Wednesday, June 26, 2019

Demon Lord Encounters: Orcus

Eww-eee-ooo. Orcus has much in store for you! Roll 1d12.

1. A black-hearted follower of Orcus is revealed. He is (roll 1d10): [1-2] a fully orcish disciple, [3-4] a part-orcish disciple (roll d100 for the percent), [5-7] an Orcan witchdoctor, [8-9] an Orcan shaman, [10] an Avatar of Orcus. He also has a base 20 + (1d6 x 10)% chance of being possessed by a demonic spirit at the time, making him even more despicable than usual.

2. The sounds of shouts and cruel laughter are heard up ahead. Those who investigate find a group of 2d4 orcs beating and taunting a lone (roll 1d6): [1] human, [2] elf, [3] dwarf, [4] halfling, [5] animal, [6] orc. They are led by a follower of Orcus (per #1 above), who is egging them on to even greater acts of depravity.

3. The next orc or orcish group the party encounters is adorned with the body parts of many victims. Followers of Orcus, they gain a +2 to their attack and damage rolls and, if the party is defeated, the orcs will soon be adding more body parts to their macabre collection.

4. 1d20 bodies are found, horribly beaten and defiled, even after they had apparently surrendered. They are (roll 1d6): [1] human, [2] elven, [3] dwarven, [4] halfling, [5] animal, [6] orcish. It is likely the work of Orcus’s disciples, if not some other foul kind (see the Orc & Goblin Foulness table in Volume II).

5. The sense of this place feels off... 1d3 fell spirits lurk here, causing non-followers of Orcus who remain a -3 penalty to all rolls. Each spirit may affect one mortal at a time, and will even attempt to possess them if they remain for longer than 3d3 rounds (a save vs. spell negates this latter effect- see result #9 below for how this possession might unfold). In any case, though they can be turned and exorcised from their hosts, the spirits can only be permanently destroyed when the hidden Orcus shrine in the area is found and ruined. The spirits are (roll 1d4): [1] dark ancestral, [2] demonic, [3] twisted totemic, [4] undead – see Volume II for details.

6. To the sound of screams and wild drumming, 3d6 primitive orcs dance, led by a shaman of Orcus.  They are quick and strong, but quite superstitious, fearing non-shamanic magic and other such advancements.
Mve: 45’; AC 7; HD 1+1; Attk: primitive weapon; Dmg: 1d6 +1; 
SP: superstitious- save vs. death or flee; Sve: F2, Mor: 6

7. It is said that a rival orcish sect is at work here, enraging an actual group of Orcus worshippers that is nearby and preparing to purge them. The rival sect follows (roll 1d4): [1] Horkos- a more orderly version of Orcus that actually punishes those who break oaths, [2] Tezshnaz- a goblin divinity (see Volume I) who is looking to branch out, [3] Morcus- who emphasizes strange sounds and standing on one’s head, [4] ‘Orcus’- a pretender that is some sort of demon lord of the undead and actually has nothing to do with orcs!

8. Each night, a random NPC is slain in a terrible way by an unseen attacker. The culprit is the most recent magic item that the party has taken- it is possessed by the spirit of an Orcan witchdoctor. Some would say that returning it to where it was found will break the curse, but destroying the item is the only sure way to really get rid of such evil.

9. A woman falls to the ground, tearing at her body and screaming about spirits. She has foolishly begun to follow Orcus and is even becoming somewhat orc-like herself. Once she starts to levitate and her head spins around, the party will know that something must be done.

10. Examination reveals that the orcs in this area do look different, being (roll 1d6): [1] more ape-like,
[2] more pig-like, [3] darker-hued, [4] more human-looking except for having orc faces covered by masks, [5] overly fond of their mounts, [6] exceptionally misshapen. Whatever the change, normal orcs will seek to slay these deviants, even moreso than other races, and Orcus will support the side that wins.

11. The party comes upon a rough stockade. 3d4 human females are being held here, captured for orcish ‘amusement’, along with the heinous breeding of half-orcs.

12. With an arrogant groan, a very large orc emerges.  ‘Blessed’ by Orcus, it has (roll 1d6): [1] two heads: can either take two actions each round or no actions as the heads argue with each other- equal chance of either, [2] ogre blood: +3 HD, but -5’ speed and -2 INT, [3] dangerously-spiked armor: those who engage it in close combat take 1d2 damage per round, [4] a witchdoctor ally, [5] a dangerous mount, [6] reroll twice.



Mumbo-Stabyoo, Sample 2nd Level Witchdoctor of Orcus
Align: C
MV: 40’
AC: 5
HD: 2
Atk: 1 (club)
Dmg: 1d6+1
SP: Orcan mysteries
Spells prepared: [1st] Command (bonus when used with an effigy doll), Orc Missile* (requires an effigy doll)
SV: C2
Mor: 8

Possessions:  Unholy symbol, club, hides, 35 gold pieces,4 gruesome trophies from defeated victims.


Mumbo-Stabyoo, DCC Stats
Init +1
Atk club +2 melee (1d6+1)
AC 14
HD 2d8
MV 30’
Act 1d20
SP: Orcan mysteries
Spells known: [1st] Word of Command (bonus when used with an effigy doll), Orc Missile* (requires an effigy doll)
Fort +2
Ref +2
Will +1
AL C


Next week: Divinity Encounters, Thrym!



Wednesday, June 19, 2019

Arch-Devil Encounters: Enak

What we enact might just be our undoing. Roll 1d12.

1. Eureka! It is a mechanical man and he is (roll 1d10): 
[1-2] a devotee of Enak dressed up to look that way
[3-4] a devotee of Enak with 1d4 mechanical replacements
[5-7] a technologist of Enak
[8-9] a technologist of Enak with 2d4 mechanical replacements
[10] an Avatar of Enak. 
He also has a base 20 + (1d6 x 10)% chance of having a holy symbol that criticizes and argues with him at times.

2. The serfs here are strangely downtrodden, given to unusually high use of heavy drink and degeneracy. Strange automatons now work the fields and craft the goods. Investigation reveals that it is a technologist of Enak behind it- lord of the mechanical manor- and he has grown quite wealthy by his use of robota.

3.  The next mechanical object an unlucky party member interacts with will try to kill him. Anything with moving parts is fair game: from a door, to a crossbow, to even a suit of metal armor. The attack does 3d6 damage, though a save vs. paralysis will reduce it by half.

4. Up ahead is a pile of metal and human parts. It would appear that a mechanical man (per #1 above) couldn’t resist making fun of Enak’s tenets and was thereby found to be Obsolete.

5. A mysterious benefactor has donated a 15’ tall iron statue to ‘watch over’ the town. It is actually an automaton of great size (and murderous intention) and that benefactor just happens to be Enak! It will show its true form once it receives its infernal master’s signal.
Mve: 50’; AC 1; HD 10; Attk: slam; Dmg: 1-10 + 4; 
SP: immune to sleep, charm, poison, and the like; Sve: F10, Mor: 12

6. A group of 2d4 mechanical men (see #1 above) are battling an equally matched rival group loyal to (roll 1d4): [1] Balor, [2] Fenrir, [3] Vulcan, [4] Danu. Depending on their own philosophical outlook, the party may wish to intervene or simply let both sides destroy each other. 

7. A random NPC (or even party member if the Referee so wishes) turns out to actually be a hidden automaton, beholden to an Enakkian technologist master. He will naturally seek to kill them all after it is revealed.

8. Something moves... See Vulcan Encounter #8 for details, but since this is an Enak Encounter, the automaton has a 100% chance of having the personality of a homicidal maniac.

9. Here one can request whatever sundry gift one wishes from a flickering picture upon the wall. It will be delivered within 1 day for a reasonable price, though the operation is run by amazon slave-drivers. Their success has also come from their use of the technology of Enak (including the flickering picture) and plan to replace their overworked slaves with automatons soon. Of course, those automatons will then begin to kill everyone, amazons included.

10. The next foe the party defeats immediately rises again, ripping off its flesh and revealing its mechanical body beneath. For stats, restore it to full hit points, boost its AC bonus by 2d3, increase the damage it can do by +2, but reduce its speed by 10 feet. It is actually ‘a killing machine designed for just one thing- killing!’

11. A lucky party member stumbles across a flat, glowing brick. It will give him all sorts of information and entertainment, but he must save vs. spell to put it down again to focus on other things. The device is actually a holy symbol of Enak, so perhaps he wasn’t so lucky.

12. A nearby town is rumored to be quite Advanced. Those who travel there will find it quite strange and perilous (per the many results above) and to be under attack by followers of another divinity (per #6 above) who are determined to destroy it.


DCC RPG Conversion notes
Save vs. paralysis = make a Reflex save DC 15
Save vs. spell= make a Will save DC 15



Sorry- no NPC cleric this week, Enak crashed my computer!



Next week: Demon Lord Encounters, Orcus!

Wednesday, June 12, 2019

Arch-Devil Encounters: Beliah

Unlike the more direct destruction of other fell lords, the attentions of Beliah are highly insidious, promising hope, but perhaps bringing even greater ruin.

1. The party spots a sign outside a red building promising to ‘increase one’s wealth by 1,000 gold pieces, and with great ease!’ Unsurprisingly, the cost for such training just happens to be 1,000 gold pieces. Surprisingly, the line outside the place is 6d6 people long.

2. Be healthy or else! A random party member suddenly becomes obsessed with seeing the balance of one’s vital humors as entirely a measure of morality. From now on, they must save vs. death or be compelled to help along any ill people they encounter to more quickly meet their well-deserved dooms.

3. A beautiful woman strides by, attracting the attention of any red-blooded men in the area. The one with the ‘most positive thoughts’ (the one who makes the best Charisma check) will seem to take her fancy, but she will soon teach him that ‘you must be something to be loved, otherwise you’re nothing, and thereby cannot be loved in the first place’.

4. Strange dreams haunt 2d3 of the party members, promising that all power is theirs, but they must submit to Beliah. Those who do will gain a +1 to all rolls for the next day, but also an unfortunate -6 to all rolls for the following six. In addition, if more than one party member accepts, then they must try to remove each other for ‘having negative thoughts that might hold them back’, or else suffer double the penalty.

5. We think you’re just not thinking right. A random person in the area begins to believe that every single thought they make vastly reshapes reality. As a result, they must save vs. death to not spend the next 1d6 turns thinking about trying not to think.

6. Behold: an envisioning board! The party finds such a collage of pictures and other items to view. It has a disturbing and egotistical air about it, even for such an unholy symbol of Beliah. See the Cult Plots table (in Volume II) to determine more about what its builder aims to do.

7. A group of 2d6 people wander by, chanting strange mantras about things they claim to have and yet obviously don’t (roll 1d6): [1] riches, [2] love, [3] health, [4] confidence, [5] coordination, [6] all five. Any challenge of their delusion will be met with outrage, along with the very loud re-chanting of their mantras 6d6 additional times.

8. A destitute man stumbles up ahead. Beliah will bless any who harm him further (per #4 above), for with him living under such negative circumstances, he’ll certainly deserve it!  Of course, the destitute man was once a disciple of Beliah too.

9. Tales of jewels flying upon a particular person and serfs being served for dinner circulate about a nearby town. The wise will suspect that a diabolist of Beliah is at work there.

10. Will you wish upon an inverted star? One is spotted on the horizon. Those who do so- and there is no difference who they happen to be- have a 6% chance of their wish actually coming true, a 66% chance of believing it is true whether it comes true or not, and a 100% chance of it leading to something awful.

11. Irate people, all showing signs of financial, health, romantic, and/or general distress are beating upon a door. With their firebrands and pitchforks, it would seem it’s now time for a follower of Beliah to pay!

12. Behind the latest scheme (including any of the encounter results above) is a disciple of Beliah. He or she is actually (roll 1d10): [1-3) just a huckster of Beliah, [4-5] a talented thief who follows Beliah, [6-8] a diabolist of Beliah, [9] a diabolist of Beliah with much devil blood, [10] an avatar of Beliah.


DCC RPG Conversion notes
Save vs. death= make a Will save DC 10
Charisma= Personality



Halane, Sample 4th Level Diabolist of Beliah
Align: LE
MV: 40’
AC: 7
HD: 4
Atk: 1 (dagger)
Dmg: 1d4+2
SP: Belian mysteries, turn ability, devil-blood (+2 all ability scores and saves; looks obviously devilish)
Spells prepared: [1st] Command, Protection from Evil (reverse), Burning Hands*, Charm Person*
[2nd] Augury, Hold Person, ESP*
SV: C4
Mor: 6

Possessions: Unholy symbol, dagger, fine garments, 66 gold pieces, 8 documents containing information that she can use for blackmail.


Halane, DCC Stats
Init +4
Atk dagger +4 melee (1d4+2)
AC 12
HD 4d8
MV 30’
Act 1d20
SP: Belian mysteries, turn ability, devil-blood (+2 all ability scores and saves; looks obviously devilish)
Spells known: [1st] Paralysis, Protection from Evil, Second Sight, Word of Command, Charm Person*, Flaming Hands*
[2nd] Detect Invisible*, ESP*, Levitate*, Phantasm*
Fort +4
Ref +2
Will +3
AL LE


Next week: Divinity Encounters, Enak!




Wednesday, June 5, 2019

Divinity Encounters: Balor

Beware the primitive, mutant fury of Balor! Roll 1d12.

1. The party comes upon a follower of Balor. He is (roll 1d10): [1-3) just a follower of Balor, [4-5] a dangerous barbarian who follows Balor, [6-7] a shaman of Balor, [8-9] a druid of Balor, [10] an avatar of Balor. Along with him having a 75% chance of being a fomorian (see Volume II for details), there is a 100% chance of him complaining about all their new-fangled ways.

2. A nude man approaches and, unless a fan of such uncladliness, those who have to gaze upon him suffer a -3 to all rolls as he goes on about the ridiculousness of dress. Naturally, he is a Balorian devotee.

3. Suddenly, a random NPC decides to rebel against his agrarian lifestyle and bite a random party member for 1d4 damage. If he wasn’t a follower of Balor before, he is now; that is, if he survives the likely counterattack.

4. A corpse is discovered amidst a pile of ruined crops. The poor fellow looks to have been a farmer who has had his stomach ripped open and filled with fish and wild grains.  What sort of monster would do that?

5. The party hears an awful racket when they’re next inside a building. Investigation will reveal that it is 1d4 fomorians (see Volume II) trying to tear down such an outrageous insult to the old ways, led by an especially vociferous Balorian shaman. Depending on the building’s size, the attackers may soon accomplish their task.

6. The hills rumble and the skies dim as Balor’s unearthly legions march upon the Tuatha de Danaan. Such a battle is beyond the ken of most mortals to engage in or even perceive, though all followers of Celtic divinities along with those of Balor suffer a -3 to their spell rolls for the next 24 hours.

7. Rumor has it that a nearby lake is filled with treasure (actually 3d6 x 100 gold pieces’ worth). Of course, it’s also guarded by 2d4 followers of Balor (per #1 above), who will happily toss any who would come for such nonsensical currency into the lake too.

8. The trail up ahead is littered with broken bowls, bags, beakers, and other containers. Cast aside by an irate druid of Balor, there is a total of 1d20 items that can be recovered, each worth 1d100 gold pieces. They will also suggest the druid’s next target: he’s planning on smashing the ‘living containers’ of those who made them too.

9. A desperate farmer comes to the party for help. Nudist, luddite savages have hunted his cattle mercilessly, bringing him close to financial ruin. The culprits are of course 1d3 Balorians (see #1 above), though the farmer has no idea why they would have such a beef with him.

10. Without warning, all metal objects within 120’ begin to rust, becoming useless within 2d3 rounds unless the secret follower of Balor in the party’s midst (i.e. a random NPC, if any) is slain.

11. A mighty fomorian with the head of a goat, twisted spine, and extra mouth on his hand challenges the party. Luckily, he can easily be distracted with talk of origin and heritage, though most won’t want to shake hands when meeting him.
AL C: MV 40’; AC 5; HD 8; Atk: 2 (1 gore, 1 bite); Dmg: 2d8 or 1d6; SP: 3 mutations; SV: F8; Mor: 7

12. Behold the great eye! All in within 240’ must save vs. death to avoid getting destroyed by Balor’s gaze from afar. Such a spectacle lasts for the next 1d3 rounds, though followers of Balor are of course immune and will use this opportunity to chastise those who don’t follow the Old Ways.


DCC RPG Conversion notes
Save vs. death= make a Will save DC 10

Mighty Fomorian Giant: Init +2; Atk gore +12 melee (2d8+4) or  bite +8 (1d6+2); AC 14; HD 8d10; MV 35’; Act 1d20; SP 3 mutations; SV Fort +8, Ref -1, Will +4; AL C.  


Wroid, Sample 5th Level Shaman of Balor
Align: C
MV: 40’
AC: 5
HD: 5
Atk: 1 (club or sling)
Dmg: 1d4
SP: Balorian mysteries, turn ability, 2 mutations: especially ugly, one arm
Spells prepared: [1st] Cure Light Wounds, Detect Metal, Remove Fear (Reverse), Faerie FireD
[2nd] Find Traps, Warp WoodD
[3rd] Call LightningD
SV: C5

Mor: 8

Possessions:  Unholy symbol, club, sling w/ 20 stones, +1 leather armor, 43 gold pieces worth of trade goods (nothing made of metal though!)

Note: Wroid is currently statted as a human. To make him a fomorian shaman of Balor, adjust his stats per Volume II. His abilities can also be adjusted as that of standard shamans, which are also described in Volume II under Thrym.


Wroid, DCC Stats
Init +3
Atk club +3 melee (1d4) or sling +4 ranged (1d4)
AC 14
HD 5d8
MV 30’
Act 1d20 (only has one arm though!)
SP: Balorian mysteries, turn ability, 2 mutations: especially ugly, one arm
Spells known: [1st] Detect Metal, Food of the Gods, Resist Cold or Heat, Second Sight
[2nd] Lotus Stare (very angry), Wood Wyrding, Forest Walk*, Snake Trick*, Consult Spirit*
[3rd] Bolt from the Blue (as lightning), Deep Dweller Bond*
Fort +4
Ref +2
Will +3
AL C


Next week: Divinity Encounters, Beliah!