Adventurer's Arsenal for OSE

Unfortunately my Old School Essentials face-to-face campaign has been on hiatus due to the pandemic. We were really enjoying OSE, before our forced hiatus occurred. One minor quibble we found, was the desire for more diversity with weapons. Most of us being around the hobby for awhile, we liked the idea of more weapon options.  So about a month ago I saw that Castle Oldskull had put out a supplement packed with a ton of weapons stat'd up for OSE.  I ordered this a  month ago from Amazon, but due to their need to do priority shipping of essential items (toilet paper, medical supplies etc.), it took a month for this to get to me. I just got it yesterday and I'm still reading through it, but I am glad I picked it up. This will fill that need for my OSE campaign when we do get back to it. One quibble I have with the book, is the layout is a bit "meh" majority of weapon descriptions are split over two pages, causing some flip back and forth, but that is by no means a deal breaker. The book has a handy index, so if you need to look up a weapon, you can find it in the index and then flip right to the appropriate page.  Good stuff!  So if you need barbed arrows, harpoons, tridents and more for your OSE games, you may want to look into this one!  Hope everyone is safe and healthy! We are getting through this mess! 

Update- for the print version of this on Amazon
PDF here 

The New New New? Crobuzon Challenge

     Ok, I am really way behind on this challenge. So behind, that I added the extra New? onto my title. However, I still think it is a cool challenge/idea. This originally comes from back in 2009 from the Githyanki Diaspora blog post about making your own New Crobuzon. With more recent posts back in 2019 by Anne of DIY & Dragons and Jack of the Tales of the Grotesque & Dungeonesque blog.
     You can follow the above links to get more info about these but in a nut shell the challenge is to create your own version of New Crobuzon (from China Mieville's book). Quoting Anne," There are two parts to the challenge - first, choose 3 humanoid monsters to be minority citizens in your fantasy city and assign them cultural niches; second, choose 3 horrible monsters and decide how the city accommodates their presence without them destroying everything."
 I love the Fiend Folio and so I decided to use it heavily as a resource for this challenge.
 I picked Githzerai, Tabaxi and Grimlocks as my minority citizenry and Grell, Blindheim and Clubneks for my monstrosities.

                               Githzerai from Fiend Folio
Citizens- Githzerai, Extra-Planar Mercenaries

 The githzerai started arriving in New Jericho in small groups several decades ago. They keep mostly to themselves and maintain a low profile. Their exact numbers in the city are unclear, always only being encountered in small groups, however, many believe there are far more present in the city than anyone realizes. They can be contracted as mercenaries for expeditions into the Sunken Quarter, but their services aren't cheap, and it is whispered by a few of those who have interacted with them that the githzerai seem to be looking for something, something lost and forgotten by the other races.

 

Grimlock from Fiend Folio

    Citizens- Grimlocks, Underclass Riff Raff and Thugs                                                                          
       The grimlocks are disliked and looked down upon by most everyone else living in the city. Believed to be the degenerate descendants of the founders of one of the older cities New Jericho was built upon.  They lurk in the pitch black tunnels and forgotten chambers running throughout the Sunken Quarter beneath New Jericho.  The grimlocks are divided into different clans and tribes, some seeking to live in peace with the surface dwellers and even try to trade (bringing an extra bit of lost treasure to the surface), while others fight among themselves for food, territory and resources, while others attack the surface dwellers whenever they get the opportunity and think they can get away with it. On occasion a spoiled noble youth from the city will campaign for grimlock equal rights, more to annoy their noble parents than anything else, most of these youth either end up bored and move to other pursuits or get eaten by the grimlocks. If the grimlocks could ever unite under a strong leader the other citizens of New Jericho would be in trouble.

                         Tabaxi vs. Grimlocks art by Jere7my
 Citizens- Tabaxi, Valued Servant Soldiers

   For generations the Tabaxi have served the ruling nobles of New Jericho, originally discovered in the distant Kudzu Jungles of the South, their extraordinary skill in hunting prey and aptitude with weapons made them a perfect choice for the elite of New Jericho to use in their wars. Over the generations many have been brought to New Jericho and have proven themselves useful for the ongoing expeditions into the Sunken Quarter and even darker places.

                               Grell from Fiend Folio
Monstrosity- Grell, Otherworldly Intruders

 The Sunken Quarter hides denizens far worse than the grimlocks. The grell are one of the more frightening dwellers in the dark halls and ruined corridors beneath New Jericho. The grell are said to have been the cause of the destruction of one of the prior cities that New Jericho was built upon. It is believed that in ancient times a portal was accidentally(?) opened to the domain of the grell and a horde of them were able to pour through and ravage the city, wrecking mass havoc and death before the portal could be closed. Only the dawn of the sun allowed a few desperate people to survive, while the grell retreated to the dark places below ground. Although otherworldly, the grell are intelligent, and have the means to work together, using tactics and skill. They have thus far shown no interest in seeking to engage in politics, overtly attack the surface or even attempt to dominate the grimlocks to any real degree. They will devour the grimlocks just as readily as any human, tabaxi or githzerai they encounter. It is said that some grimlock tribes will capture humans and other races to give to the grell as tribute so the grell will leave them alone, and those that can't offer up appropriate tribute will sacrifice their own tribe members to appease the grell. In some whispered circles there are those that fear the grell are up to something...but what could it be??

                               Blindheim from Fiend Folio
Monstrosity- Blindheim, Domesticated Degenerates

 The exact origins of this frog-like subterranean humanoid creatures aren't clear, but many sages believe they are another of the degenerate descendants of earlier inhabitants of one of the older cities New Jericho is built upon. Irregardless, in the Blindheim they have found a tool to help them explore (reconquer) The Sunken Quarter. Using the creatures innate "searchlight" ability, expeditions sent into the Sunken Quarter have "domesticated" these creatures and through use of a control harness and leash are able to use the blindheim as portable, trained, living searchlights. This enables explorers to spot grimlocks in hiding, grell ambushes, or hidden recesses and alcoves. While the blinding light is useless as an attack against the grimlocks and grell, nonetheless expeditions have found having one or two on hand to be a helpful tool in their explorations, as long as, they can keep from the beast turning on them and blinding them in an attempt to escape. 

Clubnek - art from White Dwarf #9     

                     Monstrosity- Clubnek, Cavalry Beast                                                                    

While New Jericho does have an extensive Sunken Quarter that consists of layers upon layers of ruins from prior ages, not all of the city's interests lay underground. The rulers of New Jericho maintain an effective cavalry force of clubnek riders to help advance the interests of this city well beyond its walls. Generations of careful selective breeding have led to the development of a fearsome cavalry mount that when combined with a skilled rider can turn the tide of many a battle.  Wealthy nobles have even gone so far as to have bred clubneks of exotically colored plumage. Clubneks used by the city's military have had their natural green plumage selective bred down to a light brown color to enable more discreet operations in the wild.                                                                                                                                                                                   

Red Shirt Rangers a group for Gamma World 4th Edition

The Crimson Cadre (Red Shirt Rangers)

     Travel across the wastelands is a dangerous endeavor. Isolated enclaves and communities struggle to survive on their own, which is why what little trade exists between them is so vital for their ongoing survival. A few brave caravans and merchants brave the wastes to bring trade goods, supplies and information to these separated communities.  Good coin can be made for those willing to take up the job of caravan guard, although few are willing to do it, given the short life span such work brings. That's where the Crimson Cadre, more commonly known by others as the Red Shirt Rangers come in.  Everyone knows they are clones, everyone except perhaps the Red Shirts themselves. They all look alike, sound alike, act alike and for the most part die alike. 

Equipped with dark red leather tunics (+2 to AC),  Daggers (1d4 damage) and single-shot bolt pistols (2d8 damage). They can be "rented" for guard duty across the wastes. Payment is made up front to a mysterious entity/organization known as "The Network".  Payment is nonrefundable, and killed cadre member's weapons and gear are to be returned to The Network, in order to get your gear deposit back.

  

Red Shirt Ranger

Number: Varies depending on the job (1d8 average)

Percept: 10

Stealth/R.U.: 0

AC: 12 (10)

MD: 10 

Health: 10 

Speed:12 

Level: 1 

Hit Dice:  4 (14) 

THAC: +1 

Attacks: 1 (pistol 2d8 or dagger 1d4) 

Int: Average  

Morale: 12 

Size: M 

XP: 20 

 *above stats are for Gamma World 4th edition, but could be used with Mutant Future, or adjusted for Other Dust or other games.