TEXT:  
   
   
   
  Black Dogs #II 
  JANUARY 2018 
   
  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 II contains: how to portray the world 
  rules for encumbrance and gear 
  guidelines on dice rolls 
  short adventure seeds for improvisation 
  witches and smart zombies! 
   
   
  
   
   
   
  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 #II 
  FEBRUARY 2018 
   
  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) 
   
  Presenting the World, 9 
  (World) 
   
  Encumbrance and Gear, 15 
  (Guts) 
   
  Rolling Dice, 25 
  (Guts) 
   
  Campaign Spirit &  
  Adventure Seeds, 30 
  (World) 
   
  Witches and Smart Zombies, 36 
  (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, and mostly for the Lamentations 
  of the Flame Princess. Black Dogs shares a common set of rules 
  and esthetics 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 
  Eddie Hardy, Mark Nolan, 
  Timothy Linward  
   
  Editors 
  Art is public domain 
   
  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 - brought together by the loose frame 
  of an informal organization that lends some 
  purpose 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, and interacting with a fantasy 
  community and its people. 
  Monsters 
   
  Fights are few, and are risky and important, 
  with an emphasis on tactics. Monsters are 
  many, but your characters hunt them with a 
  purpose, and a fight is also an encounter, with 
  all of the complexity that implies. 
  Wilderness 
   
  Wilderness and travel are handled with spe-
  cific rules that can lead to additional 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 monster 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 
  monster 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 
   
   
  This is an index of topics as they appeared in 
  issues I and II and some plans for the upcoming 
  issues III and IV. 
   
  Index by 
  ‘zine 
   
  I - Introduction to the Black Dogs 
  (Guts) 
  I - About the Setting, first presentation 
  (World) 
  I - Make Characters, first basic changes 
  (Guts) 
  I - Basic Rules, about dice rolls, checks, saves 
   (Guts) 
  I - Flussburg, a first introductory adventure 
  (World) 
  I - Trees and Trolls, first original monsters 
   (The Wild) 
   
   
  II - Issue II intro (repeated) and ‘zines’ index  
  (Guts) 
  II - Presenting the world, first overview  
  (World) 
  II - Encumbrance and Gear, including 
  equipment lists  
  (Guts) 
  II - Rolling Dice, advice for the GM 
  (Guts) 
  II - Campaign Spirit & Adventures Seeds, 
  example improvisation  
  (World) 
  II - Witches and Smart Zombies, and more  
  (The Wild) 
   
   
  III - Adventures Structure, quick-gen tables  
  (World) 
  III - Combat, by zones and tactics  
  (Blood) 
   
   
  IV - Social Interactions, using NPCs  
  (World) 
  IV - Designing NPCs: making them real, plus 
  some reference stats  
  (Guts) 
   
  
  6 
   
  Call for 
  editors  
   
  If instead you 
  want to  
  submit your  
  own materials, 
  stay tuned.  
  We’ll talk  
  about this in  
  the next issue 
   
  If you liked the first two Black Dogs issues 
  and you are a native English speaker - I will 
  gladly accept your help to edit the future issues 
  of this ‘zine. I am not a native English speaker 
  and I need editors and proofreaders. 
  Sometimes my choice of words is rather poor, 
  sometimes my sentences are too convoluted or 
  cryptic, or my rules ambiguous. 
  If you’d like to participate, just drop me an 
  email and get in touch. Usually the deal is this: 
  if you submit changes or fixes which are accept-
  ed into the ‘zine then you will get that issue in 
  PDF for free. If there is a printed version availa-
  ble, you will also get a discount for it. 
  I don’t need professional editors: even if you 
  have no experience you’re welcome to get in 
  touch and give this a try. Of course, if you al-
  ready have experience in proofreading or edit-
  ing it helps, but since I cannot offer a real pay-
  ment, I welcome everyone on board. 
   
   
   
   
   
  
  7 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
  8 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
  9 
   
   
   
  Presenting 
  the world 
  Black Dogs games take place in the Europe of late medieval 
  times, only darker and grittier than our real world. It’s a medie-
  val Europe where mythical creatures and magic exist; and their 
  influence on human history was for the worse. This section helps 
  the GM with information useful to portray this harsh landscape. 
  Everything in this section assumes that you’ll be playing in con-
  tinental Europe, not in England. The political situation of any 
  single nation is typically irrelevant for the scale of our adven-
  tures, so I’ve purposefully ignored it. 
   
  There are mountain ranges to the south and 
  west of your map. You have to cross tall moun-
  tains (over 4.000 mt./13.000 feet) in order to 
  reach the lands to the south and the middle sea 
  (the Mediterranean Sea). Italy and Spain are not 
  only separated by mountains from the rest of 
  the continent, but their own territory is also 
  quite mountainous, once you move inland 
  away from the coastline. 
  Mountains 
   
   
   
   
  “Mountains are forested at the base, rocky at 
  the top, and many of them are covered in ice 
  and snow, all year, as you reach the peak. 
  Summer is hot but quite short. Autumn and 
  spring are rainy. Winter is long and snow is 
  abundant (you can get enough in one night to 
  block the door of your hut). 
  Think of: 
  Forests 
  Rocks 
  Ice and snow 
  Rain 
  Winter 
   
  
  10 
   
  Lands 
   
  Think of: 
  Flat fields 
  Hills 
  Rivers 
  Ancient roads 
  Weather 
  Throughout the rest of the continent, center 
  and north, the land is flat, although hills are 
  common and often used as location for a castle, 
  a tower, a church, or a cemetery. The land is 
  fertile and the climate is favorable enough, alt-
  hough summers are hotter than you’d like, and 
  winters colder and longer year after year, as if 
  something was suddenly wrong with the 
  weather. There are plenty of rivers, many large 
  enough for barges and boats to navigate and 
  use for travel and commerce. There is a large 
  network of ancient imperial roads still in decent 
  condition that can be used to move around the 
  main cities, but nobody is taking care of those 
  roads and they’re going to fall apart, eventually. 
   
  Woods 
   
  Human 
  settlements  
  are small  
  points of light  
  in the middle  
  of a dark sea  
  of trees 
   
  Think of: 
  Huge forests 
  Tall trees 
  Thick vegetation 
  Slow travel 
  Short visibility 
  Orientation 
  Ambushes 
  ... The Wild 
  When you think of woods, think of them as 
  the main feature of the land. They extend to 
  the size of kingdoms. Humans have just barely 
  started cutting trees at the edge of the civilized 
  areas, but woods, thick forests, remain the main 
  feature of the land. 
  When you travel from town to town, you 
  travel mostly through woods, with the excep-
  tion of a few patches of cultivated fields. When 
  you climb mountains, there are mostly trees 
  around you, unless you climb high enough. 
  Hills are also covered in trees, for the most part. 
  Woods are not just trees, they slow down 
  travel unless you move on the road or on a 
  path; they cut your line of vision; they mask the 
  features of the land you travel across; they favor 
  ambushes; they hide the monsters you fight; 
  conceal the places you’re looking for. Woods 
  are the heart of The Wild. 
  
  11 
   
  Towns are the standard location for the char-
  acter’s interaction with human NPCs. They are 
  bigger than villages but smaller than cities. 
  Most buildings are still built from wood, but the 
  homes of the nobles, the artisans, and those 
  who accumulated wealth, are built in stone. It’s 
  not uncommon for buildings to have a second 
  floor, or maybe even a little tower. Towns are 
  “urban” environments yet surrounded by 
  farms. While cities depend on travel for food 
  and other goods, towns are self-sufficient; while 
  villages depend on traveling traders, towns 
  have artisans and can provide the characters 
  with most of what they need. 
   
  Towns 
   
  Think: 
  Smaller  
  than cities 
  Larger  
  than villages 
   
  Think urban but 
  farms all around 
   
  There is a church in every village and there is 
  often a monastery or an abbey within a few 
  days walk from most places. Ordinary people 
  are supposed to maintain certain moral behav-
  iors, and it’s not uncommon for someone to be 
  excluded from a community based on some 
  religious pretense. 
  While most folks go to church once a week, or 
  even more often, and at least pretend to respect 
  Christian morals, ordinary life can be a different 
  matter. When faced with the tough choice be-
  tween certain religious standards versus per-
  sonal gain or personal interest (be it greed, or 
  even simple lust), five out of six times any NPC 
  will act according to personal interest. A small-
  er fraction of the population is instead peculiar 
  enough to follow something greater than im-
  mediate satisfaction of desires: be it for the 
  greater good, or instead directed by some twist-
  ed, evil scheme perpetrated by the demons. 
  Customs 
  and 
  religion 
   
  Unless you  
  decide to change 
  the setting,  
  the Christian 
  religion is the only 
  common religion 
   
   
  In alignment 
  terms, consider 
  five out of six  
  to be neutral 
   
  
  12 
   
  Church 
   
  Think of: 
  Reformation  
  Preachers 
  Resentment 
  Books and 
  pamphlets 
  Cults, sects and 
  heresies 
  Public moral 
  Private sins 
   
   
  Use religious 
  sentiments as a 
  key to direct an 
  NPC behavior 
  mostly when 
  following god’s 
  will become a 
  problem 
   
   
  A standard game features the Christian 
  Church as the default religion for commoners 
  and nobles. You know the subject, since you 
  play RPGs, and it could be a good idea to have 
  the Reformation happening at the time of your 
  adventures. There are preachers in the streets. 
  There is resentment towards the pope and the 
  traditional clergy. There are few books and yet 
  many pamphlets distributed in every town and 
  in most villages. The Reformation developed 
  differently in various regions of the continent; 
  you are free to take some liberties with this. 
  Almost every NPC should feel like they have 
  their contribution to make; cults, sects, and her-
  esies blossom in every corner of the known 
  kingdoms. Also: even though the public moral 
  is one thing, the private behaviors of many of 
  your NPCs are not necessarily aligned with 
  their preaching or the dictates of whatever 
  church they belong to - very much like today.  
   
  Nobility 
   
  Think of: 
  Pure blood 
  Lack of money 
  Change 
  Land 
  Decline 
  Privileges 
   
   
  It’s not about pure blood anymore: there are 
  merchants as wealthy as any noble, or even 
  richer than kings. It’s not about valor anymore: 
  a musket can take out a knight in armor from a 
  distance, with no shame. It’s not about raising 
  the commoners to arms: an army of profession-
  al mercenaries will make short work of them. 
  It’s not about owning the rights to the land: The 
  Wild is the real lord here. Nobles begin to sense 
  the decline of their caste. While a few smart 
  ones will use their privileges to transform their 
  families into something modern, most of them 
  cling to their former glories with pride, disgust 
  for the current times, and stupidity. 
  
  13 
   
  Most people live simple lives in villages or 
  small towns, although the major cities are now 
  more common and many - especially the young 
  - move there seeking fortune. The majority of 
  the adventures, though, will take place in the 
  heart of the continent, where The Wild is strong 
  and lingers just at the edge of civilized areas. 
  Commoners are not stupid; most of them 
  possess enough common sense to see through 
  bullshit and enough pride to defend their basic 
  rights. Even so, the social order is still deeply 
  unbalanced in favor of nobles - or of those 
  strong enough to make a name for themselves. 
  Politics is simple enough: there is a local au-
  thority, and usually that’s about it as far as 
  commoners are concerned, unless a major war 
  breaks out and a major army is drafted. For 
  most of their lives, though, peasants have to 
  deal only with the local noble, the constable or 
  local judge, and the nearest priest or monks. 
   
  When making an NPC, consider this list of 
  possible professions as inspiration: 
   
  People 
   
  Think of: 
  Simple lives 
  At the edge of  
  The Wild 
  Pride and basic 
  rights 
  Unbalanced 
  power 
  Simple politics 
  Everything is near 
   
   
  Farmer 
   
  Woodcutter 
   
  Shepherd 
   
  Servant 
   
  Hunter 
   
  Fisherman 
   
  Carpenter 
   
  Tanner 
   
  Tinsmith 
   
  Basketmaker 
   
  Guard 
   
  Jailer 
   
  Boatman 
   
  Artisan 
   
  Shoemaker 
   
  Tailor 
   
  Gamekeeper 
   
  Mason 
   
  Baker 
   
  Butcher 
   
  Blacksmith 
   
  Stonemason 
   
  Jeweler 
   
  Gunsmith 
   
  Physician 
   
  Herbalist 
   
  Perfumer 
   
  Merchant 
   
  Bard 
   
  Prostitute 
   
  Bandit 
   
  Thief 
   
  Vagabond 
  
  14 
   
  Why the 
  Black 
  Dogs 
   
  Think of: 
  Force 
  Fair price 
  Personal gain 
  Code  
  Judgment 
   
   
   
   
   
   
  The Black Dogs are not mercenaries, although 
  they often act as such and can solve problems 
  with force. They work for commoners and no-
  bles alike, and demand a fair price. They are 
  not adventurers, but they always have their 
  personal gain in mind, and often prefer to sur-
  vive a defeat than die in victory. They are not 
  martyrs nor saints, not philosophers nor priests: 
  yet they obey a code of conduct and sometimes 
  are capable of great sacrifice. They know more 
  than most people and have a way to judge and 
  bring justice that seems fair compared to local 
  tribunals and common laws. They are also 
  known to pass moral judgment, often in forms 
  which are in conflict with the standard doctrine 
  of the church. 
  These are your characters; and your players. 
  They are a group that stands aside, they are 
  peculiar, and in this form they are ready and 
  willing to enter most of the adventures. 
   
  Code of 
  Conduct 
   
  Fight against: 
  demons, 
  monsters,  
  evil humans.  
  Protect:  
  innocents and 
  children, 
  working 
  commoners, 
  humanity 
  This is a draft of the Black Dogs code of con-
  duct: in this order, fight against demons, mon-
  sters, outstandingly evil humans. In this fashion, 
  protect: innocents and children, working common-
  ers, humanity in general. Share this code with 
  your players, and discuss it if needed. 
  If you feel this doesn’t suit your group’s atti-
  tude, tune it, as much as you need. Keep it 
  simple: it should be something that you can fit 
  on an index card and keep on the table. 
  Please don’t make a code for “other” Black 
  Dogs and then play a group of exceptions to the 
  exception; your characters should be the only 
  Black Dogs in play (no Black Dogs NPCs). 
   
  
  15 
   
   
   
  Encumbrance 
  and Gear 
  The encumbrance system works not by weight but by slots. Of 
  course, for an item to be listed in the inventory, it must be some-
  thing that a person can reasonably carry. 
   
   
  An item takes one slot; either because of its 
  weight, size or shape, or because it requires 
  special attention 
  E.g. a ration is 
  heavy, a bow is 
  light but long, a 
  bottle is fragile 
   
  Sometimes, heavy or big items require 2 or 
  more slots; in that case write them across 
  the necessary slots 
  E.g. heavy armor 
  counts for more 
  than a single slot 
   
  A few small items (listed as 0 slots in the 
  gear lists) can be combined together in one 
  single slot 
  let’s say 3 for a 
  single slot 
   
  At character creation, setup the encum-
  brance slots on your sheet as follows: 
   
  Allowed 
  encumbrance 
   
  Characters can carry a number of items 
  equal to their Constitution ability score + 
  Strength modifier 
   
   
  Over-encumbrance boxes by default have 
  one slot each + the CON or STR modifier  
  whichever is 
  higher 
   
  As soon as you need to start writing in the 
  over-encumbrance boxes, you start to get penal-
  ties to your rolls. 
   
   
  
  16 
   
  Inventory sheet 
   
   
  Inventory 
   
  Avail. slots = CON score + STR mod 
  1 
   
  8 
   
  15 
  2 
   
  9 
   
  16 
  3 
   
  10 
   
  17 
  4 
   
  11 
   
  18 
  5 
   
  12 
   
  19 
  6 
   
  13 
   
  20 
  7 
   
  14 
   
   
   
   
  Encumbrance 
   
  Each box slots = 1 + CON or STR mod 
  Light 
   
  Medium 
   
  Heavy 
  -1 to combat rolls 
   
  -2 to all rolls 
   
  All rolls at disadv 
  1 
   
  1 
   
  1 
  2 
   
  2 
   
  2 
  3 
   
  3 
   
  3 
  4 
   
  4 
   
  4 
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
  17 
   
  If your Constitution ability score changes, or 
  your Constitution or Strength modifiers change, 
  then adjust the number of available slots during 
  the game. If the scores decreased, it may be nec-
  essary to remove gear from the inventory or 
  become over-encumbered. If the scores in-
  creased, you can carry more gear. 
   
   
   
  Cost is the price in silver pieces to acquire this 
  item in normal circumstances. You can get it 
  down to half price if the GM allows you to bar-
  gain and you succeed, or if the conditions are 
  favorable. Similarly, the price could go up to 
  double if the conditions are adverse or if bar-
  gaining was done poorly. 
   
  Gear lists 
  All metal weapons are forged, by default, in 
  steel. The points of arrows and darts, as well as 
  bullets, are also made of steel, iron, or a similar 
  metal. Against supernatural monsters, though, 
  you often need silver. 
  A silver weapon costs double, inflicts -2 
  damage (never less than 1) in a normal fight, 
  and it breaks on a roll of a natural 1. 
  But a silver weapon also inflicts double dam-
  age (without the -2 penalty) against monsters 
  vulnerable to silver, such as undead. 
   
  Silver 
  weapons 
  For all weapons, damage is the dice to roll if 
  the attack is successful, and to subtract from the 
  opponent’s HP. 
   
  Damage 
   
   
   
  
  18 
   
  Small 
  weapons 
  Easy to conceal and to use in close quarters. 
  Allows use of a shield in the other hand, or a 
  small secondary weapon. 
   
  Weapon 
  Slots 
  Damage 
  Cost 
  Improvised small weapon 
  1 
  1d3 
  - 
  Cestus 
  1 
  b1d3 
  3 
  Knife/Dagger 
  1 
  1d4 
  5 
  Club 
  1 
  1d4+1 
  4 
   
  Regular 
  weapons 
  One handed and made to kill. Allows use of a 
  shield or a small secondary weapon. 
   
  Weapon 
  Slots 
  Damage 
  Cost 
  Sword, rapier 
  1 
  1d6+1 
  40 
  Axe 
  1 
  1d6 
  20 
  Mace, flail, warhammer 
  2 
  b2d6 
  25 
   
  Versatile 
  weapons 
  One or two handed; treat them as a sword 
  (1d6+1 damage, and shield/sec. weapon) if one 
  handed, by the table if two handed. 
   
  Weapon 
  Slots 
  Damage 
  Cost 
  Spear 
  2 
  1d8 
  25 
  Long sword 
  2 
  1d8+1 
  60 
  Staff 
  2 
  b2d4 
  10 
   
  Large 
  weapons 
  Must be used two handed; no shield and no 
  secondary weapon allowed. 
   
  Weapon 
  Slots 
  Damage 
  Cost 
  Improvised large weapon 
  2 
  1d6+1 
  - 
  Halberd, pike 
  2 
  1d10+1 
  45 
  Great sword 
  2 
  b2d8 
  80 
  Great axe 
  3 
  1d10 
  45 
   
  
  19 
   
  All missile weapons allow a number of shots 
  (range) as indicated in parenthesis, before the 
  opponent can close the distance and engage in 
  melée.  
  This is not just reload time, but an indication 
  factoring the weapon’s range with enough pre-
  cision for a shot in the heat of the battle. 
  Missile 
  weapons 
   
  If you throw a melée weapon, it inflicts its 
  normal damage up to 1d6 and never more than 
  that; it counts as range (1). 
  Thrown 
  weapons 
   
  Weapon 
  Slots 
  Damage 
  Cost 
  Improvised thrown object (1) 
  1 
  1d3 
  - 
  Sling (3) 
  1 
  1d4 
  3 
  Blowgun (1) 
  1 
  - 
  3 
  Short bow (3) 
  1 
  1d6 
  20 
  Hunting bow (4) 
  1 
  1d6+1 
  40 
  Long bow (5) 
  2 
  b2d8 
  60 
  Crossbow (2) 
  1 
  1d8+1 
  45 
  Big crossbow (1) 
  2 
  b2d10 
  70 
  10 arrows or darts 
  1 
  - 
  10 
   
   
   
   
   
  
  20 
   
  Fire 
  weapons 
  Consider all fire weapons as expensive and 
  uncommon, but not rare.  
  They use a flintlock firing mechanism (or 
  wheellock if you prefer). 
   
  Weapon 
  Slots 
  Damage 
  Cost 
  Pistol 
  1 
  1d8 
  100 
  Arquebus 
  2 
  b2d8 
  120 
  Musket 
  2 
  2d10 
  150 
  10 gunpowder 
  1 
  - 
  10 
   
  Gun  
  powder 
  All fire weapons require gunpowder and bul-
  lets. Regardless of how they’re carried (in a bag, 
  at the belt, on a bandolier), track those as gener-
  ic gunpowder items. 10 gunpowder are 1 slot 
  and allow reloading 10 times. They take 4 
  rounds to reload (empty, clean, load, setup). 
   
  Misfire 
  All fire weapons misfire (no shot) if rolling a 
  damage of 1, and after that they need an addi-
  tional cleaning round (5 rounds to reload). 
   
  Armor 
  reduction 
  All fire weapons reduce targets’ armor mak-
  ing all armor worth 1 AC and not more, regard-
  less of what was the original AC bonus. If 
  you’re uncertain, just subtract an average 3 
  from all opponents’ AC, including of course 
  monsters. 
   
  Explosion 
  danger 
  Any character carrying gunpowder must 
  save vs. Dexterity if hit by a fire attack (not a 
  fire weapon) or suffer 1 damage for every 3 
  gunpowder they carry, as they explode. 
   
   
  
  21 
   
  Armor is applied as a bonus to the AC. Un-
  less otherwise instructed by the rules, do not 
  add up two different types of armor except for 
  shields. So for example furs + leather simply 
  counts as +2 (the highest) as if it was just leath-
  er; while leather + simple shield indeed counts 
  as +2+1=+3. 
   
  Armor 
  Be flexible in your armor description: basical-
  ly anything that counts as armor has an encum-
  brance equal to the AC bonus that it provides, 
  except that full plate armor is “only” 4 slots of 
  encumbrance while providing a +5 AC, with an 
  extra AC point. 
  Descriptions 
   
  Armor 
  Slots 
  AC 
  Cost 
  Heavy clothing  
  or furs 
  1 
  +1 
  10 
  Leather  
  or partial mail 
  2 
  +2 
  25 
  Chainmail or partial metal 
  (such as a cuirass) 
  3 
  +3 
  80 
  Full plate  
  or near full plate 
  4 
  +5 
  200 
  Simple shield 
  1 
  +1 
  15 
  Large shield 
  2 
  +2 
  50 
   
   
   
  
  22 
   
  Useful 
  gear 
  Items listed with Slots “-” cannot be carried, 
  while items with Slots “0” are considered to be 
  small items of minimal encumbrance, and you 
  can write two or three of them in a single slot. 
  For gear, food, 
  services, and so 
  on, always assume 
  standard quality 
  and size where 
  not specified 
  As a rough indication, double the price for 
  better quality, and double for luxury, fancy, 
  exceptionally high quality items. Double the 
  price also if you need to make stuff which is of a 
  better quality and therefore lighter or smaller, 
  to reduce its encumbrance. 
  Double the price for a size upgrade (a longer 
  rope) and double its slots too.  
   
  Light gear 
   
  Slots 
  Cost 
  Bell 
   
  0 
  10 
  Candles (5) 
   
  0 
  1 
  Chalk 
   
  0 
  1 
  Flint & steel 
   
  0 
  1 
  Garlic 
   
  0 
  1 
  Holy symbol 
   
  0 
  20 
  Holy water 
   
  0 
  10 
  Hourglass 
   
  0 
  50 
  Ink and Parchment 
   
  0 
  5 
  Lock 
   
  0 
  10 
  Magnifying glass 
   
  0 
  50 
  Manacles 
   
  0 
  15 
  Mirror (small) 
   
  0 
  20 
  Nails 
   
  0 
  1 
  Pouch 
   
  0 
  3 
  Rogue tools 
   
  0 
  30 
  Sealing wax 
   
  0 
  5 
  Spikes 
   
  0 
  5 
  Tobacco 
   
  0 
  2 
  Whistle 
   
  0 
  1 
   
  
  23 
   
  Regular gear 
   
  Slots 
  Cost 
  Backpack 
   
  1 
  5 
  Barrel 
   
  4 
  5 
  Bedroll 
   
  2 
  2 
  Book 
   
  1 
  20 
  Bottle or flask 
   
  0 
  1 
  Chain (short) 
   
  2 
  25 
  Chain (long) 
   
  4 
  40 
  Chest 
   
  4 
  15 
  Climbing gear 
   
  2 
  30 
  Clothes (plain) 
   
  1 
  5 
  Clothes (regular) 
   
  1 
  10 
  Clothes (practical) 
   
  1 
  20 
  Clothes (fancy) 
   
  1 
  50 
  Crampons 
   
  1 
  2 
  Crowbar 
   
  2 
  2 
  Fishing gear 
   
  1 
  2 
  Grappling hook 
   
  1 
  5 
  Hammer or light tool 
   
  1 
  3 
  Ladder (short) 
   
  4 
  5 
  Ladder (long) 
   
  8 
  10 
  Lantern 
   
  1 
  10 
  Musical instrument 
   
  1 
  5 
  Oil (lantern) 
   
  1 
  3 
  Pick or heavy tool 
   
  2 
  5 
  Pole 
   
  2 
  1 
  Pulley 
   
  1 
  2 
  Quiver (for 20) 
   
  1 
  5 
  Rope (short) 
   
  1 
  2 
  Rope (long) 
   
  2 
  4 
  Sack or Saddlebag 
   
  1 
  2 
  Shovel 
   
  2 
  5 
  Tent (for 1) 
   
  2 
  10 
  Torches (3) 
   
  1 
  1 
   
  
  24 
   
  Food 
   
  Slots 
  Cost 
  Alcohol 
   
  1 
  5 
  Drink (tavern) 
   
  1 
  3 
  Meal (tavern) 
   
  1 
  1 
  Ration (normal) 
   
  1 
  1 
  Ration (dry) 
   
  1 
  3 
  Animal’s food 
   
  1 
  1 
   
  Travel 
   
  Slots 
  Cost 
  Cart (buy) 
   
  - 
  50 
  Raft (buy) 
   
  - 
  25 
  Small boat (buy) 
   
  - 
  200 
  Daily coach ride 
   
  - 
  10 
  Daily boat ride 
   
  - 
  5 
  Short coach ride 
   
  - 
  3 
  Short boat ride 
   
  - 
  2 
   
  Lodging 
   
  Slots 
  Cost 
  Barn (night) 
   
  - 
  1 
  Inn (common) 
   
  - 
  2 
  Inn (private) 
   
  - 
  10 
  Inn (luxury) 
   
  - 
  50 
  Rent (room/month) 
   
  - 
  20 
   
  Animals 
   
  Slots 
  Cost 
  Small dog or cat 
   
  2 
  5 
  Dog (trained, hunting) 
   
  3 
  30 
  Dog (trained, fighting) 
   
  4 
  50 
  Horse (riding) 
   
  - 
  100 
  Horse (war) 
   
  - 
  500 
  Mule or pony 
   
  - 
  50 
  Other (small) 
   
  2 
  5 
  Other (large) 
   
  - 
  50 
   
   
  
  25 
   
   
   
  Rolling Dice 
  As the Game Master, you are expected to decide when and if 
  to call for a dice roll. In principle, use your best judgment and: 
   
   
  When appropriate, just tell the player that the character suc-
  ceeds in what they try to do (the task is trivial, there is no in-
  terest in seeing a failure, there is no difficulty or pressure or 
  reason to think there could be any significant issue) 
   
  When the situation demands it, just say that what they are 
  trying to do is plainly impossible (beyond human capabil-
  ity, or perhaps clearly stupid; probably they didn’t under-
  stand the situation) 
   
  In those cases, prompt them to ask questions and seek al-
  ternatives or explain what they can do instead 
   
  Ask for a roll when it creates positive tension: 
   
  There is risk 
   
  There is time pressure 
   
  There is conflict 
   
  There is interesting potential in both failure 
  or success 
   
  When complications might arise 
   
  When the character can perform something 
  critical, something delicate, something spe-
  cial, something unique, something daring, 
  etc... 
  In other words, 
  don’t be afraid to 
  let things unfold 
  without the need 
  for dice as long as 
  it makes sense 
   
  And don’t be shy 
  when the time 
  comes to say no 
  and present 
  something as 
  clearly impossible; 
  there are things 
  characters simply 
  cannot do 
   
   
   
   
   
  
  26 
   
  Success 
  and failure 
  When asking for a roll, you are leaving the re-
  sponse in the hands of the dice. If the dice de-
  termine a success, it must be so (within the lim-
  its of what’s at stake) and if the dice determine a 
  failure, there must be some dire consequence. 
  Do not dilute success earned with the dice, 
  and do not hold back punishment for failure. 
   
  Interesting 
  failures & 
  fail-
  forward 
  A lot of times, failures are described by GMs 
  as a “miss”. The character fails to pick the lock, 
  to lift the heavy gate, to hit the enemy. Failure 
  can be described as much more than that.  
  You can describe failure without the need to 
  resort to a “miss”. Sometimes the characters are 
  doing their best and did their thing properly, 
  but... something else went wrong, or the condi-
  tions were different than expected, or there is a 
  new element of complication that gets intro-
  duced. Also, failures become sometimes a hard 
  stop in the characters’ progress and might trans-
  form an intense scene or session into a slow 
  grind searching for alternatives.  
  This is why you can describe failure with a 
  fail-forward approach, which means giving the 
  characters what they want but either introduc-
  ing a new complication, or twisting the effects 
  of their action or the objective of their actions, in 
  a way that makes this “success” a pricey one. 
   
  Examples 
  So, you may describe failure as in the next 
  pages (these are just examples, not an exhaus-
  tive list; some are proposing alternatives to fail-
  ure and others are fail-forward examples, and 
  some are a mix of the two). 
   
   
  
  27 
   
   
  You are picking the lock but it takes more 
  time than you expected... do you give it an-
  other Turn of trying? 
   
  The lock clicks and opens, but the door 
  seems to have been barred from the inside 
   
  The lock clicks and open but you feel a sting 
  on your finger; and it burns like hell 
   
  The lock clicks and the door opens with a 
  loud noise; you hear steps from the nearby 
  corridor and alarmed voices 
   
  Picking a lock and 
  failing the roll 
  As you can see the above are not plain failures but: a waste of 
  time, a new situation (a bar requires strength), a new danger (a 
  trap), a fail-forward (guards approaching but you have access). 
   
   
  They accept your request for a discount but 
  then their business partner shows up angry 
  and rejects the deal 
   
  The local priest agrees to ask the villagers to 
  help you in your hunt, but the villagers ap-
  parently are not taking orders from him, 
  and flatly refuse 
   
  They are ready to give you access and let 
  you in, but all of a sudden someone else 
  turns up 
   
  Persuading an 
  NPC and failing 
  the roll 
  See how the first is basically a failure (no discount) but from 
  the actions of a different NPC (the negotiation was good, but the 
  other angry bastard showed up); how the second introduces a 
  new situation and possible complication (do you persuade the 
  villagers? Why do they not listen to priest?), how the third is a 
  mixture of fail-forward (they are giving you access, you’re half 
  way in...) and complications (someone else is coming... do you 
  take the risk and enter? Do you wait, perhaps to be denied access 
  by the newcomers?). 
   
  
  28 
   
  Climbing a wall 
  and failing the roll 
   
  You can climb but the bricks are old and 
  crumble under your fingers, stones falling 
  on the street below; you are going to make a 
  lot of noise 
   
  Halfway up you notice that the wall is slip-
  pery with moss; you cannot safely reach the 
  top from here 
   
  You almost get to the top of the wall, but 
  manage to go no further; perhaps one of 
  your companions is strong enough to pull 
  you up 
   
  Here we have an example of a complication (noise possibly at-
  tracting guards), a failure that does not depend on the character’s 
  skills but on a difficult condition (the moss on the wall), and a 
  failure that involves someone else (one of your friends must take 
  some risks to help you: maybe a Strength check at the risk of 
  falling?). 
   
  Adding details 
  Note that by introducing new elements, new 
  NPCs and presenting complications, you make 
  the world richer with details and at the same 
  time you present the characters not as incompe-
  tent losers failing at their tasks fairly often, but 
  as adventurers facing harsh difficulties.  
  No hard stops 
  (unless when 
  you want them) 
  Moreover, all those twists and complications 
  will help you to keep the narration fluid and 
  going forward, instead of hitting a hard stop as 
  a consequence of a simple “you don’t manage 
  to do it”.  
  Avoid flat 
  descriptions and 
  retries 
  And last but not least, twists and complica-
  tions and fail-forwards present new situations, 
  new challenges, avoiding  flat repetitive de-
  scriptions and the classic loop of endless re-tries 
  sometimes characters fall into. 
   
  
  29 
   
   
  The enemy raises their shield and blocks 
  your blow, or your blade just dents their 
  armor 
   
  The scales of the monster seem thick 
  enough to stop your blade, or you perhaps 
  should use silver instead of steel 
   
  The enemy dodges, jumping aside; if they 
  have a weapon they may parry your blow 
  (and when the GM rolls the enemy’s attack, 
  a successful hit may be described as a skill-
  ful counterattack) 
   
  The enemy is hit and bleeding but seems to 
  just shrug the pain away and prepares for a 
  counterattack 
   
  Your arrow flies in a perfect trajectory, but 
  misses the enemy’s head by just an inch 
   
  Your pistol or musket is aimed surely at 
  your target, but when you pull the trigger 
  the charge fails to ignite 
   
  Similar techniques 
  can be used in 
  combat 
   
  Imagine a 
  character attacking 
  an enemy and 
  failing the roll 
  When describing failures in combat, remem-
  ber that Armor Class (both for characters and 
  opponents) is not just how difficult it is to hit 
  them, but to hit them and cause harm. So for 
  example you can describe how attacks are 
  blocked or dodged.  
   
  Armor Class is not 
  just “missing” 
   
  Use it to  
  block or dodge 
  Hit Points are not just “blood”; they are also 
  resilience to pain (hence hitting the enemy for 0 
  HP damage or a low amount) and even pure 
  luck or misfortune (missing by an inch). 
  If a monster has a large number of Hit Points, 
  describe it as fearsome, near invulnerable, in-
  sensitive to pain and bleeding, capable of 
  fighting on despite terrible wounds. 
  Hit Points are not 
  just “blood” 
   
  Use them to 
  describe scrapes 
  and bruises, 
  pain and shock, 
  luck and twists 
   
  
  30 
   
   
   
  CAMPAIGN Spirit 
  While it is perfectly possible to use the Black Dogs ‘zine as an 
  inspiration for specific house-rules, bestiary, setting, or as a 
  source for adventures, it’s when all the pieces are put together in 
  a single game, that the material really shines. In this context, it’s 
  important to understand the game spirit. 
   
  A game of 
  exploration 
  The Black Dogs is a game of exploration. It 
  is other things too, but it’s not about saving the 
  world, and it’s not just about looting treasure. In 
  other words, it’s not epic fantasy, and it’s not a 
  slow grind of level-up and power-up by the 
  means of XP and gold.  
  I don’t like to define it by just saying “not ep-
  ic” and “not grinding”, so let’s try with a better 
  explanation: the Black Dogs is a game of explo-
  ration, for the GM and the players. 
   
  Exploration  
  for players 
  A game of exploration for the players, means 
  that after going through adventures at your 
  table, players will be tougher and harder: they’ll 
  know what to fear from the world of the OSR, 
  and they’ll be wiser. They’ll know how to take 
  risks, in exchange for the experience (not the 
  XP) of seeing this world of imagination, its 
  monsters and its mysteries. 
  Characters as 
  instruments 
  Players will have a unique experience in tak-
  ing decisions for their characters in Black Dogs, 
  and in using those characters as instruments to 
  explore this fantasy world.  
   
  
  31 
   
  Players will know and discover this world 
  according to the risks they agree to take. 
  Their party is made of a limited number of 
  characters: the experience of exploration from 
  the players’ point of view, will be the sum of all 
  the many things they’ve seen before the group 
  of the Black Dogs will fall apart. And there will 
  be value - you’ll see - also in what they’ve left 
  behind and unexplored. 
  Experience and 
  taking risks 
  In this sense an adventure, or in a broader 
  sense a campaign, are like a dungeon. Regard-
  less of their real location and content, what’s 
  important is which doors have been opened 
  and which rooms have been explored. And the 
  experience of the adventure or campaign is 
  shaped as much by those decisions that have 
  left some doors unopened and some zones 
  unexplored. 
  An adventure  
  or a campaign  
  are like  
  a dungeon 
  Taking risks is part of the players’ job, so that 
  they can balance their two instincts: keeping 
  characters alive if possible, and see as much as 
  they can of the situation. 
  The adventure (or the equivalent dungeon) is 
  experienced in a different way every time, de-
  pending on the choices made by players, on the 
  risks taken, on the paths chosen. 
   
  Take risks to  
  get to know, to 
  experience more, 
  about this  
  fantasy world 
  For the GM, a game of exploration is present-
  ing the single adventure (or the entire cam-
  paign) as a situation, to make it evolve accord-
  ing to its premises and react to the players’ ac-
  tions (or lack of). It’s witnessing the story 
  emerge by the players’ decisions to open this 
  door or leave that one closed. 
  Exploration  
  for the GM 
   
  
  32 
   
  Keep an 
  open mind 
  The key to do that, is always keeping an 
  open mind. Yes, there is some prep done for the 
  adventure, and maybe even for the campaign. 
  Yes, there are some pieces that you “pro-
  grammed” to react in certain ways. All those 
  things just make sense. What instead should not 
  be there, is a danger, an NPC, a monster, or any 
  sort of fictional piece that as GM you will use to 
  direct the players in the direction you wanted. 
  Your players are the ones driving here: you 
  present many paths, an open scenery; they de-
  cide which way to take. There should not be 
  single, unique, GM-determined, solution. 
  Have fun  
  as a GM 
  The secret to having a lot of fun as GM, is not 
  to know what’s going to happen. It is not 
  knowing what direction the session will take. 
  Your favorite NPC might die, your great mon-
  ster be slain with a clever plan, the great secret 
  in the hidden cave never discovered. All these 
  are possible, and positive outcomes. 
  They are the fruit of the interaction between 
  the players’ characters and the world you pre-
  sent. They are what’s called exploration. They 
  are what gives life to your adventure, setting 
  and campaign. 
   
   
   
  
  33 
   
   
   
  Adventure Seeds 
  This small section presents a few adventures seeds generated 
  with the random tables that will appear in the next issue of the 
  Black Dogs ‘zine. These are not full adventures, but just simple 
  descriptions to spark your imagination into some improvisation 
  at the table. They are presented with a summary of what I rolled 
  on the random tables, to show how these elements can be put 
  together into an adventure seed. 
  When running improvised adventures, don’t be afraid to keep 
  them short: not too complex, not too messy. Keep them straight 
  to the point: they can be done within a single session. The only 
  things you need are starting ideas, guidelines on how to proceed, 
  and a few stats. 
   
  These are the rolls on the random tables: 
  L: 6-2 = Medium town; Important merchants 
  and nobles 
  Add. feature: 1-4 = An important crossroad 
  P: 2-5 = Lover or spy; An old grudge 
  P: 4-4 = Priest or bishop; Disposition to abuse 
  M: 6-7 = A Witch fighting the church 
  C: 8 = Someone is in great danger; Or power 
   
  The town clearly is about merchants and trade, 
  and it is in turmoil because of a Witch: she has a 
  personal feud against the local church and the 
  Bishop in particular. If the characters investigate 
  the Bishop, it will be clear to them that he’s the 
  bad guy here: he’s abusive and corrupt and the 
  Witch is bent on revenge. 
  An Old 
  Lover 
   
  Note that there is 
  also a lover or a 
  spy; perhaps the 
  Witch (or 
  someone she 
  loved) was the 
  Bishop’s lover or 
  spy? 
   
  What side are the 
  merchants on in 
  this fight? 
  What about the 
  nobles? 
   
   
   
  
  34 
   
  The Black 
  Market 
   
  These are the rolls on the random tables: 
  L: 3-1 = Medium village; Interbreeding fami-
  lies 
  Add. feature: 5-2 = Thriving market 
  P: 5-5 = Addict or drunk; Blackmail 
  P: 3-2 = Herbalist or druid; Greed for power 
  P: 6-7 = Beggar or vagabond Part of a cult 
  M: 3-1 = Two unusual, smart Zombies 
  C: 6 = Disease or mental instability; Cruelty 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  There is always 
  1d10 of them 
  buying random 
  body parts, blood, 
  organs, entire 
  corpses 
  This looks like a nest of wasps, although it 
  has a thriving market. Addicts, drunks, beggars 
  and vagabonds: what might they be selling? 
  Organs or blood, perhaps. That’s why those 
  families are interbreeding: they sell their off-
  spring. The market is by custom held in secret 
  at night, in the nearby woods, and alchemists 
  and wizards, scholars and medics, necro-
  mancers and witches send their apprentices to 
  buy at the market. All agreed not to go in per-
  son to avoid futile confrontations. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Cruelty is 
  definitely the 
  mark here: even 
  the characters 
  might end up 
  being sold in 
  pieces at the  
  night market if 
  they don’t pay 
  enough attention 
  The village looks small but the streets are 
  filled with addicts, drunks, beggars and vaga-
  bonds, even of very young age: they are the 
  wicked offspring of generations of interbreed-
  ing and the source of what’s sold in the night 
  market. At night, they retire in barracks just out 
  of the village; there they are fed once a day by 
  their relatives, which also make sure they don’t 
  wander off to far from the village. There is a 
  minimum of farming getting done, but the 
  “normal” villagers seem to be a bit too rich and 
  quite secretive, and the few local shops rival 
  those of a proper town. 
   
  
  35 
   
   
  The local families: the “normal” ones; they 
  want to keep their wicked offspring under 
  control and keep selling them in the night 
  market and of course preserve the dark se-
  cret of their village. They also have a prob-
  lem with zombies that live in a nearby cata-
  comb: those zombies are desecrating their 
  cemetery, they say (actually they are con-
  cerned the zombies will steal body parts or 
  cause trouble at the night market) 
   
  A druid or herbalist that lives in the vil-
  lage: his pockets are filled with silver and he 
  attends to the wealthiest of the locals as 
  physician, but now her wants more. He 
  does not fully understand what’s going on, 
  but he is collecting information. If he man-
  ages to gather info about the night market, 
  he will try to gain a fraction of its proceed-
  ings, rather than stop it. To gain power over 
  the market he’s ready to harm a few local 
  families in the process, if needed 
  So how can the 
  characters get 
  involved in what’s 
  happening? 
  There are three 
  major forces at 
  work in the 
  village, as shown 
  in this page 
   
  The smart zombies: they were created by 
  an accidental spell cast by a necromancer’s 
  apprentice. The apprentice was not too evil, 
  and all evil and stupidity in the area has 
  been already channeled in the wicked prac-
  tice of the market and in its human goods. 
  The zombies are not stupid and not evil; 
  they are actually as smart as regular hu-
  mans and have a plan to free the dead from 
  the desecration of the night market. They 
  cannot speak nor write, but they can make 
  clear gestures (as clear as the GM can mim-
  ic). They live in a nearby catacomb and exit 
  only at night (sunlight kills them) 
  If the characters 
  make contact with 
  the smart zombies, 
  the zombies will 
  try to gain their 
  help and support 
   
   
  Corpses or living 
  creatures bitten by 
  the smart zombies 
  will become smart 
  zombies too 
   
  
  36 
   
   
   
  Witches and 
  Smart Zombies 
  This section contains basic stats and reference information for 
  some of the characters that you might need if you run any of the 
  adventures seeds proposed in the previous pages. You probably 
  will find these stats useful as a reference and inspiration to make 
  additional NPCs: of course you can always tune numbers and 
  abilities to fit your game. If you want to share your creations, 
  send them to me and perhaps they’ll get into one of the next 
  Black Dogs issues. 
  Remember that Saves for monsters are written as x in 6 
  chances (roll a d6 equal or under x), same as for characters. 
   
  Rules for 
  morale 
   
   
  When the characters deal with humans, re-
  member that unless it’s truly inevitable, hu-
  mans do not fight to the death. NPCs that are 
  hurt more or less severely will look for an op-
  portunity to escape or surrender, unless they 
  expect to be killed even if they give up arms. 
  Use your regular rules for morale, 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 situa-
  tion. 
  As an exception, humans fighting for the 
  Bishop, to protect him or while on a mission on 
  his account, roll morale with a d4, which makes 
  them braver. 
   
  
  37 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
  38 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
  39 
   
  Marked by all the sins he committed, the 
  Bishop of this town is a portrait of everything 
  that’s wrong in the church: fat and with an an-
  gry mouth, greedy for power and wealth, ob-
  scene in his display of gold and silver, abusive 
  with anyone around him. But still: he’s a careful 
  listener, and can be a sweet charmer when it 
  comes to bending you to his will. Everyone 
  around him seems inclined to keep him happy, 
  and not just out of fear. 
   
  Strong charm 
  If the Bishop has the chance to speak with the 
  characters, while they gather information about 
  him or even in the middle of combat, he will 
  use anything at his advantage. 
  Characters failing a save vs magic will not be 
  able to attack him or even try to capture him for 
  1d4 rounds, and for the rest of the fight will 
  inflict only half damage. To trigger this spell, 
  the Bishop can select one target per round and 
  the target must have spoken to him; even an-
  swering a simple question like: “Why are you 
  attacking me?” makes them susceptible to this 
  power. Their answer needn’t be true: it’s the 
  conversation that counts; the Bishop will seed 
  doubts and uncertainty in almost anyone. 
   
  If the same character is targeted twice - be-
  cause they keep speaking to the Bishop - a se-
  cond failed save vs magic will bind them to the 
  Bishop: every 1 HP lost by the Bishop will result 
  in 3 HP lost by the character. Only a successful 
  save vs magic (permitted once per day) or the 
  Bishop’s death will break the bond. 
  Bishop 
   
  Bishop 
  AC 10  
  Save 3  
  (4 vs magic) 
  HD 2d6 (7 HP) 
   
  1 attack: 
  unarmed (1d2)  
  or small  
  weapon (1d4) 
   
   
  Weak charm 
  All attacks against 
  the Bishop inflict 
   -1 damage,  
  and -2 damage  
  if magical 
  He’s somehow 
  warded against 
  negative actions 
  by this 
  inexplicable 
  charm 
   
  A stronger charm, 
  a real spell, can  
  be used if 
  characters provide 
  the Bishop with 
  information  
  he can exploit 
   
   
   
  
  40 
   
  Witch 
   
  This is one 
  example of a 
  living Witch who 
  would be a 
  reasonable 
  adversary for  
  the Bishop 
  She’s a woman past her 50s but still quite 
  charming. She appears to be younger unless 
  someone makes a save vs magic or stays in her 
  presence for over 1 hour. She’s dressed as a 
  commoner and does her best to hide her fea-
  tures without being conspicuous with too much 
  concealment. She has a chest full of different 
  clothes, also appropriate for mundane occasions 
  and has a couple of religious disguises. 
   
  The Witch can  
  cast 3 spells per 
  day (in combat 
  they count as  
  an attack) 
   
  Witch 
  AC 12  
  Save 3  
  (4 vs magic) 
  HD 3d6 (10 HP) 
   
  2 attacks: 
  unarmed (1d2)  
  or small  
  weapon (1d4) 
   
  Plus spells  
  as described 
   
   
   
   
  Stealing words: save vs magic or the GM 
  can pick up to 3 words from anything the 
  character says. If you repeat those words 
  again, you will lose 1 HP per word. The 
  Witch can have up to 3 words marked for 
  each person in sight, marking one person 
  per round or changing words once per 
  round 
   
  Dark marks: every physical injury inflicted 
  by the Witch will develop into a dark, goat-
  shaped mark, and inflict 1 HP loss every 
  day for the following week 
   
  Negative charm: the Witch needs some 
  body part (a hair, clipped nails, will do) of 
  the victim. An hour long ritual allows her to 
  reduce the victim’s Charisma to half, or for 
  the Bishop, to negate new Charm spells 
  (those already active will remain as usual) 
   
  Mask: the Witch needs some body part of 
  the target. An hour long ritual allows her to 
  take the exact appearances of the target, un-
  til next sunshine (save vs magic to detect) 
   
  Crows: 1d6 crows will appear and attack 
  the target, AC 8; Save 1; HP 1; 1 attack beak 
  or claws to face (1d2) 
   
  
  41 
   
  If the Witch is killed, she will return the night 
  after from the dead, unless her corpse is burned 
  or destroyed, or somehow sealed away. Or just 
  use the Undead Witch for some other adven-
  ture. The Undead Witch looks ragged but is of 
  uncanny speed and agility for a corpse, and a 
  certain bitter beauty from her former self still 
  lingers in her appearance. 
   
  Her blows are unnaturally powerful and she 
  possesses all the spells of the regular Witch 
  (Stealing words, Dark mark, Negative charm, 
  Crows) but “Mask” is accompanied by some 
  serious necrotic stink (save vs magic or wisdom, 
  whatever is higher, rolled at advantage to detect 
  something’s wrong). 
  The Undead Witch can cast 3+1d6 spells eve-
  ry night, but cannot move outdoor in broad 
  daylight. 
   
  She can also cast: 
   
  Curse: reduce an ability by 1d6 points for 
  1d10 weeks 
   
  Plague: first and second casting do nothing, 
  the third hit against the same character 
  makes them develop the plague (see The 
  Undercroft ‘zine issue I, page 6, buy it!) 
  Witch 
  (undead) 
   
  Undead Witch 
  AC 14  
  Save 3  
  (4 vs magic) 
  HD 4d6 (13 HP) 
   
  3 attacks: 
  claws (1d4)  
  or small  
  weapon (1d4) 
   
  Plus spells  
  as described 
   
   
   
   
  They can be turned 
   
  They do not roll for morale 
   
  They can be harmed by normal weapons 
   
  But normal weapons inflict half damage 
   
  Silver weapons inflict double damage 
   
  Spells inflict normal damage  
   
  Fire and fire spells inflict double damage 
  Undead 
  (reminder) 
   
  
  42 
   
  Other 
  Humans 
  This section provides useful guidelines to de-
  termine stats for human NPCs. 
  Remember that humans fighting for the Bish-
  op, to protect him or while on a mission on his 
  account, roll morale with a d4, which makes 
  them braver. 
   
   
  Commoner 
  AC 10 
  Save 2 
  HD 1d6 (3 HP) 
   
  1 attack:  
  unarmed (1d2) or 
  small weapon 
  (1d3 or max 1d4) 
   
  Use also for priests 
  (Save: 3, plus 
  maybe  
  add spells) 
   
  Guard 
  AC 14  
  or 15 (50%)  
  Save 2 
  HD 1d8 (5 HP) 
   
  1 attack: regular 
  (1d6) or versatile 
  weapon (1d8) 
   
  Guards without a 
  shield (AC 14)  
  can have a  
  pike (1d10+2) 
   
  Bandit 
  AC 12 
  Save 2 
  HD 1d8 (5 HP) 
   
  1 attack: regular 
  (1d6) or versatile 
  weapon (1d8) 
   
  Use also  
  for cultists  
  (Save: 4)  
  or thugs  
  (2 attacks) 
   
  Noble 
  AC 13 
  or 15 (rare, full 
  plate, 20%) 
  Save 3 
  HD 2d8 (9 HP) 
   
  2 attacks:  
  regular  
  weapon (1d6) 
  plus (50%)  
  pistol (1d8) 
   
  Add +1 to to-hit 
  and damage rolls 
   
  Knight 
  AC 16 (plate, 70%) 
  or 14 (mail, 30%) 
  always w/shield 
  Save 3 
  HD 3d8 (13 HP) 
   
  2 attacks: regular  
  weapon (1d6) 
  plus (50%)  
  better weapon 
  (1d8/1d10) 
   
  Add +2 to to-hit 
  and damage rolls 
   
  Berserker 
  AC 13 
  or 15 (50%)  
   Save 3 
  HD 2d8 (9 HP) 
   
  2 attacks: large 
  weapon (1d8) 
   
  Add +2 to to-hit 
  and damage rolls 
  No need to roll  
  for morale, 
  berserkers do  
  not retreat 
   
   
   
  
  43 
   
  Smart Zombies are a twisted necromantic ac-
  cident. They have human-like intelligence and 
  feelings, but are still truly undead. Sunlight kills 
  them quickly and they live in caves or cata-
  combs. They cannot speak but can make them-
  selves understood with gestures and are usually 
  not hostile.  
  In the adventure seed proposed in this issue 
  of the Black Dogs, they want the cruel villagers 
  dead but especially they want to bite as many 
  corpses as they can, so they can save them from 
  the night market.  
  Every night, unless stopped, the smart zom-
  bies will turn 2d4 corpses into smart zombies, 
  and there’s at least 200 corpses in the area. 
  There are all the premises for a full war between 
  zombies and villagers; the zombies are dead set 
  on stopping the desecration of the bodies of the 
  dead, the villagers willing to do anything to 
  save their immoral trade. 
   
  Smart 
  Zombies 
   
  Smart Zombie 
  AC 12 
  Save 2 
  (1 vs magic) 
  HD 1d8 (5 HP) 
   
  1st attack:  
  claws or  
  bite (1d4) 
  or regular 
  weapon (1d6) 
   
  Add +2 to to-hit 
  and damage rolls 
  if more than one 
  swarm the same 
  character 
   
  Their bite turns 
  corpses into other 
  smart zombies, 
  and a living 
  human bitten will 
  lose 2 HP per day 
  (unrecoverable) in 
  fevers and pains, 
  then turn into a 
  zombie once dead 
   
  The only way to 
  cure the infection 
  is by spell: if cured 
  the human will 
  not turn into a 
  smart zombie 
  when dead,  
  and lost HP is 
  regained normally 
  The big problem is: zombies must eat. They 
  are content with eating one live human every 10 
  days or so, and 10 zombies can feed on it.  
  At the start of the adventure there are only 2 
  zombies and they recently fed, but every night 
  they’ll create 2d4 zombies and those awake 
  hungry and will try to feed soon enough.  
  If the colony grows to 200 zombies, they’ll 
  need to kill and eat two humans per day to sus-
  tain; it’s clear how this might become a problem 
  for the entire region. Especially since these 
  zombies are not stupid at all. They will exploit 
  not only tools and weapons, but also their bite 
  and capability to generate more zombies. 
   
  
  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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  Rateliff , Thomas Reid, James Wya , based on original material by E. Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson. 
  Black Dogs  © Daimon Games, Davide Pignedoli 
  
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