You spot ‘im long before he speaks, an 8-foot slab-a rawhide and muscle, leaning over a copper still that bubbles with equal parts potion, liquor, and arcane irresponsibility.
A towering cone of coonskin fur sits proudly ‘top his head, twitching with its own queer life, and his robe appears to be stitched entirely from chitterlings that writhe faintly in the breeze.
Curly-toed boots with wicked steel spurs tap a lazy rhythm on the dirt, and a belt buckle the size of a dinner plate flashes the word BUBBA in hammered silver.
When he turns, his beard crackles with blue arcane sparks, and the smell of fermented mana hits you like a hot forge dipped in moonshine.
“Well, howdy!”
DM SUMMARY
Who Is He? Bubba Hollerhex is a backwoods potion-runner, moonshine-mage, and self-taught arcanist whose magic is powered by liquor, stubbornness, and a still that violates at least seven schools of wizardry.
What Does He Do? He mixes potions, throws explosive jugs, summons “critters,” and hits like a siege weapon when riled.
Why Encounter Him? He’s a quest giver, an accidental antagonist, or an ally with potent (and extremely unsafe) magic items.
BUBBA HOLLERHEX
Large Humanoid (Human), Chaotic Neutral Armour Class: 17 (Chitterling Robe) Hit Points: 138 (12d10+72) Speed: 40 ft.
STR 20 (+5) DEX 12 (+1) CON 22 (+6) INT 16 (+3) WIS 12 (+1) CHA 15 (+2)
Saving Throws: Con +10, Wis +5, Int +7 Skills: Arcana +7, Nature +5, Survival +5, Athletics +9 Damage Resistances: Poison, Fire Condition Immunities: Poisoned Senses: Passive Perception 11 Languages: Common, Chondathan, Draconic (sloppily) Challenge: 9 Proficiency Bonus: +4
Special Traits Moonshine Spell Dynamo Bubba adds his Constitution modifier to spell attack rolls and spell save DCs when casting spells that deal fire or poison damage.
Explosive Stillmaster Bubba can improvise Potion Jug Bombs. As part of a long rest he brews 3 explosive jugs, which are improvised magic items.
Big Ol’ Boy Bubba counts as one size larger (Gargantuan) for carrying capacity, grappling, and shoving.
Reckless Brewer If Bubba takes fire or poison damage, he gains advantage on his next attack roll or spell attack.
Actions Multiattack Bubba makes two Big Swing attacks or one Big Swing and one Potion Jug Bomb throw.
Big Swing (Melee Weapon Attack) +9 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 17 (2d10+5) bludgeoning damage. If Bubba rolls a 19 or 20, the attack deals an extra 7 (2d6) fire damage as sparks fly from his beard.
Potion Jug Bomb (Ranged Weapon Attack) +8 to hit, range 20/60 ft., one target or point. Hit: 22 (4d8+4) fire damage. Miss: The jug explodes anyway; creatures in a 5-ft. radius must succeed on a DC 16 Dexterity save or take 11 (2d10) fire damage.
Spellcasting
Bubba is a 7th-level spellcaster. Constitution is his spellcasting ability. Spell Save DC 16, +8 to hit.
At Will: fire bolt, poison spray, mage hand, prestidigitation 1/day each: – Fireball (as normal OR “Moonshine Fireball”: 10-ft-wider radius, but he takes 7 poison damage afterwards) – Lightning Bolt – Stinking Cloud – Conjure Animals (summons only raccoons, possums, giant boars)
Bonus Actions Glug of Power Bubba drinks from his belt tankard, regaining 15 (3d8+2) HP and gaining advantage on his next attack.
Reactions Git Off My Property! When a creature enters his reach, Bubba can make a Big Swing attack against it.
Magic Items Coonskin Wizard Hat
Wondrous item, rare (requires attunement)
Grants +1 to spell attacks and DCs
Once per long rest, the tail lifts and casts Counterspell (3rd-level)
Wearer always knows the direction of the nearest moonshine still
Chitterling Robe
Wondrous item, uncommon (requires attunement)
AC becomes 17
Advantage on saving throws against being grappled or restrained
Once per day, can cast Grease centred on yourself (the robe writhes violently)
Bubba Belt Buckle
Wondrous item, rare
Increases carrying capacity as if two sizes larger
Bonus Action: Deal an extra 1d8 thunder damage on one melee attack as the buckle “hollers”
The buckle glows when someone touches Bubba’s liquor without permission
Spurred Boots of the Big’Un
Wondrous item, rare (requires attunement)
Speed increases to 40 ft.
You can ignore difficult terrain caused by mud, roots, or vegetation
Once per long rest, stomp to cast Earth Tremor as a 2nd-level spell
R&R is a set of supplementary material and options for ‘Old School’ games, with a bunch of innovations and choices to make it more fun and playable for more modern players. Inspiration is taken from the Rules Cyclopaedia, Old School Essentials and Lamentations of the Flame Princess amongst others as well as from the comic strip Feral & Foe from 2000AD.
In R&R you play monsters, and those monsters are all defined by ‘Race as Class’ or R&R (clever, eh?) In Palladium terms that makes them RCCs, or ‘Racial Character Classes’. I’ve done this precisely because I hate ‘Race as Class’ and I want to challenge myself as a designer to make them more fun. I also hate the de-emphasis on race (more properly species) in modern iterations of RPGs, and so have made this as a kneejerk reaction to killjoys who seem to think a gnome shouldn’t be statistically distinct from an ogre (and by extension, I suppose a mouse shouldn’t have different statistics to a mammoth).
These are the rules options and changes I suggest for playing R&R, along with rules for playing kobolds and some supplementary odds and sods with some updates to the lore.
R&R is a set of supplementary material and options for ‘Old School’ games, with a bunch of innovations and choices to make it more fun and playable for more modern players. Inspiration is taken from the Rules Cyclopaedia, Old School Essentials and Lamentations of the Flame Princess amongst others as well as from the comic strip Feral & Foe from 2000AD.
In R&R you play monsters, and those monsters are all defined by ‘Race as Class’ or R&R (clever, eh?) In Palladium terms that makes them RCCs, or ‘Racial Character Classes’. I’ve done this precisely because I hate ‘Race as Class’ and I want to challenge myself as a designer to make them more fun. I also hate the de-emphasis on race (more properly species) in modern iterations of RPGs, and so have made this as a kneejerk reaction to killjoys who seem to think a gnome shouldn’t be statistically distinct from an ogre (and by extension, I suppose a mouse shouldn’t have different statistics to a mammoth).
This is just the rules options and changes I suggest for playing R&R. The actual racial classes (other than goblins) I’m going to nickel-and-dime you with, possibly collecting them all into one big tome at the end of the exercise with properly commissioned art.
Right now I have to pay for a bunch of repairs on my house, so you’ll have to forgive me for cutting corners here and there. A goblin’s got to make a dishonest buck after all.
Mutated mosquitoes descended from the mosquitos of the London Underground. During and after the Great War many people took shelter in the London Underground and were easy prey. Their irradiated blood and – later on – drifting spread of the FEV, caused these insects to mutate.
Mozzies no longer have eyes, but their antennae have evolved into combination hearing/sense organs like huge feathers, which allows them to hunt in total darkness. They still infest many tunnels, wherever undisturbed water can be found, and now range all over the UK, nesting in underground spaces and emerging at night to feed.
Level 5, Mutated Insect, Normal Creature (38xp) Body 5, Mind 6 Melee 1, Guns -, Other 2 HP 8, Initiative 12, Defence 2 Phys DR 0, Energy DR 0, Rad DR Immune, Poison DR Immune
Attacks Proboscis: Body + Melee TN 6, 5d Physical Damage
Special Abilities Flying: Must spend a minor action moving each turn to maintain flight. If knocked prone it falls to the ground taking 3D stunning physical damage, +2 for each zone above ground. Little: Smaller than most characters, their HPis reduced but Defence increased. Any damage that inflicts an injury causes death. Immune to Radiation: Reduce all radiation damage to zero and cannot be harmed by radiation. Feeding on irradiated blood (such as successfully hitting a ghoul with their proboscis) restores 1 hp.
Butchery: End +Survival difficulty 0 to yield 1 portion of meat and 1 uncommon material.
Bluebarrels (Gigantocalliphora Vomitoria)
Giant, irridescent bluebottle flies. The adults are vegetarian, with a preference for anything sweet, but the maggots are voracious eaters of carrion. The adults will attack and kill living prey with their acidic vomit, in order to create more corpses in which they can lay their eggs. Bluebarrels are a particular concern to those raising livestock, as they can and will kill a whole herd and lay hundreds of eggs.
Level 2, Mutated Insect, Normal Creature (17xp) Body 4, Mind 5 Melee 1, Guns -, Other 2 HP 5, Initiative 10, Defence 2 Phys DR 0, Energy DR 0, Rad DR Immune, Poison DR 0
Attacks Poison Vomit: Body + Melee (TN5) 3d radioactive piercing damage.
Special Abilities Flying: Must spend a minor action moving each turn to maintain flight. If knocked prone it falls to the ground taking 3D stunning physical damage, +2 for each zone above ground. Little: Smaller than most characters, their HPis reduced but Defence increased. Any damage that inflicts an injury causes death. Immune to Radiation: Reduce all radiation damage to zero and cannot be harmed by radiation.
Butchery: End+Survival difficulty 0 to get 1 portion of meat and 1 uncommon material.
Aurochs (B. Taurus Ardens)
A mutated cow with large, downswept horns which it uses to dig for roots and other organic detritus. The Auroch is huge, muscular, but covered in warts and sores that mean relatively little skin is usable as leather, and the top section of muscle is relatively inedible.
Level 4, Mutated Mammal, Normal Creature (31xp) Body 10, Mind 4 Melee 2, Guns -, Other 2 HP 14, Initiative 9, Defence 1 Phys DR 2 (all), Energy DR 0 (All), Rad DR (Immune), Poison DR 0
Special Abilities Immune to Radiation: Reduce all radiation damage to zero and cannot be harmed by radiation.
Butchery: End+Survival difficulty 0 to gain 2 portions of meat and 2 uncommon material.
Chuggy Pigs (Armadillidium Gigantomutatus)
A giant, mutated woodlouse found across the post-atomic British Isles. These creatures can be found in somewhat large numbers, feeding on rotten wood and vegetation, usually close to bodies of water. Chuggy Pigs have regressed to being somewhat amphibious and will immerse themselves to soak up large quantities of water to carry with them. They lay eggs but carry them with them under their bodies. Compared to their smaller cousins, Chuggy Pigs are quite territorial and, lacking natural predators, haven’t learned to be wary of men either.
Level 7, Mutated Isopod, Normal Creature (45xp) Body 8, Mind 4 Melee3, Guns -, Other 3 HP 15, Initiative 11, Defence 1 Phys DR 5 (3 underside), Energy DR 2, Rad DR (Immune), Poison DR 4 (3 underside)
Special Abilities Immune to Radiation: Reduce all radiation damage to zero and cannot be harmed by radiation. Amphibious: The chuggy pig can submerge itself in water for a number of rounds equal to its body before coming up for air. It takes no penalty for moving or attacking underwater but can only scuttle along the bottom. Butchery: End+Survival difficulty 0 to gain 1d portions of meat, 1 uncommon material and one ration of (horrible) but drinkable water. There is a 5% chance that the chuggy pig is carrying 1d6 portions of eggs.
Molmon (Talpa Britannicus Gigantomonstro)
A gigantic, mutated mole, swollen to the size of a medium-sized dog. The molmon is an accomplished hunter, living singly, in pairs, or in small family groups. They drag the bodies of the wounded or dead down below ground and store them in stone-lined chambers to feast upon later. When hungry, or rabid, they are known to attack stronger prey, but otherwise only usually attack weakened or helpless prey.
Level 2, Mutated Mammal, Normal Creature (17xp)Body 4, Mind 5 Melee 3, Guns -, Other 1 HP 6, Initiative 10, Defence 1 Phys DR 1, Energy DR 0, Rad DR Immune, Poison DR 0
Special Abilities Burrow: As a major action the molmon can burrow underground to get away and prepare its next attack.On its next turn it can use its minor action to emerge from underground anywhere within medium range and it can spend 1AP to add an extra 1d to its bite attack after it emerges. Keen Senses: The molmon can attempt to detect creatures or objects that are normally impossible to sense, and they reduce the difficulty of all PER tests by 1 – to a minimum of zero. This includes creatures above ground while the molmon is burrowing. Immune to Radiation: Reduce all radiation damage to zero and cannot be harmed by radiation.
Butchery: End+Survival difficulty 0 to gain 1 portion of meat and 1 common material.
Goldfish (Lepisma Saccharina Grandefulgens)
A mutant version of the silverfish, the ‘goldfish’ (a play on silverfish, but better) competes with chuggy pigs for sources of rotting vegetation and wood. The goldfish is better suited to decaying buildings than chuggy pigs are, and has a particular fondness for the taste of rubber, plastic and solvents. Goldfish also don’t need as much water as chuggy pigs, allowing them to range further away from water. The goldfish’s scales are built up with toxic metals and materials from the things they digest, making them a good source of radioactive materials and toxins. Endless opportunists, goldfish will attack people if it seems safe to do so, or if they are disturbed. They can be easily learned with sugar, honey or anything else sweet.
Level 1, Mutated Insect, Normal Creature (10xp) Body 6, Mind 3 Melee 1, Guns -, Other 2 HP 7, Init 8, Defence 2 Phys DR 0, Energy DR 2, Rad DR Immune, Poison DR Immune.
Special Abilities Immune to Radiation: Reduce all radiation damage to zero and cannot be harmed by radiation. Immune to Poison: Reduce all poison damage to zero and cannot be harmed by poison. Little: HP is reduced to Body +½ level, defence is raised by +1. Reflective: When hit with an energy weapon, roll a single combat dice. Reduce the damage taken by that amount and deal it to the attacker.
Butchery: End+Survival difficulty 0 to get 1 portion of meat OR 1 portion of rare material (radioactive material). Roll a combat die to determine, rolling a vault boy (5-6) means you get the rare material, otherwise it’s the meat.
Wyvernfly (Sympetrum Striolatum Magniradiatus)
A giant, mutated version of the common darter dragonfly, the Wyvernfly carries a faint glow, like a firefly, which seems to partially fuel its metabolism, supplementing the food it gets from devouring prey. Wyvernflies have adapted to the drier, colder environment, surviving in swamps and bogs as well as in bodies of water. Their nymphs are even more aggressive, though they do not leave the swamps and waters where their eggs are laid. Wyvernflies devour most of their prey and carry pieces of what remains back to their egg swamps and ponds to help feed their young.
Level 5, Mutated Insect, Normal Creature (38xp) Body 7, Mind 4 Melee 4, Guns -, Other 1 HP 10, Initiative 10, Defence 2 Phys DR 1, Energy DR 0, Rad DR Immune, Poison DR 0
Attacks Bite: Body + Melee TN 11, 3d piercing physical damage. Immune to Radiation: Reduce all radiation damage to zero and cannot be harmed by radiation. Immune to Poison: Reduce all poison damage to zero and cannot be harmed by poison. Little: HP is reduced to Body +½ level, defence is raised by +1. Flying: Must spend a minor action moving each turn to maintain flight. If knocked prone it falls to the ground taking 3D stunning physical damage, +2 for each zone above ground.
Butchery: End+Survival difficulty 0 to gain 1 portion of meat.
Wyvernfly Nymph
Body 8, Mind 3 Melee 4, Guns -, Other 1 HP 11, Initiative 9, Defence 2 Phys DR 1, Energy DR 0, Rad DR Immune, Poison DR 0
Special Abilities Immune to Radiation: Reduce all radiation damage to zero and cannot be harmed by radiation. Immune to Poison: Reduce all poison damage to zero and cannot be harmed by poison. Little: HP is reduced to Body +½ level, defence is raised by +1. Aquatic/Amphibious: The nymph can swim and submerge itself indefinitely without needing air. It suffers no difficulty increase for attacks or movement underwater. It can also exist out of water for protracted periods without harm.
Butchery: End+Survival difficulty 0 to gain 1 portion of meat.
Dagfad (Ovis Aries Armifera)
Named after a mixture of ‘dafad’ (Welsh for sheep) and ‘dag’ (meaning shit-contaminated fleece), the dagfad are some of the most common mutant animals being raised and herded in the new world. Their fleece absorbs metals and toxins from the plants they graze, depositing them in a thick dirty fleece that wards off energy, including radiation.
Level 4, mammal, normal Creature (XP 24) Body 5, Mind 5 Melee 3, Guns -, Other 2 HP 9, Initiative 9, Defense 1 Physical DR 1, Energy DR 2, Radiation DR Immune, Poison DR 0
Attacks Ram: BODY + Melee (TN 8) 3d Physical damage, Stun.
Special Abilities Note: Males have large, tangled horns that do 6d physical stun damage and only males can charge. Charge: If the dagfad has moved at least one zone to get into reach of its target, it may re-roll 2d on its damage roll and anyone hit must make STR+athletics test difficulty 1 or fall prone. Immune to radiation: The Bighorner reduces all Radiation damage suffered to 0 and cannot suffer any damage or effects from radiation.
Butchery: END + Survival difficulty 0. This yields 2d meat and one uncommon component. The fleece can be used to make/knit radiation protective armour with a DR of 1 against energy and 2 against radiation weapons.
Marshal
A heavily modified British Robotics Corporation JACK, MkII. Marshal looks after a car repair and body-shop garage, as well as a sales room. He has scavenged virtually ever car or other land vehicle within range and has stocked all the parts in his small warehouse. Now he has begun harvesting people, animals and other robots for parts as well, and to try and build cars and motorbikes out of flesh, without much success. He is an extremely aggressive salesman, and the garage used to primarily sell atomic-powered American cars.
Body 5, Mind 5 Melee 3, Guns 1, Other 2 HP 8, Init 10, Defence 1 Phys DR 4, Energy 3, Rad Immune
Special Abilities Cowboy Hat: Marshal wears an oversized cowboy hat of genuine American leather, the same kind used to upholster the comet. He can re-roll a single die on a Body roll once per scene when called upon to show grit, sand, or whatever the yanks use to mean ‘Endurance’. If looted it only fits very big and tall characters, but lets them re-roll a single die once per scene when rolling Endurance. Robot: Marshal is immune to starvation, thirst, doesn’t need air to breathe and cannot be harmed by radiation or poison. He is capable of self-repair, with a TN of 7. Immune to Poison, Radiation and Disease: Marshal takes zero damage from any of these and suffers no ill effects. Wait Right There, Pardner: An AP can be spent for Marshal to make a normal attack with his rivet gun. If successful he shoots the target in the foot, bolting them to the ground in place. Such a victim drops their defence by 1 and cannot move until they free their foot, which costs 1 HP per attempt, and requires 2 successes on a Strength+Athletics roll. Otherwise you can be slowly and carefully freed over the course of a few minutes without taking extra damage.
Rules for creating properly challenging encounters and things to do in dungeons when you’re dead.
Players are dicks.
You go to all the trouble of crafting a fantastic adventure with deep and meaningful NPCs and memorable encounters, and they head off in the opposite direction with a comedy goblin you made up to populate a coaching inn. The bastards. Sometimes you just want a little payback.
It is often said that the only limit in the world of tabletop RPGs is your imagination. However, we frequently limit those imaginations and find it very hard to stray from the sacred cows of the hobby.
In traditional role-playing games, and increasingly since the shift toward narrative play in the 1990s, the players and Games Master work together to overcome challenges and tell an engaging story. However, what if you want to switch things up and try a different approach? To do something radically different, even heretical? What if, instead of working together, the players are pitted against a common foe: the Games Master?
This booklet introduces a new style of tabletop RPG gameplay, where the players must navigate a world filled with danger and treachery, where the Games Master is playing the role of the ultimate adversary and is explicitly out to get them. The stakes are higher than ever, and the players must work together to outsmart and outmanoeuvre the Games Master’s cunning traps and devious plans while he does his best to anticipate and overcome their usual shenanigans. This adversarial gameplay mode offers a fresh and exciting challenge for experienced and novice players alike. It encourages creative problem-solving, strategic thinking, and cooperative play in ways different from traditional RPGs.
By turning the usual mode of collaborative storytelling on its head, this game offers a unique experience that will keep players coming back for more of a challenge and encourage the Games Master to think about encounters and hazards in a new light.
So, are you ready to take on the challenge? Gather your group, choose your characters, and prepare to face the ultimate test of skill, cunning and emotional continence in Total Party Kill.
There’s yet another kerfuffle in the Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) hobby of late, yet again caused by poor communication and bad ideas coming from the leadership of the game’s owners, Wizards of the Coast and Hasbro. There was recently a meet-up of community influencers and third-party designers (thus far, none I’ve heard of) that did not go well. They only invited people from one side of the ongoing TTRPG ‘kulturkampf’ and then seemed surprised when they were attacked by them. One comment that seemed to get a pass from those present but not from the broader community was the decision to remove half-races. Not only that, but they also said that the very idea of half-races was racist.
This is far from the first fuss about racism to dog the hobby or its surrounding nerd media. Practically every fantasy race has been equated with the Jewish people at one point or another, and in the fevered minds of moral entrepreneurs, orcs are equated with black people on a regular cycle of about three months. The half-races thing, however, is relatively new.
Dungeons and Dragons (D&D) is a popular tabletop roleplaying game that millions worldwide have enjoyed for almost fifty years. One of the defining characteristics of the game is its use of various races and species, such as humans, elves, dwarves, and orcs.
Firstly, it is essential to note that the world of D&D is fictional, and as such, the races and species within it are purely imaginary. They are not intended to represent any real-world group of people or be interpreted as analogies for real-world races or races as we use the term in the real world. Indeed, in fantasy games, all human ethnicities are treated as a single race. Human. Therefore, it is misguided to view the inclusion of half races as an attempt to promote racism or to perpetuate racial stereotypes in the first place.
Furthermore, D&D is a game that is based on fantasy and imagination. Its purpose is to allow players to explore a fictional world, take on different roles from their real-world selves, and engage in various adventures and quests, embodying those characters through roleplay. The inclusion of half races is simply one aspect of this fantasy world-building. It allows players to create unique and exciting characters with traits and abilities not found in any particular race or species. This variety is part of what makes D&D such a rich and engaging experience.
In addition, the inclusion of half races can promote diversity and inclusivity within the game. Allowing players to create characters that are a mix of different races and species encourages them to think outside the traditional boundaries often imposed by real-world societal norms. Players can explore themes of identity, belonging, and acceptance through their characters, which can be a powerful tool for promoting empathy and understanding via analogy, experiencing the other and encountering fictional prejudice.
I have endured enough lectures on inclusivity by well-meaning bores to also know that the half beings in D&D have been important to people who are half and half of actual world ethnicities, most recently (and perhaps most powerfully) a blasian girl (African-American/Japanese) visiting her Japanese family and running afoul of Japanese racism and curiosity.
It is also worth noting that D&D has made efforts to address concerns about racial representation within the game, no matter how absurd those concerns have always been. In recent years, the creators of D&D have released statements claiming that some of the game’s content had perpetuated racist stereotypes in the past and committing to ‘do better’ going forward. They have since taken steps to revise and update certain aspects of the game to be more inclusive and respectful of all players, except their older players who contest these claims but whose views have not been respected while they’ve been insulted by the claims of past *isms.
Finally, it is essential to remember that D&D is a game meant to be played with others. The social aspect of the game is a critical part of its appeal. By playing together, players can share in a collaborative storytelling experience, work together to solve problems, overcome challenges, and build relationships. Including half races and the variety it brings to character creation can enhance this social aspect of the game by encouraging players to engage with one another in new and exciting ways and to consider and inhabit the fictional world around them.
Including half races in Dungeons and Dragons is not racist any more or less than evil orcs or species characteristics are, but these moral entrepreneurs have convinced the game design team otherwise. It is one aspect of the game’s world-building that allows for more character-creation options. Rather than perpetuating harmful stereotypes or promoting racism, it can encourage diversity, inclusivity, and empathy within the game and allows us to explore engaging themes around race, culture and prejudice. There is no reason why the inclusion of half races should be viewed as anything other than a positive and enjoyable aspect of the game.
The fifth Erotech Gazetteer, devoted to the adventures of the Tabletopless.org crew in the southern reaches of the world of Kanotag, plus some rules for ‘instant’ NPCs, Dwarves in the world of Erotech and a good few monsters.
Postmortem Studios 
