Who Killed the Mayor?

          

          Murder is easily the most serious crime that humans are capable of, at least on a personal scale. It deprives another of their very existence. Certain settings trivialize this to a one degree or another, but even campaign settings with the most liberal of interpretation on resurrection still attach great weight to death and murder. Murder comes in as many varieties as there are victims, from the coldly calculated assassination, to the robbery gone wrong. They're committed by individuals, groups, and sometimes even entire organizations. As long as there are three people left in the world, odd are one of them is going to want one of the other two dead.

          The seventh in my overall series on rolling up the goings on of a city, this entry focuses on rolling up a murder at random in the city at large. These can be used to kick off a plot based around a murder investigation, suggest the activities of some nefarious group, or even to just use as the backdrop of a particularly gritty world. To use this generator, simply roll 4d8.

d8	Who got killed?
1	Mayor/Village Elder/Chief
2	Magic User
3	Local Hero
4	Noble
5	Vagrant/Visitor
6	Notable Criminal
7	Well-to-do Citizen
8	Poor Citizen

d8	Who killed them?
1	Notable Criminal
2	Obscure Criminal
3	Well Known Citizen
4	Obscure Citizen
5	Kin to Victim
6	Vagrant/Visitor
7	Someone at the behest of another. Roll twice on this table, ignoring this result, as well as the following. The first result is the murderer, the second is the one who asked for it.
8	A number of people; this can be as few as a pair, as many as a conspiracy. Roll 1d6+1, that's the number of conspirators. Roll again on this table that many times, ignoring this result and the previous (unless you'd like the possibility of Dune level shenanigans)

d8	How'd they do it?
1	An animal, whether it be magical or otherwise. Kicked them in the head with a horse, had a dog maul them, hid a basilisk in their closet...
2	A directed weapon, from a candlestick, knife or firearm - perhaps even just a large rock - the variations are endless, but the results are the same.
3	Something which initially seems like an accident; a fall, drowning, or an overturned candle turned inferno.
4	With their bare hands, by strangling or beating them to death.
5	Poison, whether in their food, drink, or something more exotic.
6	A trap, whether that be a literal booby trap or sabotage to make something mundane into something dangerous.
7	Deprivation; this can be by starvation, dehydration or exposure. This also generally implies some sort of imprisonment or form of restraints.
8	Magic. A spell, a magical item, a curse, or some other manifestation of unnatural power.

d8	Why'd they do it?
1	Money
2	Romantic differences
3	Fury
4	Religious reasons
5	Compulsion - magical or otherwise.
6	Property
7	Secrets
8	Accident and cover-up

Cruel folk, and skillful to destroy.

         

          There are always those who do not fit in with society. Perhaps they are unwilling to bow to the requirements of others, or they could have committed some terrible offense or crime and were cast out. These folk have little choice but to turn to pilfering, robbing and murdering to survive without a community to support them. These folk quickly become hardened and brutal from their experiences, their former lives drowned under the waves of screams, terror and death that their survival requires. The bands they form often become infamous, attracting more doomed souls to their banners, usually they either tear themselves apart or are annihilated by those they've victimized, but some of these ragtag groups manage to claw their way into the "respectable" life of a mercenary or soldier.

          The sixth in my series of tables on how to roll up a community entirely from scratch, this one focuses on bandits, marauders and other road agents which may bedevil your group. Like the others, I've specifically left out any demi-humans, as well as most elements which explicitly call out the nature of the setting - with the exception of the 'Unique thing' table. Like the others, these tables are used by simply rolling 4d8, and then resolving any nested rolls with d4s.

d8	Where did they come from?
1	Veterans.
2	Rebels.
3	Bored Gentry.
4	Foreign Invaders.
5	Cultists/Fanatics.
6	Indigenous Population.
7	Criminal Gang.
8	Government Oppressors.

d8	How do they approach fighting?
1	Savage, all out attacks. The bandits will fight without regard to their safety or future.
2	Ambushes, supported by ranged weapons. These folk will run as soon as they are discovered or the tide turns against them.
3	Assassinations. Skilled in stealth and infiltration, they will never commit to any sort of direct attack, nor will they be caught together as a group.
4	Cavalry, whether that be on the backs of horses, or something stranger like wolves or vehicles. They favor hit and run style tactics.
5	Disciplined Tactics/Planning. These are not mere bandits, but soldiers. They will use any and all means at their disposal to launch more effective attacks.
6	Unruly and ill-disciplined mobs. Members fight and flee as individuals, trusting in their own judgments.
7	Performance. This is all an act to try and extract what they want. They act tough, but in reality they are cowards, who will flee at the slightest hint of trouble.
8	Swindlers. They do not attack in any direct way, but rather seek to get what they desire through guile and deception. They may pretend to be someone else, or try to worm their ways into the community.

d8	Why are they here?
1	Plunder/Wealth.
2	Purge.
3	Conquest.
4	Specific goal, like a person, piece of territory or item.
5	Generational rivalry.
6	Religiously motivated.
7	Political/Civil conflict.
8	Under contract to do so.

d8	What is unique about them?
1	Someone important from a nearby community is an informant for the group in regards to the comings and goings there. They're far more aware of potential heists, targets or attempts at reprisals against them.
2	These bandits employ animals or monsters, whether magical or otherwise, to help them with their work.
3	The group is led by or is employing a spellcaster of some sort. They may have an enchanted item, or they may have the occasional back-up of the spell user.
4	The brigands are led by a strange being such as a...1) Dragon, 2) Fiend, 3) Celestial, 4) Aberration.
5	The bandits themselves are some strange or exotic beings themselves such as...1) Undead, 2) Time/Dimensional travelers, 3) Magically summoned, 4) Underground dwellers.
6	The marauder's hideout is somewhere near impossible for a small group to assault; a mountain fastness, a fort built upon a river sandbar, or a ship which simply sails away.
7	The agents are drawn from the population of the town itself! A conspiracy of silence supports the members.
8	They are not here of their own volition, they have been forced into their current position by disaster or ill-luck.

Dying Earth Monsters Part II - Deodand

          I kicked off this series by going over the enigmatic Chun the Unavoidable, a singularly horrifying character in the mythology of the Dying Earth. This article will focus on one of the most commonly appearing creatures in the setting, the vicious beastmen known as Deodand. This hungry fellows show up in nearly every story set within the world, and they are common enough that every character has seemingly heard of or had first hand experience with them. I have found some OSR-compatible stats for Deodand in White Dwarf 58, but I felt that it'd be more fun to come up with my own for both Basic & 5th Edition. The Dying earth is overrun with various beastmen, most of whom are given only this brief description:

"Gid: hybrid of man, gargoyle, whorl, leaping insect.

Deodand: wolverine, basilisk, man.

Erb: bear, man, lank-lizard, demon,

Grue: man, ocular bat, the unusual hoon.

Leucomorph: unknown

Bazil: felinodore, man, (wasp?)."

          Of the six creatures mentioned, only the Gid and the Deodand appear directly at any point, and only the Deodand is featured multiple times. (As an aside, I really love that the writers of Zork straight up stole Grue.) In our reality, deodand is an animal, person or thing responsible for a person's death, and this name is perfect for how they're seen by others. Objects of fear and dread to the non-wizardly inhabitants of the Dying Earth, Deodand are are persistent threat to anyone walking alone at night or in deep woods who is not armed with magic,

“A black figure stole into her sight, creeping along the ditch. In the light of the fireflies she saw him—a Deodand, wandered from the forest, a hairless man-thing with charcoal-black skin, a handsome face, marred and made demoniac by two fangs gleaming long, sharp and white down his lip. It was clad in a leather harness, and its long slit eyes were fastened hungrily on T'sais. He sprang at her with an exulting cry.”

          Oof. Now, obviously the idea that the cast of the Dying Earth being menaced by bestial men with charcoal-black skin can construed as problematic. However, the Deodand, while similar to humans, are utterly alien in both mindset and lifestyle. They seem to simply rove the wilderness, stalking any they find and pursuing them to their homes and beyond. Deodand fear little beyond magic,

“The Deodand outside had lingered, and had been watching through the iron-barred window. Now it knocked at the door.
"Who's there?" called the man in the black hood, twisting about.
"I desire the one who has entered. I hunger for her flesh," said the soft voice of the Deodand. The man in the hood spoke sharply.
"Go, before I speak a spell to burn you with fire. Never return!"
"I go," said the Deodand

          Boogey-man like in approach, the Deodand wishes nothing more than to devour anything it comes across, and speaks with the typically erudite style which define all of Vance's characters,

“You have no control over the grisly appetites of your fellows?” Cugel demanded.

“I have no control over my own,” responded the deodand. “Only the fact of my broken limbs prevents me from leaping at your throat.”

“Do you wish to live?” asked Cugel, putting his hand significantly to sword-hilt.

“To a certain extent, though with not so fervent a yearning as do true men.”

B/X Stats

HD: 3 (HP 21)

Armor: As Chain

Move: 30'

Attacks: 2 Claws, 1d4+2

Special: Berserk Rage; when a Deodand has under 50% remaining HP, it gains +1 to Attack and Damage.

5th Edition Stats

Monstrous Humanoid, Chaotic Evil

Armor Class: 13 (Natural Armor)

Hit Points: 36 (4d8 + 12)

Speed: 30 ft., Climb 30ft.

Abilities: Str 17 (+3), Dex 12 (+1), Con 16 (+3), Int 12 (+1), Wis 12 (+1), Cha 7 (-2)

Saving Throws: Str +5, Con +5

Skills: Athletics +5, Perception +3, Stealth +5.

Damage Resistances: None

Condition Immunities: None

Senses: Darkvision 120ft., passive Perception 13

Languages: Common

Challenge: 2 (450 XP)

Berserk Rage. While it has 10 or fewer HP, Deodand have advantage on attack rolls, and deal an additional +2 damage with their claw attack.

Actions

Multiattack. Deodands make two claw attacks.

Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d6 +3) slashing damage.

And what of the people there?

       

         A wild and dizzying array of cultures can exist in any fantasy setting, from savage nomadic tribes, to learned and cultivated scholars. Existing side by side and contending with one another with concerns and forces that we ourselves never had to adapt to, their solutions and ways of living can be as strange as our imaginations allow; governance by the ghosts of their ancestors, living atop the backs of great stag beetles, under the yoke of a dragon, the possibilities are endless. These groups war, intermix and render themselves anew.

          The fifth in my series on rolling up a community through tables, this entry focuses on the overall structure of the polity itself, how it conducts itself, what it values and how they interact with the world around them. It can be difficult to craft fantasy societies without resorting to either stereotyping or riffing off of real world cultures. My solution to this was to mix the overall qualities until the end result is more than simply 'Germans/French/English...but' by dint of their random nature. I specifically did not mention any kind of humanoid, such a Dwarf, Elf, etc. as to keep these tables as setting neutral as possible. To use this table, roll 4d8 and then resolve and further results with 1d4s.

d8	What is their general character?
1	Martial.
2	Urbane.
3	Faithful.
4	Agrarian.
5	Reserved.
6	Mercantile.
7	Peaceful.
8	Decadent.

d8	How are they Governed?
1	By a monster or eldritch being, such as a(n)...1: Fiend/Celestial, 2: Aberration, 3: Dragon, 4: Undead or Spirits.
2	A noble or member of royalty.
3	A Council, perhaps of elders or potentates.
4	Anarchy, law & order has broken down, or perhaps never existed in the first place.
5	Criminals. They've overwhelmed the proper authorities, or perhaps it was their town to begin with.
6	A Cabal, such as group of...1: Spellcasters, 2: Militants, 3: Merchants, 4: Priests. The cabal may be popular or they may be despised.
7	An Oppressor, such as a...1: Nearby polity, 2: Far-away empire, 3: Tyrant, 4: Puppet governor.
8	Democratically.

d8	What are they known for?
1	Fine crafts.
2	Being the site of a great battle.
3	The grave of a great king or hero.
4	Luxurious hospitality.
5	Livestock.
6	Physical prowess, such as...1: Swimming, 2: Hunting, 3: Agility, 4: Strength.
7	Skilled warriors or soldiers.
8	Knowledge or learning.

d8	What unique customs do they hold?
1	They are bound to service or stewardship of a(n)...1: Fiend/Celestial, 2: Military Order, 3: Faith, 4: Monster.
2	These people are nomadic, whether by inclination or necessity, the community is where they are.
3	Currency does not exist here, instead "gifts" & barter are the rule.
4	Justice here is decided by...1: The mob, 2: Combat, 3: Augury, 4: Written law.
5	The people here dress themselves in strange clothes or odd adornments.
6	They dwell in an odd or otherwise unusual living space such as...1: In trees, 2: Underground, 3: On or under water, 4: An animal or some other huge beast.
7	Interactions here follow a sort of script or tradition; it is taboo to break with them.
8	Fear or hatred is held here towards...1: Spellcasters, 2: A certain faith, 3: Members of a certain race or ethnicity, 4: Outsiders