Wednesday 7 January 2015

Into the Polar Ocean

Expedition into the Polar Ocean

Nobody knows what's beyond the bright mist. Each brave soul leading the expedition brings a retinue of troops rolled on the table below.

Roll d10 for each player's retinue.
1: Musketeers (5hp, Muskets, Bayonets)
2: Buccaneers (6hp, Pistols, Sabres)
3: 2 Detachments of Conscripts (2hp, STR 8, Polearms)
4: Whale Hunters (6hp, Muskets, Spears)
5: Mercenary Guard (8hp, Halberds, Modern Armour)
6: Thugs (7hp, Clubs and Daggers)
7: Shipborn (4hp, STR 12, Axes, Shield Armour)
8: Penal Detachment (5hp, STR 8, Polearms)
9: Heavy Gunners (4hp, STR 9, Elephant Guns)
10: Gruff Veterans (9hp, STR 12, Muskets, Daggers)

Detachments
A Detachment of troops fight as one. Individual attacks cannot harm them unless they are suitably large-scale or explosive. Detachment attacks against individuals are Enhanced. When they take Critical Damage they are broken and cannot act until rallied. At STR 0 they are wiped out. They recover HP as normal, but Ability Scores can only be restored back at civilization.

For every two detachments in the expedition, Roll d6 for a ship. Each ship can hold three detachments in addition to any cannon detachments it has, unless stated otherwise.

1: Reclaimed Steamboat (12hp)
2: Plated Sloop (8hp, Armour 2)
3: Prototype Gunship (10hp, 2 Cannon Detachments)
4: Brand New Galleon (12hp, Armour 1, Can hold five Detachments)
5: Battered Warship (15hp, Armour 1, Cannon Detachment)
6: Ironclad (20hp, Armour 2, Cannon Detachment)

Ships can only be harmed by attacks from cannons or better.

The expedition has supplies for twenty days of travel. After this, things will start to run out and creative solutions will be required.


End of Reality 
Roll d20 at the start of the first day's travel for each of the following factors. Each following day, the die gets one step smaller to d12, d10, d8, d6, and finally d4. If the expedition turns back towards civilization, the dice get larger again until they reach home.

A Destination (see below) is reached if the expedition pushes further beyond the point where they're rolling d4s for these factors. At this destination, any previous effects from rolls on these tables disappear and relative normality returns.

Gravity
1-3: Things worsen by one step. If this is the first roll, treat as 5. If things can't get worse, they find a way.
4: Crushing. Masts collapse, cannons plunge through decks, and any sort of work requires a STR Save. All attacks are impaired.
5: Heavy. Melee attacks are impaired and beams creak under the weight.
6: Feels heavier than normal, work is tiring.
7: Feels slightly lighter than normal.
8+: Seems normal.

Perception
1-3: Things worsen by one step. If this is the first roll, treat as 5. If things can't get worse, they find a way.
4: Absolute darkness is only interrupted by flashing strobes of light. Constant, deafening, white-noise. Everybody loses d6 WIL.
5: Vision-trails make it difficult to track anything. Absolute silence. Ranged attacks are impaired.
6: Movement leaves a trail and everything echos.
7: Swirling lights and wooshing noises.
8+: Seems normal.

Time
1-3: Things worsen by one step. If this is the first roll, treat as 5. If things can't get worse, they find a way.
4: You get the sense that time is rushing by. Every day spent here is a year back in civilization.
5: Random jumps in time. Breakdown of cause and effect, thankfully limited to trivial matters.
6: Random
7: Timekeeping devices go haywire.
8+: Seems normal.

Matter
1-3: Things worsen by one step. If this is the first roll, treat as 5. If things can't get worse, they find a way.
4: All inorganic material crumbles at all but the most delicate touch. Ships take d6 damage.
5: Liquid metal rainstorm causes d10 damage to everyone, including ships.
6: All metal becomes strongly magnetic.
7: A cloud of buzzing metallic dust appears out of the air itself and begins to repair any damaged material, living or inorganic.
8+: Seems normal.

Energy
1-3: Things worsen by one step. If this is the first roll, treat as 5. If things can't get worse, they find a way.
4: The sea rises and falls like mountains. Waves batter the ships for d8 damage.
5: It's very cold, but all metal is now searing hot.
6: Unnaturally cold. Anyone not taking precautions will lose d6 STR each turn. The ice re-freezes behind the ship as it breaks through.
7: Freezing cold.
8+: Seems normal.

Destinations
Roll d8 to find out what you've reached.
1: A blistering crack of light, a swirling tunnel of darkness, and you're in space! 
2: You're swept into a whirlpool, glowing red at its center. Inside is the worst dungeon ever. 
3: A shimmering force grasps your ships, but a booming voice will answer any three questions before carrying you back to known waters. 
4: It looks like you've returned to Bastion's dock, but there aren't any people and everything is in negative. If you explore you'll find an abandoned version of the city, populated with dusty skeletons. Plenty for the taking, though. 
5: A wall of pink jelly that's warm to the touch. If you pass into it you'll be pulled deeper, but can breathe freely. After a few minutes you're spat out into a crystal city of invertebrate citizens planning an invasion of Bastion. 
6: You're pulled under the water, into the Abyss, but can breathe freely. A colossal astral craft (20hp, Armour 3, Cosmic Cannon Detachment that ignores armour, uni-beam with all sorts of uses) lies abandoned at the very bottom.
7: Calm, still waters for a moment, before the water itself raises up into a 2d10 spiky giants (STR 20, 17hp, Armour 3, d12 spikes, each fights as a detachment). They do everything they can to drive you off. If you fight them off or escape, roll again on this table.
8: Colossal Spiderlike beings (STR 20, 20hp, Armour 2, d10 stab, each fights as a detachment) stride between black stone islands. They ignore you unless you interfere with their harvest of boulder-sized diamonds (worth 100g each). 

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