Armchair Bugbear

A deity is any immortal being who possesses great power and disciples who honour them in exchange for favour. Some of those beings--saints, ancestors and 'gods' proper appear to be abstract, residing in some unseen spirital realm. Others, however, are very much present and physical. They can be located, seen and touched. Followers of those abstract religions decry the latter as 'cults'. The first deities were the trolls. Their power was control over stone - they could shape the earth like a potter shaping clay. The mortals who dwelt in the primordial grasslands worshipped them in exchange for remaining untrodden by their gargantuan feet. The trolls would erect stone pillars where offerings would be received and would aid their followers by gathering stone into great walls to protect them from threats, and to provide shelter from the unforgiving sun. Since the Sun came and turned the trolls to stone, worship of those ancient beings is very rare, except in places where mo...

When inhabitants of Rodinia look up at the night sky, they see not only stars and galaxies, but also cosmic beings that swim through the aether like fish through water. The stars are as plankton to them, and the galaxies as strands of kelp. Astronomers can track the migration of the great rays and the celestial squids. The ripples of the movement of their fins reach Rodinia and is harnessed by mages, granting them access to the arcane power that pulses through the very atmosphere. A long time ago, when mountains could walk, the trolls ruled the world, stomping over whatever sprung out of the ground and whatever was erected by the mortal beings. They knew no gods or authorities. One day, however, a cosmic catfish arrived to Rodinia to lay its eggs. That catfish, whose name is Sun, swims around the world, probing the ground with its tendrilous barbels which the inhabitants of the world see as rays of light. Its egg, the moon follows in its slipstream. It eventually cracks and the yolk fa...

 Halflings are wrong. They're too Middle-Earth specific. Here are some alternatives. Harefolk Rabbit-like humanoids. They live similarly to halflings, but their territory extends beyond the lush hillscapes to the barren tundra and the blistering desert. Frogfolk Diminutive humanoid frogs. They live in swamps and jungles. Their hearing is no better than that of a human, but their eyes are very sensitive, so their '2-in-6 listen at doors' is replaced with '2-in-6 detect hidden and secret doors'. Catfolk Small feline humanoids. They live in forests and the outskirts of human cities. They have infravision and a 2-in-6 detect hidden and secret doors' as well as claws that act as daggers, but their hit dice are reduced to 1d4.

 Elves are wrong - they shouldn't be a player race. Elves should be strange, exotic, alien and powerful. Here are alternatives Cambion Cambion are those born of woman and sired by an incubus. Merlin was a cambion. They possess magic-user spells. Cambion can also be born of succubus and sired by a human, but those err too closely towards their demonic heritage, being somewhat like tieflings. Dhampir Dhampirs are those born of woman and sired by a vampire. They possess illusionist spells. They can also be born of vampiress and sired by a human, but those are born animalistic and ghoulish, having been fed on blood in utero. Changeling Changelings are humans who have been brought up in the land of Faerie. The word is more commonly used by humans to describe the sickly wretches left in their cots. They are able to cast druid spells. Nephilim The offspring of a human and an angel. They have cleric spells.

The doors of the Wheel of Cheese burst open as the Friends of Grik enter after a day of adventuring. The sight of a party a few adventurers short may have been more reassuring than the one that presented itself to the stupefied patrons. Graden is the worst. His peg leg singed and splintered, he hops with his arm around Ethex's shoulder. His scalp is scarred and disfigured, his wild hair burned away. The ends of his beard are burned black and the sides are dyed an odd fluorescent green. Worse yet, the party looks like they travel light this evening, with nary a bag of silver between them. Our plan was simple: rescue the merchants to weaken the position of the hobgoblins. Our first stop, as is often the case, was Rocky, to seek information about their position. On our way, we stopped at the room of charred silhouettes and managed to draw a large marble of magnificent blue crystal from the wall. Rocky was in no mood to talk and seemed unable to answer a single question ... odd, for he...

Preferred animal transformation: 2. Giant spider 3. Crocodile 4. Hyena 5. A pair of owls 6. Wolf 7. Swarm of bats 8. Murder of crows 9. Swarm of rats 10. Giant snake 11. Panther 12. Shoal of piranhas Preferred manner of feeding: 2. Sucking blood through tentacles that emerge from its mouth 3. Pulling off the victim's fingers and sucking the blood therefrom 4. Sucking blood via its fingers 5. Drawing breath from victim's mouth 6. Drinking blood from victim's wrist 7. Drinking blood from victim's throat 8. Causing bleeding with a jagged blade and drinking the spilled blood 9. Hypnotising the victim and forcing them to spill their blood 10. Poisoning the victim with an exsanguinating toxin 11. Shoving its tongue into the victim's nose to suck blood from their brain 12. Shooting arrows at the victim and drawing their blood along an attached string Specific weakness: 2. Iron 3. Arithmomania (obsessive counting) 4. Rose thorns 5. Ginger 6. Wolfsbane 7. Garlic 8. Hawthorn ...

 Taboo (x2) Eating Bird eggs Mammal meat Fish Root vegetables Non-organ meat Salt Drinking Alcohol Unsalted water From cups not made from bone Among inferiors Dairy Juice Gestures Talking without the hands being behind the back Laughing or smiling Whistling or humming Saying the name of a god Talking about the weather Referring to animals except by their names Touching Statues A weapon without using it Hair Cats Stagnant water Gems Bodily functions Cracking knuckles Sneezing Chewing Coughing Hiccupping Yawning Clothes Shaving Wearing white Wearing hats & helmets Bearing the face Shoes Non-tattooed skin Regular practices Cannibalism: dead family members Cannibalism: enemy soldiers/criminals Cannibalism: the terminally ill/old Public nudity: among the nobility Public nudity: among the lower classes Interbreeding with animals: herbivores mammals Interbreeding with animals: carniveres mammals Consuming: rotten meat Consuming: live animals Consuming: human blood/tears Mocking: one's...