Tuesday, August 9, 2016

The BeaverFolk Compound







Overview 

Beaverfolk assumes that everybody is out to get them.  As a result, they employ numerous defenses to protect themselves.

While they use wood extensively, they also like concrete and metal to reinforce their locations when possible.  Metal supports and beams are vulnerable to rusting and thus might be the weakest part of their security when near water.   Concrete structures require strong foundations and underwater 
concrete can be a bit hard to work with and used sparingly, even for the industrious Beaverfolk.

Like their brethren, they usually set up their base of operations in the middle a lake of their own creation.  Besides acting as an effective cover, it allows a place to grow edible water plants and creates an artificial ecosystem.

The pond lies in the middle of the river, cutting off its flow with a dam on each end.  It is covered with free-floating plants, like common bladderwort, to provide portable cover and rotting stands of trees lie below the surface where the pond has overtaken the land.   At its deepest, the pond is 40 feet, with the depth being 20 feet midway from shore.  The pond covers a large area, constituting most of the game/battlefield.  The shoreline around the pond is muskeg leading to muddy scrub and finally into a thick forest which the Beaverfolk cultivate for their primary building material.
The area is protected by traps and other barriers that will limit larger opponents to "cut them down to size."  Trapped zones are dangerous to the young and inexperienced Beaverfolk, so open lanes through them exist and marked by Beaverfolk communications like specially marked trees.

Common Weapons used by the Beaverfolk: depth charges, speargun, trident, torpedo LAW (around the pond).  There is usually a sniper in the watchtowers.  Underwater weapons can be found in the Drev Book of Adventure.   These assume Beaverfolk that have raided or traded with communities with higher-end technology. Without such trade, tridents and spears are their favored weapons, with frequent use of nets.  

Challenge Rating

Overall this should be adaptable to any CR, with some recommended challenges and setups. 

Locations of Note

1.      The Traplines.
Represented by: The Bear Trap Symbol
Located along with the lodge and just outside the palisades are the traplines used to help deviate enemies.  Most are non-fatal.  There is a set route through the traps that the community members know about.

Mini-Montage:  Finding a way through the Trap Line.   CR:  Typically 1 to 3; low enough for locals to make their way through the area.  Complexity:  based on party-sized; might be modified by terrain if the party has few or no safe way to travel in the water and the surrounding muskeg.  Primary Skills:  Battlecraft, Knowledge (Nature).   Secondary Skills:   Survival.  Spells:  spells that assist in vision or understanding languages may help see the path or interpret the Beaverfolk natural signs of where to find the route.   Success:  Avoid the traps in the area.  Failure:  End up in the middle of the trap line.  The GM may target the party with trap appropriate for their CR.  The GM may split the CR evenly into a number of different traps, usually with 2 or 3 being the maximum encountered.

2.      Residential Huts.
Represented by: The Town/Rounded House Symbol
 Outside the palisades are a number of residential huts for day to day living.  They are made out of wood and enter through small unbarred doors.  Inside there is not much to find, though exploring with a searching montage may grant the players a Mcguffin (like a map or instructions) to help navigate through or dealing with the trap lines; typically a +2 bonus to either situation.

3.      Meeting Lodge.
Represented by: Fort Symbol
Located outside the palisades, this is a meeting place for outsiders and is one of the only areas with a human-sized doorway.  It has a concrete foundation and made out of logs, reeds and other materials.  Usually, there are 2 guards at the entrance to take names and report visitors.   There is an opportunity for a social skill montage with an administrator to gain entrance to the compound.  This is normally +2 CR higher than the party or what the GM feels is appropriate.
   
4.      Watch Tree. 
Represented by: Tower Symbol
In place of standard watchtowers are platforms built on thick trees close to the lake. Narrow stairs to go up to the platform with a pole (fireman style) so they can drop quickly into the ground to warn others or escape.  Each one is occupied by one spotter and one sniper.   Spotting the watch trees is a little difficult, and may require a skill check to do so (DC 15 is appropriate).  In-game terms, treat as Fence, wooden with sniper walls.

5.      Wooden Palisade.
Represented by: Brown lines
This wooden fence surrounds their lake to block the line of sight and to provide cover. There are spaces so Beaverfolk can shoot between the wooden beams and for water to flow.  The palisades stand about 6 feet above the waterline and have rudimentary alarms (bells) that go off if one tries to scale them.  In-Game terms, treat it like a wooden fence for purposes of cover.

6.      Geese Pens. 
Represent by: Clan Moot/ Standard House.
Along the inside of the wooden palisade just before the deepwater begins is an enclosed fence where geese are raised. Geese are relatively cheap to raise and are used for their down and trade items.  They make a surprising amount of noise when they notice creatures they are not familiar with it.  The GM may use appropriate CR Bird in this role; higher CR means the geese can be reskinned as mutated guard animals.  If you need a default, just use the Alarm Trap in the Drev Player’s guide but using handle animals instead of sabotage.

7.      River Gates.
Represented by: Brown lines across the river
On each of the ponds is a complex water gate that is used to stop and control the flow of the river.  These are used to maintain the depth of the pond while still allowing some flow of the river.  These are quite complex to operate and are well protected and monitored.   They are made of concrete with some wooden components.  They are usually guarded by 2 mooks (bandito) at each end.

8.      Underwater Gardens.
Represented by: Kelp Forest Symbol
Various plants are raised for consumption for both the beaverfolk and their geese, such as bulrush, bushy pondweed, Canada hornwort, and clasping leaf common cattail.

9.      The Lodge Bunker.
Represented by: The Island in the middle of the Lake.
This round cement building rises above the waterline, with the vast majority of it being just under the surface.   It has size small exits that can only be accessed from underwater.  The entrances have lockable hatches to further enhance security.

Adventure Hooks

Besides the obvious dungeon delve/lair aspect of the Beaverfolk compound, there are a number of reasons or plot hooks to make use of it:
·         There is an ooze in the area that has been consuming passerbys.  The Beaverfolk has decided to hire the adventuring party to deal with it.
·         The Beaverfolk have kidnapped a couple of fey that invaded their territory, and the local Bogey/Elf/Feylin/Gnomes have gone on the warpath.  The party will need to return them to defuse the situation.

·         The party is on the run from a big dangerous encounter from a powerful entity and the Beaverfolk have grudgingly offered sanctuary.  In return, they are expected to pull their weight in the oncoming siege.



#drevrpg #d20 #apocalypse #monster #monsters #adventure

Tuesday, July 5, 2016

The Cult of the Beaverlodge









In celebration of Canada Day and the near completion of a new project, I’m presenting a new faction and a scenario that will provide entertainment for all.

Overview


There are many unusual religions and beliefs that have come to prominence in the post-post-apocalyptic world of Dark Revelations North America.   The Cult of the Beaverlodge is one such cult.

History

 Qyd - Beaver statue in Beaverlodge, Alberta, Canada - june 2007 GNU Free Documentation License


Richard Mackenzie was a Beaver Folk Trapper who when exploring up in the northwestern Alberta, discovered an enormous beaver statue.  It immediately talked to him, declared itself the Great Castor Spirit and made him his prophet of a new world: a world where his followers would take their rightful place as the supreme power of the world.  The experience changed Richard as his fur went from brown to white.  He took to wearing a simple woolen robe and a walking stick and began to travel from settlement to settlement professing the true way.

At first, he was rebuffed.  He started with Beaverfolk Compounds and most Beaverfolk are very insular by nature and don’t take kindly to strangers.  However, in spite of this, Richard managed to get many followers.  His words appealed to the young and the disenfranchised that believed that the humans had blown their chance to be the masters of the new world.  And other races, well they were unworthy for the new era.

However, in spite of this, the Great Castor Spirit has plans for the other races.  They will share in this great glory and even a few will be altered to join in the spoils of the new era by being reshaped into “the proper era.”

Religious Doctrine


The Tenets of the Great Castor Spirit are as follows:
·         A community is a living organism that must be kept productive.
·         The needs of the few must outweigh the needs of the many. 
·         Weapon Training is as much a religious experience as preaching dogma.
·         Don’t die unless it’s absolutely necessary.  Make the other guy die on your behalf
·         Engineering is the key to salvation.
·         Worship time is at dawn, where we raise our tails and slap them in unison.  This is known as the thumping of the land.
·         While all are welcomed, Beaverfolk are the chosen people.

Symbols of the Great Castor.

The Religious symbol of the cult of castor is a tail across a tree.  The tail is covered in barbed wire.  While usually symbolic, often prominent members get their tails cut off when they die and are used as relics.

Tactics


Like many mystery cults, they try to keep their practices secret, but they also understand the need for recruitment for their long term. 

A zealot is in a land that hasn’t been converted, they are sent out as scouts to evaluate the feasibility of the order.  These Lodge members are as cells.  Once they communicate back to their handler, they have designated a two-digit code that will be reevaluated as needed.

·         TC = Beaverfolk Community that’s been converted.  These are the elites.
·         AC = Already Converted
·         PC = Potential for Conversion
·         NC = Neutral Conversion
·         EC = Enemies of the cult.

If considered suitable for Conversion, they will perform good deeds and try to indoctrinate in the hopes to convert into true believers.  Pamphlets and heralds will be sent to change and convert whom they can.

However, if considered neutral or enemy, they will keep their secrecy and try to undermine the society from the shadows.  These range from raids, kidnappings, and sabotage.  However, it is usually done in such a way that appears as domestic action, rather than a holy war.

They are not above using blackmail, intimidation and even murder to achieve their goals.  If a target is designated EC and a fight worth winning, they change tactics and start a reign of terrorism, In fact, the preferred choice of maximizing terror is the use of bombs that they are often set off with a proximity sensor when it hears a slap of a tail.   They also like vehicles and automatic weapons to compensate for their relatively small size.

Key People in the organization.


Richard Mackenzie
Cult Leader
Beaverfolk Channeler/Witch
History: Richard was originally raised in what was known as Northern Ontario where his people had managed to repair and maintain a Candu reactor for their power and trade needs.  His people understood it enough to keep it drawing power and even had its own sacred symbols involving the “key” and “floppy disk” to keep things operating.  He was the son of the local leader and the only child, born of an affair and thus a black eye on his family.  He says he got a calling and went out to do the “Great Castor Spirits work.”
Description:   He is a Beaverman that is starting to grey that is slightly overweight.  He suffers from nausea due to a stomach injury while trapping.
Disposition:   Richard has used his influence to gain great affluence and loves the finer things in life.  He usually starts polite, but often gets easily aggravated when people don’t submit to his authority.  He is a bully that gained way too much power.
Other Notes: It is rumored that his history could all be a lie, and Richard is actually, Rita who was changed gender by the Great Castor Spirit.

Donna McDonald
Spymaster of Canada West
Beaverfolk Psychic/Mentalist
History:   Donna is rumored to be a childhood friend of Richard, and was born to a family in the same community that maintained the reactor.  She charmed her way out of poverty and was also the one that joined Richard on his journey.
Description: This female Beaverman has become overweight over time.  She dresses in formal attire and is known for wearing bold power suits
Disposition: Donna does a lot of work for the organization.  She has a pathological need to learn about everything, and that includes secrets.   While an optimist and studious, she is a horrible romantic when it comes to meddling in her friend's affairs.  This reflects in her spymaster duties were her first goal is keeping the finances flowing for their long term plans.  If she hears of any new technology or artifacts being unearthed that would be used, she will send minions to retrieve it, by any means necessary.
Other Notes:  It is rumored she is addicted to painkillers from a time when the Candu reactor had an “accident” and she was injured.  This was also the event when her parents were killed.   This might be a mild version of radioactive poisoning.

Preston Campbell
Traveling Enforcer
Malarkoid Combatant/Brute
History:  Preston was a traditional Marlarkoid that Richard and Donna met during their travels.  He claims that he is an alien prophet of the great castor Spirit and has dedicated his life to keeping Richard Safe.
Description:  Preston is in amazing shape and built like a brick privy.  His white tentacles are always clean.  When on duty, he wears heavy armor and carries an assault rifle.  He considers himself a “defender of the faith” and runs protection racket both to maintain his equipment and troops and to satisfy his own ego.
Disposition: Preston is an extrovert to the point of rudeness.  Despite this, he stays away from vices and is a teetotaler.
Other Notes:  He has a crush on Lisa, but has not acted on it, yet.

Lisa Steele
Legendary Terrorist
Human Adventurer /Troubleshooter.
History: Originally raised in Beckford, she was adopted by the Beaverlodge cult when her family died from the walking dead, she is one of the few that was directly contacted by the Great Castor Spirit.  This has ruffled a lot of feathers amongst her higher-ups but also makes her hard to argue with.
Description:  Lisa is odd-looking and has a slight blue tinge to her hair.  She has taken to dressing in a flowered headscarf to hide her identity.  She often poses as a domestic as it allows her to get into places not easily available.
Disposition:  Lisa has difficulty being polite to “enemies of the cult,” and things often slip out.  She considers herself a poet and often writes up pamphlets to drive membership.  She has little respect for the people that are really in charge, as they seem more obsessed with the coffers, then changing the world.
Other Notes:  One of the first things she does is make sure she has an escape plan.  This often includes explosives.

#drevrpg #d20 #apocalypse #monster #monsters #adventure

Thursday, March 10, 2016

Monday, February 29, 2016

Dark Revelations - Twitch game - Part 3 - The Noctorious Warehouse of Commander Zark







http://www.twitch.tv/rpglory/v/51441878

and now, our exciting conclusion. :)

#drevrpg #d20 #apocalypse #youtube

Monday, February 8, 2016

Dark Revelations - Twitch game - Part 2 - Shuffled by a Shuffalo







http://www.twitch.tv/rpglory/v/42105745

Our heroes learn the hard way the lesson of being between a baby shuffalo and it's momma.

#drevrpg #d20 #apocalypse #twitchtv

Monday, February 1, 2016

Dark Revelations - Twitch Game - Part 1 - Mrs. Bigglesworth Nefarious Machines







http://www.twitch.tv/rpglory/v/39205238

Our heroes repair the divination machine, but things quickly go awry.

Enjoy. :)

Friday, January 29, 2016

twitch game on in Jan 31st - 6:30 pm MST (5:30 pm PST) -








RPGglory and Dark Revelations will try this upcoming Sunday to get this game underway. :)

edit: sorry guys, a bit of an update.

Tuesday, January 26, 2016

Drevrpg - Instant Adventure Maker







The purpose of this table is to quickly generate a set piece for which to build a campaign around.  It also gives great titles for your adventure.  The syntax will be as follows:

The <insert location here> of<Adjective> of the <Noun> in <State/Province>

.pdf Dropbox download here 

edit: Added Mexico's states and countries in Central America to increase  the percentile.

#Rifts #DnD #Pathfinder #drevrpg #d20 #apocalypse #adventure

DRev Instant Adventure Table


d location of of the in State/Province/Country
1 Army Site Abandon Abberations Aguascalientes
2 Bank Abundence Amazons Alabama 
3 Barberian Clan Ambrosia Ancients Alaska 
4 Battlefield Anger Assassins Alberta
5 Biosphere Anguish Automation Arizona 
6 Boat/Ship Anxiousness Bandits Arkansas 
7 Boom Town Belligerence Barbarians Belize
8 Burial Mounds Blood Beasts Baja California
9 Butte Chaos Beaver Folks Baja California Sur
10 Cache Clownish Bee People British Columbia
11 Cairn Corruption Birds California 
12 Castle Crimson Bogeys Campeche
13 Cave Crooks Cannibals Chiapas
14 Chasm Curses Carniverous Plants Chihuahua
15 Circle of Stone Cynicism Cartels Coahuila
16 City Darkness Cats Colima
17 Civic Building Death Corpseman Colorado 
18 Cliff Debauchery Cult Connecticut 
19 Clouds Defeat Cybercult Costa Rica
20 Crater Demonic Cyborgs Delaware 
21 Crop Circle Desolation Deep Durango
22 Crystals Despair Desecrators El Salvador
23 Desert Destruction Dinosaurs Florida 
24 Dimensional Gauntlet Disgrace Dire Weasels Georgia 
25 Dreamtime Aspect Disturbed Doomsday Cult Guanajuato
26 Dreamtime Conduit Doom DPP Guatemala
27 Factory Dreamtime Dragons Guerrero
28 Fairy Circle Eldrich Drifters Hidalgo
29 Forest Enchantment Dwarves Honduras
30 Fortress Envious Elves Idaho 
31 Frontier Community Evil Elysium Corporation Illinois
32 Giant Statue Fear Engineers Indiana 
33 Glacier Flagilation Entities Iowa 
34 Grave Flame F1D0s Jalisco
35 Hallowed World Aspect Forceful Feylins Kansas 
36 Hallowed World Conduit Frivolous Froggies Kentucky 
37 Hill Fury Giants Louisiana 
38 Hive Gloom Gnomes Maine 
39 Horde Heaven Golems Manitoba
40 Hospital Hell Gremlins Maryland 
41 Hotel Hot-Tempered Grey Alliance Massachusetts 
42 Island Humiliation Half-Elfs México
43 Isolationist Colony Ice Halflings Michigan 
44 Jungle Illogical Half-Orcs Michoacán
45 Laboratory Illusion Harlowes Minnesota 
46 Labryinth Intiquity Harvesters Mississippi 
47 Lake Irritation Humans Missouri 
48 Ley line Jumpy Jewels Montana
49 Library Lifeless Kamidavers Morelos
50 Lost City Light  Kilgoreans Nayarit
51 Mall Lightning Knights Nebraska 
52 Mansion Luminescence Little Bears Nevada 
53 Meadow Magnificance Lords New Brunswick
54 Medicine Wheel Maladjusted Lost New Hampshire 
55 Mesa Malice Machines New Jersey 
56 Metropolis Materialistic Mad Trapper New Mexico 
57 Military Encampment Melancholy Malarkoids New York 
58 Military Warehouse Might Medusa Newfoundland and Labrador
59 Mine Minature Megafauna Nicaragua
60 Missile Silo Misfit Mercenaries North Carolina 
61 Monolith Monsterous Miners North Dakota 
62 Mountain Mystery Minotaurs Northwest Territories
63 Museum Narcisism Mooks Nova Scotia
64 Office Building Neurotic Mutanimals Nunavut
65 Oil Fields Nihilism Mutates Nuevo León
66 Parking Garage Ordeal Nomads Ohio 
67 Pit Profane Oozes Oklahoma 
68 Pool Prophacy Pestilence Ontario
69 Portal Rebellious Pod People Oregon 
70 Prison Reckless Porcines Oaxaca
71 Pyramid  Revenge Portals Panama
72 Research Station Ruin Psychics Pennsylvania
73 River Sarcastic Puppets Prince Edward Island
74 Rock Art Scandal Raiders Puebla
75 Ruins Scheming Ravagers Quebec
76 Salt Flats Scorn Republic Querétaro
77 Satellite Scum Road Crew Quintana Roo
78 Sewer System Silence Scavangers Rhode Island 
79 Sinkhole Skeptical Scientists San Luis Potosí
80 Skyscraper Slime Seers Saskatchewan
81 Spacetime Anomaly Sly Serial Killer Sinaloa
82 Spring Smug Serpent Sonora
83 Submarine Souls Serpents South Carolina 
84 Suburb Stalkers Skinwalkers South Dakota 
85 Subway Stern Skull Tree Tabasco
86 Survivalist Compound Superstitious Snake People Tamaulipas
87 Swamp Taint Stumpies Tennessee 
88 Temple Terror Thunderbird Texas 
89 Theatre Thunder Thunderslithers Tlaxcala
90 Tomb Trauma Trolls Utah 
91 Tower Troubled Underworld Veracruz
92 Trade Town Unethical Ungo Vermont 
93 Trading Post Unsocial Ungulates Virginia 
94 Trees  Venom Vampires Washington 
95 University Vice Verkhail West Virginia 
96 Valley Violation Vermin Wisconsin 
97 Vault Wasteful Warlords Wyoming
98 Volcano Whirling Blades Wizard's Guild Yucatán
99 Waterfall Woe Xenophobes Yukon
100 Well Wretchedness Zombies Zacatecas