nave of a massive
monastery complex. Dedicated to
the Quartet of the Beetle God, the
road is busy and constantly filled
with the melodious music of the
nuns and monks who live within the
abbey and musically preach to all
who pass through.

Archibald' s Tannery & Furs

A notorious block-long building that
advertises pelts for a penny.
Extremely cheap leather goods can
be bought here, at the buyer's
discretion, and Archie is eager to
Bronsina' s Arcade
Once the arched halls of an
buy any newly or not-so-newly dead aristocrat’s estate, the space has
creatures to add to his tanning pits. been converted into an infamous
tavern and pit-fight arena. Bare-
Arterial Tunnels knuckled fighters pummel each
other for prize money and fame,
An underground neighborhood has
been constructed using the natural while raucous and equally violent
caverns and tunnels beneath the spectators cheer, boo, and gamble
streets. The caverns have strange on the blood-sport.
fractal layouts, many saying they
resemble veins and arteries. One
scholar postulates that the tunnels
Buy a Duck?
A rickety pier hovering over a huge,
are in fact the petrified remains of a lily-filled pond advertises ducks of
titanic being’s heart, its body long every breed, color, gender, and
expired but consciousness clinging compunction for sale. In strange
to its remains. crates and fences these ducks quack
unabating from dawn till dusk. For
The Block two coins a buyer may purchase a
random duckling from a bathtub in
A stiff and unwelcoming squarish
building with its name chiseled into the back.
the facade belies the exquisite
jewels within. At The Block raw
stones are cut, shaped, and set into
Capricious Clinic
A dingy and partially collapsed
Noble-worthy pieces. Access is by building adorned in vaguely medical
invitation only and in the many symbols. This ramshackle hospital is
years it has been in operation it has run by a multifaceted demon who
only had one break in. delights in both helping and
harming their patients. Services are
Boardwalk offered for free; however there is a
50/50 chance that you are healed or
Perched over the decaying shoreline
of a mostly stagnant lake is a rather harmed in the transaction.
jovially painted boardwalk filled
with simple, silly delights. Families
flock here during the day for cheap
Carte Blanche Dancefloor
A local dive where denizens can
food and entertainment, an off- dance for free. A hotspot for new
brand mime group frequents here, and upcoming bands to find the
but all makes sure to leave before limelight. Often referred to as a
nightfall when the dog-sized haven for the drug trade, the merry
mosquitoes arrive. exterior hides a much darker
underbelly.

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Cattery The Clog
While stray animals may be fairly Piles of garbage and flotsam from
common in the City, purchasing a the canal have gathered into an
well-bred, rare colored cat can only enormous dam the size of a
be found at the Cattery. This ten neighborhood. Denizens have built
story building is dedicated to all homes and businesses upon The
things cat. Only the most unusual Clog, turning the area into a curious
and unique felines are found here. It but vibrant community. Aristocrats
is important to note that the 2nd and Nobles deem the community an
floor is the designated litter box. “eyesore” and plot to have it
destroyed…
Cavern Keep
What appears as a monolith or a Corner-Corner
naturally occurring plateau is The street corner of Well-garden and
actually the deteriorating remains of Steeple has always been marked by
a once grand castle complex. Since a huge granite monolith built into
its regal inhabitants have long since the structure of the establishments
abandoned it, regular denizens have that call it home. Where the
taken it upon themselves to monolith came from or who placed
wormhole their way through the it there is unknown but the smooth
structure and create a whole new surface never cracks or scuffs.
colony.

Cindered Seventh
Blocks upon blocks have suffered
from a near constant blaze. Cinders
and sparks tossed up by an errant
wind often cause the dwindled
inferno to roar to life again.
Currently there are 3d10 square
blocks that have been razed down
to the foundations and 1d6 currently
burning. Often a hot-spot for
looters.

Clay Quarter
Spattered with deep red terra-cotta
or cool stoneware-grey, these coarse
mills refine and produce the
majority of clay for the city. Hosts of
workers constantly keep the
grinding wheels turning. Often
those who work at the Quarter can
be recognized by their parched,
stained skin.

Cleetus Candelabras
An ornate and gaudy facade hints at
the ostentatious and overdone
Demonology Archives
An ornate library adorned with all
interior of the boutique. Lush manner of gargoyles and demonic
fainting couches and settees imagery. Demons who wish to
welcome rich patrons to observe the understand or discover more about
showy pieces and form a their curious lineage may explore
“connection” with the overpriced the archives or schedule time with a
lighting fixtures. demonologist to help them with
their search.

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Desolate Depot
The rusted and deteriorating
remains of decommissioned carts
and carriages litter the stoney yard.
Flaking paint and creaky hinges
greet any brave enough to wander
through the heaps of broken parts.
The feeling of being watched is
pervasive and unwavering,
bordering upon maliciousness.

Eel Farm & Fun

Bins of wriggling, slimy eels are
curated and sold by the pound. All
sizes are available and on special
occasions there are eel-wrangling
events in which the prizes are
monetary as well as fried and baked
eel foods. Unknown to most
patrons, the farm is mostly supplied
by an entrepreneur Alley-Whelp
family.

The Eggery
Provided one can withstand the
smell of a thousand birds on the
way past the shit-stained exterior,
the inside of the dim pub is filled
Drakken Shrine with culinary delights. Custards,
omelets, quiches, and shakshuka of
A shrine made from the bones,
teeth, and dried hide of drakes. An the most delectable sort may be
ancient order of drake-hunters still acquired. However, the pervasive
visit the shrine to pay their respects, din of cooing birds is unnerving.
many having not seen a drake since
the old days when they were hunted The Flea Market
to extinction. A crumbling warehouse of countless
second-hand sellers. The place is
Dust Colosseum run by the Sisterhood of the
Wayward Flea, an odd religious
Small time fighting pits. Anything
may fight as long as they are not group that deifies and dresses as
taller than three feet. A notorious vermin. Cloth goods bought here
place where many individuals have are always infested, and a caustic
lost their life savings as well as bath is recommended after visits.
their lives.
Floating Ponds
Edge Maze What was once thought of as peak
luxury by the Nobles has since
Upon first glance this well-
manicured maze appears docile and become a cast-off relic of another
demure. There is a reason there are expendable fashion trend. These
few who wander its meandering “floating” ponds have since gone
paths; all of the bushes are of the stagnate and many of the wires that
Clear-Edge variety. Every leaf is as held them aloft have snapped,
sharp as a blade and can cut cleanly causing the huge dishes of water to
through nearly any surface. Insects, soak those below and all that they
birds, and small animals are often own. Should one of the ponds fall, it
found cut to ribbons at its base. could flatten 1d4 city blocks.

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Gourmet Street
An eclectic and crowded
congregation of the best street
cooks and alley chefs across the
land. It appears without warning
and vanishes without a trace,
Flytrap Bar leaving behind a trail of grease and
the scent of fried goods wherever it
A seedy tavern accessible only by a passes.
trapdoor. A favorite place for
mercenaries to gather information.
The special drink is a pea-soup- Grainway
colored liquor with a licorice fly The avenues that host the mills and
floating atop. granaries of the city are best known
for their attempts to keep the dire
Fractal Alley pigeon population at bay. Huge
streamers of fabric arch from one
This seemingly innocuous forked structure to the next to shield the
alleyway holds a dark secret. The busy workers below and their
further you travel into the alley, the precious cargo. Sharp spikes also
more reality begins to change and adorn every outcropping to keep
distort. Those who have delved the beasts away.
deep and returned alive bring tales
of shifting tunnels, buildings that
defy gravity, and creatures that The Great Collapse
should not be alive… An infamous day in city history was
the complete and utter destruction
Getrude' s Grout of the May-Opal Spire. Destroying at
least five city blocks, the remains of
Acclaimed tile maker Getrude the once decadent spire are still a
Glaanfort’s home and studio has hotbed for pilfering and looting. The
been preserved as a tourist prized rubble is often changing
attraction by her greedy hands between different crime lords,
descendants. Almost every surface is despite unauthorized rummaging
covered in one-of-a-kind mosaics being illegal and punishable with a
and hand-painted tiles. For a large swift execution.
sum they will permit you to chisel
off your favorite piece.
Green Fountain
The Gills Whether it is from the discoloring of
the statues at its center, or some
Soaked in tar and other other more sinister reason, the
preservatives, the ginormous gills of waters that gush from the
a monster fish greet all who enter mythological fish forever frozen in
the fishing district with their stiff, copper run green. This does not
off-red fibers. Legends abound stop a very stubborn bunch of
regarding the creature the duckweed from trying to populate
appendages came from and chunks the water, but it does keep away
often go missing as ruffians see most thirsty folks.
them as good luck trophies.

Gong Trough
Gargantuan in size, this sewer canal
is easily the largest in the city.
Ropes and metal cords crisscross its
length like spiderwebs, and those
who dare to live in the echoing
darkness are known to be
unscrupulous towards outsiders.

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Grim-Roost
A once proud and stalwart redoubt
has been razed and occupied by a
surly dragon. The melted halls and
collapsed passages are filled with
the dragon’s frightened attendants
who do their best to see to its every
whim. A powerful tyrant in its own
right, the dragon harbors a terrible
and mysterious grudge against the
Nobles.
Heintower Chapel
Gurgling Cistern A shining marble tower and nave
adorned in fluttering tapestry marks
An above-ground cistern that froths
and sputters from the sheer amount this holy place. Inside the closely
of gases that emanate from the guarded chapel sits Saint Heintower,
garbage far below the surface. Some a mortal transformed into an
attempt to collect the gases which enormous quivering mass of warts
are often hallucinogenic when and flesh. Attendants worship and
inhaled. tend to Saint Heintower, hoping to
be blessed by the wart’s fecundity,
Hanging Arch all while ignoring the wart’s quiet
and desperate pleas for help or
What was once a simple piece of
architecture has become a morbid death.
statement of vigilante justice.
Wrapped with black, stained ropes, Hemmingdaw' s Tapestries
the decorative archway often has A small octagonal shop filled with
the desiccated corpses of the constant shuffle of looms and
wrongdoers that have evaded or strings. They buy surplus fabric to
exploited the law hanging from it. pull apart for threads, regardless of
No one knows who it is who does its origins or condition with a no-
the hanging, but the words “justice questions-asked protocol. Rumor
is found” is often painted in blood has it that even well-groomed hair
on the stone. will be purchased and spun into
fabrics.
Harlequin Trove Hester' s Lantern
An entire avenue dedicated to
secondhand clothes. Heaps of Constantly throwing vibrant
forgotten or disposed garments litter splashes of light over the street
the street and are displayed in every beyond, Hester’s Lantern is a
window. It is not uncommon to be building shaped like a giant
hassled for the clothes one is lantern…or perhaps it is a giant
already wearing by eager patrons. lantern turned into a house? Either
way it has been sculpted by a
Harper' s Crosswalk master’s hand and the multicolored
panes of glass delight onlookers.
The deadliest crosswalk in the city.
As a main thoroughfare through the
districts, the place where they Horse Tail Candies
converge is constantly crowded with Ironically placed opposite of many
foot and cart traffic. Different deadly barber-surgeon offices, the Horse
phenomena may occur including: Tail Candy Shop is known for
quicksand mud, dire pigeon dive producing some of the strongest
bombs, run-away carriages, livestock caramels and toffees. Many rumor
stampede, and panicked mob. that they are inedible due to the
frequency that the candies pull teeth
straight from their sockets.

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Jelly-spotter Bridge
An old stone bridge is host to a
seasonal phenomenon. During calm
Howilzer' s Humidor summer nights, thousands of small,
One of the few tobacco-rolling glowing jellyfish slowly take to the
businesses to have the gold seal of skies to catch flies and dance.
Noble approval on their shop door. Spectators from around the city
They have also had to hire a gather to witness the jellyfish, some
doorman to keep ruffians from seeing it as a yearly tradition.
defacing their establishment. The
finest pipe weeds and resins may be
purchased, provided you get past Jorg' s Tunnel
the door. Built beneath the houses and shops
that populate the streets above is
Jorg’s Tunnel. A popular shortcut for
In the Arms of the Angel locals it is often papered with fliers
A hostel for wayward souls and and un-housed denizens use it as a
weary bodies. The caretaker of this shelter from the elements.
building provides food and housing
for anyone in need. However, they
will only let you leave if someone Keepsake Doorway
asks for your freedom and provides These doors likely once stood at the
a substantial “donation” to the front gate of a lavish estate;
hostel. however, they now welcome guests
into the textile districts. Over three
stories high and covered with relief
Ingot Lane sculptures, this set of doors has
The metallic pavers that make this slowly corroded with age but has
street are in fact made from ingots not lost all of its glory. While the
of impure or slag metal. While first floor section of the door has
highly illegal, many blacksmiths will been nearly entirely stripped of gold
snag the metal pavers for use in leaf, the rest of the wood still
their craft. shimmers with it.

Iron Cask Keytooth Tree

A common street spectacle is the A strange and ominous sight, the
Iron Cask, the solid metal object husk of a dead tree covered in the
rumored to have been placed in the tinkling of thousands of abandoned
dead center of the street to deter keys. Tied, nailed, or impaled into
speeding carriages. However it is the gray bark, these keys are left as
now routinely used as a publicity tokens to thieves who died during a
stunt to entertain drunkards. break in. Some claim it is a boon to
Whoever can move the Iron Cask place a key here, as it keeps away
may drink free for a year from any robbers, while some thieves place
establishment in the city. keys here for good luck.

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Killer' s Cenotaph Leech Lagoon
A funerary marker to an infamous While not much bigger than what
serial killer who stalked the city for some might consider a pond, the
decades. While the killer was never Leech Lagoon is the main supplier
caught, their crimes stopped, of organic leeches in the city. The
prompting the construction of this dark water and waving reeds hide a
grim memorial. Reviled by all and multitude of wriggling bloodsuckers.
constantly being defaced, only the Any creature foolish enough to
aristocrats take a sadistic glee in enter the waters will likely be
maintaining a memorial to fear unable to leave alive, as desiccated
and mayhem. corpses wash up on the shores
regularly.

Lemon River
Many stone bridges reach across the
infamous yellow tinted river but few
barges move up and down its
waters. Those that do are coated up
the sides with a stark cadmium
yellow crust that cannot be removed
by conventional means. It is
unknown if anything besides a
harsh sour tasting mussel lives
within the ochre river.
Knifepoint Alley Lockjaw Forest
An infamous alley with a
dangerously sharp turn. While locals A yawning pit near the Foundry
know enough to slow down to a District is home to all of the
crawl when making the turn, discarded iron of the city. While
outsiders will commonly crash into efforts are underway to reclaim
the buildings, wrecking, and killing much of the valuable mineral, the
everyone involved. Piles of wrecked treacherous pit is an easy place to
carts and carriages line the streets as loot, provided that one takes the
a warning of the alley’s danger. necessary precautions to protect
themselves from the mounds of
Larch Arch abandoned knives and broken
machinery.
Twin larch trees have torn up the
cobblestones attempting to keep
their roots contained over countless Lord Sandtuss
years to entwine together into a
small entryway. Countless initials Hall of Taxidermy
and symbols have been inscribed on “Those who have left this world are
the hearty bark. Superstition says to not that far from it!” reads the quote
never walk through the archway above the door. The glass-eyed
with a corpse or the spirit will never features of the once living greet the
settle. curious who pay a small fee to
wander through the hall. Using the
Leaden Post latest embalming, stitching, and
sculpture techniques, Lord Sandtuss
Notched and spattered with paint
from the numerous impacts it has brings the dead back to life with his
endured over the years, the post is a artistry. However, it is best not to
grim reminder for all who wander catch the merry gentleman’s eyes
the nearby causeways. Tragedy too much, as those who perish
seems to haunt this stretch of the within are often added to the
road and the Leaden Post stands as collection.
its unfazed grave-marker.

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Mnemosyne's Foothold Mushel' s Tower
Known mostly for the half A teetering tower that is always
submerged statue of an angelic under construction and stretches up
woman, the notorious bend in the further than the eye can see. The
sewers holds many treasures. Due to owners proclaim it the “tallest”
the course of the water many of the building in the city, constantly
objects swept away end up crowded building upward and repairing it as
around the leaning statue. It is a its structure begins to crumble and
legend that all lost things end up visibly sway.
here.
Nacht School
Mound of the Founder A small and somber building at the
A great and opulent church is edge of an abandoned university.
maintained by a dedicated Only open at night, the mysterious
congregation who worship the spirit teacher offers classes on any subject
of the city. Deep inside its vault lies and promises mastery in only a
a plinth with the undisturbed ashes season’s time. However, the price for
of one of the city’s original such classes is in 1d10 years of the
founders, ashes said to be imbued student’s life, and those who
with the primordial power of the graduate are visibly aged by the
Wurm… time their class ends.

Necropolis Pyramid
A towering and ornate stepped
pyramid that acts as a mausoleum
complex. Millions of bodies are
interred in the individual sepulchers
that line the pyramid’s stairs and
tunnels. It is rumored that as high as
the pyramid ascends above ground,
so too does it descend below,
imprisoning the innumerable
restless and waking dead.

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The Olden Stone
With its edges polished by the
millions of hands that have touched
its grainy surface the Olden Stone is
a hallmark of the City. A small
bronze plaque sits at its base,
claiming that the hunk of stone is
the eldest in the city and those
brave enough to touch it are likely
to feel a zing of power. Particularly
powerful mediums are said to go
insane when touching the rock, as
the combined knowledge of ages
overpowers them.

Oval Pit
A massive sinkhole that took down
at least 8 square blocks of the city in
one rainstorm. Its unique oval shape
has caused it some notoriety, but
projects to construct on top of the
Pipeburgh
Beneath the city it is not uncommon
now ground level roofs are already to find a multitude of pipes no
underway. longer being used to pump water
and other byproducts. Those found
Overflow Outlook in Pipeburgh have been retrofitted
by a particularly intrepid community
An above-ground convergence of
multiple drains creates an awe- into living spaces. It is crowded but
inspiring handmade waterfall. While it is home.
the mist that the falls create is
beautiful and prismatic, inhaling too
much of it and the pollution it
Player' s Tribute
A massive wooden wall in constant
contains is wildly toxic. need of repairs holds countless
masks of actors that have been lost
Owl Shack to time or have met tragic ends.
Fraying ribbons and rusted bells
The whereabouts of the Owl Shack
is a closely guarded secret. Run by greet those who come to mourn the
an eccentric older woman, her artists lost.
apprentice, and small demonic son,
some of the best potion ingredients
can be purchased here. Barter and
Point of (No) Return
A cavernous and dry sewer channel
trade is also welcome, especially always filled with carriages, carts
apples. and their many work-beasts. A
landmark known to all cart drivers
Paradis Watch and passenger vehicles, it operates
as a de-facto station for folks
Reaching nearly as high as one of
the Spires, this huge watchtower looking to catch a quick ride to the
looms silently over its residents. many corners of the city.
While other buildings may sport
flags, murals, pockmarks from
explosions, or a myriad of other
Quay of Egos
A small and crumbling amphitheater
physical adornments, Paradis Watch covered in graffiti and tattered fliers.
remains stoic gray granite. It Thespians and performers play to
continues its silent sentry empty seats or solitary audience
throughout the ages. members, baring their souls to the
wayward and curious few who will
listen.

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Reliquary Slums Satin Tent Village
A once immaculate and grandiose Built upon the very rooftops of
necropolis has been transformed buildings the narrow walkways and
into housing for a population of the suspended bridges hold together a
city. These locals make their homes complex menagerie of homes. Some
in the tombs and sarcophagi, of the wealthiest courtesans and
carefully carving and modifying the spice merchants live within the
buildings into living spaces while wispy community. Secrets whispered
also caring and maintaining the into the satin walls are said to be as
bones of the deceased within. valuable as coin.
Shrines of the newly deceased
quickly pop up in the streets. Second Hand Shop
A shady and dilapidated storefront
San Jab with a sign depicting a bucket full
A raggedy body-mod parlor with a of hands. The store buys and sells
motif of various saint-like figures hands and for a small additional fee
being impaled. Behind dusty will graft them to your body.
windows, individuals come from all Characters can sell found hands for
walks of life to have something up to 1d3 coin, or their own for a
about their appearance altered, for flat rate (5 coin non-dominant, 10
better or worse. As payment, an coin dominant).
alms is placed at the foot of one of
the saintly statues; if the statue
weeps blood, the alms are accepted.
Seebee Jeebee's
A legendary bar and venue, known
to host some of the most prominent
and up-and-coming bands and acts.
Despite its fame and importance to
the city’s culture, the place remains
a cheap, filthy, and irredeemable
dive, qualities that everyone agrees
make it great.

Sinkhole Scar
Found all around the city they are
most commonly great heaps of
debris that have been unloaded into
a sinkhole. Sometimes entire
buildings have been sacrificed to fill
one of these holes in hopes to keep
it from expanding. Often the
residents inside are not consulted.

Snowy Clocktower
The chimes of this clock have kept
generations of city dwellers
informed of the time. It stands as a
bastion of normalcy in a place that
is constantly bubbling with oddities.
However, its snowy covering is not
due to a weather phenomenon and
is instead due to the layers and
layers of excrement left behind by a
colony of dire pigeons. Lots are
drawn every year for the
unfortunate soul that must scrap off
the time-face.

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Soup Kitchen Swifts Sweeps
Free to all who enter there is always The only union of certified chimney
food to be had regardless of the sweeps in the city. They have a
hour. A surly head cook keeps order single storefront where
in the back with fearsome growls appointments can be made. They
and shouts. It is a mystery where all are easy to spot moving from
of the ingredients come from, as the location to location as they all have
stoves are always on and hot stews a very pristine and regimented
ready to be ladled. uniform, giving them a regal
appearance despite the soot. Rumor
Speck' s Livery abounds that within the shadow of
the Swifts Sweeps is a highly
A well-kept establishment with
healthy creatures for sale. However, organized thieves guild, but it is
all of the animals come with only speculation.
dappled coats in strange patterns.
These unique patterns cannot be Tableau' s Tunnels
found anywhere else in the city. Crisscrossing the city are a series of
Workers claim the animals take on tunnels not made for the purposes
such patterns because of the of skulduggery or sewage. Instead
speckled beans fed to them. specially trained rats carry scrolls of
information between hubs. These
Stabbing Wall specialized rats are characterized by
their white spots and large floppy
Pockmarked from years of abuse,
this brick wall is impaled with ears. It costs 1 coin per mile to send
various small knives pinning letters a message to another hub.
of hatred to the cracking exterior.
When a knife and letter finally fall Tacky Street
out of the crumbling mortar, it is A colloquial name for many of the
said the intended person on the baking-centric spaces in the city,
letter has died. called such because of the perpetual
stickiness of the cobblestones. As a
Sumptown constant supplier of food, these
areas are often infested with animal
Compared to the neatly weaving
streets of its neighboring and insect life.
communities, Sumptown employs a
variety of scaffolding and walkways
to access all that it has to offer. As
the existing buildings keep sinking
further into the ground, new
buildings sprout out of the top in an
almost constant construction frenzy.

266
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The Tap
An infamous watering hole where
cups and other vessels are forbidden
and all patrons must bend their
neck beneath the proverbial tap.
Some bring their own cushions from
home to rest their heads, though
this is frowned upon by local
patrons and staff.

Tippet' s Basement
Discovered after its original owner
disappeared without warning, this
dilapidated building holds a strange
secret. The floors of the basement
descend with seemingly no end,
each sub-floor growing stranger
with every descent. Delvers have
managed to reach nearly 500 floors
in depth and report architecture and
monstrosities that defy explanation.

Three-Legged Market
A ramshackle grouping of vendors
selling everything from fruit, shoes,
baskets, swords, and street food.
Known for their swift exit whenever
authority is nearby and being able
to set up almost anywhere.

Troubadour' s Way
A brightly painted and colorful road
that is always filled with a raucous
parade. Revelers fill the streets at all
hours as the festivities continue
without end. Those who stay too
long risk becoming trapped in the
mania of the parade, losing all sense
of self and joining the “Eternal
Parade.”

Umbra Park
By day, Umbra Park is a quiet and
pleasant public space filled with
dense vegetation and winding paths.
Few stay near the park after sunset, Vermilion Fields
as stories of shadowy beings that A tiny public park filled with all
prowl the park frighten off all but manner of red colored plants. No
the most daring of individuals. It is one knows why they grow red, as a
not unheard of to find the teeth and plant removed from the area will
finger-bones of late-night victims gradually lose its ruddy hue. Eating
hidden away in the beds of any of the plants will cause the
vegetation throughout the park. individual’s mouth to be stained
bloody red for 1d4 hours.

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Warbled Word
Encrusted with bespoke woodwork
and painted a series of drab,
monotone colors, this shop front
does not catch the eye. Within is the
unmistakable garble of bad poetry
and unwashed hair. A regular
meeting place of creatives and
pseudo-geniuses.

The Watertower
A tall and cylindrical silo of beaten
metal and wooden scaffolding.
Climbing the tower provides a safe
vantage point for spotting and
hiding out. Those who rest here for
the night will not be bothered by
night time encounters.

Whistle Stacks
Huge pipes of varying diameter jut
towards the sky. On a timer that
many denizens use before sundials
or watches, the pipes bellow out
steam and other byproducts in a
staccato of whistles and whines.
Housing around the pipes is very
cheap as few can sleep through
such noise.

Whipstitch Xum' s Watch

Almost one hundred hands are A crooked tower, said to be
constantly at work in this textile occupied by a cruel magician. Few
mill. They work on commission and have attempted to enter and fewer
mostly independently from each have returned. All who survive tell
other. There are specialists in button stories of walls made of flesh, bone,
making, tailoring, lace weaving, and and teeth.
a dozen more professions. Each of
these artisans is highly skilled and
very ornery.
Yellow Yard
An empty lot overtaken by a sea of
gold and green dandelions.
Everything from parties, heated
scraps, proposals and heartbreaks
have happened in this seemingly
empty lot. A history recorded only
by the dandelions.

Zoo
A park and series of enclosed
buildings make up the layout of this
curious and frightening zoo. For a
nominal fee, viewers may enter and
gaze upon the countless animals
and creatures held in enclosures and
cages. Some of the creatures speak,
and cautiously plead to be set free…

268
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269
Running a City

There is so much to be done in a city as expansive as this.

The construction and restoration projects I witnessed on just
one day would have baffled any engineer or architect. There
is not just the raw infrastructure but also the living element
to be considered. Countless restaurants and soup kitchens to
feed the hungry. Clothier and Tailors to clothe them. Schools
and tutors to teach then. The immense amount of work each
citizen contributes is remarkable.
Afterword by Xelie A. Larch, Wandering Historian;
Tales of My Travels, Vol II
RUNNING A CITY

Running a City Preparing City Adventures

As detailed in The City Adventure
(pg 52) the GM and players can
expect to base their play around the
following:
Time – Encounters occur regularly,
hazards move or grow on a
timetable, and players will need to
eat and find shelter daily. Simplified
timetables or clocks can be kept to
track when these occur to allow
players to prepare or avoid them
and GM’s to facilitate them.
Travel – Players will be moving
Making Your City across the map often and quickly to
Landmarks of Interest – Start with avoid hazards, visit different
the largest visible or prominent districts, or sell goods in wealthier
locations. A tower that scratches the areas. Larger landmarks and
heavens, a factory that belches locations can be made aware to
cinders, or a mountain of garbage players, but can also be randomly
and ruins; such places are what generated on the fly if the table
define the landscape of a city and prefers a low-prep style of play.
draw players to explore it. Reactive Danger – Player action
People of Interest – Create a within the city has an appropriate
handful of NPCs for the players to reaction. Factions and authorities
meet. Whether they are local will be swayed or upset by what the
leaders, faction agents, or curious players do, and keeping them all
denizens, they each have wants and happy (or always staying one step
needs that the players can either ahead of them) will offer
assist with or hinder. opportunities for quests and
Divisions and Districts – Build shenanigans.
your city out or break what you Wealth as Security – Costs and
have into chunks. Consider the values will fluctuate based on where
differences in lifestyle, economic adventures takes place, while losing
standing, and needs from one chunk money means characters will be
to the next. Create districts and without options for defending
areas with unique atmospheres, themselves.
troubles, and points of interest;
differences the players will note and
account for as they map out and get
a feel for their city.
Build on the Fly – It is not the job
of the GM to build out and be
forced to plan every detail of a
world or setting; rather, the GM can
play alongside the players and their
characters, playing as the world and
its many denizens. Use this book as
a tool to build the world out as it’s
explored, discovering the city
together as a table.

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273
RUNNING A CITY

The Total Conversion

Groups who wish to focus their
games or campaigns within a
singular sprawling metropolis can
setup and prepare their table the
following way. These are just
guidelines; discuss as a table first
and build out the best possible
version for yourselves as a group.

C A
B
E D
F G
(A) World Map (6-mile) – Map used for a majority of travel. Includes wealth
disparity, and markers for Dangers (pg 72) and the adventurers.
(B) Local Map (1-mile) – Maps used for specific 6-mile hexes. Includes
features, issues, and a marker for the adventurers.
(C) Price-sheet – Prices for goods and services, with scaling costs for wealth
disparity.
(D) Faction Relationships – List of prominent factions, their relationships,
and relation to the adventurers.
(E) Time-Keeper – Chart for keeping track of hours in the day and days.
Optional:
(F) Undercity Map, (G) Hideout and Upgrades

274
 World Map

1 Hex
6 Miles

Danger Movement Wealth Disparity Travel Times

1 O - Opulent 18 miles/day
6 2 R - Rich 2 miles/hour
M - Middling
6
Congested or Dangerous
9 miles/day
All Else is Common
5 3 1 mile/hour
4
275
 Local Map

1 Hex
1 Miles
Features & Issues
Values
Price Sheet
Food
Common - Base Value Costs are per pound unless noted.
Middling - x2 Bread 1 / 2 / 10 /100
Rich - x10 Eggs, dozen 1 / 2 / 10 /100
Opulent - x100 Fruit (fresh) 2 / 4 / 20 /200
Game 2 / 4 / 20 /200
Tools Grain 1 / 2 / 10 /100
Ball Bearings 5 /10/ 50 /500 Spice, Common * /48/240 /2400
Bear Trap 12 /24/120 /1200 Spice, Rare * / * /480 /4800
Box of Nails 5 /10/ 50 /500
Bucket 6 /12/ 60 /600 Drink
Candles, 10 2 / 4 / 20 /200 Costs are per gallon unless noted.
Chain 10’ 10 /20/100 /1000 Ale, Beer, Cider 1 / 2 / 10 /100
Chalk 1 / 2 / 10 /100 Clean Water 2 / 4 / 20 /200
Chisel 3 / 6 / 30 /300 Juice 2 / 4 / 20 /200
Compass 20 /80/200 /2000 Liquor 3 / 6 / 30 /300
Cookpot, clay 1 / 2 / 10 /100
Cookpot, metal 3 / 6 / 30 /300 Transportation
Crowbar 10 /20/100 /1000 Costs are per mile.
Game Board 12 /24/120 /1200 Hand-cart 1 / 2 / 10 /100
Glue 2 / 4 / 20 /200 Horse & Buggy 2 / 4 / 20 /200
Grappling Hook 9 /18/ 90 /900 Carriage * / 6 / 30 /300
Grease Pot
Hand Drill
2 / 4 / 20 /200
3 / 6 / 30 /300
Lodging
Costs are per day unless noted.
Instrument * /50/250 /2500
Bath 2 / 4 / 20 /200
Large Sack 1 / 2 / 10 /100
Bed 1 / 2 / 10 /100
Lantern 25 /50/250 /2500
Oil, bottle 3 / 6 / 30 /300 Meal 2 / 4 / 20 /200
Lockpicks 12 /24/120 /1200 Room with Key 2 / 4 / 20 /200
Weekly Rate 10 / 4 / 20 /200
Manacles 20 /40/200 /2000 Monthly Rate 30 /60/300 /3000
Metal Spikes 5 /10/ 50 /500 Yearly Rate 300 /600/3000/30000
Rope 50’ 10 /20/100 /1000
Soap 1 / 2 / 10 /100 Contraband
Medicinal * /10/ 50 /500 Illegal x2 cost
Spade 3 / 6 /30 /300 Dangerous x3 cost
Tinder Box 11 /22/110 /1100
Torches, 5 5 /10/ 50 /500
Twine 200’ 5 /10/ 50 /500
Vise 20 /20/200 /2000
Waterskin 5 /10/ 50 /500
Whistle 2 / 4 / 20 /200
Wooden Pole 6’ 1 / 2 / 10 /100
 Factions
Name Name
Type Type
Relationships Relationships

Characters’ Standing Characters’ Standing

Notes Notes

Name Name
Type Type
Relationships Relationships

Characters’ Standing Characters’ Standing

Notes Notes

Reputation Gaining & Losing Reputation

6 - Allies +2 - Great Deed
4 - Helpful +1 - Minor Deed
1 - Friendly -1 - Minor Misgiving
-1 - Unfriendly -2 - Great Misgiving
-3 - Hostile Betrayal - Faction turns Hostile
-5 or Less - Enemies
 Time Clock
Each tick is 1 Hour

�
Shops open
Shops close
☾
Encounter
(Unless sheltered)

Day Counter

Notes

Week Counter

Notes
#100 Locations 255
Index Cult 63
Enforcers 64
A Archivist District 211
Artifacts 222
Grand Guild 64
High Guild 65
Changes & Boons 218 Lesser Guild 65
Encounters 234 Local Business 66
Factions & NPCs 215 Mage Cabal 66
Features & Issues 213 Neighborhood Watch 67
Goods & Services 220 Noble Family 67
Loot & Trinkets 225 Occult Circle 68
Monsters 228 Overlord 69
Grimoire Mummy 228 Political Party 69
Grimoire Mummy Text 228 Religious Institution 70
Illuminated Archivist 229 Monsters 35
Grimoire Materials 230 Brick Tick 37
Scuttle Imp 232 Cobblestone Crab 38
Nest Treasure 232 Cobble-Crab Meat 38
Stack Panther 233 Court Spider 39
People & Places 226 Court Poisons 39
Alley Whelps 101 Demons 40
Artifacts of the City 238 Abilities 40
Artifacts & Spells 237 Appearance 41
Dire Pigeon 42
B The Bloom 177 As a Mount 42
Fists of the City 43
C Catastrophes 23
The City Adventure 52
Garbage Shambler 45
Treasure 45
Cultivist District 161 Kruksgrippen 44
Artifacts 170 Master of Procession 46
The Bloom 177 Shortblock 48
Encounters 208 Sutfilk 47
Factions & NPCs 189 Sutsmog 47
Features & Issues 163 NPC Generator 90
Goods & Services 168 Shop Generator 92
Monsters 178 Spells 246
Animated Urn 180 Street Generator 88
Kquarl 178 Prices & Services 16
Builder’s Bane 178
Masque Heron 179
The Verdant Fury 181
D Disasters 20
Diseases 28
Loot & Trinkets 173 Droops 15
People & Places 174 Dumpster Diving 15
Cobblestone 5
Boons 26
Changes 24
E Encounters 49
Archivists 234
Diseases 28 Cobblestone 12
Encounters 12 Cultivists 182
Factions 60 Foundry 208
Anarchists 60 Spires 150
Artist Circle 61 Undercity 122
College 62 Exploration & Alarm 142
Crime Syndicate 62 Exploring the Undercity 102
Criminal Gang 63

280
F Foundry District 185
Artifacts 196
R Reputation 18
Roughing It 14
Changes & Boons 192 Running a City 275
Encounters 208
Factions & NPCs 189
Features & Issues 187
S Shop Generator 92
Archivists 227
Goods & Services 194 Cobblestone 92
Loot & Trinkets 199 Cultivists 175
Monsters 202 Foundry 201
Aurjax 205 Shortcut 9
Bore Eels 203 Spells 246
Bore Eel Tunnels 203 “A Spell is Found” 246
Dreadnought 206 Spires 137
Dreadnought Disease 207 Encounters 150
Furnace Cats 204 The Spire Dungeon 139
As a Companion 204 Street Generator 88
Slag Men 202 Archivists 227
People & Places 200 Cobblestone 88
Cultivists 175
G Game Assets 279
Generating a Building 78
Foundry 201
Spire Monsters 152
Atmosphere 80 False Scion 152
Building Rooms 79 False Scion Schemes 153
Generating a City 71 The Noble 154
Features & Issues 73 The Power of a Noble 155
Generating the Spires 143 Killing a Noble 155
Generating the Undercity 103 Vulpesphinx 157
Spire Treasure 158
HHazards 20
Hideouts 84
Spire Rooms & Features 145
System Neutral 1
Upgrades 85
T Traffic & Crowds 10
I “I Search the Body” 94 Travel 8
Treasure 95
MMonsters 35
Archivists 228
Spires 158

Cobblestone 35
Cultivists 178
UUndercity 97
Encounters 122
Foundry 202 Goods & Services 132
Spires 152 Landmarks 104
Undercity 124 Abandoned Mine 104
Mugged 12 Delving the Mines 104
Abandoned Mine Finds 104
NNobles 141
NPC Generator 90
Brine Clogs 105
The Catch 106
Archivists 226 Cart Canyon 106
Cobblestone 90 Chandelier Tunnels 107
Cultivists 174 Navigating… 107
Foundry 200 Crooked Palace 108
Delving… 108
P Prices & Services 16
Archivists 220
The Drip 109
Navigating… 109
Cobblestone 16 Forlorn Catacombs 110
Cultivists 168 Exploring… 110
Foundry 194 Fury Halls 111
Undercity 132 Garbage Sluices 111
Crossing the Sluices 111

281
 The Grand Dais 112
What is… 112
Dais Imagery 112
Great Trash Pile 113
Scavenge 113
Humid Bowels 114
Harvesting Mushrooms 114
Ink Pits 115
Undercity Black Ink 115
The Rib Cage 116
Pipe Maze 116
Traveling… 116 Further Reading
The Sinking Falls 117 Stygian Library, Dying Stylishly
Navigating… 117 Games
Slime Forest 118 Gourmet Street, John “Unlawful
Navigating… 118 Games” Gregory
The Vents 119 Piranesi, Susanna Clarke
Venter Gas 119 Blades in the Dark, John Harper
Undercity Dirigible 119 Book of Gaub, Lost Pages
Yawning Lake 120 Blame!, Tsutomu Nihei
Traversing… 120 Johnathan Strange & Mr. Norrel,
Monsters 124 Susanna Clarke
The Waking Wall 124 Cathedral, Forge, and Waterwheel:
Waking Wall Secrets 124 Technology and Invention in the
Leipodap 125 Middle Ages, Frances & Joseph
Sewer Walrus 126 Gies
Sewer Walrus Leather 126 The Owl House, Dana Terrace
Grimebender 127 The Book of the New Sun,
Grimlamp 127 Gene Wolfe
Siltlurker 128 Dungeon Meshi, Ryoko Kui
Numenwicht 129 Esoteric Enterprises, Dying Stylishly
Lodestone Weapons 129 Games
Mutants 130 Dorohedoro, Q Hayashida
Short Statblocks 131 Crime and Punishment, Fyodor
Treasure 135 Dostoevsky
Trinkets 134 Planescape, Zeb Cook
The Undercity Crawl 99 Last Podcast on the Left, LPOTL
Productions
Y “You Spot an Aristocrat” 157 Mad God, Tippett Studio
The Image of the City, Kevin Lynch

282
A special thanks to the 946 backers
who made this book possible.

283