The October Country: Swamp Shark

More scavenged material regarding the October Country setting from my other blog. I've gone from "working on a book" to "planning on working on a book once I finish Stonehell 2, but the October Country material still looms large in my head.

I’m working on a book that brings detail to a section of the October Country known as Snakewater Swamp. It’s been a lot of fun and is helping me to focus on certain systems I want to implement in the game and to flesh out the world in greater detail. I won’t say much more in the meantime.

Like the rest of the October Country, the wildlife found in Snakewater is largely of my own creation. For various climatic reasons, gators aren’t nearly as common as they are on Earth, but that doesn’t mean the swamps are free of large, aquatic predators. The swamp shark fits that bill wonderfully and has the pedigree of being inspired by the late-night, Sci-Fi channel cheapy movie of the same name. If you’re going to watch crap, you might as well make the best of it.

Swamp Shark

STR: 4d6+12 (26)
CON: 3d6+6 (20-21)
SIZ: 4d6+12 (26)
INT: 2d6 (7)
POW: 3d6 (10-11)
DEX: 4d6 (14)

Average hit points: 24
Move: 10 (swimming)

Other skills: Hide—50%, Leap from Water—50%, Swimming—95%, Tracking—85%

Damage Modifier: +1d12
Armor: 2 point skin

Attacks
Bite: 50%--1d10+1d12 damage

Swamp sharks are a species of shark that has adapted to the brackish and freshwater conditions found in coastal marshes. Their adaptations allow them to venture further into the headwaters of coastal rivers and bayous and many have begun to use these areas as nurseries for the pups. Full grown swamp sharks range in 8 to 11 feet in length and can weigh up to 700 lbs. Skin tones are brownish-gray to dark green, giving them natural camouflage in the muddy waters of the swamp. Swamp sharks are usually solitary predators (85%) but are occasionally encountered in pairs (15% chance). They attack by rushing their prey from concealment, biting their victim to shear off flesh, and then move past their prey to devour the mouthful of meat. They turn and make another pass two or three rounds later.

“Horses! Get yer Horses here!”

Want to make the horse-buying process something more than just subtracting gold pieces from a character sheet? Have a player who simply MUST know what kind of selection the horse trader has for sale? Has it ever occurred to you that the characters’ mounts are NPCs too? If so and you don’t know where to start, download this incredibly helpful PDF that I cobbled together from diverse sources such as Wikipedia and various game supplements. It’s one of the goodies I keep close at hand in my referee binder for just such occasions. Random tables are provided to make horse trading fun again!

Want to know more about horses? Consult your local library or listen to seminal Patti Smith album of the same name:

Flora and Fauna: Crumblebark Tree

These deciduous trees are recognizable by their ashy grey bark and star-shaped leaves. Crumblebark trees reach heights of 100’ and a trunk circumference of 30’ when fully grown. They thrive in climates with cool, wet winters and warm summers, requiring abundant water for their dense root systems, and are commonly found in river valleys, foothill woodlands, and in coastal areas.

The tree gets its name from the layers of loosely attached bark that covers its exterior. Unlike most trees, crumblebarks can shed its bark in large quantities without harming the tree, and applying even light pressure to the tree’s surface causes its exterior to crumble and fall away. This makes the tree extremely difficult to climb without rope or climbing spikes. Any character attempting to climb a crumblebark tree has a 4 in 6 chance of failing (and falling); Thieves climb at half their normal Climb Walls percentage.

Predators, both natural and monstrous, utilize this quirk of the crumblebark tree when hunting prey. They attack from ambush in crumblebark groves and, when prey attempts to flee to safety by climbing a nearby tree, the predator corners and devours them as their prey claws frantically at the disintegrating bark. The crumblebark tree unwittingly benefits from this arrangement, as the bones and blood of animals killed and eaten at its base provide rich fertilizer for the tree. Adventurers are warned to be wary when passing through crumblebark groves where the trees appear exceptionally vibrant and healthy – danger lies in wait.

Dry crumblebark bark makes excellent tinder and using it to start a fire will result in success on even the wettest of days. Powdered crumblebark is a common ingredient used by herbalists and wise women in poultices for treating sunburn, acne, eczema, and other skin ailments.