A mighty ocean spirit's grief and anger have hung over your village for generations. Every twenty-five years, your village sends one of its young to the island temple to die as a sacrifice. This generation is the first time the village has decided to send down multiple heirs as a sacrifice, with the hope that returning the Crown will help atone for your ancestor's sins. You will most assuredly fail this time, but you will learn. You will pass these memories onto your Heir, and give them a better chance. A small chance, but if you rub enough small grains of sand against a boulder, eventually that boulder will crumble.
Generations ago, your ancestors founded a village near a young low-lying forest that covered the valley between great mountains, on the coast of a lush continent.
Your ancestors prayed to the spirits of the land and sea to provide them with a pure source of water for their new village. The spirits responded by showing them visions of other good locations for their village where there was already food and water aplenty. Your ancestors knew that the forest grew valuable lumber, the mountains held valuable ore, and the sea was dense with fish; that was why they chose this site for their settlement. So they pleaded with the spirits, but the spirits would not concede. So your ancestors decided to take matters into their own hands.
There was a legend that the Deep Queen, the mightiest of all spirits, had a Temple that housed her Crown, and her Crown was said to have the ability to create water. Your ancestors knew the Temple to be on the peak of a hulking mountain that overlooked the sea. So your ancestors found that temple, and stole the Crown. The Deep Queen was frustrated at your ancestor's arrogance, but loved her creative and intelligent children, so she allowed them to take the Crown. It was only when your ancestors used the Crown that her fury became unbearable.
Your ancestors created a massive lake. Unfortunately the lake naturally flowed to the lowest point around, the forest that was birthed by the sea mist of the Deep Queen and the rich mountain minerals of the mountain spirit, Elcontra. Your ancestors drowned the forest and with it, the young forest spirit known as the Green Prince. The Green Prince's mother, the Deep Queen herself, was filled with sorrow and rage. She swore to punish humanity.
And so it began to rain, and rain, and rain. For years it rained. It rained until your ancestors had to move to the top of a nearby mountain, their original settlement washed away. That mountain is now the island you stand upon, gazing towards the Deep Queen's Temple on the horizon. You are to return her Crown or die trying. Either way, the rains will be held at bay for 25 more years so that humanity can eke out an existence on the few islands that remain, unsure of their long-term future in this flooded landscape.
A mighty ocean spirit's grief and anger have hung over your village for generations. Every twenty-five years, your village sends one of its young to the island temple to die as a sacrifice. This generation is the first time the village has decided to send down multiple heirs as a sacrifice, with the hope that returning the Crown will help atone for your ancestor's sins. You will most assuredly fail this time, but you will learn. You will pass these memories onto your Heir, and give them a better chance. A small chance, but if you rub enough small grains of sand against a boulder, eventually that boulder will crumble.
WHAT IS THIS?
This is my first Quest! I'll be running A Rasp of Sand, where you will, together, control a party of Heirs, normal folk who leave their normal lives to adventure down into the Depths of the Deep Queen's Temple, journeying to return her Crown. I will be drawing aesthetic & thematic inspiration from water temples in Zelda games, and the general vibe of Wind Waker. This is a TTRPG, using the simple rules of Knave as a base, adapted to play as a communal Quest, instead of individual players controlling individual characters. No need to read up or understand the rules; they are very simple, and I'll be explaining them as they come up. I'll also keep a quick reference at the bottom of this first post, in case you want to refer to them in the future. I'm going to shoot for updates roughly every 12-48 hours, depending on interest and in-game context. As my first Quest, I'm bound to make some mistakes or miss some forum etiquette; please let me know if I do! And if you have any questions, whether about game mechanics or just additional detail on anything in-game, please ask!
FOUR FAMILIES
Your village is composed of a handful of families, who specialize in a Trade. This is your Heir's background. It's what your family does for a living. When you choose a family Trade, your first Heir gets the apprentice level trait for that trade. Each consecutive generation that you raise gains the next trait in that Trade, for up to five generations. In between generations your family may choose to switch Trades. Your new Heir will lose the benefits of the previous Trade, but gain the first-generation benefits of the new one. If your family decides to switch back to a previously-used Trade, you will resume your former trait benefits at the level where you left off.
Which families will send forth an Heir as a sacrifice to the Depths of the Deep Queen's Temple? Choose four.
[ ] ACADEMIC - You can always spot an academic by their distinctive tall hats. From chroniclers of knowledgeto researchers of new technology, Academics are well known for their eternal search for knowledge. [ ] COOK - Known for carrying everything and the kitchen sink, cooks are an integral member of town. Cooks can forage, butcher, and some have even been known to impart abilities through the dishes they serve. [ ] ENTERTAINER - Musicians, artists, poets, actors, and more. Entertainers are experts at keeping morale up and distracting the beasts of the deep. [ ] FISHER - The tarp-clad fishers traverse the dangerous waters off-shore. They are well-known for raising Dotters1 as hunting companions and using massive harpoon guns to hunt tuna, whales, and seals. [ ] MAGICIAN - Magicians sway the forces of reality by inscribing arcane sigils onto massive pearls and enchanting items with Sand2. [ ] MERCHANT - Masters of commerce and trade. The Merchants are adept at communication and getting the most for their Sand2. [ ] PRIEST - Spiritual leaders of the town. These mystics follow one of the six continental gods, wielding the powers their god commands. [ ] SAILOR - Master navigators and guides. Sailors are adept at avoiding the dangers of the Deep. Easily identifiable by their trusty Eku3. [ ] SLUG RANCHER - Slug Ranchers work tide pools. They farm potent sea slugs for all sorts of purposes. They are identified by their waders and hats. [ ] SMITH - Workers of metal, wood, leather, and more unusual materials. They create works of art, tools, weapons, armor, and even the boats the village uses. [ ] SMUGGLER - Some see them as scoundrels, others see them as useful scavengers that dive down into the depths to find valuable items lost to the seas. [ ] WARRIOR - Guards, jailors, and bounders. Warriors are professional soldiers. They protect the village and slay any monsters that threaten its shores.
1Dotters are dog-otters. Pretty cute. 2Sand is a bit of a complex topic, and will be explained more later. Essentially, in this game, it's both XP and currency, in the form of fine pearlescent grains of Sand. 3A weaponized oar of Okinawan origin.
In a large ocean rests an island. On the northernmost hill of the island lies the largest village on the island. Manawa. Home. Reaching out into the sea from the village is an ancient pier. The pier has been there as long as anyone can remember, and is engraved with geometric runes and pictographs. On a clear, starry night like tonight, the bioluminescent algae that has settled into the pier's engravings begins to glow a pale, celestial blue. First the runes glow, and then the waves themselves, as they break against the pier. At the end of the ancient pier, rocking gently back and forth in the cerulean glow of the ocean, is a boat. It, too, has been there as long as the pier, as far as the people of Manawa can remember. Next to its moorings is a tablet, written in the ancient tongue. It reads, "Good fortune to those who cross the New Sea, and willingly give the Perfect Gift to the Deep Lady so that the others don't have to. Peace be with you."
It is here, tonight, at the foot of this ancient pier, where the Old Families of Manawa have chosen to come together. Everyone in the village is here, old and young alike. The mood is solemn. There has not been a gathering like this for twenty-five long years. But tonight is different. Tonight, instead of sending a lone sacrifice to appease the Deep Queen and hold off the rains, the Old Families have each chosen an Heir to send instead. Four Heirs in total, each one young and untested, both grateful and afraid for the honour bestowed on them, the impossible task for which they embark upon this night. The collective eyes of Manawa watch them now as they march down the ancient pier, holding the Deep Queen's salt-encrusted crown, their faces and footsteps underlit by the ghostly glow of the pier's runes.
With reverence, the Crown is loaded onto the small boat at the end of the pier. The village sighs. The proud parents of the Old Families clench their fists, wipe tears from their eyes, and mutter prayers under their breaths. The Heirs unmoor their vessel, and take one last, longing look at the only home they have ever known, the only friends and family they have in this watery world. It is for them that this task must be done. The Crown must be returned. The boat pushes off into the glowing waves, toward the Deep Queen's Temple.
The dawn is just beginning to light the sky when the Heirs make it to the entrance of the Deep Queen's Temple, a small bay that was once the peak of a mighty mountain, now drowned under the eternal rains of the Deep Queen's sorrow. The Crown hums, as if it is eager to be returned. The Heirs look around, confused, before glancing down into the bay beneath them. There it is, sitting proudly beneath the waters. The Deep Queen's Temple. A moment passes.
"Well...how do we get down there?" whispers Wendy, her voice hushed as if in a church.
As if hearing her, the bay is suddenly alight with roaring water and frothing foam, as the waters drain rapidly. Within moments, the Heirs' small boat is stranded on a patch of wet stone at the bottom of the bay. The Heirs find themselves at the foot of the Deep Queen's Temple. Bertram turns his head, looking at the entrance of the bay where they came in, now high above their heads, and inaccessible unless the water fills back in. He mutters a prayer to the Yellow Princess under his breath, and adjusts his humble priest's robes, smoothing them out after the long boat ride here.
The Heirs stride forth into the Deep Queen's Temple and find themselves in a large staircase spiraling down, surrounded by damp stone, the smell of salt hanging in the air. After two flights down, they emerge into a large circular room. It is surprisingly well-lit down here with bright light dancing along the ceiling, as if refracted through ocean waves. The burbling of water is audible everywhere, and channels of saltwater run everywhere, from the walls to the floors. Some channels are small, only a finger's width, while others are large, like small streams. Bertram flinches, stepping out of an ankle-deep channel and flicking his shoe dry. The channel glows a very dim blue-green, as if in response.
There are 3 exits to this room, not counting the stairs back up.
What do you do?
[ ] Go east.
[ ] Go south.
[ ] Go west.
THE MAP
THE PARTY
Some aspects of gameplay I want to touch base on, before things get spicy, hehe.
There is no leaving the dungeon. There is no way out, only forward. There will be opportunities to rest and heal within the dungeon, if you carve out safe spaces in which to do so.
Once an Heir dies, your quest has failed. The dungeon will flood, and all remaining Heirs must evacuate immediately. The waters outside the temple will rise, and all surviving Heirs can go back to Manawa and retire, sending their own Heirs to try again in 25 years.
Sand. When a living creature dies, they leave behind their memories and experiences as fine pearlescent grains of Sand. Sand is incredibly valuable, and most folks carry a sack of diluted Sand as currency. Diluted Sand is Sand that has been mixed from many different creatures. Pure Sand, from a single individual creature, may be ingested to experience the life of the creature it came from. There are rumours that ingesting Sand from certain creatures can cause you to take on the traits of that same creature. Mechanically, Sand functions as both XP & Currency.
Inventory. You can see that the characters have a number of item slots equal to their Constitution score/defense. Because there are no classes in this game, item slots are the key to character customization. Want a tank? Load that guy up with armor. Fighter? Give them heavy weapons. Spellcaster? Give them all the scrolls and spell pearls you find. Most items take up one slot, but same bulkier weapons and armor take up multiple slots, as you can see above. The Deep Queen's Crown is abstracted and doesn't take up a slot, and we can assume that the party is carrying it between themselves.
Heirs. The characters have been randomly generated, everything from their stats to appearance, and starting inventory. The family Trade you voted on gave them set starting items and a special trait, and every character starts with 2 day's worth of rations and a torch. Everything else you see was rolled up. The images in the character sheets are not representative of that actual character, but are the illustrations from the book representing that Trade. I thought they looked nice, so I threw them in there.
Advancement. Every 1000 XP, an Heir will level up. Stronger Heirs produce stronger Heirs. Gain XP by doing stuff adventurers do.
Depths. The Deep Queen's Temple has 5 floors or levels, called Depths. You are currently on the first one, called the Pelagic. Your goal, roughly, is to get to the bottom of the Temple and return the Crown. Expect things to get darker and more dangerous the deeper down you go.
Note: Our Sailor, Morgot Edevane, was lucky enough to start with 2 two-handed weapons, and a shield! She can carry all that, but obviously can only wield 1 of the two-handed weapons, without the shield. I'll default to her using the 2-handed hammer, because it has higher damage potential, but if y'all wanna give one of the weapons and/or the shield to another party member, just let me know. I also cheated a bit with her inventory: most items are supposed to take one slot, but she rolled a Sack as one of her bonus items, so I threw in some odds and ends that she didn't technically have room for in there. What's the point of an empty sack, right?
Any further questions, don't hesitate to ask! Will probably leave a 48-hour voting window for this post.
The Heirs look around at each other, unsure faces replaced by determined looks after a momentary pause. They march onward, through one of the identical curving tunnels that exits the stairwell that plunged down into the Deep Queen's Temple. The tunnel is short but disorienting, following gentle bends while being enveloped by the audible sensation of water flowing through dozens, if not hundreds, of channels.
The Heirs emerge into a spacious room. At first it seems barren; the floor is empty, just damp sand from wall to wall. Dappled yellow-green light ripples across the floor, drawing the Heirs' eyes up to the ceiling, where the purpose of the room becomes clear. The ceiling is lush with greenery. Slippery green bushes, some variety of kelp or seaweed, are planted neatly in organized rows, growing healthily in the damp briny air of the Temple. Clusters of quartz crystals jut out from the walls, diffusing light evenly across the room.
Moving amongst the rows are four bulky figures that appear to be tending to the plants. Their movements are slow and considered, even diligent. The figures drag huge shells on their back. One shell is pristine and ornate. Another is overgrown with budding growths of coral, algae, and barnacles. Another has flotsam and jetsam artfully secured to it. The last appears to be painted or dyed in shockingly vibrant hues of pinks and blues. Behind the shells are hulking hermit crabs, their stalked eyes flicking around the ceiling, mouthparts clicking and chirping, claws busy with the plants. They don't seem to have noticed the arrival of the Heirs.
A distant sound becomes faintly audible behind the constant churning of water all around - it sounds like a faint buzzing, the sort of noise you might expect after throwing a rock at a hornet's nest. It is coming from the east.
There are only 2 exits to this room: back the way you came, or forward through another wide curving tunnel.
What do you do?
[ ] Write-in.
THE MAP
You are in the bracketed room.
THE PARTY
The party has traded some equipment around, as requested.
Morgot, the Sailor, has given her two-handed hammer to Bertram, the Priest. His lanky frame and loose robes hide a strong physique. He reluctantly hands over his sling, the favored weapon of his chosen god, the Yellow Princess.
Wendy, the Smuggler, takes the spare shield from the Sailor, and gives the Academic her mace in exchange for their spear.
Feel free to voice any additional changes you'd like to make, at any time; it doesn't need to be structured as a vote.
The Heirs stare at the hanging gardens on the ceiling 15 feet above them, curiosity and awe overshadowing caution for a moment.
"Are they...farming something?" whispers Wendy, slightly loosening the grip on her spear and shield.
"Yes! Look in the kelp...slugs!" chirps Elsbeth excitedly, pointing at the rows of greenery hanging over the party. She's right. There are dozens of brightly-coloured sea slugs grazing among the kelp, munching away steadily like caterpillars.
The nearest man-sized hermit crab turns its body slowly, apparently having heard the Academic's voice. Its stalked eyes glance over the Heirs, before waving one of its large pincer claws sedately. Is it...greeting the Heirs? It doesn't wait for a response, instead calmly turning around and returning to tending the gardens in front of it. On closer inspection, the Heirs can see small pouches and tools hidden amongst the crab's exoskeleton. It is not only pruning and replanting small clusters of kelp, but is moving around and collecting different sea slugs.
The buzzing to the east ebbs briefly...before returning, louder than before.
What do you do?
[ ] Write-in.
THE MAP
You are in the bracketed room.
THE PARTY
Questions and clarifications:
The Priest's Bless only applies to the next attack & damage roll. I'm gonna rule for now that he can Bless out of combat, but only on 1 character at a time. In combat, Bless can be up on multiple characters, but still takes an action to apply to one character.
The ceiling of this room is roughly 15 ft. above the floor, so can't be accessed without doing something clever or ambitious.
The quartz crystals themselves aren't emitting light, but rather diffusing natural light evenly all over the room. The source of the natural light isn't clear: it appears to be ambient all over this level of the Temple.
The Temple only resets its layout between generations, so the layout of rooms and floors will stay the same once explored (though the denizens inside will still be active and continue to do stuff).
Sea slugs in this setting are modelled after potions in roguelikes. That is, you eat them for an effect, and certain colours correlate to certain effects. These also reset with the Temple between generations. This is where the Academic's ability comes in handy. I picture the sea slugs looking like this.
Morgot swings her braid behind her head, and unloads a smooth rock from her sling, tucking it back behind a band on her waist. She steps forward and stands beside Betram's taller, lankier frame. With an exaggerated motion, she waves cartoonishly at the four large hermit crabmen gardening on the ceiling. Their attention is focused on the slug-filled kelp beds in front of them, shells facing the Heirs. No reaction.
"Hey! Look at this! We can trade!" shouts the Priest, taking out a ball-peen hammer and fine polished mace from his robes. The mace was polished into a deadly weapon, crafted by the smiths of Manawa from the hard root clusters of long-drowned trees salvaged from the New Sea.
One of the crabs turns around. Its stalked eyes flicker over the tools raised in Bertram's hands, excitedly. A rapid-fire staccato of clicks and chirps burst forth from its arthropoid mouth, and a series of smaller claw-legs reach into the shell on its back and take out two glass jars, each containing a sea slug. One slug is green with black banding. The other is a pale sky blue, with dark blue stripes. It scuttles forward toward Morgot and Bertram, dangling the jarred slugs down, and holding out an empty pincer as if attempting to trade.
"Hey Silverless, pass me your spyglass...I have an idea." mutters Elsbeth, her eyes focused on the jarred slugs. She takes the offered spyglass, and begins examining the captive slugs.
Wendy wanders around the room, sifting through damp sand on the empty floor. She finds nothing. She reaches for a cluster of quartz slightly lower than the rest on the ceiling, but it is still too high, out of her reach. Lastly, she begins to wander toward the tunnel exiting east, but before she can get there, the dull buzzing sound turns louder, angrier. "Uhhh.....guys?!?" she says, alarmed.
What do you do?
[ ] Write-in.
THE MAP
You are in the bracketed room.
THE PARTY
So, time to explain another game mechanic. There are several actions the party can take during what's called an Exploration Turn. An Exploration Turn lasts roughly 10 minutes. The party has to collectively choose one action, as they will all work together to accomplish that task. Also, during these 10 minutes, I will roll for an encounter. Rolling a 1 on a 1d6 will result in an encounter, which isn't necessarily hostile, but often is. During that 10-minute span, the party of Heirs can...
Rest: Relax, stretch, recover from exertion. May eat a ration to recover 1d8 + CON bonus HP.
Forage: Hunt for Rations. Roll 1d6[--] and gain that many Rations.
Explore: The Heirs search the current room thoroughly, automatically finding anything hidden, including at least one roll on the Loot Table. Can attempt to Explore quickly by making checks, which if successful, avoid an Encounter roll.
So now you understand what those Trade Traits mentioning 'spend a Rest' means. Because of this, I haven't allowed the Academic to use her Researcher ability, nor the Smuggler to use her Scavenger ability, as they need more time. Feel free to call for these actions at any time; the reason I didn't include them as a vote above is because it'd be odd if the Heirs spent 10 minutes ignoring everything new in the room. In the future I'll put them as vote options in appropriate circumstances, but again, feel free to call for them at any time.
One more mechanic to explain. Advantage & Disadvantage. Occasionally you'll see a + or - beside a dice notation, like on the Forage action above. For each +/-, roll an additional die, taking the higher with a +, and lower with a -. + & - cancel each other out, and no roll may have more than 3 stacks at any time. So the '1d6[--]' above means roll 3d6, taking the lowest of all 3 dice. In general I'll handle the rolls to save time, but if you feel confident with the mechanics to make the appropriate roll, I'll use your result!
Bertram couldn't help but smile as he tossed the mace and hammer at the hermit crabman above him, catching the two jarred slugs dropped in exchange. These creatures were intelligent! He turned and shared a look of wonder with Elsbeth behind him.
Morgot, ever the Sailor, is watching Wendy sprinting across the far end of the room back toward the other Heirs. She knew from experience that Smugglers had an acute sense for danger, and the Silverless family had been Smugglers for a long, long time. "Follow me! We're heading back, NOW!" she shouted, confidence and authority reverberating through her young voice.
The Heirs hurried through the tunnel from whence they came, the fruits of a successful trade in hand. (+50 XP to all Heirs for overcoming a minor challenge)
Back at the staircase, Bertram handed Elsbeth the two slugs. Manawans knew that sea slugs were jewels of the New Sea, useful as food, medicine, or poison in equal measure. There seemed to be an infinite variety of them, in a boundless assortment of colours. Rarer slugs could even produce magical effects. Elsbeth's family, the Beetlemans, were Academics; rumour had it that long ago before the Crown was stolen and the world was drowned, the Beetlemans got their name from studying beetles and other useful insects.
Wendy Silverless stood by the tunnel they just exited, an ear cupped to the wall, listening intently. Behind her, Bertram checked in with Morgot. He reached into his robe and took out a tiny jar of yellow paste, smearing some on his finger and marking the center of Morgot's forehead. "A blessing. For the Yellow Princess."
"For the Yellow Princess." responded the Sailor.
The Heirs took a few minutes to breathe. (rolled for an Encounter, came up negative) Elsbeth studied the green and black sea slug. Interesting. This one stored a poison in its flesh that was sure to cause any creature that swallowed it to burst into a violent frenzy, unable to distinguish friend from foe. Meanwhile Wendy reported on what she heard in the hanging gardens, where they left. "Something happened in that room. Some kind of carnage. Sounds like...sounds like a swarm of bees got in or something. I kinna hope the crabs are alright, but...I don't know. It's quiet now. Any ideas?"
"Hard to fight something before we know what it is. Swarms are tricky, though. My uncle always said that the best way to defeat a school of fish was to split it up into smaller groups. Swarms are more dangerous the bigger they are. Maybe that could help." Morgot reminisced.
More time passed, as the Heirs waited for Elsbeth to study the other slug. This pale blue one was highly nutritious, its body filled with a regenerative slime, like a cream-filled donut (heal Ld4 HP, L being the level of the character who swallows the slug). Wendy, easily bored, wandered the room, poking around the sand for salvage. She found some debris that was potentially useful - 2 unused torches, and a bundle of 5 wooden spikes. Hmm. When she stabbed her hand into the sand to grab the salvage, she felt an ominous thrumming underground, as if something large was burrowing nearby...
Behind them, Morgot and Bertram talked about their families. The Edevanes were a well-respected lineage, having long maintained the watercraft of Manawa, and knowing the ever-fluctuating currents and flows of the New Sea. The Hatmans were just one of several Old Families devoted to the gods. Bertram's bloodline were dedicated to the youthful, feminine Yellow Princess, who once defeated a monstrous giant with only her small sling.
Now rested, the Heirs headed through a tunnel leading west. The acidic stench of bird shit filled the Heirs' nostrils as they emerged into the next room. They saw high ceilings and walls covered in interwoven clusters of grasping vines. A sludgy mess, looking like watery bird shit mixed with decomposing plant matter, covered the floor up to shin-height. The source of it was clear. In the middle of this room were a cluster of gullture nests. Gulltures were mangy scavengers and opportunistic hunters; dog-sized seagulls who crawled on their wings and legs like pterodactyls. Four adults bolt upright from their nests, staring at the Heirs who have just entered. The mewling of baby gulltures can be heard, coming from deeper inside the filthy nests.
There are three exits to this room. Back the way you came, or west and south.
What do you do?
[ ] Write-in.
THE MAP
You are in the bracketed room.
THE PARTY
So the party needed to take 2 Rests to study both slugs. I let the Smuggler use her ability to scavenge during each rest as well. I've ruled that the Sack item that Morgot has is a 1-slot item that is able to store 2-slots of items.
Heirs go first, as they caught the gulltures unawares. Morgot shoots with the Sling with advantage from the Priest's Bless, rolling 2d20 and taking the higher; an 8. Add her Wisdom bonus of 2 for a total of 10, not enough to exceed the gullture's armor defense (AD) of 11. A miss.
Morgot pulled the Priest's sling from her belt, and before she could consciously register the action, a stone was in the air, headed directly toward the head of the largest gullture. A sailor's instincts were ever swift, for there were many dangers above, on, and below the New Sea. The stone shot through the space where the gullture's head had been a second ago; its curved neck had dipped down as it prepared to charge and strike. A wordless cry of anger loosed from the Sailor, joining the piercing cries of the charging gulltures.
Bertram grasped Morgot's soldier and swore solemn oaths to the Yellow Princess under his breath. Beside him, Elsbeth and Wendy surged forth through the birdshit, weapons raised. The Academic's mace found its mark in the shoulder of the first gullture to close ranks, and the Smuggler's spear finished the dirty creature with a pained squawk.
Elsbeth hit with a 17 dealing 4 damage, and Wendy hit with a 15, dealing another 4 damage, enough to finish off 1 gullture. Now that the Heirs have acted, it is the enemy's turn.
The remaining three gulltures leapt over their dead ally's body to attack with serrated beaks and filthy claws. In a flurry of stained feathers, they fell upon Elsbeth and Wendy.
1 gullture attacks Elsbeth with Peck; it hits with a 15, dealing 3 damage. Wendy drops to 1 HP! Another Pecks at Wendy, hitting with a 17 and dealing 5 damage. Wendy drops to 1 HP! The last gullture uses a Thieving Peck on Wendy; she must make a DEX Save. She rolls a 7, adding her DEX bonus of 4 for a total of 11, but failing the 16+ needed to pass.
The Academic and the Smuggler are savaged in combat. One of the gulltures uses the chaos to snatch a mirror from the Smuggler's pockets.
As everyone has acted, a new combat round begins. Initiative is rolled at the beginning of every round. A 1d6 is rolled; 1-3 means enemies go first, 4-6 means Heirs go first. Uh oh...a 3 is rolled. This doesn't bode well. All 3 gulltures target Elsbeth, and roll 12, 21, 11...only 1 hits, but unfortunately, 1 is enough.
Even opportunistic scavengers have strong parental instincts. The mate of the slain gullture grabs Elsbeth Beetleman's throat in its serrated beak, and rips its long avian neck savagely side to side. The Academic's lifeblood is spilled among the birdshit and jetsam of a gullture eerie. With a roaring of water, the Temple begins to flood.
The escape from the Temple is hard to remember; a chaotic swirl of churning water, hastily wiped tears, and cries of anguish. Bertram, Morgot, and Wendy crowd into the boat they arrived in, and ride the rushing waters outside the Temple as the bay fills. It is a quiet night-time ride back to Manawa. The Crown has not been returned, but a sacrifice has been made, in a way. Elsbeth's death has bought the world another 25 years before the Deep Queen's tears wash away what's left of the land.
An unfortunate outcome for our first combat, but a lesson in how unforgiving the Temple can be. Group initiative combined with the fact that it's rerolled at the start of every round means that both the Heirs and the enemies can potentially go twice in a row, like what happened above; swingy and dangerous. I'm still figuring out the forum's dice roller, so only the d20 rolls are visible, sorry about that.
I apologize; I'm short on time, so the next generation (and details on how they are influenced by the first) will have to wait until the next update, but we do have some decisions we can make now.
Choose 1 item each from Bertram's, Morgot's, and Wendy's inventories to pass on to their Heir.
[ ] Write-in.
As we are moving into our 2nd generation of Trades, I can show you the 2nd Trait unlocked. The new Heirs will have BOTH these Traits. Remember that there are 5 levels of Traits that can be unlocked, but you can choose to change Trades between generations. Unlocked Traits remain unlocked; if you decide to return to a previous Trade, you'll have access to those unlocked Traits.
ACADEMIC
Researcher: You may spend your Rest studying a Scroll or Slug. This allows you to learn its effects.
Linguist: You may spend your Rest studying a language you've recently encountered and after that Rest you can understand the language. After two Rests you can speak the language.
PRIEST
Bless: You may spend your Action to give a targeted Ally [+] on their next Attack and Damage.
Healer: You may spend your Rest healing an Ally. If you do, that Ally has [+] on their Heal check that Rest.
SAILOR
Whaler: You may spend a Rest distilling blubber from Dotters, Dolpods, and Sperm Behemoths into Blubber Oil, which can be used for lanterns and lubrication.
Sea Legs: You gain [+] on any Saves vs. Traps.
SMUGGLER
Scavenger: During a Rest may scavenge for gear. Roll once on the Dungeoneering Gear table.
Intuition: You have [+] vs. Traps.
Do you wish to change Trades for any of our 4 Heirs? Refer to first post for list of Trades.
The day after they returned Bertram, Morgot, and Wendy gathered down by the beach. They had spotted something drifting with the tide toward Manawa, and with an uneasy feeling of certainty, they knew they should gather to receive it. It was Elsbeth's naked body, now cold and sodden, stripped by the New Sea. Clutched in one hand was a lockpick and in her mouth were 58 pearlescent grains of Sand, all that remained of her memories and experiences. The Deep Queen had an odd sort of mercy. It was important that her family, the Beetlemans, receive her body. Cremations were sacred in Manawa.
25 years later...
That time had come again. The Old Families gathered at the ancient runic pier and the New Sea was alight with bioluminescence. Bertram, Morgot, and Wendy watched from the crowd with a troubling mixture of pride and worry, their eyes on the new Heirs that had been selected, their own flesh and blood. Elsbeth's niece, a young Magician clutching a scrimshawed spell pearl, strolled down the pier first. Next was Morgot's son, a handsome Fisher with arms of iron. Following him was Bertram's son, dressed in plain purple robes and holding the Deep Queen's favored weapon, a long-shafted harpoon. Finally came Wendy's son, a young lad dressed in iron armor that overlapped, like the scales of a fish. These new Heirs carefully loaded the salt-encrusted Crown onto the small boat. After a farewell, they slipped off into the night, toward the Deep Queen's Temple.
Once more, the Heirs strode forth into the Deep Queen's Temple, down two spiralling staircases, into a bright chamber with 3 exits. This time, all 4 Heirs had the memories and experience of the last generation, whether it had been passed down through Sand or stories. They knew the hermit crabmen might trade. They knew not to dismiss filthy, dog-sized gulltures. But the Deep Queen's Temple holds many wonders and horrors...
What do you do?
[ ] Go east.
[ ] Go south.
[ ] Go west.
THE MAP
You are in the bracketed room.
THE PARTY
Generation 2! You can see the new Heirs above, and I will give you the opportunity to fiddle around with their inventory before the game starts proper. Any character can trade any item, providing they have the inventory slots to hold them. I can also introduce Family Storage. The Heirs that didn't die got to retire, and so left their inventories behind in their family storage. Feel free to pull from this to stock up. We'll assume this all takes place before the new Heirs depart Manawa. Remember that all items take 1 slot unless otherwise noted.
Of note in these Heirs: Clover only has 1 HP, Peregrine rolled very well on stats (stats 15+ have a chance to be passed down to future Heirs), Leopold rolled some very good armor, and the Magician's starting spell is Bend Fate: L Charges | Roll L+1D20s and bank them. After casting this spell, whenever you must roll a D20 you must choose one of the previously rolled, banked dice and replace the dice you just rolled with it. Continue until all banked dice are used, or until your rest. Reminder that L is equal to level, so in this case, L = 1. Scrimshawed spell pearls act much like scrolls, but while scrolls are one-use items, the charges on a spell pearl refill after a Rest.
All Heirs received a sixth of the previous generation's XP, which I've changed slightly. At the end of a floor, I'm rewarding 150 XP per room traversed. So the last generation had 300 XP each, plus 200 XP split four ways for the one gullture that was killed, starting the new Heirs off with 58 XP. Reminder that level-ups happen at 1000 XP. I know this seems daunting, but hopefully you can begin to see the snow-ball effect of multiple generations.
I think a Constitution save at 0 HP to decide if they fall unconscious or straight up die sounds fair.
Question for you: since the first decision of which direction to go is blind, should I just randomly decide? Or do you like having the time and space to digest the bigger picture of the new Heirs, with their stats, inventory, and abilities, and deciding what to move around?
Leopold turned to the other Heirs. The motion made an audible noise, as the fish-scale style metal armour rattled against itself. "Peregrine. Barsaba. Clover. Last generation, Manawa sacrificed a Beetleman to the Temple. My mother made me promise to not let that happen again. I think you two should guard Clover." The Smuggler's voice was blunt and authorial, stark in its confidence, as if he knew he was speaking a truth.
The other Heirs all nodded. Peregrine and Barsaba gripped their harpoons, and stepped around Clover. Clover fingered the polished beach-stones she kept in a sack by her waist; ammunition for the sling. Leopold took the lead and marched into the tunnel leading east, spear and shield at the ready, shimmering light rippling off his iron armour.
Through the tunnel the room opened up into a startlingly familiar sight. The Heirs, through the Sand of their forebears, recognized this chamber in the Deep Queen's Temple. It was the gullture eerie; stinking guano ankle-deep, vine-wrapped walls, nests interwoven with seaweed and jetsam. Once again, there were 4 adult gulltures, and the sound of mewling young inside the nests - but this time, they weren't alone.
In the center of the room stood a massive hermit crabman, nearly 7 ft. tall with its hulking shell. Its shell had a banner displayed across it, with crude text reading, "Cl'ck'd m'lkrt kl'nt!" Its claws were snapping as it scuttled back and forth, trying to fend off the 4 ravening gulltures that were encircling it.
Exit tunnels across the room leading east and south could be seen.
What do you do?
[ ] Write-in.
THE MAP
You are in the bracketed room.
THE PARTY
Bend Fate: 1 Charge; Roll 2d20s and bank them. After casting this spell, whenever you must roll a d20 you must choose one of the previously rolled, banked dice and replace the dice you just rolled with it. Continue until all banked dice are used, or until your rest.
I should mention that Sand = XP, if you were wondering where the Sand for the Magician's ability comes from. Reminder that eating Sand from creatures allows you to experience something of their memories and emotions; sages in Manawa theorize that ingesting Sand from a freshly-slain creature causes you to take on their traits, for better or for worse. Whether this is sacrilegious or not is hotly debated amongst the Old Families.
That body floating up like that was eerie. You wrote the new starting well. There's this feeling of history as generations and generations try their luck in the Deep. The new mechanics about power progression of the heirs over time sounds heartening well.
It'd still be nice to have esoteric hints about the exits though. Maybe iconography of the deep queen adorning them.. or clues like wafting stench or sounds. Or perhaps things like vegetation adorning the exits or.. just things like a feeling of foreboding or exhilaration. The Salt crown pulsing responding to the Queen's will?
Question about the Fisher. I thought the Fishers used the ranged version of the Harpoons though? We might want to bring in the Sling from the last expedition then.. Also do we already have a Dotter? Please bear with us, it's fun learning about this system and mechanics and we'll make occasional mistakes understanding
Appreciate the compliment, it means a lot! Those are great suggestions for hints; I'll probably generate the first 3 rooms of a floor going ahead so I can hint about their contents. Fishers DO get a harpoonbow and Dotter companion!...eventually. The harpoonbow unlocks on the 3rd generation of being a Fisher, and the Dotter on the 4th. No worries, I'm glad you're finding it fun learning the system!
I see Peregrine has a weighted net on him. Can that be used to immobilize some enemies? And _brightwing is right that cryptic hints about the directions would be the best and a chance to go over the new heirs abilities/gear before picking a direction is good.
Absolutely, I'll probably make it a ranged attack roll to hit with the net, and then have the netted enemy be easier to hit, and force them to make a STR save with disadvantage to throw off the net.
