Tomb of Annihilation

Tomb of Annihilation OSR Conversion Notes for a Piratical Wavecrawl By Skerples Painting in Flanders is done primarily to reproduce deceptively the external appearance of things, mostly objects that arouse our enthusiastic approval or are beyond reproach such as saints or prophets. But as a rule, they paint a landscape with many figures in it. And though the eye is pleased by all this, there is in reality, neither art nor reason in it, no “symmetria,” no proportions, no choice, no greatness. Put simply, this painting is without power or splendor; it intends to perfectly reproduce many things simultaneously when a single one of these things would merit enough importance for the painter to devote all his powers to it. -Michaelangelo Introduction Major Changes Tomb of Annihilation is an exploration-based 1. There’s no cross-continent trek to complete a module for D&D 5th Edition. Some reviewers quest. This adaptation uses Chult as a living have described it as a new take on an old-school location, not the setting for an adventure. Things hexcrawl. Players explore the wild continent of are happening, but they aren’t contingent on the Chult to stop an apocalyptic plot. actions of the PCs. There are no “adventurers”. As written, the module doesn’t really work for 2. This adaptation is designed to enable sea- OSR games. The continent is huge – hundreds based exploration and piracy. It assumes the and hundreds of 10-mile hexes – but factions and party has their own ship. Trips inland are locations are widely scattered. There are plenty excursions or raids. of Good people who need the party’s help and plenty of Evil people who need a good kicking, 2. Some locations have been moved, mostly to and not much assistance for colouring outside the coast. Some have been added to the the lines. Random Encounter Table. But for all its faults, the book is full of easily 3. Everyone is people. Every sentient race– adapted and salvaged material. Here’s what I’ve pterafolk, grungs, firenewts – is a potential ally. made of it. They have goals, politics, borders, traditions, and schemes. What’s an “OSR”? OSR stands for “Old School Revival” or “Old 4. Factions and locations outside of Chult from School Renaissance”. the Forgotten Realms setting have been adjusted to generic equivalents. Morals have been shaded D&D 5th Edition is designed to tell a story. grey. There are no easy answers, no good guys, Characters have backstories and lots of cool no bad guys. It’s people all the way down. abilities. They usually save the world. They are archetypical heroes. All mechanics, modules, and 5. Magic has generally been toned down. You choices are built around this assumption. could run the module in a more-or-less magic- free setting. Supernatural, yes, but not mundane. In old-school games, the story happens during play. Characters don’t get backstories. They earn A Sense of Wonder them. Success is not assumed. There are no If supernatural or spectacular elements are milestones, no story objectives, no goals. introduced immediately, there’s no sense of Traditionally, it’s a game about dying in a tomb for wonder. If everything is strange, nothing is gold. The game I built this PDF for is about strange. In many areas, I’ve suggested reducing piracy, trade, and diplomacy. casual magic and offered potential replacements. Magic is neither common nor easily explained. This Hack Gods are distant. Miracles happen in books or Is not official. All trademarks, Wizards of the could be simple coincidences. Coast, etc, etc. It’s my notes, typed up and put in a format I can use. There are gaps and errors Like in the Pirates of the Caribbean films, there and mistakes. Don’t let the file fool you; it’s just a are still supernatural events, locations, and looseleaf folder and a stack of post-it notes with creatures, but they have been given a dark some formatting. folkloric twist wherever possible. Hopefully, it will give you some insight into how I mangle modules for piratical wavecrawls. 1 Chult The New World Powers A new world, but not brand new. For over a Sailors whisper of flying demons who rule the century, expeditions from the Old World have Mistcliff, sinking ships and dragging victims from landed on the white sand beaches of Chult. A few the sea. To the south, buildings are sometimes forts and villages have endured. The jungle has visible on the slopes of the great volcanoes. In claimed the rest. The interior is a vast unknown, the jungle, a fallen empire lurks in ruin and decay. the source of a thousand wild tales and fevered dreams of gold and empire. Pterafolk (“Terror Folk”) Flying pterosaur-people. They live in caves and The Old World Powers towers along the mist-shrouded western cliffs of Two empires fight for control of northern Chult, Chult. Few sailors will remain in the rigging while while a pirate outpost on the western shore passing along the coast, for fear of being menaces shipping and trade in the wider ocean. snatched by these mythical creatures. Tarracon Isolated and proud, the pterafolk disdain all non- Controls, on paper, everything east of the Mistcliff flying races, though they are curious about the and north of the ruins of Mezro, along with the large ships that sometimes sail past their homes. great city of Port Nyanzaru. In practice, their control is very limited. Kingdom of the Fire Newts The most organized kingdom in Chult. They have The Tarraconese are called, by their enemies: no wish to expand beyond their volcanic homes, hot-blooded, insipidly religious, cruel, and greedy. but they rarely tolerate explorers or diplomats. By their allies, they are called: honourable, pious, Yuan-Ti disciplined, and expert traders. Half-snake, half-human, the Yuan-Ti were a civilization on the verge of collapse when the first Wexland explorers arrived from across the seas. Their With the loss of Port Nyanzaru, the Wexlish are ancient cities fell to natural disasters; ruins dot now reduced to a single inland fort along the the jungle, but only the grand city of Omu River Soshenstar. From there, they aim to remains in their hands. To the eyes of the Old explore the heart of the mysterious continent. World powers, the Yuan-Ti are a civilization worth treating with, if only their fabulous lost city – The Wexlish are called, by their enemies: dull, paved in gold, roofed in gems - could be located. perfidious, slovenly, lustful, and pompous. Slight Powers and Halluci-Nations By their allies, they are called: sober-minded, The thousand nebulous nations of Chult fade in cunning, practical, romantic, and dignified. and out of view. Some have been conquered and more-or-less enslaved by the Old World powers, The Pirates of Jahaka but most remain on the fringes, wary of Rebels, idealists, privateers out of work now that rumoured invaders from another land. Wexland and Tarracon are at peace, and general scum. Their great pirate port is a collection of Some Chultans wear the skins of beasts, some driftwood and salvage, but they control the seas hunt with poison darts, some build cities and for miles in every direction. some wear no clothes at all. There are rumours of stranger things in the jungle too; forest spirits, The Pirates of Jahaka are called, by their lobsters that speak like men, and the living dead. enemies: a bunch of filthy pirates. By their allies, they are called: a bunch of filthy pirates. 2 Races of Chult The Merchant Princes ToA pp.11-14 ToA pp. 25-27 Not already mentioned specifically: There are certainly wealthy merchants in the city, Chultans -> as-is, except not in power. but true power lies with the ruling nobles. They Aarkocra -> change to Chultans with feathered eat together regularly, exchanges witticisms, and clothes and long spears for random encounters, try to maintain all the comforts of home in their Wexlish monks in Kir Sabal. isolated and mosquito-infested corner of the Batri (Goblins) -> as-is, but rare and elusive. world. They rarely Too disorganized to make long-term alliances. Could be pygmies instead. Ekene-Afa -> Lady Ekenafa Dwarves -> not present Diplomat’s wife, widowed thirty years. Sells Frost Giants -> not present muskets, rifles, and even cannons from the Grungs -> Chultans who use poison frog darts Tarraconese navy stores to anyone with heaps of Tabaxi -> not present gold. Never stands, never moves from her home. Undead -> not present Weretigers -> not present Ifan Talro’a -> Governor Juan Talroa Loves horses. Trades in anything that can be Port Nyanzaru bled, sheared, milked, or harnessed, human and ToA pp. 15-25 cattle alike. Out riding most of the day. Unlike in the module, Port Nyanzaru is firmly Jessamine under the control of a foreign nation; Tarracon. Former lady-in-waiting of the royal court, now the There are no dinosaur races. The city simply isn’t eyes and ears and, occasionally, blade of the relaxed enough to allow for grand sports, and Crown in Nyanzaru. dinosaurs have yet to make their way from the unknown interior of Chult to the well-explored Jobal -> Lord Jobal northern coast. “Governor of the Interior” on the charts, the bold and scarred Lord Jobal theoretically controls the Replace the merchant princes with Tarraconese area between the rivers Soshenstar and Tiryki. nobles. Some are idealists, some are madmen, He “rules” his paper domain from a comfortable and some are bitter exiles from their homeland. mansion on the coast. The port is still a major trading city, but shrink the scale of everything.

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