The Nightshade Brewery in Middleshade, a district of Ironfire, which is available in versions for 5E and Pathfinder, brews and sells drinks made from or using mushrooms and other fungi. Here are ten mushroom-based drinks that characters could buy.
Appletouch: Though not made directly with apples, this brew has a taste very similar to that of cider. During the brewing process, whilst the mushrooms are fermenting, pieces of apple are added to the barrel, which are strained out when the drink is tapped, leading to a taste that is surprisingly similar to cider.
Black Dragon: A thick, treacly porter that’s been made from large, black, night-loving mushrooms, drinking this feels almost like eating a meal, with some even claiming that Black Dragon isn’t drunk, it’s eaten. Few can manage more than a few pints of this, and it’s rarely sold with food as it tends to fill the drinker up too much.
Fireball Ale: In most ways this is a typical beer, for a mushroom-based beer anyway. What makes it different is the spices that have been added to the drink. The spices both dye the beer a fiery red colour, they also make it spicier than many can cope with; sometimes people will dare each other to drink it.
Headbanger: Distilled from mushrooms in a manner not dissimilar to how vodka is made, this drink is repeatedly strained to get it as clear as possible and has a very high alcohol content, thanks to most of the excess being skimmed off during the distillation and straining. It’s also notorious for the intense headaches that those who overindulge suffer.
Magenta Pale: Something of an experiment by the brewery, this is an attempt to make a drink similar to wine in colour and flavour, only made from mushrooms. At the moment, this hasn’t been a huge success, and most purchasers of the drink are cooks buying it to use in cooking, as it’s considered an excellent cooking drink though at best an adequate one for drinking.
Mystery: This drink is blended from a number of different varieties of the brews produced. One batch of the drink never quite tastes the same as the next due to this, as the constituent drinks always tend to differ slightly, and when blended together these differences become more noticeable.
Nightshade Green: This mushroom ale indeed has a green tinge to its colour, thanks to the herbs that have been added to it. The taste isn’t for everyone, and it’s often touted as being more of a medicinal drink with the herbs aiding many ailments, rather than a recreational one. The brewery makes no claims about Green having any healing properties.
Sweet Dreams: This curiously-coloured ale with a blue tinge to it is brewed from some mushrooms that have hallucinogenic properties. Though the fermentation process has reduced much of the effect, the ale is renowned for giving the drinker strange dreams which some consider to be prophetic in nature.
Throatbiter: This dark ale is brewed from poisonous mushrooms, so a great deal of care goes into the brewing process, even though the mushrooms aren’t truly deadly. The drink has a slight numbing sensation when drunk, primarily affecting the tongue.
Tonguetickler: Mo-one outside the brewery knows precisely how this drink is made, because it’s incredibly effervescent. Most suspect that some kind of alchemical means is used to add all the bubbles to the beer, as it doesn’t seem possible for it to be solely a product of the fermentation process. The fizziness can make the brew feel weird on the tongue.
Want to Get a Discount on New Releases?
Sign up for our newsletter and get them by email in our weekly update together with discounts on new releases.
10 Hooks and Rumours for Cyberpunk 2.0.2.0.’s Pacific Rim
This list has ten hooks and rumours that can be heard about Japan. Whether or not they are true is up to the GameMaster. They can be used as background colour or as potential adventure hooks.
Fujiwara is one of the biggest banks in Japan and beyond, and it’s rumoured that recently they have been financing the accumulation of shares in foreign megacorps by Japanese companies, or perhaps on their own behalf. This is increasing the influence that Japan has over the world’s markets.
It’s rumoured that Japanese megacorps are “encouraging” their employees to vote for specific candidates for the Diet, and most suspect that’s because such candidates are completely owned by the corps in question, allowing them to increase their power over the government.
Jinboku Tenno, the 128th, is the current reigning Emperor of Japan, and because she is barely a teenager, she has a Regent, her cousin, Kazuraki-no-Miya Kunihito. There are rumours that the Regent would prefer if Jinboku Tenno never became Emperor, leaving them in charge, and giving the Arasaka great sway over Japan’s leadership.
Kiroshi has a joint design firm with Kenjiri in orbit. It’s rumoured that recently there have been attempts to steal designs from the joint firm, and that as a result the two companies have tightened up security a lot, already higher thanks to being in orbit.
Monoblades are, in theory, only used in Japan as industrial equipment, with only a few exceptions. It’s rumoured that street gangs have started stealing industrial blades in order to reshape them into weapons to use in combat which, although clearly improvised, are still deadly.
The current reigning Emperor of Japan, Jinboku Tenno, is the only linear descendant of the House of Tenno. Given that she’s young, she has no heirs as yet, and it’s rumoured that jockeying is going on amongst those most likely to inherit if she dies without an heir. Should one of the potential emperors gain enough backing, it may well be that Jinboku Tenno’s days would become numbered.
The Diet-appointed Minsters of Japan have little idea as to what’s going on in their own Ministries, and it’s rumoured that some are trying to change that. However, given the power of the Ministries, and connections to corps who are perfectly happy with the current order, such attempts are likely doomed to fail.
The goal of the Imperial Household in Japan is to make the Tenno family a form of public entertainment and propagate Imperial history, which may be lacking in truth. Given that their duties are similar to those of the managers of a media corp, it’s rumoured that the Imperial Household is starting to spread into such.
The Japanese are impressed by a good, heroic tragic death, and this seems to be the end game of many gangers and cyberpunks who battle the System. Some have even claimed that many of these are actually set in place by the powers that be, intended to make much sound and fury without ever achieving anything of note.
With the current Emperor of Japan, Jinboku Tenno, being the only linear descendant of the house of Tenno, there is pressure on her to have children as soon as possible. That time is not yet, given that she inherited the throne at only 13, but it’s said that machinations are already underway to find a consort for her as soon as she is of age.
D10: Pacific Rim Rumours: Japan is unofficial content provided under the Homebrew Content Policy of R. Talsorian Games and is not approved or endorsed by RTG. This content references materials that are the property of R. Talsorian Games and its licensees.
Want to Get a Discount on New Releases?
Sign up for our newsletter and get them by email in our weekly update together with discounts on new releases.
The Strange is a game published by Monte Cook Games. It is, at least in part, set in the normal world, but there are other worlds out there, in the Strange. This list has six rumours for that setting, similar to the various different adventure hooks in the books, and these can be used as adventure hooks or simple misinformation.
A phase change recently affected the recursion of Oceanmist, leading to many natives suddenly gaining the spark. Though most believe this is a side effect from the number of recursors visiting the place, a minority believe that the phase change is the result of something deliberate.
Captain Katherine “Calamity” Kelly is an Oceanmist pirate and captain of the Red Pearl. It’s rumoured that she’s shown an interest in recursors, wanting to quiz them on all manner of subjects, and that some have chosen to share information on the Strange with her.
It’s said that Oceanmist’s unnamed dragon is eager to play games, and it’s especially interested in games it hasn’t encountered before which can still be played in the recursion. It’s also rumoured that some recursors have been seeking out new games as, essentially, bribes for the dragon
Oceanmist is a recursion that’s currently growing, and some recursors believe that if the spark awakens in the dragon. There’s a worry amongst some that if the dragon awakens, it may become incredibly dangerous, and possibly use the recursion as a base to raid further afield.
The recursion of Oceanmist is rich in cyphers, with new ones being washed ashore on the beach every few days. It’s rumoured that recursion miners have attempted on a few occasions to set up automated processes for harvesting these cyphers, and that all such attempts have come to a bad end.
The royalty and pirates of Oceanmist now have people who are vying for the dragon as an ally, instead of ignoring it as they used to. It’s rumoured that there’s a market for anything from out of recursion that might aid the interested parties in their pursuit of the dragon.
Want to Get a Discount on New Releases?
Sign up for our newsletter and get them by email in our weekly update together with discounts on new releases.
Some artwork copyright William McAusland, used with permission
Here are ten stone structures, often megalithic in nature, that could be encountered by travelling characters.
A single, pockmarked standing stone rises 6′ from the ground, only about a foot in diameter at most.
Four flat rocks have been positioned so that three large ones hold a fourth like a roof above them, making a small sheltered area under it.
Fragment of a wall made from stones greater in size than a human.
Large slab of stone, measuring 10’x5′, that rests on top of four piles of rocks, as if it’s a table.
Perfectly square cairn made from tightly fitted stones that stands 3′ tall.
Three identical stones, each rectangular and 7′ tall, are positioned at equal distances apart as if they were on the edge of a circle.
Two parallel rows of stones head across the land in a perfectly straight line for several hundred yards, then stop.
Vast stone circle, notable not for the size of the stones used in it, which are not impressive, but the sheer number of concentric circles it’s made from, which spread out for about half a mile from the centre.
Vertical stone with a hole, large enough for a human with a tight squeeze, running through its centre.
What was once a single standing stone has broken, the top third lying on the ground beside the stump.
Want to Get a Discount on New Releases?
Sign up for our newsletter and get them by email in our weekly update together with discounts on new releases.
Numenera is a game published by Monte Cook Games. Its setting is the Ninth World, and this list has six rumours for that setting. The rumours, which are similar to the Hearsay that can be found in the official books, can be used as adventure hooks or as simple misinformation.
Kinderi is the only Jorian, and one who’s human at that, who seems to be capable of understanding the colour language of the vunds in Joria’s evolo sphere. It’s rumoured that he’s made more progress than he’s admitted to, and has been keeping this quiet as he’s learned something disturbing.
Some believe that opening up the evolo sphere would cause the vunds inside, and perhaps the entire city of Joria, to cease to exist. Some have also suggested that perhaps the vunds are not precisely present in this dimension, and that the sphere is in fact a kind of portal to another realm.
The canals of Joria once seemed to be regularly used, though that is now no longer the case, despite evidence of former use. Some rumours have said that people who used to live in the canals had a tendency to disappear, and that this resulted in those left deserting them.
The vunds are fused-together creatures found in the evolo sphere in Joria, and they are believed to be keepers of the city’s history. It’s rumoured that the age of the vunds is so great that they have accumulated knowledge on far more than just Joria and the granthu.
There are some leftover items in the canals of Joria, evidence that the area was once inhabited properly. Though most are junk or regular items, it’s rumoured that hidden away are cyphers and other items of interest. Some have speculated that these are created by the granthu itself.
Three triangular stone towers rise above the rest of the city of Joria, and they are used by the Jorians to send out a homing signal as they look for more of their own kind. It’s rumoured that the towers, which are linked to the granthus’s ganglia, can send out other signals too, which given the size of the granthu can be used as weapons.
Want to Get a Discount on New Releases?
Sign up for our newsletter and get them by email in our weekly update together with discounts on new releases.
The Low Market in the district of Westgate in Hoardreach in the Sundara setting has a range of goods from different vendors available for sale, some of them unusual or rare.
Bolt of fine silk.
Bundle of fresh harpy feathers.
Dried mushrooms from a faerie ring.
Fungi harvested from within the tunnels of Hoardreach.
Herbs collected from the marshes around Hoardreach.
Marsh reeds from the marshes at the foot of Hoardreach, bearing black dragon sign.
Pouch of powdered dragon scale.
Powdered glass made with dragonfire.
Small pot that explodes with a flash and a large bang when broken.
Very strong liquor brewed using mild acid.
Want to Get a Discount on New Releases?
Sign up for our newsletter and get them by email in our weekly update together with discounts on new releases.
10 Hooks and Rumours for Cyberpunk 2.0.2.0.’s Europe
This list has ten hooks and rumours that can be heard about Turkey. Whether or not they are true is up to the GameMaster. They can be used as background colour or as potential adventure hooks.
A lot of the better-quality stuff to be found in Turkey comes from Bulgaria, especially drugs and food, but it’s only better quality compared to locally produced things. It’s rumoured that the Bulgarians are using this as a way of slowly sinking their claws into the Turkish government.
Cyberware that’s openly worn in Turkey is almost certain to incite the extremists against the users. It’s rumoured that some of the extremists want to go a step further and start eliminating all ‘ware that can be found, but their general bias against technology doesn’t make them best equipped for such.
Food is short in Turkey, and many will pay premium money for poor quality food, given that the alternative is rats. It’s rumoured that some of the corps use Turkey as a place to dispose of food that would otherwise be unsellable and have to be destroyed, especially food that is dangerous to eat.
In order to keep Turkey under control, the government rules with an iron hand and abandons reforms that might provoke the religious fanatics. It’s rumoured that these fanatics are getting increasing amounts of funding from outside the country, in the hopes of causing enough trouble that it starts spilling over into Europe proper.
Istanbul’s port is a war zone that’s not under the control of the government, despite what officialdom might claim. Cops collect protection from the local gangs, though it’s rumoured that some of the gangs are growing tired of having to pay the cops and have been looking for some heavy weaponry to take out their armoured cruisers.
Rikshas are the preferred method of travel in Istanbul and, thanks to the narrowness of the streets, the only viable form of taxi. It’s rumoured that some rikshas are run by criminal groups who will kidnap foreigners and often literally strip them for parts.
The rich of Istanbul live in mansions dating back to the time of the Ottoman Empire and have a level of luxury unimaginable by most of the country. It’s said that this is drawing a great deal of resentment, and that a popular tide is rising to try and make the rich pay.
The Taurus and Canik in Turkey were sold to EC power companies and are now home to windfarms defended by EDF troopers. Locals often clash with the defenders, and there are rumours that external forces have been supplying the locals to make them a bigger threat to the EDF.
Turkey depends on food imports from the EC though the country’s parliament is talking to Belgian food producers, though not directly, to try and build up a new food industry to replace that which was lost in the Meltdown. However, there are many who prefer that Turkey needs to get food from the EC, thanks to what the Easies get in return, who would be interested in sabotaging these talks.
War is being waged in the Turkish countryside against what the government calls, sometimes accurately, rebels. It’s rumoured that what the army does in this war often crosses many lines as to what would be considered to be acceptable, but little in the way of genuine details get out, often because all the witnesses are dead.
D10: Europe Rumours: Turkey is unofficial content provided under the Homebrew Content Policy of R. Talsorian Games and is not approved or endorsed by RTG. This content references materials that are the property of R. Talsorian Games and its licensees.
Want to Get a Discount on New Releases?
Sign up for our newsletter and get them by email in our weekly update together with discounts on new releases.
The Strange is a game published by Monte Cook Games. It is, at least in part, set in the normal world, but there are other worlds out there, in the Strange. This list has six rumours for that setting, similar to the various different adventure hooks in the books, and these can be used as adventure hooks or simple misinformation.
Ginny is the COO of Sunny Flakes, and the one who really run things at the company. Though the grey seems approachable and affable, it’s rumoured that there’s a degree of tension between Ginny and the CEO, Sheila Calvin, who recently took over after her father disappeared.
Marshawn Coleman is a DGIS agent and former American football player who got a knee injury. Him becoming an agent was something of a media stunt, brought about by the former player’s biggest fan, a grey called Cally. Some believe that Coleman lacks what it takes to be a true agent, only being kept around for PR purposes.
Sheila Calvin is the new CEO of Sunny Flakes, taking over when her father was presumed dead after going missing. It’s said that she’s been spending a lot of money on various investigators, as she believes that foul play was involved somewhere with his disappearance.
Sunny Flakes is a cereal that the greys are known to prefer, and which many humans have learned to love. There are rumours, though, that Sunny Flakes is addictive, at least to humans, which is the real reason why many human households now have the cereal on their shelves.
The Defense Grey Investigation Service is a human organisation that’s tasked with investigating crimes perpetrated against greys by humans and vice versa, though it seems to spend more time investigating the former than the latter. Some have claimed that this is because the DGIS is just a front for the greys.
The Green Hills Society is a group of humans who believe that the greys need ejecting from Earth, and they used to have more support until several actions targeting greys resulted in human casualties. The group claimed these were false flag operations, and there are rumours that they have come close to proving this to be true.
Want to Get a Discount on New Releases?
Sign up for our newsletter and get them by email in our weekly update together with discounts on new releases.
Some artwork copyright William McAusland, used with permission.
Assassins, like anyone else, can have items stored in chests to do with their profession. This list has ten such items, and at least some of them would be illegal to even own in some locations.
Decorative wire that’s strong enough to serve as a garotte.
Pair of shoes that when tapped in the right way cause spring-loaded blades to protrude from the front.
Parts from poisonous plants and minerals in small, sealed containers.
Pestle and mortar that smells like it’s been thoroughly cleaned.
Ring with a pop-up hidden needle with a small reservoir in the ring’s body for poison.
Scabbard with a hidden reservoir that coats a blade placed inside it with poison.
Small packets and glass vials filled with ground pepper.
Spring-loaded wrist holster for a dagger.
Sketch showing the vulnerable parts of the body.
Tools for milking venom from a snake.
Want to Get a Discount on New Releases?
Sign up for our newsletter and get them by email in our weekly update together with discounts on new releases.
Numenera is a game published by Monte Cook Games. Its setting is the Ninth World, and this list has ten rumours for that setting. The rumours, which are similar to the Hearsay that can be found in the official books, can be used as adventure hooks or as simple misinformation.
Gastric juices from the granthu are an addictive drug used by some of the residents of the city. It’s rumoured that some have been shipping the juices out of the city when it’s close enough to the surface, in order to sell them in coastal communities near to where the granthu can be found.
Joria has canals and there are rumours of a second deeper set of canals below the first. Though no access can be found, other than sealed round holes, there are suggestions that something in the deep canals resulted in the inhabitants sealing them off from the rest of the city.
Joria is a much larger city than its current inhabitants need, with many areas unused or abandoned. Some Jorians believe that these are spaces they will expand into in the future, though there’s a persistent rumour that the population was indeed much larger and the city is slowly dying.
Many Jorians, despite their adaptability, die after their second return to the Shallows, as their bodies find it difficult to handle the physiological changes the second time. It’s said that some Jorians have, when Joria is in the Shallows, tried to find ways of easing the transition so that more Jorians can live to their full potential age, and that they are willing to exchange treasures of the deep for such aid.
Some who have encountered the granthu and the Jorians who live on it claim that the Jorians can control the giant crustacean and direct it to attack ships it encounters, so that the Jorians can plunder the vessels of anything of value or use.
The canals are the lowest part of Joria, where the granthu’s exoskeleton has grown around and inside them. It’s said that eventually all the canals will be completely encased and filled by the granthu, and that once that happens, the current upper levels will start to be swallowed up too.
The Jorians put out a strong signal in the hopes of finding others of their kind, and it’s rumoured that recently in the ports of the nearby coast that some people have been trying to discover more about this signal, though reputedly they are curiously unwilling to discuss why they are seeking it out.
The Jorians spend much of their lives in the Deep Dark of the oceans, and it’s rumoured that they are privy to all kind of secrets as a result. Not only of those things that live down in the depths, but also of those things that have sunk there over the years, from sunken ships to remains of past worlds.
The Mazarium in Joria is home to a multi-generational construction that’s a map of the ocean, something that many would like to get their hands on one way or another. It’s rumoured that the Jorians will trade copies of parts of the map in exchange for things they need.
There are three triangular towers rising above the rest of Joria, and they are used by the Jorians to send out a homing signal looking for their kithkind with a single repeated message. There are rumours that the towers are, in times of need, capable of doing more than just sending out a repeating signal.
Want to Get a Discount on New Releases?
Sign up for our newsletter and get them by email in our weekly update together with discounts on new releases.
