Odd Mounts

As you travel along the caravan trail in the Unchartable Woods, you will sometimes happen upon a group of foreigners from the west. Such Westlanders often ride steeds much more strange than the horses and lizards common all over Vanth.

The Slug Knight by Ursula Vernon

  
What are the foreigners riding (d20)?

1. Animated chair: Some of the more fat and lazy travellers use animated sofas instead.
   
2. Centaur: It's both a mount and another member of the party.
3. Chimera: Roll for 1d4+1 animals here and combine them.
4. Crab-man: Brought all the way from the Yellow City.
5. Dire ape: When you see someone shoulder-riding a giant angry-looking ape, better just get out of the way.
6. Flaming motorbike: Covered in skulls and spikes and fire. Pretty dangerous to ride.
7. Flying carpet: Old and frayed, it cannot fly more than 2' off the ground.
8. Flying reindeer: Be careful, they cannot stop in midair without falling.
9. Giant saltworm: Not as big as a giant sandworm, but still big enough for several people and their baggage.
10. Mammoth ghost: A ghost touch howdah sits in safety high on this intangible behemoth.
11. Ooze: Indigestible seat is stuck on top of it, and half-digested carcasses inside of it.
12. Palanquin: Carried by (d4) 1. muscular slaves, 2. muscular Amazon slaves, 3. many goblins, 4. force of will.
13. Rainbow ostrich: It's snazzy, fast and in a very bad mood.
14. Riding slug: If you encountered the foreigners en route, this rider arrives 1d6 minutes later. The slug can stick to nearly any surface, though.
15. Sky shark: They are held aloft by sheer cool factor.
16. Talking pony: It's annoyingly upbeat.
17. Triffid-drawn chariot: The owner might be a botanimancer?
18. Unicorn: This kind of a unicorn. Maybe better call it a riding flesh golem.
19. Whirlwind elemental: The rider is floating precariously in its centre.
20. Weird horse: They do have horses in the west, but weird horses. See below.

 

Sky sharks!

This weird horse is (d8):

1. winged,
2. invisible,
3. skeletal,
4. flaming,
5. man-eating,
6. two-headed,
7. clockwork,
8. actually a 1d6 humped camel.

Faster Than Light

Unless you want to be rather hard in your cosmic sci-fi game, you will need a spaceship that can zip between star systems. Instead of giving everyone some generic FTL drive, what if each spaceship manufacturer had slightly different engines in their ships? Suddenly new opportunities for shenanigans arise when ships with different advantages and drawbacks compete.

What kind of faster-than-light drive will your spaceship use?
 

Do not give your players a TARDIS,
or they will break your spacetime continuum.

Roll for a base type and then for two drawbacks.

d4 Base Types of FTL Drives

1. Beam drive dematerializes the spaceship and sends it as a faster-than-light tachyon stream to the destination, where it is rematerialized. This can be considered a type of transmat or teleportation technology.
2. Hyper drive allows the spaceship to travel through an alternate dimension with more favourable laws of physics, such as higher speed of light, shorter relative distances, or slower passage of time. Of course, hyperspace is a scary place.
3. Jump drive generates an Einstein-Rosen bridge (a wormhole) that connects the starting and target locations with a shortcut. While the bridges don't tend to stay open for long, sometimes multiple ships may slip through a single wormhole.
4. Warp drive utilises a space-folding technology to contract the space in front of the spaceship and expand the space behind it, resulting in an apparent faster-than-light travel without actually travelling faster than light.

d20 Drawbacks and Complications

1. The entry and exit points of each trip are easily detected and impossible to mask.
2. The engines are still experimental and have a small chance to break down or burn out with each trip.
3. The external duration of each trip is somewhat random, so it may take days one way, but weeks on the return.
4. Each trip causes disturbances in local spacetime, so using the drive in orbit would have catastrophic consequences.
5. The engines require a rare, expensive or limited type of fuel.
6. The engines require excessive amounts of fuel or energy, enough that only very few trips can be made before refuelling.
7. The engines require a lengthy cooldown and recharging period between uses, otherwise they might blow up.
8. Destination must be planned with extremely precise and time-consuming targeting calculations, otherwise you might land in the core of a star, or never arrive at all.
9. The ship cannot be piloted without the use of precognitive abilities. Non-psychic pilot will get you lost in deep space (and go insane in the process).
10. The ship can only travel between specific nodes, such as star beacons, locations with weakened spacetime firmament, or through a portal network.
11. The drive cannot be used within the gravity well of a star. Generally at least several light hours of distance are required to successfully engage it.
12. The drive can only be engaged at near-light speeds, requiring the ship to first accelerate enough (and decelerate on arrival).
13. The trip is deadly to a random race or sex for unknown reasons, though this can be circumvented by travelling in cryosleep.
14. The activation of the drive attracts some kind of space monster. Roll for a special random encounter with every use.
15. The trip causes mental distress and trauma unless you are unconscious, though pilots often overcome this with space drugs.
16. The trip causes a period of nausea upon arrival, with some people even blacking out.
17. The engines are very, very, very large. The spaceship has to be quadruple normal size just to pack them in.
18. Targeting of the drive is somewhat imprecise, landing you within a few light hours of the destination.
19. Each trip has a set length (1d20+10 light years), so long journeys are made as a series of smaller trips, while short ones may require a sidestep.
20. Wow, your drive only has a single drawback! Someone will want to have a look at this advanced technology...

 
How F Is Your FTL?
I've decided to use a rough speed of 1000c (2d100 x 10c) for most FTL travel. This is fast enough that interstellar trips are relatively quick, yet it does not completely undersell the vastness of outer space. A ten light year distance will take around three days of flight, which for me sits comfortably between "space is irrelevant and no obstacle at all" and "not telling the players no, just making it slow enough they will get bored thinking about leaving the star system".

Death on Wheels

Here is something to drive in the post-apocalyptic wasteland, inspired by this.

Hit dice (HD) work the same for vehicles as they do for creatures.

Seats denote how many people can normally use the vehicle. More people can hang on, but any risky manoeuvre forces them to Save or fall off, and any damage taken by the vehicle is also taken by them.

Cargo is the number of inventory slots you can store in the vehicle. Various upgrades can also be installed into cargo slots.

Fuel is a usage die rolled for every overland turn spent travelling (wait for hexcrawling rules), and for every risky situation you get yourself into. Every time you roll a 1, decrease your fuel reserve by one category. Using a canister of fuel conversely increases your reserve by a category.

Empty > Low Fuel > Full Tank

Weight is rather obvious. Heavy vehicles are generally better for car combats.

Speed marks the maximum speed the vehicle can go. All vehicles accelerate one speed category per round, so a Fast vehicle would need three rounds to reach its max speed, and slow by halving their speed.

Light/Slow > Mid-Weight/Speed > Heavy/Fast > Very Heavy/Fast > Super-Heavy/Fast

Defense of a vehicle is based on its current speed: Unarmoured while standing still, as leather at Slow speed, as chain at Mid-Speed, as plate at Fast speed, and then +1 per category. Roll a driving check instead of Attack when using a vehicle as a weapon.

Vehicles do not use separate actions to attack, but rather move to ram or overrun. This causes damage depending on the vehicle's weight or current speed, whichever is better, 1d6 damage per category. If one vehicle is heavier than the other, decrease the damage against it by the difference in weights. Vehicles take no damage for running over soft targets (like people).

For example, an SUV rams a chopper. The SUV goes at its max speed, dealing 2d6 damage. The chopper is still picking up seed, going only Mid-Speed, so it would deal the same damage as the SUV, but because of the weight difference this is decreased by one category, resulting in 1d6 damage.

When a vehicle runs out of hp, it is Wrecked. If currently moving, the driver must make a driving check to crash safely. Passengers normally take no damage until their vehicle runs out of hp, but crashing may cause them damage based on the vehicle's speed. Vehicles can be repaired with spare parts during downtime.

Sidesweeping deals half damage and forces a driving check from the lighter vehicle to avoid crashing. Driving check may also be called for in risky situations, and failure may cause damage to the passengers.

Mechs could use similar rules.

Roll d6 for a biker gang, d10 for motorized raiders, and d20 for a motley crew of randomly scavenged vehicles.

d20 Vehicles

1. ATV: HD 2, Seats 1, Cargo 10, Fuel 1d12, Light, Mid-Speed
2. Buggy: HD 2, Seats 2, Cargo 10, Fuel 1d8, Light, Fast
3. Chopper: HD 2, Seats 1, Cargo 5, Fuel 1d10, Light, Very Fast
4. Dirtbike: HD 2, Seats 1, Cargo 5, 1d12, Light, Fast
5. Motor Trike: HD 2, Seats 2, Cargo 10, Fuel 1d10, Middleweight, Fast
6. Sidecar Bike: HD 2, Seats 3, Cargo 5, Fuel 1d10, Light, Mid-Speed
7. Cabriolet: HD 3, Seats 4, Cargo 30, Fuel 1d8, Middleweight, Fast
8. Jeep: HD 4, Seats 4, Cargo 30, Fuel 1d10, Middleweight, Mid-Speed
9. Pickup: HD 4, Seats 6, Cargo 40, Fuel 1d10, Heavy, Slow
10. Sportscar: HD 3, Seats 2, Cargo 20, Fuel 1d8, Middleweight, Very Fast
11. Semi Truck: HD 5, Seats 4, Cargo 20 (200 with trailer), Fuel 1d8, Very Heavy, Slow
12. SUV: HD 3, Seats 5, Cargo 30, Fuel 1d10, Middleweight, Mid-Speed
13. Van: HD 4, Seats 6, Cargo 40, Fuel 1d8, Heavy, Mid-Speed
14. Bus: HD 5, Seats 20, Cargo 60, Fuel 1d8, Very Heavy, Slow
15. Skiff: HD 3, Seats 4, Cargo 20, Fuel 1d10, Light, Fast, aquatic
16. Yacht: HD 6, Seats 10, Cargo 50, Fuel 1d8, Heavy, Slow, aquatic
17. Helicopter: HD 3, Seats 2, Cargo 10, Fuel 1d8, Middleweight, Super-Fast, flying
18. Hovercar: HD 3, Seats 4, Cargo 20, Fuel 1d6, Middleweight, Fast, flying
19. Armoured Transporter: HD 8, Seats 10, Cargo 30, Fuel 1d8, Super-Heavy, Mid-Speed
20. Tank: HD 10, Seats 4, Cargo 10, Fuel 1d6, Super-Heavy, Slow, chain cannon

And for the truly desperate: Segway: HD 1, Seats 1, Cargo 0, Fuel 1d10, Light, Slow.

Upgrades do all sorts of crazy things, but it should not be easy to find them. Roll 1d20 for relatively common upgrades, 2d20 for uncommon and 3d20 for rather rare upgrades.

Upgrades:

1. Extra Fuel Tank: 3 Cargo, step up Fuel die.
2. Extra Seat: 5 Cargo, +1 Seat.
3. Turbo: 3 Cargo, temporarily increase speed one category above max, but also decrease Fuel reserves.
4. Airbags: 1 Cargo per Seat, negates one instance of damage to passengers.
5. Float Bags: 5 Cargo per weight category, the vehicle floats on water rather than sinking.
6. Improved Shock Absorbers: 2 Cargo, +1 to driving, stackable.
7. Radio Receiver: 4 Cargo, for remote communication.
8. Heavy-duty Frame: half max Cargo, +1 HD.
9. Harpoon: 5 Cargo, 1d8 damage and reel-in chain, range 50 m.
10. Spikes: 5 Cargo, heavier vehicles don't get decreased damage.
11. Wheel Blades: 3 Cargo, sidesweeping deals full damage.
12. Plough: 6 Cargo, use d8 for ramming damage.
13. Flamethrower: 5 Cargo, 2d6 fire damage and Save vs catching fire, range 30 m cone, out of fuel on any 1.
14. Claw Crane: 10 Cargo, can lift heavy objects.
15. Five-point Harness: 1 Cargo per Seat, prevents damage from failed driving checks.
16. Searchlight: 4 Cargo, powerful light.
17. Secret Stash: 2 Cargo, half your Cargo can be hidden in secret compartments.
18. Steam Engine: 10 Cargo, can use wood/coal and water instead of petrol/diesel.
19. Camouflage: 6 Cargo, hides the vehicle when stationary.
20. Plasteel Plating: 5 Cargo, gain DR 3 (does not stack).
21. Stereo System: 3 Cargo, for really loud music.
22. Bed: 10 Cargo, provides a comfy bunk.
23. Minifridge: 4 Cargo, keeps your food cold.
24. Kitchen Unit: 10 Cargo, cook your meals without a camp.
25. Water Purifier: 5 Cargo, makes polluted or brackish water drinkable.
26. Onboard Lab: 20 Cargo, equipment and chemicals to make your drugs or explosives.
27. Medical Unit: 20 Cargo, helps with treating injuries.
28. Forklift: 8 Cargo, can lift heavy objects.
29. Roller Drum: 6 Cargo, use d10 for ramming soft targets.
30. Security System: 3 Cargo, failing to unlock the vehicle deals 1d8 electric damage.
31. Alarm System: 3 Cargo, motion sensors linked to sirens.
32. Solar Panel: 5 Cargo, generates 1 Energy per hour of sunlight.
33. Ejection Seat: 5 Cargo, activate to shoot yourself out of the vehicle.
34. Computer Terminal: 8 Cargo, all the computing power you might want.
35. Recharging Station: 1 Cargo, roll Fuel dice to recharge 1 Energy for a gadget.
36. Weather Station: 5 Cargo, measures wind, humidity, radiation etc. and helps in predicting dangerous weather.
37. Self-destruct System: 2 Cargo, with a remote control you can carry.
38. Autopilot: 4 Cargo, the vehicle will keep to its course if you stop steering it.
39. Duralloy Plating: 10 Cargo, gain DR 6 (does not stack).
40. Navigation: 4 Cargo, decrease chance of getting lost by 2.
41. Jet Engine: 10 Cargo, increase Speed by two categories, but decrease Fuel die by two steps.
42. Minireactor: 20 Cargo, set Fuel die to d20, but can only be refuelled by uranium rods, antimatter, dark matter, or something similarly rare and dangerous.
43. Plasma Turret: 10 Cargo, 2d8 fire damage, range 150 m, out of ammo on any 1.
44. Laser Turret: 5 Cargo, 1d10 radiant damage, range 200 m, out of energy on 1.
45. Minigun: 5 Cargo, 1d12 damage, range 100 m, out of ammo on 1.
46. Machinegun: 15 Cargo, 4d6 damage, range 100 m, out of ammo on any 1.
47. Coilgun: 20 Cargo, 6d6 damage, range 100 m, out of ammo on any 1.
48. Grenade Launcher: 10 Cargo, damage per grenade, range 150 m.
49. Rocket Launcher: 15 Cargo, 2d10 fire damage, seeking missiles, range 150 m, out of ammo on any 1.
50. Water Cannon: 5 Cargo, 1d6 damage and Save vs knockback, range 30 m cone, out of water on 1.
51. Chain Cannon: 20 Cargo, 3d10 damage, range 200 m, out of ammo on any 1.
52. Particle Cannon: 30 Cargo, 4d10 damage, range 200 m, out of ammo on any 1.
53. Laser Array: 15 Cargo, 1d20 radiant damage, range 200 m, out of energy on 1.
54. EMP Blaster: 10 Cargo, 2d10 damage vs electronics, range 50 m cone, out of energy on any 1.
55. X-ray Blaster: 15 Cargo, 3d8 radiation damage, range 50 m cone, out of energy on any 1.
56. Targeting System: 8 Cargo, +4 to hit with mounted weaponry.
57. Antigrav Thrusters: 8 Cargo, +4 to jumps with the vehicle.
58. Scanners: 5 Cargo, detect technology within the hex.
59. Shield Generator: 20 Cargo, force field grants DR 10, runs out of energy when any damage gets through.
60. Gravity Manipulator: 5 Cargo per weight category, with a driving check you can ride on walls.

Of course, you can also get rid of seats for extra Cargo, install more upgrades on the roof, or anything else your GM lets you. Go crazy.