Tales of Gothic Transylvania - A Gothic Horror Campaign - Actual Play Part Four - In The Steps of The Vampyr

The PC's find themselves at a Romanian Inn and have been traveling across the countryside in pursue of the 'man from Lavanti'. 

 An old man enters  the room where the PC's are staying  and leaving a square packet on a nearby  table with "To be opened upon my death" written on it. One of the PC's  takes the package and walks outside finding shadows guiding him to an old castle where he sees several shadows dancing and wandering on their own.The PC also sees an elderly woman and encounters the village doctor.

The party find the PC and  leaves the castle and walks to a manor. Looking through one of the windows, PC sees the man who gave him the package earlier. This old man is suddenly murdered by gunshot. PC is let into the house by servants who rush to the aid of the fallen man but find it too late to save him. The servants have the party stay the night, where the Lord of the manor's youngest daughter, Giséle leads PC to the library where he learns that her sister, Léone is gravely ill. PC and Giséle then see Léone walking outside. They rush to her finding her lying unconscious with fresh bite wounds. They have her carried back up to the manor where PC remembered the parcel given to him. On opening the parcel, PCs  finds the book is about horrific demons called Vampyrs.
The PC's have realized that their in over their heads.
More coming up on Monday!
Random Carpathian Encounter chart 1d10

1. 1d6 brigands and thieves raiding the local villages for slaves and prey for their dark masters
2. A group of traveling nuns looking for a bit of charity. They're armed with pistols and are actually 1st level fighters. 
3. A traveling group of Rom looking to trade goods, herbs, and offering cures for some local diseases. 
4. A minor group of villagers taking their cows and goods to market in the next village. There is a 30% chance of them telling local legends. 
5. A group of small local warriors looking for a comrade whose fallen into the clutches of a vampire. Looking for adventurers to help them willing to pay 10 to 20 silver coins. 
6. A small cunning man willing to ply stories, charms, and some advice. Can cast most 1st level spells with little issue. 
7. A relic trader and  wizard with 1d6 pupils studying the mountain spirits & local small gods 
8. A hidden priest of the mountains calling down spirits from the high places. A second level clerical warrior of the Asra. 
9. A flock of harpies looking for easy victims and able to cast 2nd level wizard spells. 
10. A vampyr looking for his supper. Guess whose it!
    
    

The 1932 Movie 'The Vampyr' as Source Material 
 One of the PC's is named Allan Gray and since their traveling across Romania. 

The plot of this weeks adventure borrows very heavily from The Vampyr  which according to Wiki :

Vampyr (German: Vampyr – Der Traum des Allan Grey, "Vampire: the Dream of Allan Grey"; German pronunciation: [vamˈpiːɐ̯]) is a 1932 French-German horror film directed byDanish director Carl Theodor Dreyer. The film was written by Dreyer and Christen Jul based on elements from J. Sheridan Le Fanu's collection of supernatural stories In a Glass Darkly.

You can see the whole movie here. 

 The Plot according to Wiki: 

On a late evening, Allan Gray arrives at an inn close to the village of Courtempierre where he rents a room to sleep. Gray is awakened suddenly by an old man, entering the room and leaving a square packet on Gray's table with "To be opened upon my death" written on it. Gray takes the package and walks outside finding shadows guiding him to an old castle where he sees several shadows dancing and wandering on their own. Gray also sees an elderly woman and encounters the village doctor. Gray leaves the castle and walks to a manor. Looking through one of the windows, Gray sees the man who gave him the package earlier. This old man is suddenly murdered by gunshot. Gray is let into the house by servants who rush to the aid of the fallen man but find it too late to save him. The servants have Gray stay the night, where the Lord of the manor's youngest daughter, Giséle leads Gray to the library where he learns that her sister, Léone is gravely ill. Gray and Giséle then see Léone walking outside. They rush to her finding her lying unconscious with fresh bite wounds. They have her carried back up to the manor where Gray remembers the parcel given to him. On opening the parcel, Gray finds the book is about horrific demons called Vampyrs.

After reading the book, Gray discovers Léone is a victim of a Vampyr and that the Vampyr also can have humans forced into her submission. The village doctor visits Léone at the manor, and Gray recognizes him as the old man he saw in the castle. The doctor tells Gray that a blood transfusion is needed and Gray offers his blood to save Léone. Exhausted from blood loss, Gray wakes sensing danger, and rushes to Léone, finding the doctor who has just dropped a poison vial from his hand. The doctor flees the manor, as Gray finds that Giséle has gone missing. Gray follows the doctor, finding himself in the castle where he has a vision of himself being buried alive. After waking from this vision, he succeeds in rescuing Giséle while the doctor is able to get away. The old servant of the manor finds Gray's Vampyr book and discovers the way to defeat a Vampyr is with an iron bar through their heart. The servant meets Allan Gray by Marguerite Chopin's grave behind the village Chapel. They open the grave and find the old woman lying there and hammer a large metal bar through her heart, killing her. The village doctor has found refuge in an old mill, but finds himself locked in a chamber where flour sacks are filled. The old servant arrives and activates the mill's machinery, making the Vampyr's associate drown in the flour that comes crashing from above. The curse of the Vampyr is lifted when Léone recovers. Giséle and Gray cross a foggy river outside by boat and find themselves in a brighter clearing.

The PCs have stumbled into a quick two night side adventure which follows the gothic trappings of the Vampyr and the movie is very much infused with the 'Gothic Horror tropes' it seemed a natural. 
More to come! 

Free Tomb of the Overfiend From Robertson Games For Your Old School Horror Campaign

Get it right over HERE

According to Drivethrurpg:
Tomb of the Overfiend is a free one-page adventure for Weird West RPG. The adventure is also compatible with other "old school" type roleplaying games with a few small changes to some of the statistics for the encounters.

This is a solid one page dungeon that you can easily and I do mean easily customize to your Old West or horror setting. With a game like Weird Adventures this one is perfect for regions like the zombie-haunted streets of Cujiatepec.
 This one has a little bit of everything for the haunted deserts of the 'Weird West' and other old west rpgs.

  Using Tomb of The Overfiend 

This is a quick one shot evening's entertainment. A great into into the world of pulp horror out in the old west. With very little work this adventure might also be converted into a Call of Cthulhu adventure set in the old west as well.
 Nice Free solid adventure. 

Tales of Gothic Transylvania - A Gothic Horror Campaign - Actual Play Part III

The PC's were twisted around this past week! |
They were delayed by mutated gnomes known as Rumpelstiltskins.  Evil little twisted things that fired Egyptian style short bows with fairy shot. By the time they got the theater it was too late! The little bastard mutants had done their work all too well. 

The sun was setting and something nasty had been left behind for the PC's.

Blood  flowed down the steps of the theater slowly,very,very, slowly. It washed the pavement red and raw! 

The entire theater stairs were awash in blood and gore. The doors having been bolted from the inside by heavy metal bars.

After the party's specialist finagles with the door they were confronted by skin, gore, and much more hanging from the rafters and the ceiling by weird brass chains and funeral hooks. Then they heard weeping upon the stage!  A vision or goddess confronts them! 
'The Rite of The Hundred Death Gods'has taken place.  And the man has fled taking the souls of theater's patrons with him! They are his!   Only their cloths and their undead flesh has been left behind. Flesh that now waits in the wings to kill them!
 She can hold this undead thing for only a moment but they must flee! 
They  find out that 'Man from Lavanti' has fled deep into the Transylvania wastelands where vast halls,ruins, and  cityscapes from the 'Time Before'  still hold many deadly secrets and vast ancient demons waiting to be awakened!
The Man has fled Into the Wasteland and they must follow.  They also learn that the man has an enemy in the form of the archmage  Pan Twardowski.
 The party puts the theater to the torch and it burns as the cries of the undead things shriek their idiot praises to the Death Gods.
The place burns with relish.
The party goes back to the 'Roman villa' of their patron for further investigation and finds that there is an entrance to a vast secret underground network of tunnels beneath the city state.
Its seems that the 'man from Lavanti' seeks  the legendary immortal queen Omphale and her Grotto of Time. Rumor has it that Omphale is in league with 'Dark Forces.' No one is certain if she is undead,goddess, witch, or something far, far, worse. 
Tune in next week for the exciting continuation of  'Tales of Gothic Transylvania'

Tales of Gothic Transylvania - A Gothic Horror Campaign - Actual Play Part II

The PC's dealt with the mysterious air ship hovering over them and playing odd coloured lights about them. They were very nervous to say the least and so was the crowd of the city state that they've been adventuring in.
The lights snapped off and the craft moved silently, ominously away from the city sky line. 

The PC's dealt with weird assassins, odd giant spiders preying on random passers by from above an alley and robbery. 

The PC's have been investigating the disappearance of a merchant prince within a far flung corner of a Gothic Pulp world. 

After several leads, dead ends, and near run ins with some rather dubious characters the PC's finally managed to track down a weird cleric operating out of some back alley theater. Through a beggar the PC'sd were able to find his domicile.
They did so through the sewers of the city. A rat infested horrorscape of weirdness with all sorts of black nightmare inducing crud was waiting. Noting attacked them but it was quite a bit of fun to see em squirm. 

The Man From Mord-Stavian

With this 'beggar''s help they managed to break into this man's apartment which was more like a converted North African funeral temple. There were the usual bubbling apparatus  the bedroom had been converted into a fully functioning funeral alter area complete with a level drained merchant prince close to death. 

There was also the small matter of the magic mirror that housed a animal headed guardian spirit and the 'other where' dimensional reflection of the place. 
They were able to talk their way into the reflection and found a journal detailing this visitor from 

 Levanti, the capitol city on the River Nilus. 

The 'otherwhere' temple/apartment was covered with strange glyph works of  Hundred Death Gods. 

It seems that this visitor has been passing himself off as a performing priest when in actuality he's a mage of the darkest stripe whose getting ready to bring about the final movement in a diabolical performance to a charmed audience in hundreds.
Can the PC's stop the rite to the 'Hundred Death Gods' in time? (Of course they can't!) But what is he up to and what does this have to do with the level drained merchant prince whose wife now wants nothing to do with him?
Tune in this coming week for more!

“For it is in the arcana of dreams that existences merge and renew themselves, change and yet keep the same.” 
― Bram Stoker, The Jewel of Seven Stars

Tales of Gothic Transylvania - A Gothic Horror Campaign - Actual Play Part I

Welcome to the world of Gothic Pulp.
 The Gates have swung open upon the city state streets. This is a world of the Gothic Pulp a place where the edge of nightmares have overtaken the daylight world and people fear the night. Only adventurers stand against the darkness. The Gothic Transylvania countryside is one part 'Supernaturalypse' and three parts of Hell.
 Its place in desperate need of adventurers and heroes. Last night the PC's step through those gates and into the shadow of the dark fantastic. A specialist and his cleric partner have been hired by a rug seller and dealer in antiques to find out what's happened to his partner.
The man hasn't been seen in two weeks.


The Villa
The PC's go to a Roman style villa in a very well to do part of the city state. The front gate is unlocked. The inner door is slightly a jar and there is a low moan coming from inside.

Upon the floor is the body of a :Lady. She is face down. Bleeding out and a knife lays near her right hand.
There is a sound like breaking glass coming from the back part of the house. The cleric gives add to the lady while the specialist/fighter gave chase.
The assassin was getting away and climbing a garden wall to escape.
Two daggers to the back and shoulder made quick work of  him.
The assassin burst into flame while looking directly into the eyes of the fighter.
Meanwhile the Lady Alexandreina was in rough shape. The knife wound was bleeding out and she was in shock. A healer and doctor were needed quickly. 

The cleric stabilized her as best he could. A healer and doctor were called and arrived in the nick of time. The Lady was stabilized. 

 There was furniture over turned. The place was ransacked except for a strong box which had been tampered with was solid and not tampered with. 

With the Lady of the house resting. The PC's got to work on the strong box. The specialist had quite the time with the piece. Eventually springing the lock and avoiding the poison needle trap.
It seems that the merchant and partner of the antiques had quite the shady past.
 
Andri The Wise has ties to the local smugglers and thieves guild which unlike the specialists isn't a recognized Craft. He's been working with Amazon Mutual and has a special policy with them. He may be an agent of theirs operating on this world. Most jobs for
Amazon Mutual Life Assurance Company involve rescuing prisoners or recovering bodies of
policy holders and returning the for resurrection -- but not always.Andri The Wise might be from Delos itself. 

"Like Arduin, Delos hath never built fireish machines but off times spaceships land here from the techno worlds and trade their goods or mayhap are robbed of them, and starrish beasties leave ship to roam in our woods. And here Multiversal can sell many strange goods from many strange worlds, but some they cannot sell because of the Prime Directive. And the rich living mana hereabouts offtimes sparks cross-Shadow making natural gates as those from England to Narnia, whence persons come through by mental inclining from amany strange Shadow-worlds and times, by the strength of their hearts' desires."
 

There was also some gold bars and a bit of cash in the strong box as well. The PC's pocketed the gold and cash. That's when the sky ship showed up above the house! There was also the small matter of the vials of vampire blood the PC's found.
To be continued!

Delos is copyrighted and trademarked to Dragon Tree press.  

Tales of Gothic Transylvania - A Gothic Horror Campaign - Further Meditations On Tales Of The Grotesque And Dungeonesque Volume One

The nights are beginning to get longer and the shadows are lengthening. I'm putting together a series of one shot Gothic Fantasy Adventures using Tales Of The Grotesque And Dungeonesque. I've been rereading volume one of this piece of forgotten lore.

What Is Tales of The Grotesque And Dungeonesque? 

The Tales of The Grotesque and Dungeonesque volume one is a Gothic Fantasy Supplement for old-school fantasy role-playing games.

Contains house rules, random tables, new spells, new monsters, and a campaign setting for Gothic Fantasy adventures in the old-school fantasy RPG system of your choice.

 Get The Book Right Over HERE

Its actually a bit more then just that. The book is actually the campaign setting background and volume one in three part Gothic tour de force. Tales is set up in such a way to be a plug and play piece of goodness. From the 162 page book of volume with the variations of horrific OD&D tropes. The book is set up for Labyrinth Lord but its easily adaptable to any number of OSR retroclones.
The first book is essential because it sets up the PC options, adds flavor to character generation, And adds the real world/fictional counterparts to the game world. The second volume adds even more background.

 Appendix N Background Material 
When I was very young, I was shown two books from the U.K. that grabbed my imagination and led me on a fifteen year odyssey. At a county fair I glimpsed a copy of  Tourist Guide To Transylvania And The Dracula Collection. They were deemed far too scary for me by well meaning grandparents. It too the better part of ten years to find the books I had glimpsed. Weirdly enough my wife whose from the U.K. where the volumes were published by Octopus books also owned them. 

The Tourist Guide & its sister book the Dracula Collection were essentially a number of science fiction & fantasy pieces with the Transylvania country side of a sword & sorcery universe as its framing device. The books are fantastic. They have zippo to do with the real world at all. Seriously this is a universe where no only is magic real but the countryside is ruled by vampire lords, liches, & black magicians who summon the very powers of Hell itself! Faerie exists  but its an uneasy relationship at best. These are the 'Kindly Ones' version of the fey. A sort of extra-dimensional monsters that can cause all kinds of problems. Count Dracula is eluded to but never given any real consolidation in the book.
There are barbaric tribes, witches, covens of white, black, & grey magicians, & all sorts of powers from beyond. Hell plays a very prominent roll in this book. This is a dimension where the gods of yesteryear roam the countryside plucking victims to feed their dark hungers.

 The second book describes Dracula's art collection and some of its inspirations. It also describes a family museum and the occult devices of power which it holds. The books are nice because in detail we are given a complete picture of the 'family Dracula' separate from the Hammer Films and even what we've seen before.
This is really a world of Gothic Dark Fantasy. 

These books provide very solid fodder. 

Tales of Gothic Transylvania

This is a world of the Gothic Pulp a place where the edge of nightmares have overtaken the daylight world and people fear the night. Only adventurers stand against the darkness. The Gothic Transylvania countryside is one part 'Supernaturalypse' and three parts of Hell. Its place in desperate need of adventurers and heroes. 
Some of these hard bitten individuals are those who seek thrills and hunt the most deadly game of all. The undead have run up against adventurers from 'The City' time and again. The odds are that the players are going to run into an NPC or two from the City. Trey Causey little creation is also going to be making an appearance or two at the table. 

For a metric ton of mileage from the author visit his blog right over HERE

Random Encounters Table For Lurkers, Stalkers, Psychopaths, And Mid level Hoods For Your Old School Horror Games

1d10 Lurkers, Stalkers, Psychopaths, And Mid level Hoods Random Encounter Table 

1. This alchemististically modified hood is a 2nd level fighter whose been caught between planar realms. He's more then slightly insane and now stalks both men and women trying to gain help for his plight but his touch brings acidic death. Use stats for a shadow but with acid touch. During combat he will become more 'real'. Armed with a forty five and two clips. 
2. This mid level mob enforcer (3rd level fighter) has the face of a grinning skull which he hides. On the weekends he stalks folks and kills them with an enchanted straight razor. Usually armed with a .38 special and speed loader set up. Most times he covers his face but then shows his true colors to victims. 
3. This fem fatale Stalker moves from town to town killing victims with a vicious bite and blood drain. She's a vampire working for a cult gathering victims for her pagan god! She can however move around during daylight hours due to the intercession of her god. 2nd level cleric.
4. This stalker passes himself off as a pool shark and moves from one small town to another gathering games and taking the souls of his victims. Likes the ladies and really targets boyfriends for a friendly game of chance for their souls. Serves rather nasty death goddess as a 3rd level cleric.
5. This rabid psychopath moves from one grave yard to another looking to become one of the undead. Even their not comfortable with this straight razor, ax wielding animal. The monsters moves among the tombs like a shadow striking at his victims and taking their heads as trophies. 4th level fighter armed with an enchanted ax. 
6. This mid level trouble shooter for the mob is looking for an accountant whose cooked the books for an infernal Copo. He's got this man's soul contract with em and this guy wants it back! He's armed with two enchanted +2 forty fives and clips. He's also got an attitude worse then the abyss. 5th level fighter
7. This little number is part human and part shadow! A lurker who moves from one church to another stealing the valuables of the  worshipers after Sunday services. A 4th level thief and con artist. 
8. This stalker passes himself off as a helpless bum but he's actually a holy kidnapper and gatherer for a cult of necromancers and  child killers. He's a nasty piece of work and uses cords on his victims. He's been exposed to the essence of his god and has an acidic touch for 1d4 points of damage. A 3rd level fighter armed with a short sword for close work. 
9. This raving psychopath is on the lamb from a bounty hunter. He likes to kill during the full moon and is on his way to becoming a cleric of a lunatic moon goddess. Armed with two daggers this first level cleric hides during the day and kills at night. 
10. This mid level mobster is armed with a sawed off shot gun and is slowly being possessed by a spawn of Cthulhu  He's willing to trade information about stolen loot for his life. The loot however has a curse of Cthulhu and is very dangerous. A quest for the loot might have to be mounted! 

Further Thoughts On 'Strange Trails' Free Download For 'Weird Adventures' By Trey Causey

Grab your girl, Strap on your guns, and hold on!
We're heading down 'Strange Trails'! 

For gold, glory, and high adventure!  You can get Strange Trails Right 
HERE

Introduction  
Strange Trails came out  Jan.21 2011 as a sort of preview for 'Weird Adventures'. Its a preview all right but what it actually is. An overflow book with a metric ton of material that can get the ball rolling into your Weird Adventures campaign.
 

 Get Weird Adventures right  HERE

What's in 'Strange Trails'? 

• Eight articles from Trey's blog, some expanded, and all of them annotated and illustrated--including artwork by our man in Manila, Reno Maniquis, and that ostensible cat,Johnathan Bingham.
• An “Appendix N” for the City and its world. This Appendix is essential for getting the feel of the setting and is very well done. 
• A shot of flavor fiction to set the mood.

And all for the low, low price of...free.

Why Do I Need Strange Trails?

 Strange Trails is essential to running a Weird Adventures campaign. Seriously the pdf goes into areas of the world of the 'City' that the author didn't cover in the 'Weird  Adventures' book. That's not a bad thing really because this book clocks in at twenty five pages of 'pulpastic' D&D inspired material! 

This book is all you need for either an evening's quick dungeon crawl in  or a cruise through the more dangerous pulp seas of 'Weird Adventures'. 

 That being said this is really an add on book more then an introduction. There are several elements in the book that easily lend themselves to a very nasty and dire horror adventure or pulp terror campaign.. 

Splatter Punk 70's & 80's Post Apocalyptic Horror Campaign Sundown Edition Influence - 1d30 Trashtastic Monstrous Servants of The Ancient Gods

 Please Press Play To Begin

There are creatures you don't ever want to encounter. Monsters spawned from the darkest brain fevered corners of the human imagination. Things that simply kill and kill again. They were spawned from darkest alley ways of the human collective unconsciousness during the 'Supernaturalpyse' . Now these monsters serve their dark masters and begin the summoning! 

 1d30 Trashtastic  Monstrous  Servants of The Ancient Gods Random Encounters 

1. 1d4 Flesh Melting Clowns AC 8 Hit points 2 Damage 1d6 acidic 
2. 1d8 undead mutant cultists AC 7 Hit Dice 3 Damage 1d4 bite 
3. Small village zombies AC 9 Hit points 1 Damage 1d3 
4. Giant Freaking Spider AC 7 Hit Points 6 Damage 1d6 Acidic bite 
5. Spider Draco Bats AC8 Hit Points 3 Damage 1d4 plus implant and explosive birth 
6. Giant Of The Old Ones AC 8 Hit points 10 Damage 1d6  # 1d4 accompanying mini monsters 
7. Evil Unicorn Mutate AC 7 Hit Points 6 Damage 1d4 hooves, 1d8 horn 
8. Mist Ghost AC 3 Hit points 3 Damage 1d4 claws 
9. Giant Blue Bottle Flies #1d4 Hit points 6 Damage 1d4 plus implantation and infection 
10. Giant Flesh Eating Hydra Worms AC 6 Hit Dice 8 Damage 1d8 per bite 
11. Engorged Bane Worms #1d6  AC9 Damage 1d4 Flesh rot Disease 
12. Gang of Three Undead Scare Crow Things AC 8 Hit Points 3  Damage by Weapon Regenerates as troll 
13. Asylum Ghosts 1d6 AC 7 Hit Dice 4 Damage 1d4 claws and infection 
14. Mummified Giant Dinosauroid AC7 Hit Dice 10 Damage 1d6 Radioactive breath weapon 1d8 per blast
15. Gang of Mutant Zombie Bikers AC 8 Hit Dice 3 Damage By Weapon
16. Shark Goblins #1d6 AC 8 Hit Dice 4 Damage By Weapon or 1d6 bite 
17. Clock Work Steam Things Ac 6 Hit points 5 Damage 1d4 claw/tool 1d8 bite 
18. 2d4 Drac Rat Bats AC 7 Hit points 3 Damage 1d4 bite/claws 
19. 1d4 Humanoid Cockeroaches AC 8 Hit Points 4 Damage 1d4 claw or by weapon 
20.  Time Lost Flesh Eating Zombies 1d6# AC 8 Hit points 3 Damage 1d4 zombie rot 
21. 1d6# Bile Worms  AC 7 Hit Dice 3 Damage 1d4 per acidic shots 
22. 1d6 # Slime priests AC 6 Hit Dice 4 Damage 1d4 tendrils and infection 
23. 1d4 # Gang of Steam Things Humanoid AC 7 Hit Dice 4 Damage 1d4 blade or 1d6 'eye of the old ones ray '
24. 1d4 # Masked Mime Horrors AC 8 Hit points 4 Damage 1d4 by tendril 
25. 1d6 # Frog Demon Minions AC 8 Hit Points 3 Damage by Weapon 
26. 1d6 Robed Horrors AC 8 Hit points 3 Damage 1d6 acidic tendrils or by weapon 
27. 1d4 mini terrors AC7 Hit Dice 2 Damage 1d6 or by mini weapon 
28. Animated Ghostly Motor   Parts AC 5 Hit Dice 2 Damage 1d6 Blunt Trauma
29. 1d4# Gill Men AC 7 Hit Dice 4 Damage 1d4 claws plus poison 
30. Night Mare God Minion AC 8 Hit Dice 7 Damage 1d6 Regenerates as Troll  
    

1d20 Random Encounter Table For Scalawags,Scoundrels, And Thieves For Your Old School Horror Game

1d20 Random Encounter Table For Scalawags,Scoundrels, And Thieves 

1. A knife wielding assassin on the trail of a broken who knows too much. The assassin is armed with enchanted blades and acts as the hand of a cult of demon worshiping scum. 
2. A mad scientist who masquerades as a traveling sales man and teacher is looking for victims to test his latest horrid experimental formulas on. A second level wizard and rank scientist. 
3. A three time loser cultist and petty thief is looking to hire out his skills while casing out adventurer parties as targets. This third level specialist is a petty second story man and once worked for the mob. 
4. This sadistic torturer passes herself off as a kindly teacher and helper of the aged, sick and often uses them as fodder for diabolical experiments. She is threading her way across country looking for an ancient treasure while offering her services. She keeps a hidden diary of her exploits. 
5. A widower who has a magic ring containing the essence of his dead brides. This 4th level wizard uses the life force of his departed as the source of his magic. He is willing to hire out to dangerous and desperate adventurers who provide this adrenaline addict with the sick thrills he needs. 
6. This seemly normal adventurer and playboy is actually an immortal werewolf looking for his next kill. He is a 2nd level fighter by day and by night a double hit point fiend of the most murderous aspect. 
7. This mad man is actually a double agent for two very dangerous countries. During the day this sex addict spy seduces embassy employees. No man or woman is safe from him but by night he kills those he seduces. He isn't sure whose he's working for anymore. 
8. This little old lady is actually one of the most ruthless wizards of the Black Society. She is actually a he altered in both appearance and temperament  She is on a mission to find a rare flower so that she might return to her original form. She is fifth level but does not remember her original form. She will however betray adventurers upon the new moon. 
9. This black hearted fiend is on the run from bounty hunters and will drop an arcane artifact into the bag or safe hiding spot of the nearest adventurers. 
10. A  wandering homeless man bumbles into the PC's .He's is actually the head of a cult of the Old Ones on a desperate search for their Antichrist  He has kidnapped many young women in a search for the right candidate to bear his child. 
11. A handsome man in a crushed blue velvet suit wanders nearby. There is something strange about him. The party sees him over and over again. This being is actually a wandering curse forced to hunt down a member of the party. His effects are up to the DM. 
12. A wandering child has a human femur in her hands. Her eyes are empty and weep a bit of blood every time she is seen. She is actually a ghost enslaved to a 6th level wizard who uses her abilities to steal bits of human souls to find the right victim for his diabolical experiments. The wizard moves through the crowd nearby. He bares an uncanny resemblance to a member of the party. 
13. A knife wielding thief kills a nearby victim and then plunges into a nearby crowd never to be seen. He is actually staking the party having missed his prey. The victim was actually another version of the thief. He's now targeted on of the party. He wields an enchanted dagger which reappears after its been used in his hands again. 
14. A beautiful woman is randomly attacked by a psycho with a butcher knife but is found miraculously alive. The psycho vanishes into a nearby alley. She is actually a  high level vampire moving about in the cloudy daylight. This vile vamp will target a member of the party for later feasting. 
15. A man with one arm stumbles through a nearby alley way. His face a horrid patch work of weird scars. He claims to have been the victim of a wizard's transformation. He has few memories but a pocket full of money and will pay adventurers to help him find out his identity. 
16. A strange grey skinned man in oriental garb shadows the party and finally offers his services. Seems he is a third level wizard willing to help the adventurers for some vague reason. He will not accept payment. But will take it when the times comes naming his sadistic price. 
17. A small dwarf is looking for protection from a group of religious zealots. The dwarf has a touch of the infernal about him. But he's actually a holy cleric under a curse of a major mob boss possessed by a pit fiend whose looking for him. He can heal at will but must answer questions with rhyme. A very troubled soul who needs help.  
18. A sister who is actually a 3rd level fighter in search of adventurers to help defend her sisters from a take over by a mob boss who wants their land. A rare artifact is held within the places and the order has forgotten all about it. The mob has not. 
19. This thief has been transformed into a freak by the curse of a wizard and seeks adventurers to help him lift his curse. He will barter services for help. There is a hidden reason for his curse and he may try to kill any female adventurers present. 
20. A member of the Church of Starry Wisdom is on the lamb from a cult hit squad. She desperately needs to get to the police. She will try to seduce any male or female she can. Her body is a mass of mutations that are hidden under a set of nice cloths. She will bare a twisted progeny by morning should any sub comb to her advances. She will slip away and the monster will try to murder its parent. For the rest of the parent's days the monster will stalk its parental prey. Only when the stars are right will the fool be free. 
    
     

Splatter Punk 70's & 80's Post Apocalyptic Horror Campaign Sundown Edition Influence - Gothic New York State Random Monster Encounters Table

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Outside of the walls of the minor city states such as Mercy. Things are very dangerous . Travel is by horse mostly, the wagon has made a return. And the woods around touch paranmormal worlds. The world is place twisted by the supernatural energies that leak into our so called reality. There are unholy things in those woods.

Weird cults, horrid monsters, and strange beasts lurk in the woods between worlds here. 

Gothic New York State Random Monster Encounters Table 

1. A group of degenerate mutated cavemen 1d8 cultists looking for victims for a slab on an alter. They are lead by two psychopathic 2nd level fighters. Armed with make shift weapons. 
2. A troop of were rats disguised as traders. They are working for a group of nearby city state cultists. Very dangerous. There is a 10% chance that they are carrying rabies. 
3. New England Tuatara hunting for victims. This giant lizard blends in with the local trees and is quite hungry. Maxiumum hit points. He is active at night as well having infravision. 
4. 1d16 zombies! Local sacrifices imbued with the power of the Old Ones. They stumble and blindly mimic life. They suffer from a hunger that can not be filled. 
5. Giant Woodland crab spider - This monster blends in with the local leaf litter and is looking to store prey in nearby trees for later eating. 
6. Giant Crow acting as a scout for a local demon cult. This monster loves to pick off victims and blind them. He eats the eyes and leaves the victims to tell the tale. Ranges about twenty miles and then makes the route for prey and bobbles again. 
7. A pack of 1d8 wolves lead by a dire wolf on a mission for a local shaman. These monsters will slaughter anyone who  gets in the way of their holy mission. 
8. 1d8 skeleton soldiers animated by the supernatural energies of the woods. They are armed with primitive black power weapons and swords. These bastards are highly intelligent. 
9. 1d8 traders moving about their business. They are traders but are also spies for the local demon cults gathering intel and targets for sacrifice. 
10. Lone were wolf warrior moving about the area. He murders and moves on. During the day he is a second level warrior with a slightly psychotic bent.
    
    

Splatter Punk 70's & 80's Post Apocalyptic Horror Campaign Sundown Edition Influence - Weird Adventures By Trey Causey And Jack W Shear's 'Adventures On Gothic Earth'

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The 'City' has alleyways that lead to other places and during the height of the summer heat some of these alleyways leak out more then mere criminal scum. They sometimes bleed out folks from other places and other times. Places with problems and issues that only adventurers can solve. Blood, thunder, and  bullets are needed! Where the door to heaven and the Hells are one and the same.
These are the type of winding alleys that lead to places where adventure is right around the corner of the 'Supernaturalpyse'.
Empty cities, weird bio-necrotic monsters, paranormal infested ruins, and more call to adventurers from ''The City'. 

I wrote a bit about 'Weird Adventures' the other day. Since then I've got a hard copy coming to me courtesy of the local print shop. Sometime next week it will be in my grubby little hands.

Last Blog entry I covered a good portion of my interaction with Trey's baby right over HERE
'Weird Adventures' has been by my side as a pdf for a long while. And I've been following Trey's blog  for a  few years now.
 Here's what I use the 'City' for: 

"It also happens to be one of the sources of major NPC's for the Splatter Punk 70's & 80's Post Apocalyptic Horror Campaign. 

There are city states most of these look like some nondescript major city. Anyway you slice it sometimes you need an adventurer with some D&D leanings but with a major retro modern edge! This is where Weird Adventures comes in as both tool kit and source book."

Gats, Girls, And Guns! 

"The City" has  also been D&D nightmarish urbanscape in my campaigns. A series of  pulptastic escapades with families of adventurers and the like dealing with issues that 'normal' parties don't even dream of. They cross over into other realms in my campaigns on a pretty regular basis. Most retroclones don't have guns from the years 1400's through the 1940's!  But Lamentations of Flame Princess as well as Swords and Wizardry does have black powder weapons! Everything from wheel locks, match locks, rifles, dueling pistols, and more is right in there. And they get a work out in games where you've got weird monsters popping up on a regular basis. What about those fire arms from the 1900's through 1930's? Well Professor Jack Shear puts out 'Tales of The Grotesque And The Dungeonque: Adventures on Gothic Earth'. There are a series of guns in there that fit right into the mysterious jungles of Asciana, the zombie-haunted streets of Cujiatepec, and the hidden moonshine stills of the hill-billy giants in the Smaragdines.

You can grab any of the Tales of The Grotesque And Dungeonque material  right over HERE

My 'City' Source Material 

The 'City' has some very weird stuff in it. But the world of the 'Supernaturalpyse' is very dark, nasty, and downright Gothic. Jack W. Shear's stuff appears in many of the instances that I've run using the 'Splatter Punk 70's & 80's Post Apocalyptic Horror Campaign'. I've padded out some of the deadly encounters by having adventurers appear from 'The city' when PC's have met rather gristly ends. The variation D&D rules work out for creating some cool weird laced PC's. 

'The City's' version of wizards and mages are some of my all time favorites. They appear more 'Dr. Strange' and less Gandalf which suites me just fine!

'Empire Island' seems like just the place where some of the more deadly things from the pages of the Monster Manual or The Fiend Folio might lurk.  Given the breath of some D&D player's knowledge about monsters its nice to be able to give them a bit of a 'Gothic' twist. 

'The City' is a character all by itself and it borrows heavily from such a myriad of places. I find myself going back again and again to this video. The whole of the collective human unconsciousness seems to have its roots winding its way through adventure.

 If you haven't looked into 'Weird Adventures' or 'The Tales of The Grotesque And Dungeonesque', do yourselves a favor and grab a copy today of them today.