Happy Birthday America!

 

Blacktusk Mammoth for Old School Essentials

 

Blacktusk Mammoth

A rare northern breed of mammoth distinguished by its snow-white coat and massive obsidian tusks. Blacktusks are prized by the Ice Amazons as sacred beasts and are sometimes trained as war mounts for queens and champions. Wild Blacktusks are uncommon, dwelling upon the frozen tundra, glaciers, and high mountain valleys of the far north.

AC 4 [15]
HD 17 (76 hp)
Att 1 × trunk slam (2d6), 2 × tusks (3d6) or trample (5d8)
THAC0 8 [+11]
MV 120 (40)
SV D2 W3 P4 B3 S6 (17)
ML 11
AL Neutral
XP 1,600
NA 0 (1d4)
TT Obsidian Tusks

Special

• Charge: In the first round of combat, when not already in melee and with a clear run of at least 20 yards, the Blacktusk may charge. Its tusk attacks inflict double damage.
• Trample: 3-in-4 chance of trampling each round. Gains +4 to hit creatures of human size or smaller.
• Cold Adapted: Blacktusks ignore movement penalties caused by snow, ice, and frozen ground.
• Obsidian Tusks: The beast's glossy black tusks are prized by kings, nobles, master artisans, and sorcerers. Each intact tusk is worth 3d6 × 100 gp.
• Harvesting Tusks: Removing a tusk without damaging it requires 1 hour of careful work using appropriate cutting tools. If the referee deems the attempt rushed or careless, the tusk may be cracked or chipped, reducing its value by half or rendering it unsuitable for the finest craftsmanship.

Pass of the Thorn Crowned

      An ancient path from a forgotten age, the old stone path leads through a rocky pass. Barely intact, fallen old structures are scattered throughout the pass. Strange whispers float along the wind. Even when there is no wind.  Those that use the pass, do so quickly and never at night, bad things happen at night. Here and there dark openings lead into the unknown...

     Mid-way through the pass, an ancient statue, covered in vines, a female with one arm manacled and chained, thorny vines have grown around her head creating a natural crown of thorns. Travelers bow their heads when passing the statue, and leave offerings at the statue base. It is said to not leave an offering will bring upon a curse.  Indeed if anyone fails to leave an offering, all of their food (rations, etc) will become infested with maggots! If an entire group (caravan, band of heroes etc.) all fail to each leave an offering, dark clouds will form overhead and a rain of maggots will fall for several minutes. This will terrify mounts, steeds, pack animals etc. and is really gross! 

More campaign brainstorming

 I had fun yesterday with Knave 2e creating so as a exercise to decompress from work today, I dug out my dice and tried some more creativity exercises.

Since my last post made references to a noble, I figured I needed to work up some details on that. I have a PDF called Noble House Creator that I picked up some time ago. Just a few simple random tables, but still good for brainstorming.

House Greymorn

House Crest: grey background, dark green perimeter, narrow green eye in center

House Logo: "Gilded Eyes Will Always Rule"

Family Trade: Armorers

Famed Family Member: Valerian the Bold, the Brave, the Beautiful; a skilled hunter said to have slain a dragon!

Family Deeds: Castle, Vineyard (run down, in disarray, mismanaged) control village of Seep and surrounding farms. 

Who Supports the family: Currently hold the Queen's favor (currently...)

Payment they accept: Gold, silver, coins!

Family militia/Specialists: Mounted Knights

Family Secret: Their funds are running dry...desperate for influx of cash to pay debts! 

Lord Archibald Greymorn of House Greymorn

Margot Vineyard- yes it is that bad

So there you have it, this didn't take long at all, I used Knave to fill in some gaps, and now I have a fun little addition to my growing region.

Have a great evening!

B.B.