Stone Halls & Serpent Men by Mark Damon Hughes http://markrollsdice.wordpress.com Version 2018-09-22 Table of Contents How to Play the Game Level 3 Meta Rules Level 5 Setting Level 7 Races Level 9 Gods White Magic Spells Cosmology Level 1 Calendar Level 3 Hyperborea Level 5 Western Hyperborea Level 7 Eastern Hyperborea Level 9 Storm Islands Curse Malovia Lesser Curses Gwyrdland Greater Curses Kush Cursed Crafting Characters Psionics Stats Psionic Attacks Alternative Stat Generation Methods Psionic Defenses Stat Loss Psionic Disciplines Stat Rolls Psionic Combat Race Radiation & Mutation Social Status (Optional) Advantage Mutations Professions Defect Mutations Conversions Monsters Basic Professions Bestiary Advanced Professions A-D Prestige Professions E-H Secondary Stats I-L Hit Points (HP) M-P Magic Points (MP) Q-T Alignment U-Z Languages Treasure Experience & Level Distribution of Treasure Equipment Treasure Value Material & Repair (Optional) Random Treasure Lifestyle & Maintenance (Optional) Magic Weapons Price Lists Potions Combat Miscellaneus Magic Items To Hit Table Artifacts Sequence of Play Referee's Tools Mapless Combat (Optional, Recommended for Old-School) Escaping the Underworld Weapon vs Armor Type (Optional) Fortune Cards Combat Fatigue (Optional) Action Cards Adventures Place Names Adventuring Hazards Wilderness Features Cave-In Lair Drain Chamber Hazard Doors Light Trap Search Trash Area Level Community Travel Community Events Weather Castle Deprivation Shrine Swimming & Underwater Adventuring Ruin Encounters Campsite Encounter Reaction Tomb Henchmen & Hirelings Dungeon Gambling Unusual Feature Law & Order Inspirational Movies & Literature Magic Stone Halls & Serpent Men: Character Sheet Black Magic Spells OPEN GAME LICENSE Version 1.0a Level 1 How to Play the Game Meta Rules How to play: Read A Quick Primer for Old-School Gaming by Matthew Finch These rules are balanced to be equivalent to any "Compatible" fantasy game, specifically the OGL 3.5 edition. Optional rules may change this balance. "White Box" options emulate the earliest version of the game, and tend to make the game harder. "Old-School" options emulate the editions before Advanced, which are moderately hard but not so strict. Typically a White Box game would use all the Old- School options as well. The Referee and players should discuss which optional rules are in play before starting the game. Units are given in metric. If you don't know metric, read "meter" as "yard", "km" as "½ mile", "kg" as "2 pounds", "liter" as "quart", etc. Unless stated otherwise, fractions of .5 or higher round up, .4999 or less round down. You will need a full set of polyhedral dice, including d30. d36 means to roll 1d6 as a "tens" digit, 1d6 as a "ones" digit, so there are 36 results ranging from 11 to 66. Every group should negotiate a "social contract"; the author's is: Bring your own dice, paper, writing utensils, etc., and don't touch anyone else's. Beer or other drinks are OK in moderation, but don't get drunk at the table. If you say it, your character does it or says it. If you have to discuss rules, say "out of character" first. I don't mind jokes or quotes at the table (Monty Python is relevant to every gaming situation), but keep it on-topic. "I don't want to get on the cart!" is fine when the players are dragging your mostly-dead body around, singing the Philosopher Song is probably not, talking about TV is right out. No party infighting. Unless I have replaced your character's brain with a parasite, you don't fight other PCs. Making new PCs, getting them back to the adventure, soothing hurt feelings, it's a total waste of time. No bards or other nuisance characters. If you think what you're doing would annoy other players, don't do it. Every problem I present can be solved with at least two options of violence, sneakiness, puzzle-solving, and politics. Try not to use violence first all the time. Don't dare me to kill you, because I will. Setting (This chapter is Product Identity, not Open Game Content) This setting for Stone Halls & Serpent Men is included as an example, but other Referees are encouraged to make their own. Skip ahead to Characters if you have your own setting! The Known World is divided into five lands: Cold northern Hyperborea, warm central Storm Islands with the Jewel Cities, grim eastern Malovia, hot southern deserts & jungles of Kush, and far western Gwyrdland. In ancient times before Humanity, the Serpent Men ruled the world, an advanced civilization with vast cities and underground warrens, incomprehensibly powerful machines and magic. They enslaved the Elder Races of Dwarfs, Elves, Gnomes, and Goblins. A hundred centuries ago, a long ice age began, and cold-blooded Serpent Man civilization was pushed back from Hyperborea. In those abandoned lands, a new breed of humanoid, Humans, rose to power and fought savage Beastfolk, Hobgoblins, and worse monsters. Fifteen centuries ago, the Serpent Man civilization in the Storm Islands and Malovia collapsed under cold climate, Human assault, and rebellion by the Elder Races, and the surviving Serpent Men fled to unknown refuges. In the Storm Islands, Humans and Elder Races seized kingdoms, and fought over the limited land and resources they could reach. In Malovia, dark forces seized power, and undead and cruel dictatorships crush any resistance. Degenerate Lizard Men occupied the old ruins, knowing nothing of their greater past. The ice age began ending two centuries ago, the glaciers melting from Hyperborea, exposing old Serpent Man ruins which may be full of great treasures. Hyperboreans and people of the Storm Islands now compete to colonize the north, and battle-hardened Hyperboreans turn their eyes on rich southern kingdoms. Known World 1 square = 1000km Races Human: Medium-size humanoids, of a variety of earthtone colors. In their legends, Humans were created by the gods from clay and given dominion over the world. Three cultures are commonly known (no difference in abilities): Barbarian Humans live as their ancestors did, hearty and cruel, nomadic hunters, sometimes settling down for agriculture, fishing, and raiding. Rural Humans are farmers, herders, and woodsmen, simple folk who believe in superstitions and gods, and protect their own. Urban Humans are the new people of cities, cunning merchants and crafters, organized soldiers, optimistic and opportunistic empire-builders from the lowest orphan to the greatest general. Earthborn are people occasionally drawn to this world through portals, defective spells, or by Demons or Elves as a torment; the most common origin world is Earth, with near-Human inhabitants. The era on Earth seems to vary, most are drawn from early 19th Century through mid-20th Century. Many die quickly in the unfamiliar environment, but some thrive. Earthborn are incompetent as mages, but strongly resistant to magic. Many Earthborn are skilled warriors, sailors, or engineers, and may advance local technology. The children of Earthborn are treated as Humans of the culture they are raised in. Dwarf: Stocky, hairy, short humanoids. Their legends say they were born in the body of the dead giant Ymir, from whose corpse the world was formed. They burrow into hillsides or dig deep under mountains in search of mineral wealth, and trade for any surface materials and food they need. They are legendary smiths and crafters, but also greedy, spiteful, drunkards, and leches. In recent decades they have discovered black powder and invented firearms, and jealously protect the secret of their manufacture and use. Elf: Otherworldly, graceful faerie folk, lean and androgynous humanoids, more creatures of myth than mortal people. In their legends, they were visitors from another world called Arcadia. Three cultures are commonly known (no difference in abilities): High Elves (aka Sidhe) all consider themselves aristocrats and rule over slaves (most often Humans, Beastfolk, or Goblins), and often live in the falling remnants of ancient Elven or Serpent Man civilization. Dark Elves worshipped Demon Princes and made sacrifices to gain power, and were driven into the Underworld for their crimes. Sea Elves went into the oceans, and live in kelp forests and coral reefs. They hunt "evil" aquatic races and surface sailors who fish too much. Faun (fem. Fauna): Common faerie folk, smaller than Humans, with goat-like legs and small nubs of horns; male horns may grow long in spring, when they become aggressive during mating season. They live in deep woods in primitive, neolithic squalor, but have some skill at making alcoholic beverages, woodwork, and musical instruments. They have a reputation of being obsessed with drink, sex, and song, but are often more well-rounded than that. Fauns replace the Wood Elves of many conventional settings. Gnome: Small chubby humanoids. In their legends, the first Gnomes were carved from gems buried in the earth. Typically live in forests where they reshape trees or other natural structures into homes, or tunnel in the Underworld. Gnomes are quiet and magical, good-humored despite barely surviving in a world where everything is larger and wants to eat them. Beastfolk (aka Therionthrope): Large, strong, furry humanoids with animal-like heads, tails, sometimes other features, often canine but any mammal or sometimes birds or reptiles; usually all of a tribe will be similar with one or two exceptions who are either picked on or become leaders or shamans. In their legends, they were the animals who became people last, and were skipped over when the gods gave other races their protection and homelands, so they fight and take what should be theirs. Beastfolk are cruel, filthy, deliberately primitive except in weapons. Most tribes are obsessed with honor, courage, and vengeance, though Rat Beastfolk are notoriously treacherous, and Crow Beastfolk are often thieves and fences. Half-breeds with only minor animalistic features have long been tolerated in Beastfolk and Human cultures, and in recent decades some Beastfolk have abandoned the eternal war and are trying to be civilized, even if they're not good at it.