Jan 30, 2016

Into the Odd character generator

Click here to see this character!
Into the Odd (by Chris McDowall) is a game that doesn't really need a character generator. It takes less than a minute to create a character with equipment and all.

But since I needed a new project (and really like the system), I made one anyway: http://odd.pushingcows.se

It will generate a new character each time the page is reloaded.

Things that differ from the character generation in the book:

  • Doesn't use the starter package table. Instead, randomized items from the table (but at least two weapons)
  • Name tables are snatched from here and here

At the bottom of the character creation, I included a random image to spur the imagination of the player and/or referee. Or maybe it will just irritate people, I don't know. The images are all in the public domain and snatched from here.

It should be fairly usable on those smart phones as well.

Yeah, and you can click/tap on your attributes to perform a saving throw. Probably not useful but you never know.

Use to the permalink to save your character (e.g. use the generated link).

Jan 28, 2016

Atop the Prismatic Wave, there is a village



The village on top of the Prismatic Wave travels along. The platform upon which the settlers have build its home is slippery (like algae on wet rock), and many have been lost due to bad (or no) shoes.

Therefore, it is common practice to use a rope and toss it between buildings - if there's a kind soul to give you a hand at rope's end, that is.

The Prismatic Wave is easily spotted due to its vivid colours and 200 meters tall profile.

The four tall buildings each houses a wizard, unable to leave their home. They hate the next wizard in a clock-wise order for reasons not entirely obvious.

Each wizard also keeps a small shop, specialized in one of following items:

  1. Small things that still lives
  2. Large things that still lives
  3. Bread, and treasure maps where the lines appear gradually the closer you get to the treasure
  4. Welcome mats (you can get them in any language you want)
They gate these things in through portals (that look very much out of place) on their attics, but may only do so twice a day.

Typical encounters include:
  1. Washed up fish making it hard to navigate the streets, or people risking their lives to get their hands on one or two
  2. Someone holding on to the edge, screaming for help
  3. A sour wizard throwing things at passersby from his attic window
  4. Being hit by a thick rope by someone who wishes to pass the street
  5. Winged beasts trying to push people over the edge, for a quick snack
  6. A drunkard trying to trade used welcome mats for beer
  7. A large beast (or even monster) running around the slippery streets due to a portal mishap of one of the wizards
  8. Florentia Mcnaught reading her god-awful poetry from her kitchen window




Jan 20, 2016

You look up and see...

(in the cave)

  1. A large, crude painting of a human skull with antlers. It's red
  2. Tree roots that somehow managed to crack the stone. A bird has made a nest in one spot
  3. A band of ants marching. Every ten centimeters, there's an ant that's ten times as big as usual
  4. A tiny lizard looking for dew. It's licking the ceiling
  5. A pink gemstone, stuck in the rock. It's warm to the touch
  6. Nothing unusual


(in the abandoned prison)

  1. A clothed, not so complete skeleton, pinned to the ceiling with daggers. Judging by the uniform, it's a former guard
  2. Runes, drawn to look like cracks, that spell: "NENWNWWSW"
  3. A hole, just big enough to fit a child, leading to the section above
  4. A snare made of clothes
  5. Short chains with sturdy hooks at the ends. One is still dangling
  6. Nothing unusual


(in the cottage)

  1. A small mirror, cracked. Some shards are missing
  2. A wooden chandelier with four arms. One candle is black and unused
  3. Torn pages from a book, glued to the ceiling. The facing page numbers are all prime numbers
  4. A thick, grey curtain. If taken down, a cache of hard bread is revealed along with a bottle of wine
  5. Soot. It's smeared across the ceiling and looks almost like a letter
  6. Nothing unusual


(in the forest clearing)

  1. A curious animal head shaped like a pear, gracing down at you. The neck, long and slender, disappears behind the tree tops
  2. The sun, larger than usual
  3. A pack of small birds carrying away what looks like a human body
  4. One cloud that's changing its shape to the beat of your breathing
  5. A small tree, uprooted, slowly drifting away into the sky as if dragged by an invisible force
  6. Nothing unusual

Jan 12, 2016

Spells are individuals - or more like fish maybe

Spells are individuals, meaning there are only one of each in the whole wide world.

The witch who memorized read magic is the only one capable of casting that - until she does, after which the spell is free for all to catch.

You see, you don't put your nose in a musty old tome and memorize a spell - you must catch them.

It's like fishing.

You bait and you wait. But where do free spells roam? Where should you go? It's mostly all in the name of the spell, for example:

  • Feather fall: hen runs
  • Summon monster: broken toys
  • Sleep: beds
  • Web: old cellars
  • Power word kill: executioner swords
  • Invisibility: beggar's clothes

You catch object-bound spells (i.e. sleep, invisibility) by touching the object while pronouncing the spell's name (5% risk of also casting it), while location-bound spells (i.e. web, feather fall) are caught while spending the night in/at/close by the area.

The level of the spell dictates how hard it is to catch.

When you cast a spell, it first does its thing, after which it quickly runs out into the world again to seek shelter. It will not necessarily bind to the same object again.

Be wary of cantrips, by the way. They are so gullible that they'll gladly leave a wizard's mind for another if you just think about the spell's favourite object (and are close enough).

Jan 8, 2016

Common snakeox




  • Fur is actually hundreds of snakes
  • If startled, the snakes will scatter, leaving only the horns behind
    • The snakes will come searching for the horns (to reform the ox) in a couple of minutes
      • There's a urban legend going around about a failed hunter who collected these horns in his cabin, only to be overrun by thousands of snakes, all looking for their horns. They all merged into one enormous snakeox, with horns all over place, and trapped inside: the hunter, still alive.
    • In rare cases will the snakes attack instead
  • The snakeox will turn solid (e.g. turn into a real ox) if killed in a calm state
    • Highly sought-after meat

Every universe is a lung

Every universe is a lung.

A left lung, more precisely, because it shares space with the heart of that universe, and all life needs some TLC.

The right lung is the parallel universe to that in the left lung. It is bigger but harsher, because of the distance to the heart. Every being existing in the left lung has a mirror version in the right - only robotic. Robots are calculating, cruel and deterministic - they lack a heart.

The alveoli are where the galaxies and planets are; little cavities at the end of the air supply, supporting life (in both lungs, although the robots doesn't technically breathe).

The only way to reach the parallel universe is to travel through a worm hole junction called the Primary Bronchi. But beware, steer clear of the trachea or you may travel to far and eventually leave the body. If so, aim for the nearest mouth, keep going left and pray to your gods that the next universe is a kind one.

Jan 4, 2016

The village that forgot to feed its giant


I'm too lazy to write a proper encounter table, so here's one big rumour list instead. I'm so lazy I didn't even bother to divide it into proper sections. And you still have to decide which rumours are true. I'm so lazy.

Rumours:
  1. The Four Pillar Pyramid is really just the tip of the iceberg
  2. Jumping into a chasm just makes you reappear ten meters up in the sky, some meters away
  3. The tiny village by the lake really forgot to feed its giant; its spirit will awake next full moon and crush those puny beings
  4. The sand in the south-western dunes is edible and nutritious, although a bit dry
  5. The pillar by the Rim of the World is made of gemstones
  6. Entering a giant's skull with your eyes closed leads to the negative version of this world
  7. There are two blind octopuses searching for each other in the lake. If they meet they'll mend into the creature that'll devour the world
  8. Cursing and waving a dagger is the proper way to greet most villagers
  9. The tower by the lake lacks windows because it is inhabited by vampires
  10. The lone cross at the end of the mountain path isn't a burial site - it's a meeting place, but not for human beings
  11. Most barns in the forest has the rest of the giant's bones. They are said to bring good luck
  12. There are six cave entrances that leads to the shallow netherworld, each with its own kind of polymorph spell cast upon entering
  13. The Rim of the World is also the Rim of the Universe, and thus the Rim of Reality
  14. Every seventh tent belongs to a ghoul. It moves with the nomads but will not harm them as long they offer it human flesh every full moon
  15. The blood of the now gone giant is stored in the bark of the trees
  16. There's a wise woman meditating on top of one of the Four Pillars
  17. Never buy a yellow potion from a dune merchant; it's just camel piss and doesn't grant you immortal life
  18. The two skulls belonged to the same giant
  19. The Star Tower at the Rim of the World is supposed to be a prison, but nobody's heard from the warder in a while now
  20. The dead trees found scattered around the mountains aren't dead, but undead


Jan 1, 2016

Geomorph generator

Almost two years ago, I doodled a bunch of geomorphs.

I've now finally made a generator for it: http://morphs.pushingcows.se

It's not the most advanced geomorph generator out there, but it's lightweight and simple to use, something I've come to appreciate over the years.