TEXT:  
   
   
   
  Black Dogs #I 
  NOVEMBER 2017 
   
  Unofficial house-rules and materials for 
  Lamentations of the Flame Princess 
   
   
   
   
  
   
   
  Black Dogs is a dark fantasy collection of house-rules, 
  materials, adventures and monsters, a toolbox to 
  generate new content for OSR systems, particularly 
  focused on Lamentations of the Flame Princess. 
   
   
   
   
   
  Issue I contains: a presentation 
  a few house-rules, including character creation 
  an introductory adventure in Flussburg 
  a couple of magic trees  
  some undead and trolls 
   
   
  
   
   
   
  THIS PAGE IS LEFT INTENTIONALLY BLANK 
   
  It is not part of the printed material. 
  It’s just here for viewing pages side by side. 
    
   
   
  
  1 
   
   
   
  Black Dogs #I 
  DECEMBER 2017 
   
  Unofficial house-rules and materials for 
  Lamentations of the Flame Princess 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  This product is an independent production by Daimon Games 
  and is not affiliated with Lamentations of the Flame Princess. 
  Lamentations of the Flame Princess is a registered 
  trademark owned by James Edward Raggi IV. 
   
  For any feedback or question, contact me at 
  davide.pignedoli@gmail.com 
   
       
   
   
   
  
  2 
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Introduction, 3 
  (Guts) 
   
  About the Setting, 9 
  (World) 
   
  Make Characters, 14 
  (Guts) 
   
  Basic Rules, 18 
  (Guts) 
   
  Flussburg, 22 
  (World) 
   
  Trees and Trolls, 34 
  (The Wild)  
   
   
   
   
   
  
  3 
   
   
   
  Introduction 
  Black Dogs is a dark fantasy collection of house-rules, materi-
  als, adventures, monsters, and together a toolbox to generate 
  new content for OSR systems, particularly focused on Lamenta-
  tions of the Flame Princess. Black Dogs shares a common set of 
  rules and aesthetics with Lamentations, but it has its distinct 
  flavor. Whenever a rule is not found (or not presented yet) in the 
  Black Dogs ‘zine, just use the default from Lamentations or 
  whatever OSR system you’re running. 
   
  Lamentations of the Flame Princess 
  Circle of Hands 
  Dogs in the Vineyard 
  The Black Hack 
  Warhammer Fantasy RPG 
  Ten Foot Polemic 
  Paolo Greco, of Lost Pages 
   
  Credits 
  Davide Pignedoli 
  www.daimongames.com 
   
  Author 
  Adam Rogers, Chance Phillips,  
  Eddie Hardy, Mark Nolan,  
  Perttu Vedenoja, Timothy Franklin 
   
  Editors 
  Art is public domain 
  Map by Dyson Logos 
   
  Artwork 
  Beta 0.10 
  Version 
   
  
  4 
   
  Spirit 
   
   
   
  There’s less horror in Black Dogs, although 
  the material sticks to clearly dark fantasy tropes. 
  In just a few words, Black Dogs is a dark, late 
  medieval setting, for monster hunters and mer-
  cenaries - kept together into the loose frame of 
  an informal organization that lends some pur-
  pose to your characters. 
   
   
  When you play Black Dogs you play for three 
  things mostly: monsters, wilderness and its 
  encounters, and non-playing characters’ com-
  munities. Basically, the material from Black 
  Dogs aims to bring together three of the most 
  popular fantasy literature and gaming tropes: 
  fighting monsters, traveling in a foreign and 
  fantastic world, interacting with a fantasy 
  community and its people. 
  Monsters 
   
  There is not too much fighting: fights are a 
  few and are risky and important, with emphasis 
  on tactics. Monsters are many but your charac-
  ters encounter them with a purpose and a fight 
  is also an encounter, with its complexity. 
  Wilderness 
   
  There is wilderness and travel, and those are 
  handled with specific rules that can lead to ad-
  ditional encounters or different routes. 
  Communities 
   
  And there are NPCs to interact with: with 
  their towns and villages, with their homes and 
  jobs, with their troubles and their share of mon-
  strosities. 
  Of course, there is some influence from a 
  popular series of books and video games about 
  a certain monsters’ hunter, but Black Dogs 
  shares very little with it. This is a game to play 
  as a group and while it has a taste for darkness, 
  it has a different spirit than the aforementioned 
  monsters’ hunter books. 
   
  
  5 
   
  There is no complete roadmap for this pro-
  ject, but as of now, all the material presented 
  will belong to one of the following categories: 
  Content 
   
  House-rules, and character creation 
  Guts 
   
  Combat-related rules, usable independently 
  Blood 
   
  Magic rules & spells, usable independently 
  Sorcery 
   
  Everything about setting and adventures 
  World 
   
  Everything about wilderness and creatures 
  The Wild 
   
   
  When you play Black Dogs instead of Lamen-
  tations, these are the main differences: 
   
  Similar time frame (late medieval; a little 
  earlier than LotFP default) but slightly dif-
  ferent attitude 
   
  “Good” guys hunting monsters and de-
  mons (perhaps in the end turning out to be 
  not so good after all)  
   
  A group of characters composes the party; 
  players pick a different character for differ-
  ent adventures 
   
  Advantages and disadvantages, as in many 
  other games coming out recently 
   
  What’s 
  different 
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
  6 
   
  What else 
   
  The upcoming issues of Black Dogs will also 
  contain: 
   
  Slightly different score systems, different 
  Saves, modifiers, XP and leveling up etc. 
   
  Substantial changes to combat (with Zones), 
  Hit Points and wounds 
   
  Simple Encumbrance system 
   
  GM’s advice on how to create adventures, 
  NPCs and communities, and how to gener-
  ate valid hooks that will bring players to 
  confront meaningful monsters 
   
  Many beasts and monsters, various crea-
  tures and other things found in The Wild 
   
  Rules focused on travel and exploration 
   
  New rules and magic spells for sorcerers 
  (plus getting rid of traditional clerics). Until 
  more details are presented, use regular 
  spells and magic system 
   
  A series of characters’ careers, to give addi-
  tional depth to the story of the various party 
  members 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
  7 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
  8 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
  9 
   
   
   
  About the Setting 
  Think of Europe in a very late medieval time: there’s a new 
  expansion and a growing economy; a new sense of wonder and 
  discovery; and the feeling that even if there is not going to be an 
  empire, ever again, the single nations and city-states will provide 
  safety and prosperity. 
  It’s a world divided in two: culture and fash-
  ion, print and social changes, prosperity and 
  new emerging classes rule in the major cities 
  but the majority of the land still lingers in a feu-
  dal, oppressive and brutal social order. It’s a 
  world where a knight might still wear full plate 
  armor and a winged helm, while another favors 
  a light cuirass, a dagger and a musket. 
  A world  
  divided 
  Religion still dictates what’s right and what’s 
  wrong, and fire burns heretics; but a new au-
  thentic desire for freedom also infiltrates the 
  most solid religious orders. Monasteries and 
  abbeys collect sacred books, and also foreign 
  tractates, manuscripts of magic and alchemy, 
  mysterious maps and bestiaries among them. 
  Almost everyone is Christian but many wor-
  ship, in secret, the local spirits of the ancient 
  times. A few talk about a new faith in reason 
  and science. Even fewer know that whatever 
  you believe in, you must guard yourself and 
  human kind against The Wild and the demons 
  of the night. 
  Religion 
   
   
   
   
  
  10 
   
  The Wild 
  For The Wild is just out there: beyond the 
  walls of our cities, a few miles into the woods; 
  just out of our village, sneaking into our fields, 
  preying on our cattle and on our own blood, are 
  the monsters. And demons, demons are after 
  our poor souls; they’re born in the darkest 
  nights, they are a shade of the devil, fragments 
  of an evil spirit that poisons the Earth. This is 
  how monsters are born: demons twist and cor-
  rupt nature, they consume faith, they destroy 
  order, and bring along the chaos. 
   
  The Black 
  Dogs 
  Only the wicked Black Dogs can save us. And 
  even if we despise them, we must trust in them. 
  The Black Dogs are an informal organization 
  of warriors and rogues, sorcerers and clerics, 
  originally created by the Church to fight against 
  witchcraft. The original order of the Black Dogs 
  - comprised of fighting monks - was disbanded 
  over a century ago, accused by the Church of 
  corruption, use of black magic and unholy 
  methods, and of consorting with the witches 
  more often than fighting them. 
  In fact, Black Dogs have traditionally fought 
  supernatural monsters and perilous beasts, 
  which are far more common than the Church 
  recognizes, and clearly a more present danger 
  for humankind than the rare witch. The witch-
  es, by the way, are valid allies more often than 
  enemies. 
  In their fight against monsters, the Black 
  Dogs have indeed used any means necessary: 
  steel and silver, black powder and sorcery, traps 
  and clever tricks. 
   
  
  11 
   
  Nowadays, the Black Dogs are not a religious 
  order anymore. They are not formally recog-
  nized as an authority. They are often despised 
  by the local political powers or local nobles, and 
  the Church often openly opposes them. 
  But these warriors still have an aura of au-
  thority about them, even if they carry with them 
  blood and nightmares. 
  They fight monsters to protect humans, while 
  humans often despise them and the Church 
  occasionally hunts them as heretics. In their 
  fight against monsters, they often discover that 
  the real monster is the human, and that the only 
  way to obtain peace is through balance, rather 
  than through war. 
   
  The Black 
  Dogs today 
  The Black Dogs are an informal organization 
  without a single leader. There is a council of 
  older members, typically numbering ten to 
  twelve, deliberating on the most politically rele-
  vant matters. 
  Besides that, every group of Black Dogs is 
  mostly independent and acts according to a 
  loose code of honor and chivalry. In this order, 
  Black Dogs will fight against demons, monsters, 
  and outstandingly evil humans. In order, they 
  will protect: innocents and children, working 
  man, humanity in general. Since they must pro-
  vide for themselves, they rarely give up the 
  opportunity to earn some coin looting ancient 
  ruins or tombs, or working as mercenaries or 
  similar. Each group trains its own new recruits. 
  And indeed this is what your characters are: 
  new recruits just out of training, in their first 
  independent mission. 
  Authority 
   
  
  12 
   
  Relationship with 
  the commoners 
  The general population, while certainly not 
  daring to show appreciation, clearly respect 
  Black Dogs for their strength and usefulness. 
  Also, while they do not love how Black Dogs go 
  about their business, shunning their connection 
  with sorcerers, witches and heretics, and fear 
  their dark powers, many actually recognize that 
  Black Dogs are on the side of regular folks and 
  protect the weakest among them. 
  It’s not uncommon for the regular population 
  to seek - in public or in secret - the help of the 
  Black Dogs for solving their troubles, be it per-
  sonal trouble, about their family, or community.  
  Occasionally, nobles or royalty may hire 
  them in secret to do business they consider 
  dirty, but want done without too much fuss. 
  The Black Dogs sometimes accept these offers, 
  for profit or because they serve a more noble 
  purpose in the greater scheme of things. 
   
   
   
   
   
  
  13 
   
   
  Medieval, but late medieval: there are few 
  large cities, luxuries, long distance travel, 
  and reliable fire weapons 
   
  There is a hunger for progress and nostalgia 
  for the lost Empire that came before, but the 
  Dark Age period is ending, right now 
   
  There are politics and knighthood, emerg-
  ing kingdoms and warlords, powerful bish-
  ops and an omnipresent church 
   
  Just outside the major cities, it’s still hard-
  core medieval: it’s feudal, harsh and dirty, 
  cold and violent, grit and mud 
   
  There are small remote communities, that 
  fall 200 or more years behind compared to 
  cities 
   
  There is print, there is medicine, there is 
  knowledge; but there is still more faith in re-
  ligion and superstition 
   
  Often, there is a common and reasonable 
  law protecting the weakest to some extent 
   
  The strongest always has a way around 
  such laws (via politics, corruption, violence, 
  nobility, magic, and so on) 
   
  The Wild is just out there: it’s more danger-
  ous and bigger than any human kingdom 
  and it is really full of monsters 
   
  The Wild also holds the remains of the an-
  cient Empire: its treasures and knowledge, 
  its wicked dark magic 
   
  And demons are out there too; and they 
  always find their way into a weak human 
  heart 
   
  The Black Dogs are not always respected 
  but almost surely needed; not always 
  obeyed but often feared 
  Setting 
  Summary 
   
  In just a  
  few words 
  
  14 
   
   
   
  Make Characters 
  Your characters are new recruits of the Black Dogs that have 
  just made it out of training. They are about to begin their first 
  independent mission together. 
   
   
  Similar to  
  how Circle of  
  Hands generates  
  a group of  
  new characters 
   
  Session: meeting 
  with your friends 
  to play (i.e. one 
  evening of play) 
  Adventure: a brief 
  story arc, within a 
  given location 
  (may take more 
  than one session to 
  play through) 
  Every player, including the GM, will generate 
  two characters at the start of the first session, 
  and another character before starting the se-
  cond adventure. These are the characters of the 
  group; those generated before the second ad-
  venture will become available as new members 
  as the GM sees fit according to the story. 
  In the first adventure, each player must play 
  one of the characters they’ve made. If that char-
  acter dies, they can use their second character or 
  one made by the GM. 
  After the first adventure, each player can 
  choose any character from the group, including 
  those made by the GM, as long as it’s not the 
  same one they played in the previous adventure. 
  Until there’s 
  nothing left of  
  this group of  
  Black Dogs 
  This is the group of characters you have: tell 
  their stories as long as there are enough of them 
  still alive. Decide how they grow, change, retire, 
  witness how they die, or despair as they plunge 
  into madness or evil... 
  As long as  
  there is no  
  Black Dogs  
  character sheet,  
  use this to track 
  Luck, Talent and  
  Save scores 
  Print the New Recruits sheet: three for each 
  player (GM included) before making characters.  
  Make characters using this New Recruits 
  sheet and copy the information onto the regular 
  character sheet, once you have completed the 
  character creation process. 
  
  15 
   
  New Recruits sheet 
  Print three for every player, GM included. 
   
   
  Character name: 
   
   
  Ability 
  Luck 
  Talent Save 
  SCORE 
  Mod. 
   
  Charisma 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Constitution 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Dexterity 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Intelligence 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Strength 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Wisdom 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Class: 
  HD and  
  Hit Points: 
   
  Alignment: 
   
  Starting money: 
   
   
   
  
  16 
   
  Abilities 
  and scores 
  Charisma 
  Constitution 
  Dexterity 
  Intelligence 
  Strength 
  Wisdom 
  There are six standard abilities, or attributes, 
  in the game. Those abilities have starting scores 
  from 3 to 18, as usual. 
   
  Each ability has 3 secondary scores, in a range 
  from 1 to 6: 
   
  Luck 
   
  Talent 
   
  Save 
   
  Luck is used for re-rolls: burn a point of Luck 
  to re-roll with the related ability. A re-roll is not 
  an automatic success. 
  Talent is used to acquire better scores at lev-
  el-up: burn a point of Talent and increase the 
  related Ability score, or the related Save score, 
  by one. 
  There is no way to regain Luck or Talent 
  points; once burned they are gone forever. 
  Save is indeed for Saving Throws; it’s in the 
  1-6 range; Saves are rolled with a d6 and not a 
  d20 anymore. 
   
  Modifiers 
  Modifiers (mod) are similar to any other OSR 
  system but slightly tuned; every two points 
  above 12 give an additional plus one and every 
  two below ten, a minus one. 
  Combine these modifiers with your standard 
  OSR rules (for example +CON modifier for Hit 
  Points, +STR for combat rolls, and so on). 
   
   
  3-4 / -3 
  5-6 / -2 
  7-8 / -1 
  Score/Modifier 
  9-10 / -0 
  11-12 / +0 
   
  13-14 / +1 
  15-16 / +2 
  17-18 / +3 
   
   
   
  
  17 
   
   
  Take 6d6 and roll them: assign each number 
  to one of the boxes (Luck, Talent, Save) of 
  any ability you desire 
   
  You cannot assign a 6 to a Save, but it’s al-
  lowed for Luck or Talent 
   
  For every ability, in order, roll the other 2d6 
   
  This time, the lowest score must go to Save, 
  or if already written, to the Talent value 
   
  For new 
  characters 
   
  Save is perhaps  
  the most critical  
  score; try to  
  have it as high  
  as possible 
  If you don’t want to use Luck and Talent, just 
  keep the new Save score for your own game. 
  To do this, roll 3d6 in order for each new char-
  acters and give the Save the middle score of the 
  3d6. Instead of having the Save score progress-
  ing at level-up every level, give the player the 
  option to increase one of them at level-up by 
  one point, but only for the first 10 levels, and 
  only up to 5 for each ability. 
   
  How to exclude 
  Luck and Talent 
   
  Roll the class Hit Dice. If you roll like shit, 
  you can always burn a Constitution Luck point 
  and try again... as many times as you want, as 
  long as you have points to burn. 
   
  Starting 
  Hit Points 
  Every character begins the game not with the 
  usual 3d6 x10 silver pieces, but with the equiva-
  lent of the Charisma score x10. Yes, the more 
  they like you, the more they pay you. 
   
  Starting 
  money 
   
   
   
   
   
  
  18 
   
   
   
  Basic Rules 
  This is a short summary of the various house-rules applied to 
  the standard Lamentations of the Flame Princess rules. 
  I’ve tried to write rules as single modules - so you can decide 
  which ones are suitable for your game and which ones to discard 
  in favor of your own house-rules, or where to stick to the origi-
  nal rules. 
   
  Dice 
  notation 
   
   
  2d6 is two six-sided dice added up 
   
  b2dx (advantage) is the best of two  
  x-sided dice rolled together (drop the less 
  convenient) 
   
  w2dx (disadvantage) is the worse of two  
  x-sided dice rolled together (drop the more 
  convenient) 
   
  Saving 
  Throws 
   
  Saving Throws  
  by abilities 
   
  Every ability has an associated Save score: 
  when something bad happens unexpectedly, 
  and you are reacting or trying to avoid harm or 
  danger, roll a Saving Throw (Save). Saving 
  Throws are not listed in the usual OSR format 
  for the type of danger (paralyze, poison, magic, 
  etc.) but instead they are connected to abilities. 
  Roll a d6 equal  
  or under the  
  Save score  
  for the ability 
  A saving throw is rolled with a d6 and must 
  be equal or under the Save score to be success-
  ful. A Save roll of 6 always fails; if you have a 
  Save score of 6 then roll at advantage (roll 2d6, 
  keep the best one) as if you had a score of 5. 
  Ability checks 
  You resort to Saves when trying to avoid 
  some harm or danger, as a reaction. For actions 
  you initiate, roll an Ability Check instead. 
  
  19 
   
   
   
  Charisma: vs. any kind of charming and 
  possession effect, including spells of petrifi-
  cation or paralysis 
   
  Constitution: vs. physical damage that is 
  already absorbed (like a disease, a poison, a 
  fall, or being hit by a trap). Includes saves 
  against death 
   
  Dexterity: vs. all danger that can be dodged 
  or avoided (including area effects like cer-
  tain spells and most traps) 
   
  Intelligence: resisting spells and spell-like 
  effects (most magic, including magic items) 
  that are not purely elemental (for example 
  save vs. a curse, but not vs. paralysis or vs. a 
  fireball) and are not possession 
   
  Strength: vs. any kind of physical damage 
  that can just be resisted for a short time or 
  endured (like burning, drowning, freezing 
  and similar) 
   
  Wisdom: vs. all kind of deception and illu-
  sions (including magical ones), and against 
  all cleric-like abilities or spells, including 
  most undead magic 
   
  Saves vs Magic: 
  Is it charming, 
  possession, 
  petrification or 
  paralysis? then 
  use CHA 
  Is it an area or an 
  elemental effect to 
  be avoided? then 
  use DEX 
  Is it deception or 
  illusion, undead or  
  cleric magic? then 
  use WIS 
  Use INT for all 
  other magic 
   
  Save  
  with STR or CON? 
  Use STR if the 
  condition can be 
  removed,  
  use CON if it’s a 
  persistent damage 
  or anyway when 
  in doubt use CON 
  When you fail a Saving Throw, the GM tells 
  you the consequences of the threat coming true, 
  when you succeed sometimes you avoid danger 
  completely; sometimes you simply suffer mild-
  er consequences. 
  With Ability Checks the GM is encouraged to 
  use also fail-forward techniques; with a failed 
  Saving Throw the GM should inflict the appro-
  priate damage or consequences without hold-
  ing back. 
  Alternative 
  (Raggi’s) rule:  
  roll as many d6  
  as your Save  
  score. What you 
  need is one 6 to 
  mitigate harm or 
  danger; two or 
  more to avoid  
  it completely 
   
  
  20 
   
  Ability 
  Checks 
   
   
  When you attempt an action, you roll a d20, 
  trying to roll equal or under your ability score 
  (a 1 is always a success, a 20 always a failure). 
  This is called an Ability Check. The higher 
  your ability score, the more likely your chances 
  for success. 
  Failing  
  Ability Checks 
  If you fail, the GM tells you what went 
  wrong. 
  You didn’t necessarily screw up, perhaps it 
  was back luck, perhaps circumstances were 
  harder than you expected. Sometimes, you fail 
  the roll but the GM still gives you what you 
  want - but there’s a higher price to pay, an un-
  expected complication, an unforeseen devel-
  opment. The GM is encouraged to use fail-
  forward techniques when appropriate: on a 
  failed roll let the characters succeed, but intro-
  duce further complications, instead of present-
  ing a dead-end. 
   
  Using a  
  Skills’ System 
  If you use a Skills’ System, you can still use 
  Ability Checks for unusual activities that aren’t 
  covered by the default list of skills. Remember 
  that if skills are an independent score (like the 
  default LotFP d6 skills), having for example 1 
  dot in Climbing (1/6 chances of success) is 
  worse than having just an average Dexterity 10 
  (50% chances of success). Therefore, if you mix 
  Skills and Ability Checks, you should use Skills 
  as modifiers to improve the chance of success. 
  To keep things simple, I usually just make a 
  list of skills and allow characters to gain one 
  every other level, or every level if they’re fo-
  cused like Specialists. 
   
  
  21 
   
  When a character has a relevant Skill, they roll 
  the Ability Check at advantage (roll 2d20, keep 
  the most convenient), or cancel a disadvantage 
  imposed by the situation, the lack of proper 
  gear, the harsh environment, and so on. 
   
   
  As is now standard in many other games, 
  when there is a situation with clear ad-
  vantage or disadvantage, you roll 2 dice in-
  stead of one and keep the best (if you have 
  the advantage) or worst (if you’re at disad-
  vantage). 
  (Dis) 
  Advantages 
  With an Ability Check, this means rolling 
  2d20 and keeping the lowest die for an ad-
  vantage, because you want to roll equal or un-
  der the ability score. If you are at disadvantage, 
  keep the highest d20, which is more likely to 
  make you to fail. 
  With  
  Ability Checks 
  For an attack in combat, you would roll 2d20 
  and keep the highest die for advantage, to roll 
  above the enemy’s AC, or the lowest for disad-
  vantage; the same for damage, and so on. 
  In combat 
  For a Saving Throw, you roll 2d6 and again 
  keep the low die if you have the advantage. 
  More likely, if you roll a Save you are in very 
  deep shit, and being at disadvantage you will 
  keep the high die. 
  For Saves, 
  although rarely  
  at advantage 
  Advantages and disadvantages cancel each 
  other out. They don’t need to be given a numer-
  ical value but just roughly estimated. To gain 
  the bonus of the best of two dice - or the penalty 
  of the worse of two dice - the situation must be 
  clearly unbalanced. They are best used for ex-
  treme situations, not to emulate a scale of tasks’ 
  difficulties. 
  Advantages and 
  disadvantages 
  cancel each  
  other out 
   
  
  22 
   
   
   
  Flussburg 
  This Black Dogs introductory adventure aims to give you a 
  taste of the world of Flussburg; a small village with local political 
  troubles and a greater menace looming on the horizon. There is 
  also an element of weirdness with monsters and a tree that 
  breathes life into the dead. Flussburg is probably wrong in Ger-
  man. If you speak German and it sounds weird to your ears, you 
  could call it Villa Flumine in Latin. Or just pretend it’s a weird 
  name because it’s medieval. 
   
  The 
  Village 
   
  Flussburg is a small village of farmers and 
  river fishermen, reasonably poor even for the 
  standards of this northern kingdom. It stands 
  on the south bank of a large river (perhaps the 
  Elbe) next to an ancient Imperial bridge. 
  Places: 
  Small church 
  Imperial palace 
  Main square 
  Few shops 
  Overpriced tavern 
  Blacksmith lab 
  100 regular houses 
   
   
  The village consists of: a little church and an 
  ancient Imperial palace, facing each other over 
  the main square (a rather sad affair of dust and 
  mud), a few shops and an overpriced tavern, 
  The Pig'n Bell, which also acts as the only 
  guesthouse, a singularly big and opulent black-
  smith laboratory and shop, a hundred regular 
  houses of wood and turf and only occasionally 
  stone buildings. 
  The village is unofficially ruled by a council 
  of three: the priest, the master of the fishermen’s 
  guild, and the oldest of the farmers. They rule 
  conservatively, being mostly occupied in their 
  individual businesses, but keep a sharp lookout 
  for troublemakers and heretics, although nei-
  ther has been seen here for many seasons. 
   
  
  23 
   
  The ancient Imperial bridge is now in ruins 
  and completely collapsed in two sections: it is 
  possible to traverse it because villagers have 
  lashed together wooden planks and used them 
  to bridge the gaps, but these can support at 
  most a couple of people at the same time, or a 
  very small cart. 
  For this reason, traffic with the north often 
  has to go over other bridges, either to the east or 
  the west of Flussburg. This is ruining the poten-
  tial of the village, however if the bridge was to 
  be repaired and taxes requested in the name of 
  the local Duke, silver would flow to the com-
  munity. Some would find work as maintainers, 
  others as guards and guides, many could easily 
  trade with northern tribes, probably a seasonal 
  market would be held, and even though the 
  majority of the silver would go to the Duke, a 
  good portion would make a difference for the 
  locals. 
   
  The 
  Bridge 
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
  24 
   
  Flussburg Map 
   
   
   
   
   
      THE WILD 
   
   
   
   
        Trolls 
  Thukepra 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
     Fishermen’s 
   
   
   
   
   
   
        barracks 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Imperial bridge 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
      Tavern 
   
       Imperial 
            palace 
   
   
   
   
   
  Schmieds 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  FLUSSBURG 
   
   
   
   
  Church and graveyard 
   
   
  
  25 
   
  They are the clan running the beautiful black-
  smith’s workshop; with four generations of the 
  family working there: a grandfather, a father 
  and his wife, two sons (with their wives and 
  families), one younger daughter (yet to be mar-
  ried), countless kids and a few apprentices. 
   
  The 
  Schmieds 
   
   
  They want to fix the bridge and bring com-
  merce to the village 
   
  They want to seize control from the council, 
  maximizing their profit from a renovated 
  bridge 
   
  They are honest to a fault but always a little 
  overpriced: they do the right thing but you 
  will always feel like you paid too much 
   
  For this reason, the majority of the villagers 
  are against them and would not support 
  them in their race for power, although most 
  would also not violently oppose them 
   
  The Schmieds  
  act according to 
  these guidelines: 
   
  They have small eyes and big hands; this 
  seems to be a family trait 
   
  With small eyes, comes shortness of sight: 
  they don’t see what other people think of 
  them, they will not detect a plot against 
  them, they are blind to everything except 
  their own business, trade and their plans 
   
  With big hands comes strength (the whole 
  family, women included, roll 1d8 for dam-
  age even unarmed), skilled blacksmiths 
  (they can fix or produce anything metallic 
  requested by the characters as long as it’s 
  not magical), and a notable but controlled 
  greed (coins seem to disappear in their big 
  but steady hands) 
  Make them  
  look as you  
  see fit but: 
  
  26 
   
  The 
  others 
   
  Most of the villagers are rather unassuming 
  and fairly standard in their appearances and 
  trades. Everyone is basically level zero, with 
  only 1d4 HP, or 1d6 if they are strong farmers 
  or members of the watch (there is just six of 
  them and two are dead, they work on shifts and 
  also have other jobs, so they are not really pro-
  fessional soldiers). 
   
  Menaces 
   
  If a Troll gets 
  soaked in water,  
  it loses half HP, 
  gets -3 AC 
  and inflicts 
  half damage 
   
   
  A gang of trolls prowls in the nearby woods. 
  There are 1d4+2 of them, and they’ve already 
  spotted the village. They are on the north bank 
  and are undecided whether to risk crossing the 
  bridge. They are afraid of water and rightfully 
  so. There is a 4 in 6 chance for each of them that 
  the wooden planks will move or break if they 
  try to cross. Eventually they’ll try to cross and to 
  reach the village. 
   
  The Thukepra 
  A mysterious  and sentient tree on the 
  northern bank facing the village, the Thukepra 
  loathes the view of the humans on the southern 
  side of the river. It is capable of reanimating 
  dead humanoids who are buried with enough 
  metal on them (for example guards and 
  knights). The Thukepra has lured the trolls in 
  the area of the village, hoping they will destroy 
  it and kill all the humans. 
   
  The Schmieds 
  The Schmieds are in part a threat to the local 
  community, but probably the local council 
  which insists that nothing bad is going on and 
  that everybody should go about their business 
  as usual is even more of a danger. 
  
  27 
   
  Upon entering the village, the characters will 
  meet a random NPC. Roll a d6 and read the 
  quote to the players: 
   
  1: Ubert Schmied, youngest son of Erberg, 
  the leader of the clan (close to the Schmieds’ 
  workshop): “It’s about time to do something. 
  We need to fix this bridge, and we need money 
  to hire proper soldiers.” 
  2: Helga, the young wife of an old fisherman 
  (under the bridge, staring at the river): “It’s 
  two nights that Hurst doesn’t come home. This 
  is a river, not the sea... Why is he not coming 
  home?” 
  3: Hans, an old farmer (on the south bank, 
  pointing to the fields and trees on the north 
  bank): “The trees are too close to the fields, 
  nowadays. Back when I was young, we kept the 
  forest at a safe distance from where we 
  worked.” 
  4: Closs, a vagabond coming to the village 
  too often to be liked (begging in the main 
  square): “This is the last time I come here. Two 
  guards were killed, and whatever killed a man 
  with a spear, won’t spare me.” 
  5: Beth, the tavern keeper with an angry look 
  (in the tavern): “Do you want a room? If you 
  need a private room you can have it for 3 silver 
  per person, otherwise just share the room with 
  those merchants for only 1 sp per person.” 
  6: Junta, a little girl (playing in the grave-
  yard): “The priests fights with the Schmieds, the 
  Schmieds fight at night with the merchants... 
  My mom fights with my dad, too.” 
  Rumors 
   
  If the characters 
  want to discover 
  more about the 
  village, they do  
  it by interacting 
  with the locals 
   
  If the characters go 
  to one of the listed 
  locations, then 
  they should have 
  the related 
  encounter and the 
  information made 
  available to them 
   
  Be honest when 
  presenting these 
  points of view; this 
  adventure  
  is not about 
  deception 
   
   
   
  
  28 
   
  Things to 
  discover 
   
  This is a rough  
  list of the things 
  happening in the 
  village and in the 
  nearby woods, 
  that the characters 
  might discover 
  either by talking 
  with NPCs, by 
  investigating and 
  by making their 
  own deductions, 
  by exploring the 
  surroundings, by 
  surveiling the 
  village at night, 
  and so on 
   
   
  Hired killers pose as merchants; with only 
  scarce goods (some iron works and plain fab-
  rics) to support their story. If the characters visit 
  the tavern there is a 1 in 6 chance they will no-
  tice the killers involved in an argument which 
  turns into a fight, highlighting their unlikely 
  skills with weapons. 
   
  Ubert, the youngest of the Schmieds has 
  hired the killers using family funds, to kill the 
  guards and raise concern among the villagers, 
  so that his family can rise to power. This can be 
  discovered by checking the graveyard at night, 
  where the hired killers meet their contractor 
  every midnight. 
  The other Schmieds know nothing of this, but 
  some of them might support this plan seeing it 
  as a reasonable price for the villagers to pay for 
  their own protection. This is more likely if the 
  characters have brought proof of the presence of 
  trolls. 
   
  The hired killers posing as merchants can be 
  seen the night of day 2 stalking a guard, and 
  the night after killing the same guard close to 
  the bridge (the murderers act in perfect silence 
  but will be visible if the characters are nearby 
  and hiding - if the characters are in sight, they 
  will not kill). The body of this guard is easily 
  found on the northern bank, close to the river, 
  far from the trees. 
  Searching the room of the hired killers also 
  reveals a bag of silver and many professional, 
  well-kept weapons. 
   
  
  29 
   
  There is evidence of trolls infesting the near-
  by woods: if the characters explore the woods 
  on the northern bank of the river, they will find 
  either (roll a d6):  
  1-3: Troll excrements  
  4-5: The remains of Helga’s husband that was 
  caught and devoured 
  6: An unskinned roasted deer (trolls must be 
  nearby because the animal is on the fire now) 
   
  If the characters explore the woods after day 
  4, they will find the remains of another fisher-
  man, eaten by the trolls. 
   
  Evidence of  
  the Trolls 
   
  Every expedition 
  in a different  
  area should  
  be rolled with 
  cumulative +1 
   
  There is a mysterious pale tree on the north-
  ern bank of the river; its pale whiteish bark 
  makes the tree stand out from the others. Each 
  time the characters explore the woods their 
  chances of finding this tree increase by 25%, so 
  the first exploration has a 25% chance, second 
  50% etc. The tree is just behind the first or se-
  cond line of trees of The Wild. 
  Evidence of  
  the Thukepra,  
  the tree 
   
  If characters investigate the tree, anyone with 
  some wilderness background or with 
  knowledge of sorcery, can try perhaps an Ar-
  cane skill test or Wisdom ability check, to de-
  termine what it is. 
  More info in  
  the Thukepra 
  section in the  
  next chapter 
  The tree is initially defenseless, although it 
  has its own magic to protect itself. Every guard 
  that dies and is buried in the northern bank by 
  the hired killers, and anyone buried there with 
  metal armor, will become an undead controlled 
  by the tree within 24 to 48 hours from their 
  death. The tree has lured the trolls here, to gen-
  erate chaos and drive the humans away. 
  The tree has lured 
  the trolls here, but 
  cannot control 
  them. If the tree  
  is killed, the  
  trolls will still  
  try to attack the 
  village in the end 
  
  30 
   
  The 
  Events 
   
  These rough 
  guidelines are 
  provided for day  
  by day events,  
  if events are free  
  to run their course. 
   
   
  Stats for the  
  hired killers:  
  page 42 
   
   
  Remember that 
  the hired killers/ 
  merchants will 
  meet with the 
  young Schmieds 
  every midnight in 
  the graveyard. 
   
   
  With only two 
  guards left 
  standing, the 
  council will have  
  a hard time 
  enforcing the law 
   
   
  The players actions will ultimately determine 
  the way the game unfolds. The following events 
  are a guide which the GM should adapt based 
  on their games specific events. 
   
  The hired killers 
  Day 1. Do nothing out of the ordinary, but 
  meet with the young Schmieds at midnight 
  Day 2. Follow one of the guards home in the 
  evening. They can be spotted by the characters 
  if they are around 
  Day 3. Kill the guard they tailed the previous 
  night, burying the body in haste in the northern 
  bank 
  Day 4. The council is concerned for the third 
  missing guard. They will question the “mer-
  chants” and the characters but are unlikely to 
  take action 
  Day 5. The killers attack another guard who 
  narrowly escapes. In the morning he brings his 
  tale to the Council. The guard managed to harm 
  one of the attackers. If one of the characters is 
  hurt, they might be suspected of being the 
  murderers even if they arrived at the village 
  after the first two guards died. A search in the 
  tavern’s room of the hired killers, though, will 
  reveal a sack of silver and enough weapons to 
  make them likely suspects too, and one of them 
  is limping...  
  Day 6. The hired killers decide to leave. If the 
  young Schmieds doesn’t pay half of the agreed 
  price or tries to stop them, they’ll try to kill him 
  as well 
   
   
   
  
  31 
   
  The Trolls 
  Day 1. Another fisherman disappears; the 
  council still sends no patrols to the woods and 
  invites everybody to remain calm 
  Day 2. The trolls are spotted by a farmer; 
  most of the villagers don’t believe his tale 
  Day 3. The fisherman reappears, having 
  simply lost his boat to the currents. He was 
  probably just drunk 
  Day 4. Another fisherman disappears; killed 
  by the trolls. Evidence will be found in the 
  woods close to the farming land on the north 
  bank 
  Day 5. Trolls explore the bridge at night 
  Day 6. Trolls try to cross the bridge, unless 
  heavily guarded 
   
  Stats for  
  the trolls:  
  page 41 
   
  The Thukepra 
  Day 1. Does nothing 
  Day 2. Succeeds in reanimating the two dead 
  guards 
  Day 3. Does nothing 
  Day 4. Reanimates the corpse of the 3rd 
  guard 
  Day 5. Does nothing 
  Day 6. Sends the undead with the trolls, in 
  the hope of killing defenseless villagers or ex-
  hausted fighters; the undead will go after the 
  weakest and if they attack the villagers they will 
  kill at least 3d6 before being chopped to pieces 
   
  In the event the Thukepra is discovered by 
  the characters, the tree will defend itself with 
  any undead available. 
  Stats for the 
  Thukepra: 
   page 36 
   
   
  
  32 
   
  The actions of the 
  Schmieds are all 
  plainly public. 
  These are not 
  listed in the 
  section “Things to 
  discover” because 
  the characters  
  will witness the 
  escalation of the 
  Schmieds’ attempt 
  to seize power  
  and there’s no 
  concealment, no 
  hidden motive, 
  behind their 
  actions 
   
  The only notable 
  exception being 
  Ubert  Schmied, 
  the youngest of 
  the two sons,  
  who has hired a 
  gang of killers to 
  attack the guards 
  in an attempt  
  to discredit the 
  council and favor 
  his own family 
   
  The Schmieds 
  Day 1. They become more vocal on the topic 
  of village security, and the failings of the council 
  Day 2. Even though the villagers don’t be-
  lieve the alarm about the trolls as reported by a 
  farmer, the Schmieds demand that this matter is 
  taken seriously by the council 
  Day 3. The Schmieds keep silent about the 
  fisherman reappearing; they believe it might 
  have been staged by the council and voice their 
  concerns to those who support them 
  Day 4. If a guard is missing, or if another 
  fisherman has disappeared because of the trolls, 
  the Schmieds demand the council take action. 
  They propose the village hires mercenaries to 
  protect the village and patrol the area, and 
  workers to fortify the bridge 
  Day 5. During the day the Schmieds keep 
  pestering everyone to try to gather support 
  against the council. The assassination attempt 
  against the guard, in the middle of the night, is 
  voiced as yet another concern against the coun-
  cil in an emergency meeting. If there is a chance 
  or mandate, the Schmieds will lead a couple of 
  mercenaries (they expect more to come within a 
  week) to guard the bridge, and will discover the 
  trolls exploration 
  Day 6. If the village is attacked, the guards or 
  the mercenaries will raise the alarm. Once the 
  dust has settled the Schmieds call again for the 
  Council to resign 
   
   
   
  
  33 
   
  Both the trolls and the undead are a threat to 
  the village, and will remain a threat as long as 
  the council does not see reason, or the Schmieds 
  take power. In the short term, defeating the 
  trolls and undead in combat is enough - alt-
  hough there might be several casualties within 
  the village if these creatures manage to cross the 
  bridge.  
  In the long term, though, unless the charac-
  ters dispose of the Thukepra tree, more mon-
  sters will come, more undead will be animated 
  and sent against the village by the Soul-tree. 
   
  While the Schmieds don’t know what they’re 
  against, they still have the correct plan to save 
  Flussburg. If there is a good relationship with 
  the characters, the Schmieds may try and hire 
  them to protect the village. One provision of the 
  employment is that the characters must vocally 
  denounce the Council. 
  If the characters uncover and reveal the plans 
  of the young Ubert Schmieds, the villagers will 
  never support the blacksmiths to lead them. 
  They will probably resent the entire family for 
  the actions of Ubert, outcast him, and demand 
  the Schmieds pay a costly compensation. 
  If the Schmieds fear for the life of Ubert, they 
  might attempt to seize power by force or ask for 
  the intervention of the Duke. While the priest 
  preaches of forgiveness and fair punishment, 
  the master of the fisherman’s guild and the old-
  est of the farmers will insist on a public execu-
  tion if Ubert is found guilty (and the hired killer 
  will name him if they are threatened with long 
  imprisonment or death). 
  The End 
  Game 
   
  The only effective 
  solution is to 
  fortify the bridge 
  and make the 
  village important 
  enough, thanks to 
  the money of a 
  new market and 
  new trades with 
  the north, so that 
  the Duke will 
  provide a stable 
  garrison 
   
  Perhaps the 
  characters will 
  find another 
  solution, but if 
  things are left in 
  the hands of the 
  council, the village 
  of Flussburg is 
  doomed 
   
  
  34 
   
   
   
  Trees and Trolls 
  This section contains sparse notes about the unconventional 
  monsters and creatures of The Wild that the characters may en-
  counter in this adventure. 
  The woods to the north of the village of Flussburg are consid-
  ered part of The Wild, so it is advisable to roll for possible en-
  counters while the characters are there. You can use the table in 
  the end of this section, or your own wilderness tables. 
  Remember that Saves for monsters are written as x in 6 
  chances (roll a d6 equal or under x), same as for characters. 
   
  Thukepra 
   
  Thukepra  
  AC 8 
  Save 3  
  (4 vs magic); 
  HD 4d8 (20 HP) 
   
  No physical 
  attacks 
   
  Spells:  
  every time 
  someone hits it,  
  roll for a spell;  
  Saves not allowed 
  unless specified 
   
   
   
  Thukepra is the ancient name for a Soul-
  Tree, a sentient and supernatural tree which 
  grows only in the forests of The Wild. The leg-
  ends say that the Soul-Tree’s roots dig deep 
  enough to reach the underworld, or that the 
  tree itself sprouts from the underworld and 
  what we see in the forest is barely its tip. It is 
  known to be evil, even though it’s unclear how 
  the tree, which cannot move nor speak, could 
  perform any evil. 
  In many stories the Thukepra, is linked to the 
  passage of souls to the world of the dead. In 
  some stories the tree facilitates or guards the 
  passage of souls. In others instead the evil tree 
  devours those souls before they can reach the 
  underworld, thus condemning them to eternal 
  damnation and to linger in pain within the tree 
  itself. 
   
   
  
  35 
   
  A Thukepra is visually distinct from a regular 
  tree first of all by its color: its color is generally 
  pale, and its bark is a light brown that tends to 
  gray. The tree’s leaves look almost transparent 
  and of a sickish, almost unreal green. To con-
  firm that a pale tree is indeed a Thukepra, you 
  must dig out its roots: if they’re white and glow 
  faintly red in the dark, it’s a Thukepra. 
   
  If someone eats or smokes leaves of a 
  Thukepra, roll 1d6. When a character rolls a 3-6, 
  any future consumption of the tree's leaves will 
  yield the same results for that character. 
  1: The character increases their Max HP by 1 
  2: The character regains 2 HP 
  3-6: The character loses that many HP 
   
  When close to a 
  Thukepra, any 
  magic user must 
  make a save vs. 
  magic to be able to 
  use sorcery.  
  They must roll the 
  save the first time 
  they cast a spell, 
  and if they fail 
  then they can 
  repeat the save 
  each time they  
  try to cast again, 
  until they succeed, 
  but waste spells  
  in the process. 
   
  When they 
  succeed once,  
  they are free to 
  cast for the rest  
  of the encounter 
  The Thukepra tree does not fight directly. It 
  has no “attacks”. It will call for undead to pro-
  tect itself, if attacked or threatened, and will use 
  its magical powers if someone hits it. 
  Use the list below for its random spells. 
   
  Roll 
  Spell 
  1 
  A character's weapon is damaged. -1 to its attacks 
  2 
  A faint red spark hits the attacker for 1d4 damage 
  3 
  Wild bees are attracted by the tree. As a swarm they have 
  AC 13; Save 1; HD 1d8 (4 HP), their sting attack deals 1d4 
  damage, and they lose 1 HP when they hit successfully 
  4 
  The next magical attack target is reversed against the caster 
  (save vs magic allowed) 
  5 
  Nightmares tonight. Negate all HP recovery 
  6 
  Faint red spark (see 2) and nightmares tonight (see 5) 
  
  36 
   
  Tushakra 
   
  Tushakra 
  AC 14  
  or 15 (50%) 
   Save 2  
  (3 vs magic) 
  HD 2d8 (9 HP) 
   
  1 attack: medium 
  (1d6) or versatile 
  weapon (1d8) 
   
  Add +1 to to-hit 
  and damage rolls 
   
  Tushakra can be 
  called to protect a 
  Thukepra and  
  will appear within 
  1d4 rounds after 
  the characters  
  do anything 
  aggressive or 
  menacing, or  
  even talk about 
  attacking or 
  cutting the tree 
   
   
  The popular belief associates Tushakras with 
  the death of an errand knight. Some stories tell 
  of Tushakras being born of the corpse of an 
  errand knight that died before completing his 
  quest, while others present them as corrupted 
  undead, generated when an errand knight dies 
  in violation of their code of honor. 
   
  A Tushakra is a wild hybrid of a Soul-Tree 
  and metal. Since metal is uncommon in the 
  forests of the Wild, the most common origin for 
  a Tushakra is the corpse of a knight or a guard 
  in mail or plate armor.  
  The Soul-Tree is drawn to the corpse and the 
  tree’s roots can travel for tens of miles under-
  ground to reach the armor and weapons of the 
  dead. The corpse is slowly filled with roots and 
  buds, bones are strengthened with wood and 
  bark, and the Soul-Tree drains from the metal 
  the energy to resurrect the dead. 
  What emerges is a terrible warrior, brainless 
  but telepathically controlled by the Soul-Tree. 
  Its skin resembles bark, and often leaves and 
  flowers spring from holes and junctures in the 
  armor.  
  The head barely looks human, all the typical 
  human features are there but the eyes are com-
  pletely black, and often insects pour out of the 
  Tushakra’s wooden mouth. Resin from the 
  Soul-Tree flows through its veins instead of 
  blood, and the Tushakra uses this resin to polish 
  its weapons and armor, to a perfect shiny finish. 
   
   
   
  
  37 
   
  Tushakra’s have two fundamental instincts; 
  that to protect and serve its master Soul-Tree, 
  and slay any human wearing metal armor so 
  that another Tushakra can be born. 
   
  Of course, if a Soul-Tree is killed or de-
  stroyed, all the Thuskaras controlled by it will 
  revert back to inanimate corpses. 
  If the characters set the tree on fire, it will take 
  quite some time for it to die. It’s a safe way to 
  get rid of it but the Tushakras will definitely be 
  around for long enough to put up a fight. 
   
   
   
   
  All undead obey to the following rules: 
   
  They can be turned 
   
  They do not roll for morale 
   
  They can be harmed by normal weapons 
   
  But normal weapons inflict only half damage (rounded up) 
   
  Silver weapons inflict double damage against undead 
   
  Spells inflict normal damage against undead 
   
  Fire and fire spells inflict double damage against undead 
   
   
  
  38 
   
  The 
  Naked 
  Tree 
   
  Anyone brave 
  enough can eat 
  this meat, but only 
  if cooked. Make 
  then an immediate 
  save vs. poison. 
  If the save is 
  passed, it counts 
  as a ration, if failed 
  the character 
  pukes violently 
  losing 1 HP from 
  dehydration.  
  A single tree can 
  provide over 100 
  rations but a save 
  must be made  
  for each 
   
   
   
   
  The Naked Tree should probably be called 
  something like “the disgusting guts tree” or 
  similar. From a distance it appears as a normal 
  tree, but closer inspection reveals that its bark is 
  thinner than usual and the leaves are floppy, 
  their green color reflecting shades of pink. If 
  you tear off the bark of the trunk or cut a 
  branch, the tree shakes and recoils like an ani-
  mal - although it emits no sound. It bleeds pro-
  fusely, and inside it’s all guts and veins and 
  primordial internal organs. 
  While traveling in the woods of The Wild on 
  the northern shore, the characters might notice 
  one or more of these trees. They appear in 
  groves of 1d4, with a 1 in 6 chances of encounter 
  for every hour of exploration in the woods. 
  Don’t roll if the characters are engaged in some 
  other important activity, but just if they explore 
  or travel. 
  If a large and strong enough branch is cut, it 
  can be planted into a living creature and it will 
  root there in less than a week. Removing it af-
  terwards inflicts 1d6 harm to the creature. The 
  implanted branch does not, though, become a 
  controllable limb, so why anyone would want 
  to do that, is unclear. But it’s well known that 
  you can do it, and sometimes this is used as a 
  torture or as a sick, cruel joke. 
  Some villagers with enough experience of 
  The Wild could inform the players that, taken to 
  a larger town within a week from cutting it, a 
  branch is worth around 50 sp when sold to an 
  alchemist or a scholar. The town hosts not more 
  than 1d6 alchemists or scholars interested in 
  this sort of acquisition. 
  
  39 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
  40 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
  41 
   
  Trolls are ugly, gray, very large and have in-
  credibly long arms. Everything about their bod-
  ies is visibly asymmetrical, from facial features 
  to limbs. They move with unsettling grace even 
  though their size and uneven composition 
  would make you assume otherwise. These 
  monsters are invulnerable to iron and steel ac-
  cording to rumors and legends, but are actually 
  vulnerable to fire, acids and silver as many oth-
  er monsters. 
  They may be encountered close to Flussburg 
  in a group of 1d4+2. They are intimidating, but 
  are in actuality, fairly young and inexperienced 
  so the characters probably stand a chance... 
   
  Trolls are not invulnerable but: 
   
  Normal weapons inflict only half damage 
  (rounded up) against them 
   
  Silver weapons inflict double damage  
   
  Spells inflict normal damage  
   
  Fire and acids (and related spells) inflict 
  double damage 
   
  Every round of combat the troll regains 1 
  HP from wounds inflicted by normal weap-
  ons 
   
  A troll can give up both attacks to reattach a 
  severed limb (including its head) 
   
  Trolls 
   
  Troll 
  (young Troll) 
  AC 14  
  or 15 (50%) 
  Save 3 
  (1 vs fire) 
  HD 5d8 (22 HP) 
   
  1st attack:  
  claws (1d8) 
  2nd attack:  
  claws (1d8+2) 
   
  If their 1st attack 
  was successful, 
  bite against the 
  same target, 
  for an automatic 
  1d6+1 damage 
   
  Add +4 to to-hit 
  and damage rolls 
   
  If a Troll gets 
  soaked in water,  
  it loses half HP, 
  gets -3 AC 
  and inflicts 
  half damage 
   
   
  Each Troll has a small personal hoard hidden 
  in their temporary nest, which can be tracked 
  with relative ease.  
  Each hoard is worth around 100 sp in jewels 
  and other minor precious items. 
   
  
  42 
   
  Encounters 
  in The 
  Wild 
   
  The Wild keeps an 
  eye on intruders 
   
  When exploring the wilderness, count a 
  Turn as equal to an hour, and roll for an en-
  counter every Turn. 
  Use a d20 on the first hour, a d12 on the se-
  cond, then a d8, and finally a d6 for every hour 
  past the fourth. Step the dice further down of 
  one size if the characters light fire, or are par-
  ticularly loud to the point of disturbing nearby 
  wildlife, and attracting the attention of mon-
  sters of The Wild. 
   
  Roll 
  Encounter 
  1 
  No encounter, but if the characters are exploring the 
  woods or paying attention to the surroundings, they 
  will spot 1d4-1 Naked Trees 
  2 
  Heavy rain or wind for 1d6+2 hours. Travel proceeds at 
  1/3 speed and at the cost of 1 HP/hour. Every 1 hour 
  rest within shelter allows to regain 3 HP lost this way 
  3 
  1d6 Acid Worms: AC 10; Save 2; HP 1d6 (3); 1 acid attack 
  (1d4 damage & -1 to metal weapons & leather armor AC) 
  4 
  White Stag: AC 10; Save 1; HP 2d6 (7); 1 antlers or 
  hooves attack (1d6). Pelt & antlers worth 100 sp 
  5 
  White Carnivorous Stag: AC 10; Save 2; HP 2d8 (9); 2 
  attacks: antlers or hooves (1d6) + bite (1d4+2); +1 to-hit 
  6 
  1d4 swarms of Green Wasps. Each swarm has: AC 9; 
  Save 1; HP 2d4 (5); 1 attack poisonous sting (1d6+1) 
  7 
  Purple moss and mold covered tree; disturbing the 
  mold causes 1 HP damage (no Save). If collected and 
  treated can be used as mild poison (1d4 damage) 
  8 
  Some rare flowers used for cosmetics, worth 2d20 sp 
  9 
  Wolves footprints all around, but no animals in sight 
  10 
  A noise in the bushes, but it’s just a deer 
  11-20 
  No encounter, The Wild looks darker than regular 
  woods but is not so bad after all 
   
  
  43 
   
   
   
  Humans 
  You will find here some stats for commoners, guards and 
  hired killers that characters may interact with in the village. 
   
  When the characters interact with humans, 
  remember that unless really pushed, humans 
  do not fight to the death. NPCs that are hurt 
  more or less severely will reasonably look for an 
  opportunity to escape or surrender, unless they 
  expect to be killed even if they give up arms. 
  Common 
  Humans 
   
  Use the rules for morale of your game, or 
  simply replace them with a d6 Save vs HP. 
  Roll equal or lower than the HP left and the 
  NPC stays in the fight, roll higher and the NPC 
  will try to escape or surrender, depending on 
  the situation. 
  Save vs HP is  
  the house-rule  
  for morale 
   
  Commoner 
  AC 10 
  Save 2 
  HD 1d6 (3 HP) 
   
  1 attack:  
  unarmed (1d2) or 
  small weapon 
  (1d3 or max 1d4) 
   
  For priests: 
  Save: 3 
  plus maybe 
  add spells 
   
  Guard 
  AC 14  
  or 15 (50%)  
  Save 2 
  HD 1d8 (5 HP) 
   
  1 attack: medium 
  (1d6) or versatile 
  weapon (1d8) 
   
  Only if AC is 14 
  (no shield) 
  weapon is a  
  pike (1d10+2) 
   
  Hired Killer (x3) 
  AC 12 
  Save 2 
  HD 2d8 (9 HP) 
   
  2 attacks:  
  small (1d4)  
  or medium  
  weapon (1d6) 
   
  One has a 
  +2 to to-hit and 
  damage rolls 
  and AC 14 
   
   
   
  
  44 
   
   
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  15 COPYRIGHT NOTICE 
  Open Game License v 1.0 Copyright 2000, Wizards of the Coast, Inc. 
  Lamentations of the Flame Princess: Weird Fantasy Role-Playing Player Core Book: Rules & Magic © 2013 LotFP, author James 
  Edward Raggi IV 
  Swords & Wizardry Complete Rules, Copyright 2010 and Swords & Wizardry Core Rules, Copyright 2008, Matthew J. Finch;  
  System Reference Document © 2000, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.; Authors Jonathon Tweet, Monte Cook, Skip Williams, based on 
  original mate- rial by E. Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson.System Reference Document © 2000-2003, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.; Authors 
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  Black Dogs  © Daimon Games, Davide Pignedoli 
  
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