For most surface dwellers, the Underdark is a place of myths and horror stories whispered around the campfire as they huddle together to ward off the cold of the night. For those of them who value knowledge, it is a secretive place of dangers and wonders. For you… It is home.
It's up to you to guide your young civilization through the unforgiving undergound world!
For most surface dwellers, the Underdark is a place of myths and horror stories whispered around the campfire as they huddle together to ward off the cold of the night. For those of them who value knowledge, it is a secretive place of dangers and wonders. For you… It is home. You thrive in the dark, where the light of the sun and star never reaches, with the Earth surrounding you and protecting you on all sides.
Keeping time accurately in the shadowy confines of the underdark is close to impossible in the absence of the sun and moon. But sporadic exchanges with surface dwellers punctuate your own tribe's legends, giving them a sense of chronology. Your storytellers tell well kept oral tales of adventures stretching through centuries of the sun dwellers' years. Yet your own origins are nebulous, and no one can tell you for how long you have wandered the darkness, leaving the beginnings to much more metaphorical origin myths.
But the tribe is tiring of perpetually moving through the depths of the Earth. The underdark may be home, but familiarity isn't enough to avoid all of its dangers. As your tribe grows through its successes and it accumulates valuables, travel has become more and more unwieldy. During its wandering, the tribe has recorded the location of a few places that could sustain a sedentary settlement. Word has circulated through the tribe members, the elders have been consulted for advice, and the time seems right.
But… Who are you and your tribespeople to survive the unforgiving underdark?
[] Dwarves
You are the giants' last legacy. Built out of the Earth itself to assist your towering creators. As their empires fell around them under the onslaught of the victorious dragons, dwarvenkind was scattered across the world. Most dwarves dwell close to the surface, tied to the Earth but unwilling to abandon the sun. Your tribe rejects this lack of ambition. Embracing your origins fully, you have dug deeper than any of them. You find yourself estranged from your kin, surrounded by those who dwell in darkness, yet you feel the Earth' bosom welcoming you. Advantage: Children of the Earth: dwarves were made from the Earth, and it remembers its children. Dwarves have a powerful affinity to the Earth. Touching soil or rock is enough to learn what it holds, and vibrations running through it warn you about danger. The Earth itself also watches over dwarves' spiritual wellbeing. Opportunity: Giants' Legacy: the giants' empires are long gone, but they left behind numerous ruins. Your people have carefully protected what knowledge you have about your creators, and it gives you an edge when investigating those. Who knows what danger reactivating their ancient systems could bring about, though? Drawback: Weave Blind: as giants relied on the Grid, a magic network sustained by an extensive array of constructions long turned to ruins, they never intended their creations to access the dragons' Weave. Dwarves are blind to the Weave's currents, making any use of it perilous.
[] Dark elves
Your kin was banished for striking the first blow in the War of the Fall that broke the elves' grip on the surface. Or at least, that's what your sanctimonious cousins would say. You know the story would be told quite differently if you had won. Was it a sin to ask for your own place in the sun? Victors write history, and you lost the war, with the gods consigning you to darkness. You have adapted and thrived there, but you will always bear that wound. Advantage: Depth Weavers: all elves have a strong affinity for the magic of the Weave, which they usurped from its dragon creators. This gives them a natural gift for wizardry. You have also adapted to the more untamed nature of its underdark network during your exile. Opportunity: Lost Favour: you have lost favour of the gods with your banishment and lack a divine patron. Hungry entities circle around, asking for your devotion. They may still end up worse than the gods who exiled you, but they could also provide you with unmatched power. Drawback: Immortal Few: elves are immortal, but they're also few in number. Your population grows very slowly, and any lost elf life is irreplaceable.
[] Greenskins
Most tribes have legends of their own origins passed down through generations, often back to their very creation. Not you. Greenskins instinctively know they aren't of this world. Fallen down from the sky and buried under the Earth, you have made our own path, but you know one day, you'll leave this rock behind you again. After all, how could it contain the ever growing horde of your kin? Other species may look down on you as savages, but you know you'll prove them wrong… That is, if you can stop fighting each other long enough to do it. Advantage: Forever Growing: Greenskins never stop growing bigger, tougher and smarter through their lives. Wounds that would leave another species crippled close over time and they can heal from most diseases, leaving them stronger for the experience. Of course, their chaotic lives are dangerous enough most of them don't make it that long, but those who do accumulate strength and experience. Opportunity: Teeming Multitude: Greenskins literally sprout from the ground wherever you go. The tribe is perpetually growing, and there is no way to control it. You are always in a state of population explosion, and you have to find outlets for it lest it overwhelms what you build. Drawback: Quarrelsome: Fighting is instinctual to Greenskins. If your tribespeople aren't given enemies on the outside to focus on, they'll fight among themselves to relieve the boredom or as a means of population control. Good leadership can keep Greenskins on task, but such leaders have to be cultivated.
[] Kobolds
You are the children of the dragons. Their empires may be long gone, and only few of them remain, but you remember their glory. You were created to attend to them and to see to the minutiae of the world they couldn't pay attention to. Their fall has left you adrift, torn between seeking out the last of them and forging your own path. Their teaching in magic and your own skills at seeing how the small pieces of the universe fit together have served you well, but the lack of purpose weighs on your tribe. Advantage: Reality Ordainers: the dragons built you to have an intrinsic understanding of how the infinitesimal builds the world incrementally. Kobolds excel at putting things together to assemble a greater whole, and have a natural talent for finding and following the secret rules of magic ritual. Opportunity: Quest for Purpose: the loss of the dragons you followed and cared for has left you directionless. This erodes your people's morale as it remains unanswered, but it is also a chance to choose your own goals. Drawback: Fascination: observing the arrangement of the universe and learning the secret rules of magic can overwhelm the brains of mortals. As kobolds dig deeper, they grow increasingly unable to focus on anything beyond the subject they have picked up. Mild cases are obsessive, while severe cases need assistance to maintain basic function.
[] Demonkin
The underdark isn't merely your tribe's home. It's each and every one of your people's refuge in the face of persecution. Once in a while, a demon escapes their summoner to wander the material plane. Demons being their usual selves, offsprings are a frequent outcome. Such children are rarely welcome in surface communities. The luckier ones make their way down to you and to freedom in the darkness, where you have rebuilt your lives. Your diverse demonic ancestries give you a wide array of inherited traits, and you are naturally predisposed to adventure, ensuring a steady supply of talent for your community. Advantage: Trickling In: As they hear of you, talented demonkin fleeing persecution on the surface make their way to you, bolstering your ranks with experienced recruits. One day, you hope to be able to range out to meet with your weaker kin in need of your help finding their way down. Opportunity: Demonic Connections: You were born on the material plane, but you retain an instinctive connection to your demon ancestors. And they are watching. Summoning demons and making pacts with them is easier for you than for other species, but there is always a price to pay, while some of your forefathers may also take an interest in your lives on their own. Drawback: Ungovernable: Demons are chaos incarnate, and your people have definitely inherited that leaning. Governing demonkin is an exercise in frustration. Your tribe stays together because of safety in numbers, but that's as far as common policy really goes. If you want anything done, you will have to convince people the idea was theirs all along.
[] Pale ones
You are free at last! The masters' chains cannot hold you anymore, though their shadows still loom over your tribe. You have fled their accursed cities upward into the surface layers of the underdark, eager to put distance between you and them. Your flight is still fresh in your mind, and your tribe's organization hasn't really settled yet despite the time you spent exploring the caves you find yourselves in. Your pooled minds let you share the skills you need to survive the unknown environment, but you have yet to decide on a path for yourselves. Advantage: Shared Minds: Your captors engineered you to have connected minds to share skills and coordinate labor. One single skilled pale one can instruct a whole untrained team on a task, vastly increasing your ability to reorganize your workforce. As you freed yourselves, it has also become a path of emotional bonding, keeping you together. Opportunity: Blank Slate: Unlike other inhabitants of the underdark, you are a young species still, and you have yet to set yourselves deeper goals or develop your own complex traditions, leaving you free to shape those as you wish. Drawback: Feedback Loop: The shared mind connection is a great boon, but it is also a burden. When one of your kin feels strong emotions, they echo through all your brains. A large wave of negative sentiments can thus loop around your link, amplifying itself as every pale one broadcast them back to the community.
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Teams: Kobolds under dragon oversight were traditionally organized into work teams. You have retained the core of this system. This is the basic building block of your civilization. Each team dedicates itself to a task, coordinating together for maximum efficiency. Teams usually form and die with their members, being mostly uniform in age. This means you'll need to renew them as time goes.
Units: Unlike teams, units last beyond their members' lifetime. An unit is built out of shared expertise and training, while being refilled from promising members of the general population. Units can be assigned to some regular tasks, but can also undertake their own missions as well as train to specialize further.
Projects: When dragons still led them, they would give their kobold followings sets of objectives to distribute among their work teams. Having lost their overlords, kobolds have to set their own goals, but the organization to progress through them has remained. Each project either concludes after a number of successes or gives a repeating benefit for each success.
Successes: When a team or unit is assigned to a project, you roll a 10 sided dice for it. On a 8 or 9, it contributes one success. On a 10, the team hit a lucky break and produced a critical success, contributing 2 to the project advancement. More specialized teams have bonuses to their success threshold. Successes are needed to progress through projects.
You are the children of the dragons. Their empires may be long gone, and only few of them remain, but you remember their glory. You were created to attend to them and to see to the minutiae of the world they couldn't pay attention to. Their fall has left you adrift, torn between seeking out the last of them and forging your own path. Their teaching in magic and your own skills at seeing how the small pieces of the universe fit together have served you well, but the lack of purpose weighs on your tribe. Advantage: Reality Ordainers: the dragons built you to have an intrinsic understanding of how the infinitesimal builds the world incrementally. Kobolds excel at putting things together to assemble a greater whole, and have a natural talent for finding and following the secret rules of magic ritual. Opportunity: Quest for Purpose: the loss of the dragons you followed and cared for has left you directionless. This erodes your people's morale as it remains unanswered, but it is also a chance to choose your own goals. Drawback: Fascination: observing the arrangement of the universe and learning the secret rules of magic can overwhelm the brains of mortals. As kobolds dig deeper, they grow increasingly unable to focus on anything beyond the subject they have picked up. Mild cases are obsessive, while severe cases need assistance to maintain basic function.
The Cathedral
If you are willing to go deeper, the underdark reveals its wonders. The so-called Cathedral is a large cavern filled with brightly colored crystalline formations. Any light brought into it reflects onto its walls beautifully, dazzling anyone within. Water also seeps through the ceiling, dripping down the crystals and pooling on the cave's floor. The whole area seems to gather magic in the colored rocks, and can be exploited by a mage aware of its properties. It can be entered by using ropes to go down the large central hole that connects it to the first layer. It is also connected by thin defensible tunnels to the rest of the second layer it's a part of.
Seeds
Your people have long observed the cycles the underdark's flora abide to. Seeds sprout before falling to the cave grounds. And you are here to collect them, distributing them through your travels and ensuring food will be plentiful on your next pass around. Everyone in your tribe is used to contributing to this task, both in reaping and sowing, and your population has benefited. Add three free teams of kobolds to your tribe. Starts with a basic understanding of sustainable farming techniques. Two of your regular teams are also fascinated with the School of Growth.
Wizards
Why worship the memory of your overlords when you could cultivate their gifts instead? Kobold wizards are of the opinion that honoring dragons is best done by keeping knowledge of their most enduring creation alive. As such, they dedicate their lives to studying both the weave and the dragontongue so suited to describing its patterns, as well as more practical uses of this knowledge. Wizards' wide catalogue of weave patterns - spells in common parlance - makes them well suited to powering through all kinds of tasks, though at the risk of becoming fascinated with a subset of the weave. You have a single free unit of wizards. Two of your regular teams are also fascinated with the School of Knowledge.
Friends - Obsidian Dwarves
Kobolds usually mind their own business, but your tribe happens to have made friends with another species. Their small group follow along with yours, and they have agreed to settle down with you. They bring their own specialties to the table, as well as generally expanding your tribe's horizons… And population. Add three free teams of another chosen species to your tribe. Two of your regular teams are also fascinated with the School of Influence.
Some dwarves defected from the giants' side during the original war. Most species consider them treacherous and untrustworthy, but how can you blame them for picking the obviously correct side? Obsidian dwarves tend towards discovery, expressing the thirst for knowledge that led them to the dragons' side in the past.
Morale: The mental status of your tribe ranges from 0 to 100. At 0, you've given up completely. At 100, nothing short of death can faze you. Morale needs to be actively maintained or it'll slowly move back towards the middle point. Tribal bonding events will increase morale, while defeats and lack of goods will impact it negatively.
Morale bonuses: Positive morale lets the tribe channel its enthusiasm towards a specific action, giving it bonuses but losing morale for each 1 rolled.
60/100: rerolls a non 1 failed dice
70/100: rerolls two non 1 failed dices
Morale penalties: Stay tuned when you find out.
Kobold teams: As they work on projects and the fascination gains on them, kobold teams go through three stages. First are the young teams, still free to work on anything. Then teams become fascinated by one school of projects, and can only work on it, but get a bonus of one to their success threshold. Finally, teams become obsessed by a single project and continue to work on it or its extensions until they die, with a bonus of two to their success threshold. Teams advance one stage when they reach a critical success on a natural 10.
Obsidian dwarf teams: Due to their stubbornness, dwarven teams are limited in how they can be reassigned. Once they start a project chain, they remain on it until they achieve a success, at which point they have proven themselves enough for their pride to let them take another task. They benefit from a bonus of one to their success threshold on any turn after the first being stuck on a project chain. Obsidian dwarves' affinity for research also increases their success threshold by one on School of Knowledge tasks.
Wizard units: non-specialized wizards can assist other project with their spells or work on developing their specialization. They have a base success threshold of 7. Wizards aren't prone to fascination or stubbornness, being used to channel those constructively. Unlock specializations for more options.
Food: Your tribe needs to eat. This represents accumulated food in your storage. You have a maximum storage capacity, above which you'll suffer losses of 50% per cycle. Food is consumed at a rate of 0.1 unit per team / unit. Projects will also consume food.
Trade goods: Some goods are valuable, either for your population or for trading. So far, your teams see to themselves and do not need what makes its way to your storage. But other tribes may be interested in your wares. Trade goods need to be stored, and anything above capacity will decay at a rate of 20% per cycle.
You are the children of the dragons. This has always been at the core of kobolds' identity. Most of your people have never met one of your creators, of course, as dragons' numbers were decimated by both their pyrrhic victory over the giants and the following elven rebellions. Nowadays, most of your once wise overlords subsist as apex predators in remote parts of the world, the grudging cooperation that allowed them to build a society long gone. The temptation to seek one out to serve is always present, but you know they can no longer provide the comforting leadership you miss.
Tired of this wandering and accepting of those truths, your tribe has elected to settle. But the underdark is vast, and you have seen quite a bit of it through your past travels. Knowing your desire to put roots down, your tribe reviews the past locations it has passed through. A few still coherent kobold elders fascinated by mapping the cave networks of your home are consulted and encouraged to share their memories. Tales are recited and dissected for oral records of interesting locations they involve. Slowly, a list of possibilities emerges as everyone tallies the numerous possibilities, both distant and ambitious or close at hand and easy to grasp. Debates rage among your people, spearheaded by the younger kobolds not yet fallen to fascination.
As the question of settlement location runs through your tribe, you are amazed by the width and breadth of options coming up. Even as more cautious kobolds start eliminating the areas you assume to already be claimed by some of their inhabitants, possibilities still remain numerous. Is the underdark so empty that it would provide you with such endless choice of settlement? Kobolds inclined to remember tales of meeting other societies contemporary to yours suggest you simply are one of the firsts to think about abandoning your wanderings. Your own stories do speak of ruins dotting the tunnels of your underground home, and you've met some older sedentary species, while legends filter upward about the cities of the depth dwellers, further down. But the children of the great surface wars appear to be nomadic to this day. Maybe none of you ever learned to stop fleeing the destruction you escaped?
The sobering realization that you've been lost in your own grief for so long is tempered by your newfound will to rebuild. Younger kobolds are shaking with barely contained excitement in their eagerness to explore every nook and cranny of their new homes, and even older tribespeople manage to pull themselves out of their fascination long enough to share in the debates.
Your most knowledgeable tribespeople have narrowed down your options enough to let everyone weigh on the choice based on their preferences. It's time to pick your new home.
[] The Spire
The Spire is a large stone pillar ranging from the underdark's surface layer caves to the depths of its second layer, punching through the vast open cavern of the undersea. The Spire itself is riddled with a network of spiraling caves and chambers, connecting its top and bottom, as well as opening onto the sea. It is a common point of passage straight from the depths to the surface as well as a great place to access the bounty of the undersea. Though those are great opportunities, both travelers and the watery depths can bring dangers to your settlement.
[] The Bay
This well protected bay rests on the side of the undersea's wide caverns. The water is quiet but full of fish behind its rocky entrance, while the back of it forms a comfortable chamber for settlement. The surrounding shores are impassable rocky walls, making it an isolated safe haven this side of the underground sea. Smaller tunnels extend behind the main room in a labyrinth before connecting to the underdark's first layer. The Bay is definitely a safe option with its generous waters and concealed core, but it could be lacking in space, requiring more distant expansion if your tribe grows too much.
[] The Burrows
At the uppermost edge of the underdark, this dense network of caves and chambers lies close to the surface. It is set below a sparsely populated hilly region with numerous cave entrances. Anyone settling here could easily start exploring the overworld and have plenty of paths to retreat to. It also connects to the underdark's first layer through defensible paths. Small halls are common among the tunnels, providing enough room for inhabitants. It has attracted surface raiders interested in a forward base in the past and may host remnants of those. It's also vulnerable to retaliation from the surface if exposed and lacks some of the more exotic resources of the depths.
[] The Column
This location is an extinguished volcano's main vent. It goes straight from the depths to the surface in a large vertical cave. Secondary vents branch from it in all directions, forming a network of thin tunnels around the main shaft. The Column itself disappears into the depths, the magmatic chamber beyond the first two layers of the underdark. Its insides are carved by rough paths and massive stone stairs, letting people travel up and down as well as find the various secondary entrances. It's thus well connected at every layer. The secondary tunnels and small chambers dotting them offer enough living room, but the large amount of connections is a danger as much as it is an opportunity.
[] The Rift
Through dramatic geological events, this part of the underdark has become exposed to the surface in a long jagged opening. The Rift runs as far down as the first layer, cutting through the earth. There, it connects to the rest of the underground world through small tunnels branching away from its path. Water also flows down from the surface into it, running in a river up to one of its edges, where it flows into a gently sloped cavern. The Rift offers a unique climate affected by the surface's sun and seasons, where plants grow more easily during summer but winter can be harsh. It is also possible to claim up and down to the surface through carved passages in its cliffs.
[] The Cathedral
If you are willing to go deeper, the underdark reveals its wonders. The so-called Cathedral is a large cavern filled with brightly colored crystalline formations. Any light brought into it reflects onto its walls beautifully, dazzling anyone within. Water also seeps through the ceiling, dripping down the crystals and pooling on the cave's floor. The whole area seems to gather magic in the colored rocks, and can be exploited by a mage aware of its properties. It can be entered by using ropes to go down the large central hole that connects it to the first layer. It is also connected by thin defensible tunnels to the rest of the second layer it's a part of.
[] The Forest
Of all your candidates for settlement, the Forest is the biggest. This enormous cave spans the first and second layer. Colossal stone pillars buttress the very spacious area, some big enough to have paths carved in them. But what makes the Forest distinctive is the thick cover of giant bioluminescent mushrooms sprouting from its floor. Waterfalls drip from the roof and first layer tunnels into the cave, feeding its vegetation. Small connections to the second layer can also be found, though the large area covered by the forest is surprisingly unconnected to the depths below. Under the softly illuminated cover, it is easy to hide, while the flora provide food and building material. Of course, it's unlikely that such a large space remains uninhabited, even if you do not remember any large scale group claiming it.
Your tribe has made its choice known. Like your makers, you can't resist the beauty of precious materials or the appeal of magical nexuses. You find yourself headed for the Cathedral's top entrance, your people in movement as soon as a conclusion to the debates emerge. As you march towards it, your tribe collects itself, outlying groups and scouts coming back to meet you. Of course, you have to make sure you take with you the supplies needed to descend through the cave and into the main chamber. This is also your last opportunity to pick up a few things on your way home, as you will soon be too busy settling down to range as far away as you're used to.
Choose 3 perks among the list. Please use plan voting.
[] Warriors
The underdark is a dangerous place, and your people need constant readiness to defend themselves from its threats. Thankfully, some of them have taken up that responsibility and their skills have been honed by being at the forefront of every fight you've faced. This provides you with an uncommon edge, as standing military is a rarity. You have a single free unit of well trained warriors available for combat duty. Two of your regular teams are also fascinated with the School of Might.
[] Hunters
The tribe needs to be fed, and some of your people have dedicated their lives to that purpose. Your hunters range far and wide to ensure you have a steady supply of food to support your numbers. The ability to source food is the single greatest limiter on your population so far, and your hunters help tremendously. Add three free teams of kobolds obsessed with hunting. They also provide you with a good overview of local terrain, doubling as scouts. Two of your regular teams are also fascinated with the School of Might.
[] Friends
Kobolds usually mind their own business, but your tribe happens to have made friends with another species. Their small group follow along with yours, and they have agreed to settle down with you. They bring their own specialties to the table, as well as generally expanding your tribe's horizons… And population. Add three free teams of another chosen species to your tribe. Two of your regular teams are also fascinated with the School of Influence.
[] Rogues
Skulking around and charming people into your camp or out of their valuables seem to come naturally to your people. Rogues are more of a precision tool than other elite units, but they're quite a versatile one, from scouting and sabotage to charm offensives. You have a single free unit of rogues and other assorted skilled individuals available for missions. Two of your regular teams are also fascinated with the School of Influence.
[] Seeds
Your people have long observed the cycles the underdark's flora abide to. Seeds sprout before falling to the cave grounds. And you are here to collect them, distributing them through your travels and ensuring food will be plentiful on your next pass around. Everyone in your tribe is used to contributing to this task, both in reaping and sowing, and your population has benefited. Add three free teams of kobolds to your tribe. Starts with a basic understanding of sustainable farming techniques. Two of your regular teams are also fascinated with the School of Growth.
[] Priests
While the dragons are long gone, your faith in them remains. Other species may worship new gods who sprung up from their faith in their image, but you have no need for such artificial idols. Instead, kobold priests pray to the various draconic aspects for their boons. Priests can offer support to any task by calling on the right aspect, though they are vulnerable to becoming fascinated by a single one as they do so. You have a single free unit of priests. Two of your regular teams are also fascinated with the School of Growth.
[] Tales
Your people have a long history to keep track of since the fall of your masters, and part of your tribe have dedicated their lives to memorizing and reciting tales of the past. The tales are great records of feats and places, which can be studied to glean hints about the world and the skills of your ancestors. Add a free team obsessed with memorizing the tales and looking through them for wisdom. Two of your regular teams are also fascinated with the School of Knowledge.
[] Wizards
Why worship the memory of your overlords when you could cultivate their gifts instead? Kobold wizards are of the opinion that honoring dragons is best done by keeping knowledge of their most enduring creation alive. As such, they dedicate their lives to studying both the weave and the dragontongue so suited to describing its patterns, as well as more practical uses of this knowledge. Wizards' wide catalogue of weave patterns - spells in common parlance - makes them well suited to powering through all kinds of tasks, though at the risk of becoming fascinated with a subset of the weave. You have a single free unit of wizards. Two of your regular teams are also fascinated with the School of Knowledge.
Your tribe seems to have picked up a group of stragglers willing to follow your lead as you move towards your new home. Kobolds usually keep aloof from other species, believing few can understand their connection to their past masters or fit into their work organization. You've decided to make an exception, and your new allies have repaid you with dedicated work so far. Their ability to keep their cool while you fall prey to fascination has been helpful in the short time they've been with you, and they bring their own unique skills to the table. Of course they also have their own history and with it comes diplomatic consequences you might face for being associated with them too.
But who are your new friends?
Choose one friend group to integrate to your tribe. Approval voting welcome.
[] Redscale clan
This clan of greenskins seems obsessed with your makers. Worshipping dragons' destructive power isn't for everyone, even among the notoriously violent greenskins, but it seems like this is what this group does. Exchanging draconic lore has put them in a good disposition towards you. Like all greenskins, they're especially suited to might.
[] Pale ones
Not all created species are blessed with caring masters as you are. Pale Ones have been let down by theirs, and it seems like you cannot resist a stray. Their flight has drastically diminished their numbers and scattered their fleeing people, but those you found seem content to settle with you. Pale Ones' latent telepathy makes them especially suited to influence.
[] Grey elves
While the war of the fall raged, not all elves chose to take sides. Grey elves fled the conflict and were branded as cowards for it by their pantheon. You do not blame them for escaping a war you consider meaningless and appreciate their humility among their ego driven kind. Grey elves tend to quietly focus on growth, unlike their more showy cousins.
[] Obsidian dwarves
Some dwarves defected from the giants' side during the original war. Most species consider them treacherous and untrustworthy, but how can you blame them for picking the obviously correct side? Obsidian dwarves tend towards discovery, expressing the thirst for knowledge that led them to the dragons' side in the past.
[] Demonkin
This small band of refugees has gratefully accepted your hospitality. You haven't been in good terms with surface dwellers since the end of the original war so you understand their plight. They seem set on repaying you with helpfulness, but considering their chaotic organization, you have no idea what it'll mean. Rumors about their group are also likely to attract more refugees if you keep welcoming them.
AN: yeah I know it's short. Sorry people, I've been having some trouble getting my thoughts in order.
Teams: Kobolds under dragon oversight were traditionally organized into work teams. You have retained the core of this system. This is the basic building block of your civilization. Each team dedicates itself to a task, coordinating together for maximum efficiency. Teams usually form and die with their members, being mostly uniform in age. This means you'll need to renew them as time goes.
Units: Unlike teams, units last beyond their members' lifetime. An unit is built out of shared expertise and training, while being refilled from promising members of the general population. Units can be assigned to some regular tasks, but can also undertake their own missions as well as train to specialize further.
Projects: When dragons still led them, they would give their kobold followings sets of objectives to distribute among their work teams. Having lost their overlords, kobolds have to set their own goals, but the organization to progress through them has remained. Each project either concludes after a number of successes or gives a repeating benefit for each success.
Successes: When a team or unit is assigned to a project, you roll a 10 sided dice for it. On a 8 or 9, it contributes one success. On a 10, the team hit a lucky break and produced a critical success, contributing 2 to the project advancement. More specialized teams have bonuses to their success threshold. Successes are needed to progress through projects.
Kobold teams: As they work on projects and the fascination gains on them, kobold teams go through three stages. First are the young teams, still free to work on anything. Then teams become fascinated by one school of projects, and can only work on it, but get a bonus of one to their success threshold. Finally, teams become obsessed by a single project and continue to work on it or its extensions until they die, with a bonus of two to their success threshold. Teams advance one stage when they reach a critical success on a natural 10.
Obsidian dwarf teams: Due to their stubbornness, dwarven teams are limited in how they can be reassigned. Once they start a project chain, they remain on it until they achieve a success, at which point they have proven themselves enough for their pride to let them take another task. They benefit from a bonus of one to their success threshold on any turn after the first being stuck on a project chain. Obsidian dwarves' affinity for research also increases their success threshold by one on School of Knowledge tasks.
AN: this is my draft rule system. It'll probably evolves as it gets playtested, and I may move away from it if it proves to be too hard on planning... Or let you alter it for quest reasons. I'm taking feedback on this because it's going to be pretty integral to the quest.
[X] Plan Magic Farms
-[X] Seeds
-[X] Wizards
-[X] Friends
[X] Obsidian Dwarves
Here it is! Your new home. After a long meandering journey during which you collected every errant team of your tribe as well as your dwarven allies, you have finally reached your target. Kobolds crowd around the yawning edge of the abyss falling from this part of the underdark's first level down into the Cathedral. Through the darkness, you can faintly see the colorful light of its crystals reflecting on the water droplets of the streams falling into the opening.
For any other tribe, dropping straight down the hundreds of meters that can separate underdark levels would be utterly inconceivable. Thankfully, you have a plan. It will only work once, and you can't expect to go back up this way, but you know the tunnels streaming out of the cathedral, so this is no worry to you. As your teams organize a makeshift camp to rest your tired feet, the heroes of the hour get to work.
Magical know-how is what your people have focused on preserving in your long exile since the loss of your draconic teachers. Without their guidance, your understanding of the deep theory behind the weave has degraded with generations, but with Kobold and Dwarven heads put together, it will be enough for one great undertaking. Sure, this ritual may be cobbled out of working pieces of smaller spells and wardings, but your enthusiastic bearded friends assure you it will work. While Kobolds alone would shy at this hatchet job, your allies reveal in this creative cutting and pasting, as they respect the weave and its power more than the specific forms taught to them.
Curious children trail after your wizards as they circle the gaping maw of the Cathedral, young kobolds and dwarves mingling together, drawn in by the light show of the temporary magical inscriptions being used to support this Working. Older tribespeople pass the time getting your baggage train ready for the descent, or resting in shifts as your teams are prone to do in the underdark's absence of day and night cycles.
Finally, your wizards congregate back at the edge of your camp. The Working is ready. Colorful lights stream from the stones they engraved all around the edges before circling down into the darkness. A kobold child who strayed close to the group of sorcerers gets to test their magic, throwing a stone into the depths and watching it descend slowly as a feather would. The magic is weaved and it is time to go.
With all your baggages strapped tightly together and your people woken up from their rest, all that's left is to take a leap. Going down in small groups, kobolds and dwarves alike launch themselves into the enchanted pit to drift down to the Cathedral floor. As they touch down, teams get to work clearing the landing area for the next wave of arrivals in a display of organic coordination typical of kobolds. Finally, the last of your people land, your wizards closing the drifting procession as they unravel their Working.
The sight that meets your tribe is breathtaking. The crystal covered walls of the Cathedral rise up in the distance all around you, the soft multicolored lights emanating from them filtered through a circular veil of water coming down from the edges of the cavern's opening. Your landing zone forms an island of sort in the middle of it, the opening large enough for the flowing water to fall around the peak of the center landmass, which juts out from the uneven ground in a rough hill. Rivulets of water sparkling with the crystals' reflection drift into a spider web of channels down the rocky outcropping's slopes before pooling into the lowest parts of the cavern in a circular lake. Even from a distance, you can see enough shallows and fords to know you will be able to cross it. On the other side, vegetation seems to flourish in the silt accumulating on the waterfront. Tall mushroom stalks supporting thin wide brimmed tops and smaller bushes dot the shores in pastel blues and greens. As water makes itself sparser, the undergrowth makes way for a soft plain covered in short plants broken up by sparse wide trunk mushrooms and clusters of sharp translucent crystals. In the far distance, the plain ends on the sloped walls of the cave edge, where rough rock and more numerous crystals rise to form the Cathedral's walls as flora gradually fade.
Yet there is only so much time for sightseeing. So much needs to be done to make your new home the safe haven your tribe believe it can be. Time to get to work!
As is traditional since the loss of guidance from your draconic creators, young kobolds about to pass into adulthood are brought together as the Assembly of the New. Together with advisory speakers from each team and unit, they will decide the allocation of your force until the next assembly. Unused to this neocracy and very much inclined to the opposite, your dwarven friends seem to tolerate it as the price of cooperation and send dwarves on the cusp of apprenticeship as their delegation, though they sit apart from your youths due to their much longer lives. The Assembly gathers at the top of the central hill, finding it an auspicious place to sit on while it plans your future in your new home.
What tasks do the Assembly of the New decide to allocate the tribe's forces to?
Teams
7 Young Kobold teams
2 Influence Fascinated Kobold teams
2 Growth Fascinated Kobold teams
2 Knowledge Fascinated Kobold teams
3 Obsidian Dwarves teams
Units
1 Unit of Wizards
Teams: Kobolds under dragon oversight were traditionally organized into work teams. You have retained the core of this system. This is the basic building block of your civilization. Each team dedicates itself to a task, coordinating together for maximum efficiency. Teams usually form and die with their members, being mostly uniform in age. This means you'll need to renew them as time goes.
Units: Unlike teams, units last beyond their members' lifetime. An unit is built out of shared expertise and training, while being refilled from promising members of the general population. Units can be assigned to some regular tasks, but can also undertake their own missions as well as train to specialize further.
Projects: When dragons still led them, they would give their kobold followings sets of objectives to distribute among their work teams. Having lost their overlords, kobolds have to set their own goals, but the organization to progress through them has remained. Each project either concludes after a number of successes or gives a repeating benefit for each success.
Successes: When a team or unit is assigned to a project, you roll a 10 sided dice for it. On a 8 or 9, it contributes one success. On a 10, the team hit a lucky break and produced a critical success, contributing 2 to the project advancement. More specialized teams have bonuses to their success threshold. Successes are needed to progress through projects.
Kobold teams: As they work on projects and the fascination gains on them, kobold teams go through three stages. First are the young teams, still free to work on anything. Then teams become fascinated by one school of projects, and can only work on it, but get a bonus of one to their success threshold. Finally, teams become obsessed by a single project and continue to work on it or its extensions until they die, with a bonus of two to their success threshold. Teams advance one stage when they reach a critical success on a natural 10.
Obsidian dwarf teams: Due to their stubbornness, dwarven teams are limited in how they can be reassigned. Once they start a project chain, they remain on it until they achieve a success, at which point they have proven themselves enough for their pride to let them take another task. They benefit from a bonus of one to their success threshold on any turn after the first being stuck on a project chain. Obsidian dwarves' affinity for research also increases their success threshold by one on School of Knowledge tasks.
First cycle planning
Might
[] Map the cathedral: You only have a vague idea of what's out there. You need more information on the land you're settling. A scouting party could let you explore some of the more distant parts of the cavern. Each success will let you map one area.
[] Hunt small game: The hillsides of the central outcropping seem to have small animals burrowing into it and skulking around the water shallows. It should be easy hunting in terrain you can already see. One success for one food unit.
[] Hunt medium game: The mushroom forest is likely to play host to species of larger animals you could hunt, and the lake shore will attract them for drinking. A larger expedition could hunt across the water and come back to you with enough to feed your tribe for some time. Two successes for three food units and one trade goods unit.
[] Hunt large game: Recollection from old tales suggests the Cathedral's plains are inhabited by wandering herds of large grazing animals. Securing some of those would provide for the whole tribe for cycles. Three successes for five food units and two trade goods units.
[] Train militia: If you want to be ready to defend your new territory, you'll need some training. You have a few experienced fighters among your tribe, but no organization to take advantage of it. Drilling your existing teams will ensure you have the core of a fighting force. Each success gives you one militia rating.
Influence
[] Seek inhabitants: You haven't been in the Cathedral in a long time, and others could have settled in, or simply use it as a stop in their wanderings. You could check for the best areas much quicker than you could map the cavern. One success to meet any potential inhabitants.
[] Search for neighbors: Other tribes are likely to live around the Cathedral. It'll be a long trip, but you can equip a few of your people and send them on their way to make a tour of the likely locations and make contact. Two successes to find your close neighbors if any. One team max.
[] Build a small shrine: The central hilltop is the perfect symbolic place for a shrine commemorating the end of your long errance. You don't have much to build it with, but it should be enough to be a statement and can always be expended upon later. One success to build the shrine, two successes to start a service.
[] Organize celebration: Organizing a festival would give your tribe something positive to start their settlement on. It's an occasion to bring all its disparate groups together, which will both inform you about their differences and help smooth them over. Automatic success with one team, but will require having found one food this turn.
Growth
[] Fish the shallows: Your tribal records speak of bountiful fish in the central lake. It should provide quite a bit of food within easy reach thanks to the shallow waters. But you have to be wary of overfishing now that you are staying in place. One food unit per success, can deplete if overfished.
[] Check on your kelp seeds: Last time your tribe passed through the Cathedral, it seeded a kelp ecosystem into the lake, both as an edible plant and as a way to foster fish growth. It's a hardy crop and you should be able to get a full harvest without endangering its ability to recover. It's not the most nutritious thing but it is within easy reach. One success for a food unit.
[] Check on the forest gardens: Your tribe also seeded various food bearing mushroom trees, bushes, mosses and roots through the forest surrounding the lake. They've had time to grow and by being careful about what you take, there should be plenty in the future. It's also an opportunity to introduce some quicker growing species into the ecosystem for next cycle, now that you are sticking around. Two successes for three food units and an improvement to this action next cycle.
[] Identify woody growth: If you want to build permanent shelter or quality tools, you'll need material. Some mushroom trees can provide sturdy wood. You'll need to locate the best place to start a logging operation. One success to find out the ideal location.
Knowledge
[] Take inventory: Teams in your tribe came to the Cathedral with baggages containing various useful products. They're used to managing those autonomously but it may be useful to have an inventory of what you can access, either for your use or for trading. One success to unlock that knowledge.
[] Document fauna and flora: Seeking food may be your priority, but more general knowledge on the plants and animals you seek may prove useful. You might also find some more exotic species for medicinal or trading purposes. Document one biome per success, require a hunt/ or farm mission in the same biome.
[] Gather old lore: Your people carefully curate lore dating as far back as their time under their dragon creators. But it is all fragmentary, distributed among your tribe's population with little understanding of the greater meaning. You can attempt to put pieces of lore together to discover ancient secrets. One lore point per success.
[] Initiate new wizards: With knowledge of magic firmly in your hands, it should be possible to train up a new unit of magic wielders to assist you. This is a lengthy and difficult process which will result in a full team dedicating itself to supporting your new wizard unit. Three successes to turn one team into an unit of wizards. One team only.
[] Explore leylines: The Cathedral has powerful flows of magical energy converging into it and feeding its luminous crystals. Investigating those currents would make it easier to tap them for your use, and ensure you know about any dangerous surprises they may hold. Gain insight into local geomancy with each success.
Units
- Wizards
[] Assist a task: Wizards have plenty of useful spells and should be able to offer some kind of support to anything your tribe is undertaking. Time to put them to work. Pick a task for your wizards to assist.
-[] Write in: the task assisted
[] Learn a specialization: There are a multitude of ways wizards can help your tribe, and specializing into one of them would help deploy its full potential. Each success will let you specialize further, giving bonuses to assisting some tasks or unlocking new wizard only actions.
AN: It's finally done! Sorry for the long long wait, everyone. Figuring out the system has been a struggle and the writing wasn't forthcoming either. I hope it's not too awful to write plans for.
Scheduled vote count started by Nyvis on Apr 29, 2021 at 12:14 PM, finished with 38 posts and 14 votes.
[X] Plan Exploration and Feasting
-[X] Map the cathedral [2 Young Kobold Teams]
-[X] Hunt small game [3 Young Kobold Teams]
-[X] Seek inhabitants [2 Fascinated Kobold Teams]
-[X] Organize celebration [1 Young Kobold Team]
-[X] Check on the forest gardens [2 Fascinated Kobold Teams & 1 Young Kobold Team]
-[X] Take inventory [2 Fascinated Kobold Teams]
-[X] Document fauna and flora [1 Obsidian Dwarf Team]
-[X] Explore leylines [2 Obsidian Dwarf Teams]
-[X] Wizards: Help with task "Explore leylines"
