Turn Two (
Survey)
Year 2714, Month of the Mantis
You weren't chased out of town at all last month. You have now officially surpassed your old record!
Igorina's happier too, cooing over her little barnyard animals, and occasionally helping Beta with the garden. It is not the most
efficient use of her time, but who are you to criticize her experimental method? She will grow older and notice that such tasks should
always be relegated to the manufactured help, but oh well. You suppose you shall let her be for now.
Your little plot of land has expanded: it less resembles a laboratory than it does a small family farm.
Although you spotted a few of them, you weren't bothered by fairies at all last month. You highly suspect that they were a bit intimidated by all the construction work going on. If you recall your lore correctly they are scared of 'cold iron,' not that you are entirely certain what the difference temperature makes when it comes to the properties of a specific metal. Perhaps it refers to a particular sort of iron? In any case, they didn't approach and you are quite happy with that state of affairs, thank you. You might even shelve your 'capture and interrogate' fairy plan if this keeps up.
Unfortunately, the Wolfrun Hills have become much more dangerous recently. Wolfrun is
literally overrun with the damn pests, and although they haven't attacked Falcon's Hollow yet, Pastor Nick claims it'll only be a matter of time. How he knows this, he did not deign to share with lesser mortals, but you are
slightly worried given that you live on the outside of the defensive perimeter.
Maybe you'll do something about it this month.
State of the Realm
Falcon's Hollow:
Treasury: 10,291 gp (Current Upkeep: 1 gp a month)
Income: 1,000 gp/month
Laboratory: Decent (minor bonuses to construction and research, lab space 10 (enough room for ten projects))
Minions: 2 homunculi, 1 advanced homunculus, Igorina
Falcon's Hollow Reputation: Harmless Kook (55/100)
Homunculi can perform 'Homunculi Actions' once per month. A d100 will be rolled, upon a critical failure (2-15), they will messily die without completing their task. Upon the roll of a 1, they will cease to be, but successfully carry out their mission in a truly spectacular fashion.
For now, each turn represents a month of work.
Diplomacy Actions (Choose 1)
Diplomacy - Perfume (free samples)
You realize you are bad at talking. Still, even a merchant cannot say no to FREE samples, right? Unfortunately, this will probably hit you in the pocketbook because the merchants will expect your wares to be extremely inexpensive.
Chance of success: 80%.
Success: +1d6*10gp in additional income starting next month.
Failure: Reputation drops a bit.
Diplomacy - Perfume (reasonable prices)
You realize you are bad at talking. Still, you want to be paid for your work. Perfume is perfume, right? Surely these merchants will take it. You just need to let them take a whiff.
Chance of success: 60%.
Success: +1d10*10gp in additional income.
Failure: Reputation drops a bit.
Diplomacy - The Jack'A'Napes Adventurers
With the recent surge of wolf attacks, adventurers have become more numerous, as well as more chatty. It might be worth your while to go talk to a few of them down at the Jack'A'Napes Inn.
Chance of success: 80%.
Success: ???.
Failure: ???.
Diplomacy - Pastor Nick
Pastor Nikolas White is always getting on your case. Perhaps you should go speak to the holy man and make him understand that despite him being a man of faith (which you only hold against him a
little bit) and you being a man of science (which he obviously cannot hold against you)
surely the two of you can find some common ground somewhere. Of course, the last time you tried this, he sort of organized a mob and tried to burn your laboratory to the ground. You do not see what all the fuss was about, you were hungry and they had food just
lying there in front of some silly statue.
Chance of success: 20%.
Success: Major reputation improvement, Access to Church.
Failure: Reputation decrease, reset the 'X days without being chased out of town calendar'.
Diplomacy - Marshal Lee
Tamika Lee is in charge of the defense of Falcon's Hollow. Overworked, and underpaid she's a hero of the town and juggles multiple duties. You are fairly certain it was her machinations that ensured your lab was not included in the defenses of Falcon's Hollow. Getting on her good side might be quite the boon! Igorina has informed you that telling her that she "looks terrible today" is not a good conversational gambit even if it's true, and that commenting on the inefficiency of organic troops is not the right way to get her to respect your tactical acumen.
Chance of success: 40%.
Success: Reputation improves, Access to the Perch.
Failure: Reputation decrease, chance of future diplomacy actions with Marshal Lee lowered.
Diplomacy - The Lumberjacks
The lumberjacks are the workers employed by the Kreed family. The Kreeds, of course, live in the Capital, far to the South, deigning to visit their (comparatively) palatial residence maybe once every few years. The lumberjacks, however, all live here. Although a boisterous bunch, they're not a bad sort: at some point you
may have drank one or ten of them under the table even if you don't remember it. Anyway, whether it happened or not they see you as one of their own and call you 'doc'. There's not much to be gained from socializing with them, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't.
Chance of success: 80%.
Success: Reputation improves a bit.
Failure: Reputation decreases a bit.
Diplomacy - The Low-Market Merchants
These bastards have been overcharging you from the moment you stepped foot in this town! It's time you put an end to their shenanigans, it's not like you can just snap your fingers and make gold! Well, not yet, anyway. Surely they will see that an investment in you is an investment in SCIENCE!
Chance of success: 50%.
Success: Laboratory upkeep decreases.
Failure: Reputation drops a bit.
Diplomacy - The Fairies of the Forest
They
really don't like people, and you're not sure why. Might as well ask them: it's not like they could hate SCIENCE, right? After all, it's rumored that they live in the dwarf ruins hidden in the forest, and before the great Dwarven Schism they were the most technologically advanced race on the planet. You'll just pull out a chair and wait for them to come out, they always seem to try and play their tricks after sunset.
Chance of success: 30%,
Success: Reputation with fairies improves, ???
Failure: Relations changed from unfriendly to hostile.
Diplomacy - Guard One
You don't talk to the guards much, but you do
see them quite often. You've named this specimen Guard One. He's truly very short and stout. You suspect him to be - gasp! - a dwarf. Perhaps you should talk to him.
Chance of success: 60%,
Success: Opinion of Marshall Lee improves,
Failure: No change.
Diplomacy - Guard Two
You don't talk to the guards much, but you do
see them quite often. You've named this specimen Guard Two. The left side of his face is handsome. So is the right. They just happen to belong to different people. What's up with that, anyway? You've kind of wanted to ask, but Igorina keeps on telling you that's a bad idea. Still, you are
so curious. Maybe you shall start by - what's that thing people do when they want to talk to each other? Intro... introductions?
Chance of success: 50%,
Success: You figure out what the deal is with Guard Two. Hopefully it won't involve his entire life story, just the explanation for his face.
Failure: Guard One has to stop Guard Two from trying to split you open.
Martial Actions (Choose 1)
Martial - Survey Wolfrun Hills
The Wolfrun Hills are now overrun by wolves. Still, there are apparently some ancient tombs down there ripe for the picking. You might not have a golem army to back you up, but you could certainly go take a peek at some of those ancient sites.
Chance of success: 50%.
Success: Survey of Wolfrun Hills.
Failure: Go Hunt Wolves at Wolfran Hill
Martial - Go Spelunking
The Wolfrun Hills are honeycombed with tombs. If you venture into one by accident or by choice, be prepared to face all manner of beastly ghasts and ghouls. Still, given your strength, there's a pretty good chance you'll survive. Unfortunately, you probably
won't survive the wolves that'll attack you if they smell your blood.
Chance of success: 35%.
Success: Survival, ???.
Failure: Uh-oh!, ???
Martial - Hunt wolves at Wolfrun Hills
Now that wolves have come out in force, hunting them down is
extremely dangerous. Although the bounty on every wolf killed has increased, after the last four parties were sent out and disappeared without a word, people have stopped trying. There have been repeated sightings of a
huge dire wolf hanging around there. Rumors have it that it is anything from a minor deity, to a spellforged abomination, to a restless ghost.
Chance of success: 25%.
Success: Wolf pelts, Major Reputation Increase, 1d6*75 gp.
Failure: ???
Martial - Survey of Darkmoon Vale
You really do want to find those dwarven ruins rumored to exist in Darkmoon Wood. Although the only confirmed ruins are at Drokar's Crag to the North, you would adore the chance to go sight-seeing in one of the ruins. Of course, assuming they're there.
Chance of success: 60%.
Success: Survey of Darkmoon Vale, ???,
Failure: Nothing.
Martial - Go Hunting Giant Spiders in Darkmoon Vale
After the success of last month, you don't mind going out to go hunting again. You don't crave meat this time though. Besides, an additional giant spider carcass might yield additional secrets.
Chance of success: 60%,
Success: Reputation improves, additional giant spider carcass.
Failure: Light injuries, ???
Ugh! Fairies!
You have
had it with those fairies trying to muck up your experiments. It's time that you captured one and interrogated it for the benefit of SCIENCE!
Chance of success: 85%.
Success: Captured fairy, Relations with fairies decrease to Hostile,
Failure: Relations with fairies decrease to hostile.
Stewardship Actions
Stewardship - Improve Laboratory II
Your laboratory is
decent, but not great. You'd have to spend a hefty amount, to turn it into something truly decent, but if that is the price of SCIENCE! so be it. Cannot be performed by a homunculus.
Cost: 4500 gp.
Success: Standard laboratory. (moderate boost to research and technology rolls, moderate boost to construction rolls if carried out in the lab, lab space increases by an additional 10 places, +1 learning action, Upkeep: 100 gp a turn)
Stewardship - Improve Organization II
Your notes, your files, and your blueprints are now all in one easily accessible location. Curiously, you still require time to sort through your things. Perhaps you should look into this 'drawers' and 'folders' thing Igorina keeps suggesting! Cannot be performed by a homunculus.
Chance of success: 80%.
Success: +1 Stewardship.
Failure: Try again next time!
Stewardship - Improve Barn
Alpha somehow built a barn last month. It's serviceable, but it could definitely be improved. That west-leaning wall is
really leaning. Besides, you want a proper cold room to store cadavers. Can be performed by a homunculus.
Cost: 1350 gp.
Success: Your barn can now store creatures larger than sheep and includes a cold room in which you can store meat. Or, y'know, bodies.
Stewardship - Construct Dependable Homunculus
You already have one, but having another can't hurt. They're thankfully
very cheap for what is essentially a servant made of brass and iron. Can be performed by a homunculus.
Cost: 90 gp.
Success: You now own an additional homunculus!
Stewardship - Construct Basic Clockwork Soldier
Create a basic clockwork soldier. You've cut costs and corners as low as they will go. It's a little fragile compared to a true clockwork soldier, but you're sure that in a fight it'll do better than your average barroom brawler. Pity you could easily purchase the services of a thousand of them with the money you're putting into your Clockwork minion. Can be performed by a homunculus.
Cost: 450 gp.
Success: You now own one Basic Clockwork Soldier! Upkeep: 1 gp/month
Stewardship - Construct Clockwork Soldier
Create a clockwork soldier. The standard clockwork soldier, it can outfight just about any flesh and blood creature that isn't some flavor of hero or monster. Loud, but dependable, its utility on the battlefield is unmatched in this day and age. Pity it has no initiative of its own or it'd truly be the perfect soldier. With a dozen of these you could easily take over Falcon's Hollow by force. Can be performed by a homunculus.
Cost: 3,600 gp.
Success: You now own one Clockwork Soldier! 4 gp upkeep per month.
Stewardship - Construct Basic Clockwork Tinkerer
Create a basic clockwork tinkerer. You've cut costs and corners as low as they will go. It's a little fragile compared to a true clockwork tinkerer, but it's a lot hardier than your average flesh-and-bone artificer. Pity you could easily purchase the services of a hundred of them with the money you're putting into your Clockwork minion. Can be performed by a homunculus.
Cost: 450 gp.
Success: You now own one Basic Clockwork Tinkerer! 1 gp upkeep per month.
Stewardship - Construct Clockwork Tinkerer
Create a clockwork tinkerer. The standard clockwork tinkerer, it is rugged, durable and meant to keep a unit of clockwork soldiers operational for as long as possible. Although its martial abilities are limited, it is impossible for a squad of clockwork soldiers to move for long periods without them. Can be performed by homunculus.
Cost: 1800 gp.
Success: You now own one Clockwork Tinkerer! 2 gp upkeep per month.
Intrigue (Choose 1)
Intrigue - Create Cipher
Although your notes have been rendered
slightly more cryptic, it's still not a great system. It'd be best if you invested some time and tried a less simple substitution cipher.
Success: +1 Intrigue.
Intrigue -
Slight Poison Resistance
To your shame you have not yet started a regimen of basic poison resistance by means of ingesting a tiny, non-lethal dose of poison at a time to get yourself acclimated to a variety of deadly toxins.
Cost: 50 gp.
Success: +1 Intrigue in 12 turns. (only takes one turn to set up)
Intrigue - Selling Giant Spider Eggs
You now own several giant spider eggs. As far as you can tell, they should hatch within half a year. Although highly illegal, some people are
quite interested in exotic pets. It might fetch a pretty penny... provided you can find a fence willing to buy it from you.
Chance of success: 50%.
Success: Sell giant spider eggs for 2500 gp total.
Intrigue - Giant Spiders Research
You now own several giant spider eggs. As far as you can tell, they should hatch within half a year. Although highly illegal, you're interested in seeing if you can raise them. Although you're certain that using them as mounts or soldiers would be less than ideal, the production of giant spider silk would be a massive boon. The material is light, but supposedly tougher than steel. The only reason you could shoot it down was because your quarrels are designed to explode on impact, releasing their payload of sulfuric acid. Anyway, you want to research it, but that is a long-term project that will require a
lot of a very, difficult to obtain expensive material.
Chance of success: 50%.
Success: information.
Failure: people are aware you are asking questions.
Intrigue - The Secrets of Darkwood
Although you hesitate to admit it, there
might be some things that you are less familiar with than some of the people here. You
could simply try to research darkwood on your own, but it would be significantly faster if you pumped that information out of someone in the know. The trick, of course, is finding those secrets without alerting others that you are in the market for them.
Chance of success: 50%.
Success: Find the botanist.
Failure: Do not find the botanist. Higher chance of success next time.
Intrigue - Capture a fairy
Fairies have been wandering around the place. It's time you captured one to interrogate... secretly.
Chance of success: 30%.
Success: Secretly capture a fairy.
Failure: Relations with fairies descends to hostile.
Learning Actions (Choose 2)
Learning - Research Giant Spider remains
You killed a giant spider last month. Although the biology of it is beyond you - that lies in the realm of bottle mages and effigy masters - you are not
completely inexperienced in dissection. At the very least, you will be able to understand the interplay of form and function, and as such, increase the chances of creating a schematic based on some form of arachnid. You'll have to perform the autopsy this month: any longer and the giant spider will simply rot from the inside out.
Chance of success: 75%.
Success: +1 biological schematic (giant arachnid), +10 on any research and construction rolls involving giant arachnids.
Learning - Construct Clockwork Homunculus
You
nearly had a breakthrough last month when it came to the construction of homunculi - even above and beyond your already notable success. Although noisy, and expensive, why not play to your strengths? A clockwork homunculus would be durable enough to be able to defend itself, unlike regular homunculi. They wouldn't make for
great soldiers, but a lab that can't defend itself can barely be called a lab at all, right?
Cost: 500 gp.
Chance of success: 60%
Success: Create a clockwork homunculus (chance of failure on a roll of 2-4, instead of 2-15), capable of self-defense.
Failure: Higher chance next time, recover half the cost.
Learning - Construct Dependable Spider Chassis Homunculus
You feel you
nearly had a breakthrough last month when it came to the construction of homunculi - even above and beyond your already notable success. You were distracted by the image of gigantic clockwork spiders, and that idea has latched onto your brain and won't let go. You feel that if you created a dependable spider homunculus, it would great help in paving the way to the construction and research of a giant clockwork spider. Not that the giant clockwork spider will be
easy to make, just easier. Besides, spider-legs would make any golem
much more capable of navigating difficult terrain.
Cost: 500 gp.
Chance of success: 40%
Success: Create an advanced spider-legged homunculus (chance of failure on a roll of 2-4, instead of 2-15), spider legs.
Failure: Higher chance next time, recover half the cost.
Learning - Construct Clockwork Spider-Chassis Homunculus
You feel you
nearly had a breakthrough last month when it came to the construction of homunculi - even above and beyond your already notable success. You were distracted by the image of gigantic clockwork spiders, and that idea has latched onto your brain and won't let go. You feel that if you created a clockwork spider-chassis homunculus, it would greatly facilitate your understanding of how to create a larger version. After all, a giant spider is still a spider, and a giant spider golem, is just a big one made bigger. Sort of.
Cost: 1000 gp.
Chance of success: 15%
Success: Create a clockwork spider-legged homunculus (chance of failure on a roll of 2-4, instead of 2-15), spider legs.
Failure: Higher chance next time, recover half the cost.
Learning - Construct Clockwork Pikeman
You've noticed that the defenders of Falcon's Hollow carry pikes more often than they carry swords. Now that you think about it, it's a good idea: swords are expensive and difficult to master, most clockwork soldiers can only use about a quarter of their potential, handling them more like sticks than true swords. A pikeman could be more effective than a clockwork soldier while also being cheaper. Given that it'd be essentially the same clockwork soldier, it shouldn't be too hard to make the appropriate modifications.
Cost: 4,000 gp.
Chance of success: 80%.
Success: Create a clockwork pikeman. Create blueprints of clockwork pikeman, and basic clockwork pikeman.
Failure: Create clockwork soldier, greater chance of success during next attempt.
Learning - Construct Clockwork Archer
You are all too aware of the importance of long-range support when it comes to battles. Of course, archery is
far more difficult than close range combat, making the creation of a clockwork archer a difficult proposition. You're sure that the solution to this dilemma lies within the folds of your brilliant, brilliant brain.
Time: 3 turns.
Cost: 4,000 gp.
Chance of success: 70%.
Success: Create clockwork archer. Create blueprints for basic clockwork archer and clockwork archer.
Failure: Delay by a turn.
Critical Failure: Project scrapped, recover half cost, project re-started with higher chance of success.
Learning - Research Ironwood
The darkwood of the forest is already
very strong. Unfortunately, the combination of moisture produced by the clockwork golem's steam engine, and the friction produced by the numerous gears will inevitably cause any clockwork darkwood golem to rot from the inside out. If you could alchemically treat the darkwood such that this does not become a problem you are
sure that you could cut costs across the board, as well as ensure a steady supply of materials from which to construct your golem army. Although golems made from Ironwood might be a little more fragile, they'll also be a little more agile.
Time: 3 turns.
Cost: 1,000 gp.
Chance of success: 50%.
Success: Obtain the secret to Ironwood.
Failure: Delay by a turn.
Critical failure: Delay by two turns. Three critical failures and the project must be re-started from scratch with a higher chance of success.
Learning - Construct Fairy Trap
You're tired of fairies wandering around your premises. Time to construct a basic trap for the damn pests.
Cost: 25 gp.
Chance of success: 80%.
Success: Create a trap for fairies, relations descend to hostile.
Failure: Recover half cost.
Learning - Construct Secret Fairy Trap
You're tired of fairies wandering around your premises. Time to construct a trap that will let you secretly capture them for interrogation.
Cost: 50 gp.
Chance of success: 50%.
Success: Create a secret trap for fairies.
Learning - Research Cheaper Sulfuric Acid
Your monopoly on the sulfuric acid production of the vale gives you both leverage and money. You're sure you could make an even cheaper way to make sulfuric acid though, boosting your profit margin by a not inconsiderable amount.
Time: 3 turns.
Cost: 1,500 gp.
Chance of success: 60%.
Success: Cheaper sulfuric acid, income increased to 1,500 gp a month.
Failure: Delay by a turn.
Critical Failure: Project scrapped with a higher chance of success next time.
Learning - Research Odorless Sulfuric Acid
Sulfuric acid smells like smells like rotten eggs. For some reasons, others find this off-putting. You are pretty sure you could create an odorless version. Well, technically it's not sulfuric acid anymore, but this is what you're calling it.
Time: 3 turns. Cost: 1,500 gp.
Chance of success: 70%.
Success: Odorless Sulfuric Acid, Major Increase in reputation.
Failure: Project delayed by a turn.
Critical failure: Project scrapped, re-start with a higher chance of success next time.
Learning - Research Perfume II
Sulfuric acid smells like rotten eggs. You've already created a batch of perfume, but it
itches and you're sure that a superior product would be something more people would shell gold out for. You are pretty sure you could enhance the formula you're using and could sell it to the low market merchants that people...
might flock to buy? You're not sure, the lumberjacks aren't exactly the most hygienic of folk at the best of time and they're like 80% of the people here.
Cost: 100 gp.
Chance of success: 90%.
Success: Create advanced perfume.
Failure: itch and smell like rosewater for a month.
Personal Actions (Choose 1)
[ ] Personal - Igorina's Lessons on Etiquette I
Igorina wishes to instruct you in the proper protocol for drinking tea. This complex social maneuver requires a small table, a tiara, the presence of Alpha, Gamma and Beta, as well as Joey the baby goat. Curiously, it does not, in fact, require tea, merely the cups. You are not entirely sure if you understand the subtle nuances: Igorina keeps on telling you you're 'getting it wrong'! You have decided that you will, in secret, record her every word, and sketch out the
PROPER TEA GUZZLING PROTOCOL using math and tiny wooden mock-ups. This plan is foolproof!
Chance of success: 90%.
Success: +1 diplomacy. Wooden models of yourself, Igorina, the homunculi, and a baby goat.
Failure: Be barred from the tea party for a
month. Probably because you set something on fire.
[ ] Personal -
Names
Part of your scatter-brained nature is due to your lack of focus, but you fear a larger, more significant portion is due to that time you were subjected to The Copper Man
's shrink spray. While you managed to eventually de-shrinkify yourself, you've always suspected that your brain didn't grow to
quite its true size. Time to see if you can't improve it through a little bit of mental exercise: remembering people's names!.
Chance of success: 90%.
Success: +1 stewardship, reputation increases a little bit.
Failure: Reputation decreases.
[ ] Personal - Oversee the Homunculi
With more time to yourself, you can oversee the work that your homunculi are performing. In theory, this will help them be more effective at their jobs. In practice, you... are kind of a terrible overseer.
Success: Add your stewardship bonus to the Homuncli rolls for the month.
[ ] Personal - Double Down on a Project
By spending your personal time on a construction or research project, you can
obviously be more certain that your project will succeed. You'll need more materials, of course - just in case you catch yourself making a mistake.
Cost: All gold-related costs are doubled.
Success: Add 20 to any one project you are personally leading.
[ ] Personal - Extra Action
You
could just continue working like a normal mad scientist and find something else to do.
Success: Do something else.
