The Kalessian Deadland {Steal this Setting}

This used to be a vibrant and beautiful place, home to thousands of elves and humans who lived in peace in a lush land. Not any more.

Kalessia lies in ruin. The forests are charred black and the plains are naught but dried grass and dust. The elders of the surrounding lands have come to call this place the Deadland, for nothing grows here. However, that does not mean it is entirely devoid of life, or what passes for it in this wasteland.

After the cataclysm, when a psychotic elven wizard got his hands on an archaic and powerful spell book and summoned a great black fire on the land, few things survived. Some of the people who happened to be in some kind of shelter, down a mine or in a tunnel somewhere were not burnt up like the rest of the population, but were mutated into the hulking Dreadmasks, so named because of their terrifying new visage.

Dreadmask
MR 40
Special Damage: 1/3
Ability: Dread Visage - Anyone who looks at a Dreadmask must make a L2SR on INT or run 10 feet away instead of attacking.

The black fire may have brought destruction, but it also created a new source of magic: Fyrestone. Kalessia is the only place in the know world where this material exists and it fetches a hefty price on the market. The reason it is so sought after is due to its properties of Kremm resistance. Just holding a piece of Fyrestone will make the user resistant to magic equal to twice her current WIZ.

What used to be great mines beneath the mountains of Kalessia are now home to strange and alien beings who hunt wayward travellers and occasionally  Dreadmasks. These creatures are the Kyuss, leather-skinned lizard-like people with four legs and two arms.

Kyuss Warrior
MR 60
Special Attack: 1/1
Ability: Pack Mentality - If three or more Kyuss Warriors are attacking +2d6 to their HPT.

The Kalessian Deadland is also prone to spontaneous geological combustion. Due to the instability of the land caused by the black fire, there is a 1 in 6 chance that the ground will ignite in a 8 metre radius under the delvers, both overland and under it. This explosion causes 1d6 damage unless a L3SR on DEX is made.

Announcing Project Stormvault

I've begun work on a new publication for Tunnels and Trolls under the project name Stormvault for Trollish Delver Games. It's going to be a campaign setting but with a difference. I'll be releasing snippets of Project Stormvault over the next couple of months before release. I'll be following the same sales model of TDG's other books - free PDF and relatively cheap print version.

I'll keep you posted  - hopefully this will be something that T&T players can really sink their teeth into, but I imagine that you could convert to other FRPGs.

Vologes - sounds yummy

Not a big post today as I'm hard at work finishing up my dissertation, I just wanted to inform you that Scott from World of Thool has launched a new blog for his new campaign setting Ordained Dominions of Vologes, which may sound like a cult that worships pasta, but is in fact a high fantasy setting inspired by authors such as Tolkien, Andrew Lang and Peter S.Beagle. It's old fashioned green rolling plains and magical adventure, and it's looking damned good.

You'd be Thoolish to miss this

World of Thool is a campaign setting created by the almighty Scott over at the World of Thool blog.

I've been following his progress in the creation of what looks to be a really interesting and exciting campaign world, inspired by such authors as H.G. Wells, A, Merritt and William Hope Hodgeson.

Scott will be launching the World of Thool zine on 1st May (if all goes to plan). According to him: "Each issue will feature an assortment of monsters, magic items, rumors, and setting tidbits."

There's no doubt that Thool is going to be a great setting to run a campaign in for Tunnels and Trolls and I look forward to the zine and the future product.