Category Archives: GameMaster’s Resource

D10: Tracks to See in the Snow

Snow Orchid
Some artwork © Dean Spencer, used with permission. All rights reserved.

Creatures that travel across snow and ice leave signs of their passage, and here are ten different things that might be spotted.

  1. Bricks formed from shaped snow and ice.
  2. Discarded and torn glove.
  3. Parallel marks from runners are slowly being filled in.
  4. Patches of snow have been melted and then refrozen.
  5. Prints in the snow that are slowly vanishing as more snow fills them in.
  6. Rocks, now partially covered in snow and ice, have been arranged in a circle.
  7. Several pieces of rubbish are just under the snow and crunch if stepped on.
  8. Small hollow in the snow where something has been rested.
  9. Snow has been pushed aside into heaps.
  10. Spatters of now-frozen blood sit in small pockets where the snow was briefly melted.

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Yin Yang Panda: Six New Tattoos

Yin Yang PandaThe Tattooed Monks splatbook for Yin Yang Panda introduces mystical tattoos and comes with six tattoos that can grant the owner additional abilities. Here are six new tattoos that can be used to add more abilities.

  • Ability – this tattoo allows the owner to enhance one physical ability. When this tattoo is activated with a standard test, the owner may re-roll a failed test once per day that could be considered to have used the physical ability in question. Every time the character gets an ability tattoo, they need to choose what ability it effects (strength, speed, agility etc.).
  • Ancestor – this tattoo allows the owner to speak with one of their ancestors. The character may make a standard test once per day to ask the ancestor a question on a subject that the ancestor has knowledge on. Each time the character gets an ancestor tattoo, they need to come up with some details on the ancestor they can speak to with it.
  • Charming – this tattoo allows the owner to more easily convince others to believe them and do what the owner wants them to do. When used, make a standard test to see if the NPC being spoken to reacts more favourably to the tattoo’s owner as a result.
  • Dreamwalking – this tattoo allows the owner to enter into the dreams of other beings. The being must be asleep at the time and known to the owner, even if they are not friendly. A standard test is needed to enter another creature’s dreams, and once there they can gain a single piece of information about that creature that they didn’t already know.
  • Insight – this tattoo enables the owner to gain insight about something. By making a standard test, they can get a flash of insight on something that will grant them an extra die to use on any tests related to it once per day. Every time the character gets an insight tattoo, they need to choose what they get insight on (combat, fields of knowledge, dealing with people etc.).
  • Vision – this tattoo allows the owner to see something they would otherwise not be able to (i.e., spirits, invisible beings, in the dark as if it were daylight etc.). Every time the character gets a vision tattoo, they have to decide what it allows them to see.

Based on Ying Yang Panda, Łukasz Kołodziej 2022, published by Skavenloft. Yin Yang Panda is based on Lasers & Feelings, John Harper 2013.

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D10: Numenera Rumours – Taracal

Numenera Cover
TM and © 2019 Monte Cook Games, LLC.

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.

  1. Fishing is one of the primary sources of work and food for the inhabitants of Taracal, yet there are rumours that the fishing recently has been unusually poor. This is despite the fact that the arcology moves around and should pass through new sources of fish. Some wonder if a predator of some kind is following Taracal and devouring much of the fish.
  2. Force walls can be beamed out from Taracal proper to create a semi-permanent bay that protects the arcology’s fleet and the secondary structures from all but the worst storm surges. Rumour has it, though, that either the storm urges are getting worse or the strength of the force walls has been gradually weakening over time.
  3. Shinspinners are a problem on Taracal, and they need constantly keeping under control. It’s rumoured that despite best efforts, the shinspinner problem continues to grow, and that the city is looking for outside help to finally rid the arcology of the scourge before it really gets out of control.
  4. Ships from Taracal occasionally come across vessels in need of assistance, and rescue those on them, giving them the option, if they have useful skills, a chance to join as citizens or work off their labour contracts as “bonds.” It’s rumoured that some of Taracal’s ships are the reason why the other vessels are in trouble, having attacked them in an act of piracy.
  5. Taracal has many decks, though there is a persistent rumour of a deck that has been hidden, despite the implausibility of hiding such a thing. Despite many having checked for missing space, and finding nothing, the rumours persist of a small deck hidden, perhaps by numenera, within the others.
  6. Taracal is an inhabited arcology that migrates across the Sea of Secrets, always remaining afloat no matter what the weather conditions. There are persistent rumours, most believe just from doomsayers, that the arcology has gradually become less seaworthy over the years, but few believe this.
  7. Taracal’s boat fleet mostly disperses away from the floating arcology during the day, with the small raft out at sea primarily run by fisherfolk. It’s rumoured that some of the small boats are not looking for fish, but for other things, though just what these other things might be varies from teller to teller.
  8. The Unfathomable is in an apparently permanent whirlpool that lies along the seasonal path Taracal takes. Some say that the arcology should stop floating around the Sea of Secrets and permanently settle close to the Unfathomable as is safe; naturally, not too close, just in case.
  9. Those who gain unique abilities from the Unfathomable are not required to join Taracal’s Canonicate, but those that aren’t are carefully watched and then urged to leave, with the suggestions growing less polite over time. It’s rumoured that many of those who have left have banded together, and are considering returning to Taracal en masse to take a new place as rulers of the arcology.
  10. Unique abilities are conferred on those who listen to the song of the Unfathomable, though using them shortens one’s life. It’s said that people keep trying to find a way to use the abilities without the consequences, and that those who try to do so always end up dying sooner rather than later.

Want some items that could be used as oddities? Check out 100 Xenoarchaeological Finds.

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D4: The Strange Rumours – Recursions: Gloaming

WorldsThe 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 four 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.

  1. Eletta Salt is the vampire who is the current leader of the Code, those who pledge themselves to Law, not Chaos. It’s rumoured that a number of attempts have been made recently to get rid of Salt, but the vampire has so far proven far too wily to be taken down by any assassin.
  2. Gloaming seems very similar to modern Earth, except that the population doesn’t like being out at night, even though most don’t know why. It’s said that those inhabitants who delve too deeply into the why of it sometimes disappear during the day as well.
  3. The Conclave of Chaos in Gloaming consists of those beings who devote themselves to Chaos. It’s rumoured that some of the Conclave go a little too far, even by its standards, in the pursuit of chaos, going to extremes in their behaviour that endanger the others.
  4. Those in the know about Gloaming know that there are two factions that govern the place, one being the Code. The Code is a set of rigid rules that those abiding by it follow, though it’s rumoured that they are too rigid, and that strict adherence can cause more problems than it solves.

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D10: Night City Rumours – The Gangs of Night City III

10 Hooks and Rumours for Cyberpunk 2.0.2.0.’s Night City

Cyberpunk CityThis list has ten hooks and rumours that can be heard about the gangs of Night City. Whether or not they are true is up to the GameMaster. They can be used as background colour or as potential adventure hooks.

  1. This list has ten hooks and rumours that can be heard about the gangs of Night City. Whether or not they are true is up to the GameMaster. They can be used as background colour or as potential adventure hooks.
  2. Arzin Tynon is a new boostergang to Night City, and other boostergangs treat them with contempt. It’s rumoured that the gang is planning to make a play to not only grab some turf of their own, but to earn the respect of the other gangs. It isn’t known what they might be planning to try, but it could well be bloody.
  3. Blood & Tears is a combat gang in the Zone noted for their trademark removal of eyes from their victims. It’s rumoured that a few people have been turning up outside the Zone also missing their eyes, and some are concerned that the gang is branching away from their home turf.
  4. Death in the Afternoon is one of only two true Nihilist groups still operating in Night City. The gang operates out of the Combat Zone and does most of its damage outside the city proper. There are rumours, though, that recently Death P.M. has started carrying out more attacks within the bounds of Night City. It might be that they will go the same way as the third Nihilist gang, but they could still do a lot of damage on the way out.
  5. Jack the Rippers is a nasty gang known to be responsible for the deaths of over one hundred joygirls in the last three years. Though witnesses claim the killer is one man, the NCPD has decided they are the work of a deranged gang. However, some believe that the police are definitely on the wrong track with that, and that until they start looking for a single individual, the police are not going to get anywhere.
  6. The Edison’s are a posergang that specialises in the construction of ingenious and sadistic deathtraps and similar creations. Though most of these seem to be made for the gang’s own enjoyment, it’s said that they will also create traps for a price, should anyone have someone they want disposing of in an unusually cruel way.
  7. The Golden Knights are a guardian gang with technology and strategies that allow them to keep a four-block area safe. It’s rumoured that some of those they’ve managed to keep out of their turf are unhappy about it, and that the gang’s leader has a substantial price on his head as a result.
  8. The Second Comming are a former millennium cult that now believes that the Second Coming will arrive during the final episode of Combat Cabb. It’s rumoured that some of the gang’s members want to hasten this by forcing the series to end sooner than is planned.
  9. The Tygers Claw occasionally protect the Japanese community at large in Night City, and there are rumours that they are backed by Arasaka. Though most believe the backing is purely financial, it’s also rumoured that Arasaka provides the members with cutting-edge cyberware designed to increase their speed and skills.
  10. The Water Rats operate around Night City’s docks, and specialise in helping pirates smuggle stuff into the city. It’s said that the gang isn’t fussed about just what they smuggle into the city, as long as they themselves are at no risk of being directly harmed by it.
  11. The Widow Sisterhood are a posergang sculpted to resemble famous beauties from past and present, and they are also assassins often hired by the corps or used as bodyguards. The Sisterhood is so close to so many powerful people that it’s rumoured that they also have a great deal of knowledge about just what’s going on in the precincts of power.

Want some general cyberpunk rumours? Check out 100 Cyber City Rumours.

D10: Night City Rumours – Bank Block 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.

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D10: Tracks to See on the Plains

Plains
Andrew Krahnke

Creatures that move through the plains leave signs of their passage, and here are ten different things that might be spotted.

  1. A partly crushed insect struggles on the ground.
  2. Clod of earth that has been scuffed up by a foot.
  3. Crops have been damaged by something pushing past.
  4. Drops of water have recently been splashed from a small stream.
  5. Grass stems broken partway up.
  6. Petals knocked on the ground from a flower.
  7. Plant with a slightly bent stem.
  8. Rabbit hole with signs of a foot having caught in it.
  9. Single footprint in a clear patch of ground.
  10. Stone that has been kicked.

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D10: Numenera Rumours – Rachid II

Numenera Cover
TM and © 2019 Monte Cook Games, LLC.

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.

  1. At the far end of the span is a degraded structure that once might have been a twin to the Catholith. Few from Rachid spend much time at that end of the span, but it’s rumoured that the Aeon Priests are thinking of setting up a small outpost there to excavate the structure’s remains.
  2. Bashan sells those who choose to walk the span of the Catholith meats and cheeses wrapped in haster leaves. Many walkers gossip to Bashan as they purchase a snack, and some say that over the years Bashan has gathered more information about the Catholith than even the Aeon Priests have.
  3. Conny Osolorian is a member of the Osolorian family who has a fascination with stories of what lies beyond the span and in other lands. It’s rumoured that she’s thinking of leaving Rachid with the next group of travellers who arrive who seem to be interesting enough.
  4. Officer Junira is the member of the Rachid Guard who is in charge of the detachment that watches the Catholith’s span. It’s said that Junira has a deep-seated hatred of the vulfen that plague the span, and is always willing to listen to any newcomer to the town who might know of a way of getting rid of them.
  5. Outsiders who arrive in Rachid are little trusted and treated with a lot of suspicion, as the settlement has little contact with others. There are rumours that outsiders who fail to allay the suspicions of the Rachidans have a tendency to disappear, at least as far as the outside world is concerned.
  6. Sethridge the Whisper Buyer will buy whispers from those who walk the span of the Catholith, if they want to make a quick profit. He trades these whispers to others in Rachid, though some believe that Sethridge keeps the best ones for himself for an unknown reason.
  7. The clave is where the Aeon Priests resident in Rachid dwell, and outsiders, including other Rachidans, are generally not welcome in the building. The priests are tolerated and kept supplied because they buy whispers and have agreed to deal with issues that require their expertise, but some Rachidans mumble that the priests themselves are the source of most such problems that happen in Rachid, ensuring that they are always needed.
  8. The Osolorian Seat is a sprawling building that is home to the ruling family of Rachid, as well as the seat of the city’s government. The structure is a number of buildings that have grown together over the decades, and there are rumours that there are secrets hidden within it in rooms only the family itself can find.
  9. The Rachid Guard has a detachment posted at the Catholith ensures that those who return across the span are Rachidans, as well as stopping people from climbing it or entering the hollow spaces on the head. Despite this, there are occasionally rumours of people being seen in the hollow spaces of the head, despite the guards insisting that no-one passed them to climb the Catholith.
  10. The span of the Catholith can be dangerous to cross in high winds, as the middle part twists and bucks from the wind. Some claim that the movement has been growing greater with age, suggesting that the span is perhaps wearing out and may at some point fall, pointing at the possible former twin of the Catholith at the other end as evidence that such could come to pass.

Want some items that could be used as oddities? Check out 100 Xenoarchaeological Finds.

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D10: The Strange Rumours – Recursions: Ohunkakan

WorldsThe 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 ten 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.

  1. Coyote is one of the elder spirits of Ohunkakan and where he walks the world is always touched with absurd humour and comedic consequences are common. It’s said that if Coyote is annoyed with someone, then the humour gains a harsher tinge to it in order to punish the recipient.
  2. Elements from the past, often mythic in nature, can be seen in Ohunkakan, mixed up with more modern things. It’s said that if you study the recursion for long enough, you can gain insight into what happened in the past by observing the elements of it that still remain in the recursion.
  3. Grandfather of Bears can force travellers to hold up mountains by the strength they gain due to his reality-warping nature. It’s said that if you can please Grandfather, he will grant you a boon, part of himself that will allow the wearer to have unusual strength as long as they are in Ohunkakan.
  4. Storytellers of Ohunkakan can alter the world around them, and their ability is highly esteemed. It’s rumoured, though, that a small number of storytellers use their abilities for their own personal advantage, altering the world to benefit them and them alone.
  5. Tales told in the recursion of Ohunkakan just might come true, and some recursors have been reputedly trying to take advantage of this, by repeatedly telling stories they want to come true. It’s not known if any have been successful, but it’s said that if they persist it could cause trouble one way or another.
  6. The elder spirits of Ohunkakan carry their own pocket realities around with them, where reality itself is warped by the logic of their own story. It’s rumoured that sometimes one of these elder spirits is even able to warp reality outside of the recursion, though as they never leave it’s unclear how this would be known.
  7. The Horned Serpent of Ohunkakan has been slain many times, but each time returns again, though often in a different shape. It’s rumoured that there is a way of permanently killing the Horned Serpent, but that this way is kept secret, because of the creature ever dies then Ohunkakan will die with it.
  8. The Thunderer of Ohunkakan is a being that inspires bravery and punishes cowardice and, as well as causing destruction, also causes new life to spring up in his wake. It’s rumoured, though, that sometimes the Thunderer only causes destruction, eradicating all life as he passes.
  9. The war between the Thunderer and the Horned Serpent in Ohunkakan constantly damages the threads of the stories and skilled storytellers must constantly weave them back together, else risk opening Ohunkakan to the Strange. It’s rumoured that this task is getting increasingly harder, and the likelihood of the recursion being opened rises with every generation that passes.
  10. There are dangerous spirits in Ohunkakan that prey on people, and as long as stories are told about these spirits, they will remain a danger. It’s said to be impossible to end the stories, for the spirits themselves seek out people to tell them, whispering their own tales in the sleeping recipient’s ear so that they will speak it when they wake.

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D10: Night City Rumours – The Gangs of Night City II

10 Hooks and Rumours for Cyberpunk 2.0.2.0.’s Night City

Cyberpunk CityThis list has ten hooks and rumours that can be heard about the gangsl of Night City. Whether or not they are true is up to the GameMaster. They can be used as background colour or as potential adventure hooks.

  1. One of the favourite pastimes of the Sacred Blades is their practice of “counting coup” which is to leave a red handprint on a rival gang member or NCPD officer without being stopped or caught. It’s rumoured that this same print has been turning up in strange places in Night City, often well-protected ones, and it’s thought that perhaps counting coup has extended into beating security in various places.
  2. Random acts of violence inspired by the band Total Anarchy are what the chromer gang known as the Steel Slaughter Slammers are renowned for. However, it’s rumoured that not every act of random violence is truly as random as it might seem; it’s said that if the gang is slipped some money, some of the apparently random violence is instead directed at specific targets.
  3. The Bozos are killer clowns with a vicious and lethal sense of fun. It’s rumoured that the gang have been developing new devices, things that look like ordinary toys, but if someone other than a Bozo picks one up, soon show their true colours as lethal objects. It’s said the Bozos have been seeding these devices amongst ordinary items of the type they appear to be, so they can wait for the unknowing victim to start the fun.
  4. The Bradi Bunch is a family posergang based on the old vidshow. Their members or runaway or orphaned children, and it’s rumoured that the gang trains these children to get into places where adults could not, in order to help the gang acquire the resources it needs.
  5. The Inquisitors are a gang that is at war with every other gang in the city, and others besides, for they believe that cybernetics are evil and seek to destroy it. No-one knows the gang’s home turf, or who leads them, but there are substantial rewards for the information. Some claim, however, that the reason no turf or leader can be identified is that the gang itself is not a gang but a front for a government operation of some kind, and who’s in charge changes regularly.
  6. The Kennedys are a posergang centred on the famous Kennedy family of the 20th century. They have no turf and it’s believed that their leader is planning to run for mayor. It’s rumoured that other members of the gang have been laying groundwork, some legal, much not, for this campaign.
  7. The Piranhas are a party gang in the Combat Zone whose sole purpose is to have fun, though outsiders are not sure just what the gang defines “fun” as. It’s rumoured that a few people in the Zone have disappeared to end up entertaining the Piranhas at one of their parties.
  8. The Red Chrome Legion are militant skinheads who primarily terrorise those that are not like them, which is pretty much everyone, though they notably avoid attacking those who are more powerful. It’s rumoured that the Legion is trying to get its hands on some decent cyberware to really make the chrome part of their name ring true.
  9. The Voodoo Boys have been a high priority target for the NCPD for some time, but the police have had little success in dealing with them. It’s rumoured that undercover cops have attempted to infiltrate the gang, and that so far everyone has been sent back in pieces.
  10. Warrior Heart are a combat gang found in the Combat Zone, one that fortunately spends most of its time fighting other gangs in order to hone their combat skills. However, it’s rumoured that the gang has been striking out of the Zone recently, not just at gangs bordering it, but anyone else who looks like they might be a challenge, from solos to NCPD officers.

Want some general cyberpunk rumours? Check out 100 Cyber City Rumours.

D10: Night City Rumours – Bank Block 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.

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D10: Tracks to See in a Desert

Skeleton in the Desert
Some artwork © 2015 Dean Spencer, used with permission. All rights reserved.

Creatures that move through a desert leave signs of their passage, and here are ten different things that might be spotted.

  1. Dead scorpion that has been crushed by a boot.
  2. Discarded leather strap that has perished and snapped.
  3. Fragments of bone that have been cracked open partially buried in the sand.
  4. Plant that bears a bruise from where something has knocked it.
  5. Scattering of ash on top of the sand.
  6. Scrap of fabric that is blowing in the wind.
  7. Slowly disappearing as the sand settles are several footprints.
  8. Sticking out of the sand is a bit of canvas, which is revealed to be part of a buried tent.
  9. Waste that has been buried in a shallow depression.
  10. Water skin that has been discarded; it has a hole in it.

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