Weird Sojourn: A Gonzo/Acid Science Fantasy Quest

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A gonzo acid trip in space with ray guns and magic.
Introduction
This quest takes place at the end of history in the Blue Arch Nebula. For eons civilizations would rise, use up the nebula's resources, then fall apart. These cycles have finally exhausted most of the resources in the nebula. After the Great Nebula War of 5648, spacefaring civilization collapsed once again and the survivors fell into quasi-barbarism, unable to muster the will or material to rebuild again. The worlds of Weird Sojourn are psychedelic wastelands populated by odd creatures and peoples bearing the mark of thousands of years of genetic engineering. While peak civilization isn't coming back, for adventurers this world is full of opportunity. Warlords are always in need of soldiers, villages abandoned by said warlords need protection from the abominations that lurk in the wilderness, and there's plenty of ruins to explore and loot.

Our first adventurer was born into this acid science fantasy world twenty years ago and though they will most certainly perish in some awful way, they will need ability scores, skills, and equipment to survive long enough to die when they're supposed to. So, lets begin our first character creation phase.

I. Species
Your soul was manifest in the great timeless void just floatin around and shit when suddenly it found itself pulled along by a cosmic stream. Passing through innumerable universes, it found itself in this one and approached that beautiful cosmic archway that was our nebula. If you were capable of thinking you might have thought, "this place can't be so bad." Welp you would have been terribly incorrect. Eventually a blinding light would consume you and then you would be born. What species did our lucky adventurer get born into:

[] Human: they say humans ruled the nebula once long ago which is true but their last great empire was smashed to pieces by an insectoid hive mind amalgamation sometime before the second to last great collapse of civilization more than 20,000 years ago, afterward they were valued as diplomats and traders due to their natural charisma (capacity for con artistry) and comparatively balanced and flexible emotional disposition. (+1 to Presence Ability Score)

[] Gozarian: these squatty but tough germballs were genetically engineered to be a slave race by the Kraxians but after the fall of their master's empire they were liberated, they are quite numerous as their reproductive process is short and produces 12-18 of them per batch. They are rather cartoonish looking as they were often bred to be cute in an ironic horrific kind of way by the Krax. Their appearance is often deceiving as they are very capable adventurers. (+1 to Fortitude Ability Score)

[] Kraxian: the last great nebula spanning empire belonged to the Kraxians, a species of insectoids who broke away from their hive mind and established an independent civilization. After destroying their former queen, they went on to build an empire based on the use of hyperspace weapons which severely damaged the fabric of time and space. They are relentless ***holes that look like a mix between cockroaches and bipedal ants. Capable of regrowing limbs and are quite strong. (+1 to Prowess Ability Score)

[] Space Elf: ah yes, the noble and erudite space elf, so elegant, so cool *eye roll*. These people originated from the planet Isarn, a world with the highest abundance of magical resonance in the nebula. They established a spacefaring empire based on magical voidships and spread the knowledge of magic across the stars. Eventually they ran into the Krax Imperium and were blown up by hyperspace bombs but not before pooling their collective magical power into casting a spell of eternal blotting on the Kraxian worlds. (+1 to Magic Ability Score)
 
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I. Character Attributes
A 1d3 (1d6 halved and rounded up) is rolled to determine each of your player character's attribute scores. There are four attributes: Prowess (PRO), Fortitude (FOR), Presence (PRE), and Magic (MAG).

Prowess: physical strength, finesse, and agility
Fortitude: endurance, physical toughness
Presence: charisma, cunning, leadership
Magic: your aptitude for using magic

II. Hit Dice & Inventory Slots

Each PC starts with one Hit Die (HD). These are rolled when the character is wounded to determine if the wounds are fatal. Every character starts with 10 + their PRO for Inventory Slots. They are used to carry items and to track the amoung of stress a PC accumulates.

III. Action Rolls | Saving Throws | Opposed Rolls

When the success of an action is uncertain, a 1d20 is rolled and the score from the relevant attribute is added. A result over 15 is a success. A saving throw is an action roll to determine if a PC is able to resist an effect or react quickly enough to avoid harm. Sometimes a PC's action is counteracted or resisted by an NPC. In that case, both sides make an action roll (NPCs use their Skill score). The side with the highest result wins, in the event of a tie, I will decide the outcome.

IV. Buffs & Breaks

Some situations can give a PC Buffs and/or Breaks on their action roll. These cancel each other out. For example, if PC has 2 Buffs and a Break, the Break cancels out one of the Buffs,
resulting in the final roll only being affected by 1 Buff and no Breaks. When making the action roll, for each Buff or Break the player rolls a d6 (in addition to the normal d20). If the d6s rolled are Buffs, the highest roll among them is added to the final result. If the d6s are Breaks, the highest roll among them is subtracted from the final result. NPCs do not roll Buffs or Breaks.

V. Inventory & Stress

A PC has a number of inventory slots equal to 10 + their STR score. Most items take one
slot to carry but some items, like weapons or armor, take up multiple slots. Some actions and situations, like pushing the PC, cause a PC to receive Stress. Each instance of Stress takes up an inventory slot. A PC cannot carry more items or Stress than they have inventory slots. Spending a day resting in a safe location removes all stress.

VI. Pushing A Character

Before making an action roll, if their character has at least one empty inventory slot, players
may choose to push their character to receive a Buff on the roll. If they do so, the PC takes
a Stress. A player may choose to push their character multiple times on a single roll, as
long as they have sufficient empty inventory slots to take the Stress.

VII. Combat

Combat is played in rounds. Each round:
1. Establish combat order. Roll a d6 for each side to determine the combat order this
round; the side that rolls highest goes first. In case of a tie, the PCs go first.
2. Each side acts. When a character can act they may move around and take an action. This action may be attacking, casting a spell, making a second move or any other action deemed reasonable by the GM.
CLOSE COMBAT
To hit in close combat, the attacking and the defending creature make an opposed PRO roll.
The winner deals their weapon's damage to the opposing side. In case of a tie, the attacker
wins.
RANGED COMBAT
Shooting or throwing something at a target works mostly the same as close combat except that a defender cannot respond in kind unless they move close enough.
CRITICAL HIT
If a creature rolls a 20 on the d20 during their attack, it counts as a critical success. This means
the creature deals double their weapon damage to their opponent, even if the opponent still wins the opposed roll. Creatures who are the target of a ranged attack cannot score a critical hit.
WORN WEAPONS
If a PC rolls a 1 on the d20 during their attack, their weapon becomes worn. A worn weapon
has its damage reduced to 1 until it is repaired. A worn weapon is repaired after a day of rest, or by spending Supply.
MORALE
NPCs have a Morale score. The GM should make a Morale roll when something manages
to shock the NPCs (they meet more resistance than expected, their leader is killed etc.).
To make a morale roll, roll 2d6. If the result is higher than the Morale of the NPCs, they
will flee or attempt to parley.
DAMAGE & ARMOR
If a creature takes damage while they're wearing armor, the damage first reduces their
Armor points. If no Armor points remain they take the remaining damage as Wounds. Some
attacks or effects may deal Wounds directly and ignore a creature's Armor.
SHIELDS
Wielding a shield reduces incoming damage by 1, but never reduces the damage to below 1.

VIII. Hit Dive & Death
Each time a creature receives Wounds they roll their Hit Dice (HD). Each HD is a d6. If the
result is less than or equal to the Wounds they have accumulated the creature dies.

IX. Rest & Healing
Spending a day resting in a safe location heals all Wounds, repairs Armor, and restores worn
weapons. If a PC wants to restore their weapon or Armor during an expedition, they can do so
by using Supply.

X. Time

Time is tracked using three measurements:

Round - 10 seconds: in-game, used during combat. A round is enough time for a PC to
perform an action like casting a spell or attacking.

Turn - 10 minutes: in-game, used while exploring an adventuring site. A turn is enough time for a party of PCs to search a dungeon room, pick a lock or do any other significant activity. Each turn, the GM rolls a d6. On a result of 1, an encounter occurs.

Watch - 4 hours: in-game, used when travelling the overworld. A watch is enough time
for a party to travel about 6 miles, hunt for food, or explore the area around them. Each
watch, the GM rolls a d6 to determine if a random encounter occurs.

XI. Advancement

Once a PC earns XP equal to 1000 x their current HD, they automatically spend it to gain
a HD (i.e. a PC with 3 HD would need to earn 3000 XP, after they gained their third HD, to
gain their fourth). When a PC's HD increase they may choose
one of the following:
1. Increase one attribute by 1 point. No attribute can be increased above 8.
2. Learn a new spell.

A PC cannot have more than 12 HD. If they would gain their thirteenth Hit Die they retire
from adventuring

XII. Rewarding XP
At the end of each session the GM rewards each character XP based on the gold value of
the non-magical treasure they brought back safely (1 GP = 1 XP), and 25 XP per NPC Hit Die
of each monster they defeated or outsmarted.

Spellcasting

To cast a spell the caster must have at least one empty inventory slot to receive Stress, one
hand free, and must be able to speak.When a PC attempts to cast a spell they must make a MAG roll. A successful roll means the spell is cast and they take one Stress. If the PC fails the roll, the spell is not cast and the PC gains no Stress.

If the d20 rolled a result of 1, roll on the Blunders table to determine an unforeseen effect.
If a PC takes a full turn to cast a spell, they still receive a Stress but do not have to make a MAG roll and automatically cast the spell successfully.

NPC Spellcasters:

Whenever an NPC attempts to cast a spell the GM makes a roll just like a PC would but uses
the NPC's Ability score instead of MAG. The X value of spells they cast is half their Skill rounded up. NPCs don't receive Stress and do not roll on the Blunders table. Unless otherwise stated, NPC spellcasters can only cast each of their spells once each day

Equipment

Most items take one slot to carry but some items, like weapons or armor, may take additional slots to carry.

Gold:
When treasure is sold, it is converted into gold pounds (GP). These do not take up inventory slots. PC's are assumed to carry a small amount on their person to spend on small purchases and have the rest of their wealth stored somewhere else.

Supply:
Supply is an abstract item representing basic gear a PC brought with them and costs 5 GP.
At any time during a session a PC may trade a Supply they carry for any simple commonly
available item, which they then note in their inventory. It is up to the GM which items can be acquired using Supply and which should be bought separately. Supply can also be used to repair Armor and restore worn weapons during an expedition. One Supply can be used to restore 2 Armor points or one worn weapon; this process takes one turn. Generally Supply is used to obtain food and comparatively simple items. Gold is used for weapons, armor, ammo, and more advanced stuff like vehicles and specialized items.

Ammo:
Ammo is an abstract item representing the ammunition a PC brought with them for their
weapon. Players do not keep track of individual arrows, bullets, or charges but must roll a d6 at the end of combat in which their PC used a ranged weapon. On a result of 1, they only have enough ammunition left for one shot after which the Ammo is removed from their inventory.

Light:
To light the way during the night or in dark places below the earth PCs need a light source.
Torch - Burns for 6 turns (1 hour).
Lantern - Burns for 18 turns (3 hours) but
requires a separate flask of oil.
Electric - Runs for 36 turns (6 hours) but requires batteries.

Non Player Characters

The allies and adversaries PCs can encounter
are described using the following statistics:

Skill - An NPC's Prowess, Fortitude, Presence, and Magic distilled into one value. The GM
adds this to any action roll the NPC makes.

Hit Dice (HD) - The amount of d6s the GM
should roll when an NPC becomes wounded. An NPC with 0 HD dies when it takes
any Wounds.

Armor - The amount of damage an NPC can
take before it starts rolling its Hit Dice.

Morale (ML) - An NPC's odds of giving up during battle.

Possible attacks and/or special abilities the NPC might have.

NPCs cannot push themselves and cannot gain Stress.

Reaction:

When an NPC's reaction to encountering the PCs is not obvious, roll 2d6 and consult the
table below.

2-3 Hostile | 4-5 Unfriendly | 6-8 Indifferent | 9-10 Friendly | 11-12 Helpful

Hirelings

NPCs can be hired to help PC's during their adventures. To create a hireling roll a d4 to
determine their Skill, give them 1 HD and a weapon. A hireling has 10 inventory slots. Experienced hirelings might possess spells and a higher Skill, at the GM's discretion. A hireling can be hired for 1 GP per Skill a day. If a hireling is hired to fight alongside the PC's in combat they also require half a share of whatever treasure the party obtains. Each PC can hire a number of hirelings up to their PRE score
 
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[X] Human: they say humans ruled the nebula once long ago which is true but their last great empire was smashed to pieces by an insectoid hive mind amalgation sometime before the second to last great collapse of civilization more than 20,000 years ago, afterward they were valued as diplomats and traders due to their natural charisma (capacity for con artistry) and comparatively balanced and flexible emotional disposition. (+1 to Presence Ability Score)
 
[X] Gozarian: these squatty but tough germballs were genetically engineered to be a slave race by the Kraxians but after the fall of their master's empire they were liberated, they are quite numerous as their reproductive process is short and produces 12-18 of them per batch. They are rather cartoonish looking as they were often bred to be cute in an ironic horrific kind of way by the Krax. Their appearance is often deceiving as they are very capable adventurers. (+1 to Fortitude Ability Score
 
[X] Space Elf: ah yes, the noble and erudite space elf, so elegant, so cool *eye roll*. These people originated from the planet Isarn, a world with the highest abundance of magical resonance in the nebula. They established a spacefaring empire based on magical voidships and spread the knowledge of magic across the stars. Eventually they ran into the Krax Imperium and were blown up by hyperspace bombs but not before pooling their collective magical power into casting a spell of eternal blotting on the Kraxian worlds. (+1 to Magic Ability Score)
 
Just wanted to briefly say hello and welcome folks to the quest. Weird Sojourn is inspired by my love of old school revival/rules lite tabletop rpgs. That means that player characters tend to be talented nobodies barely surviving in a dangerous world rather than borderline superheroes like in DnD 5e. WS will heavily rely on rolling on tables to determine a lot of things but as QM I will intervene when I think its necessary. OSR games tend to have a high degree of lethality so expect PCs to die fairly often although I will do whats best for the narrative if push comes to shove. Combat is pretty intense as well, everything is simplified and the player character will almost always be barely scrapping through the world.

Anyway, i'm anxious to get started, character creation won't take too long, once we get our species decided, I will roll ability scores, weapons, equipment, and flesh out the rest pretty quickly I think.
 
[x] Kraxian: the last great nebula spanning empire belonged to the Kraxians, a species of insectoids who broke away from their hive mind and established an independent civilization. After destroying their former queen, they went on to build an empire based on the use of hyperspace weapons which severely damaged the fabric of time and space. They are relentless ***holes that look like a mix between cockroaches and bipedal ants. Capable of regrowing limbs and are quite strong. (+1 to Prowess Ability Score)
 
[X] Human: they say humans ruled the nebula once long ago which is true but their last great empire was smashed to pieces by an insectoid hive mind amalgamation sometime before the second to last great collapse of civilization more than 20,000 years ago, afterward they were valued as diplomats and traders due to their natural charisma (capacity for con artistry) and comparatively balanced and flexible emotional disposition. (+1 to Presence Ability Score)

In a story about strange and unfamiliar things, a familiar lens is often necessary or beneficial.
 
Vote closed
Scheduled vote count started by MidnightMantra on Feb 5, 2023 at 9:50 PM, finished with 6 posts and 4 votes.

  • [X] Gozarian: these squatty but tough germballs were genetically engineered to be a slave race by the Kraxians but after the fall of their master's empire they were liberated, they are quite numerous as their reproductive process is short and produces 12-18 of them per batch. They are rather cartoonish looking as they were often bred to be cute in an ironic horrific kind of way by the Krax. Their appearance is often deceiving as they are very capable adventurers. (+1 to Fortitude Ability Score
    [X] Space Elf: ah yes, the noble and erudite space elf, so elegant, so cool *eye roll*. These people originated from the planet Isarn, a world with the highest abundance of magical resonance in the nebula. They established a spacefaring empire based on magical voidships and spread the knowledge of magic across the stars. Eventually they ran into the Krax Imperium and were blown up by hyperspace bombs but not before pooling their collective magical power into casting a spell of eternal blotting on the Kraxian worlds. (+1 to Magic Ability Score)
    [x] Kraxian: the last great nebula spanning empire belonged to the Kraxians, a species of insectoids who broke away from their hive mind and established an independent civilization. After destroying their former queen, they went on to build an empire based on the use of hyperspace weapons which severely damaged the fabric of time and space. They are relentless ***holes that look like a mix between cockroaches and bipedal ants. Capable of regrowing limbs and are quite strong. (+1 to Prowess Ability Score)
    [X] Human: they say humans ruled the nebula once long ago which is true but their last great empire was smashed to pieces by an insectoid hive mind amalgamation sometime before the second to last great collapse of civilization more than 20,000 years ago, afterward they were valued as diplomats and traders due to their natural charisma (capacity for con artistry) and comparatively balanced and flexible emotional disposition. (+1 to Presence Ability Score)
 
Update coming later today

Human won the vote (GAWR had to be added since the vote didnt take his into account.)
 
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Character Creation
Lokar Moktala (age 20) (he/him) (human/glelarian)
Prowess: 3
Fortitude: 3
Presence: 3 + 1 (Human)
Magic: 1
Hit Die: 1d6
Inventory Slots: 10 + 3 (Prowess) | Nanite Reinforced Short Sword (1 slot) (4 dmg) | (no armor)
Money: 40 tossers

When your eyes reached light you saw your mother first, a human woman of twenty three with long reddish purple hair messy from the strain of birth. Your father had been away on a business trip. The place of your birth would not be where you grew up as your father would lose the family home when you were still a toddler due to his nefarious business dealings gone wrong. Not that he would be reprimended by any legal system as your people, the Glelarians, were a society of quasi-nomadic timeshare salesmen who saw nothing wrong with scamming, as long as it made profit nobody cared much about what you did. However your father proved to be an incompetant and was therefore relegated to a desk job, calling expired leads which was considered a charitable act by his superiors.

You grew up on the planet Vastigia III, notable for it's neon green sunlight and beautiful lakefront properties. It also possesses some of the largest deposits of akelite, carbon plus plus, and uranium in the sector, making it a bustling mining world. One Summer, when you were 12 years old, your father saved up enough money to take the fam on a vacation to the rustic frontier city of Vastiyan. You remember going to the beach, getting to second base with a charming Gambanese girl, enjoying some delicious imported void hot dogs, and um what else, damn can't think of it, on the tip of my tongue, oh yes, the horrific slaughter of your family in the Vastiyan Massacre of 3,421. The city saw thousands killed by Trag barbarians who had migrated to the grasslands near the border. Fortunately our handsome young man was stuck in an elevator with his new girlfriend and both were able to avoid getting pinned to a wall by a spikegun.

Anyways, you ended up being sent off to live with your uncle and after a long distance relationship your girlfriend broke up with you and started dating a hoverboarder. Your uncle turned out to be a caravan guard for some rather affluent salesmen of the year and it was he who would teach you the way of vaporizing people from a long distance with an expensive beam cannon. You did receive training in basic self-defense and gained experience fighting in melee against outlander savages. Your life changed yet again when the caravan you and your uncle were guarding was attacked by bandits with energy shields. Unfortunately your uncle would die in this exchange, he would leave you some money, his nanite reinforced short sword, and tried to get you a job with the company but the shareholders decided to spend your dead uncle's salary on a spur of the moment gambling excursion to Yuram IX.

So here you are, a young human man of just twenty years of age, with no family or forseable prospects. You only have a week left before they kick you out of your uncle's apartment in Gamba, you tried serving tables at a local dive but when a patron didn't leave a tip you confronted him and when he made for his dagger, you experienced a flashback and imagined him as a Dinkar warrior, the same who killed your uncle and by instinct smashed his head into the bar many times before the staff pulled you off. So, after some quiet time and an awkward talk with the police who offered you a job, you decided to take some advice from your manager and go down to the Department of Labor and see about a job that would better suit your skills and disposition.

*Note: I have the game mechanics updated in full, might add some things later on. Tomorrow I will be posting our first gameplay vote, I need to flesh some things out and also it's late here so I need to go to bed. Need to add character skills as well so those stats are not final.
 
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Lokar didn't waste anytime heading to the Department of Labor because after the excitement of that evening he was desperate for a drink, the vision of a scorched blood painted grangu skull, the traditional helmet of the Dinkar warrior was still parading through his head. Contrary to what you might be thinking, the DoL was not just a place to find jobs for adventurers, it wasn't even a government agency, the Glelarians didn't like public services of course, it was in fact a sort of cheap hotel crossed with dive bar crossed with job fair. It was entirely funded by the local Caravan Guild who were always in need of cannon fodder.

He approached the Department with his hand gripping his sword, he had visited this place several times in his childhood with his uncle, it was a place where the most unhinged, rowdy, and dangerous individuals of Gambatal congregated. Inside he found the place full to the gills, the scent of alien booze and fried squidworms permeated the air, an Egrimian wearing sunglasses played a blues song with a driving bassline on its guitar, Lokar recognized the tune as, "My Baby Left Me For A Space Elf". Along the walls were plastic tables covered in brochures and grisly trinkets, one of the recruiters with quite a anxious look on his face immediately runs over to you as you enter the building. He says, "Sir, sir! You're Savity's nephew, right? I'm so very sorry for your loss, he was a great man. And you know what, I wasn't able to make the funeral so I wanted to make amends by offering you the opportunity of a life time!"

Lokar, rather thirsty, put up his hand and said, "It's common courtesy to let the person you're about to send to their death get at least a good buzz going before you approach them with a job. Also, didn't you owe my uncle 300 tossers? I might have to take that up with you later tonight." The recruiter, a middle aged human, pulled on his shirt collar, he took out a rag and wiped his sweaty face, then nervously laughed, "Oh well, um, I can definitely add that to your paycheck if you decide to hit me up for this job. I'll be here late so take your time!" You make your way to the bar and request a Natty Daddy draft (-3 clinks), beginning a long night of drinking. While at the bar you scan the Department, attempting to find somebody who looks worth a damn to talk to for work and/or pleasure. You take notice of the following people:

[] The sweaty recruiter of course, you learn that his name is Cirnka Vauug, he's a recruiter for the Caravan Guild and has been having a difficult time meeting his quota this quarter, your fellow barflies tell you that he pissed off one of the union shop stewards and has been getting the lowest paying jobs to recruit for.

[] Marcus Ashat, you know this dickhead personally, he's an officer in the Glelarian army, he was leading the military escort that abandoned your uncle's unit of caravan guards to the Dinkar savages, you learn he's recruiting for a very important and very secret mission, he's offering the most money out of all the recruiters.

[] A shady looking group in the corner are rumored to be members of one of the crime syndicates in Gamba, they have been coming into the place looking for new muscle to replace their losses in their most recent turfwar with the Swollen Fish gang.

[] There's a cutie Glelarian woman whose been making eye contact with you all night. You feel the right amount of drunk where you're not yet an obnoxious asshole but chill enough that you wont start monologuing about how kick ass you are at blasting dudes with beam cannons.
 
[x] A shady looking group in the corner are rumored to be members of one of the crime syndicates in Gamba, they have been coming into the place looking for new muscle to replace their losses in their most recent turfwar with the Swollen Fish gang.
 
[X] The sweaty recruiter of course, you learn that his name is Cirnka Vauug, he's a recruiter for the Caravan Guild and has been having a difficult time meeting his quota this quarter, your fellow barflies tell you that he pissed off one of the union shop stewards and has been getting the lowest paying jobs to recruit for.
 
[X] The sweaty recruiter of course, you learn that his name is Cirnka Vauug, he's a recruiter for the Caravan Guild and has been having a difficult time meeting his quota this quarter, your fellow barflies tell you that he pissed off one of the union shop stewards and has been getting the lowest paying jobs to recruit for.
 
Vote closed
Scheduled vote count started by MidnightMantra on Feb 10, 2023 at 8:58 PM, finished with 3 posts and 3 votes.

  • [X] The sweaty recruiter of course, you learn that his name is Cirnka Vauug, he's a recruiter for the Caravan Guild and has been having a difficult time meeting his quota this quarter, your fellow barflies tell you that he pissed off one of the union shop stewards and has been getting the lowest paying jobs to recruit for.
    [x] A shady looking group in the corner are rumored to be members of one of the crime syndicates in Gamba, they have been coming into the place looking for new muscle to replace their losses in their most recent turfwar with the Swollen Fish gang.
 
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