Mix and Match 2021 (66 Combos)

[Christopher R. Rice]

Originally Posted by ericthered

Combintation 39b: Da Vinci's Devilry
39) Renaissance Venice: Spies of Venice and Dungeon Fantasy Adventure 4: Two-Page Dungeons
The French have some new warning device up in a watch tower: some new devilry by da Vinci, no doubt. The Venicians must have it! Somehow or the other, get a copy of this ingenious alarm, but without triggering it...

This is very cool. :-)

[ericthered]

Combination 40: The Grissom Cluster
40) Renaissance Venice: Spies of Venice and Space Atlas: Grissom

The folk of the Grissom Cluster use ships lifted by skystone, which they mine from the barren rocks of their cluster. Their ships are not particuarly fast or cheap, but they're the only craft allowed in the cluster: the Grissomites agressively keep outsiders away from their skystone mines.

Your job is to figure out why. Venezia only controls one major cluster and a few mostly-barren rocks, but they control a network of mail couriers, and they're well known and respected throughout the wild blue. Grissom is very cautious, but there should be SOME way in.


Yes, this is the wild blue again, the Lady Blackbird setting I used in #16 and #26. It particularly uses the same premise as #16. It turns out to be a very flexible setting for mixing space concepts with low-tech. We'll see if Grissom uses it again. I might throw out a few extra just to do that.

[ericthered]

Combination 41: Monster Hunters of Venice
41) Renaissance Venice: Spies of Venice and How to Be a GURPS GM: High-Powered Origins

Its something of a mystery, why so much of Europe puts up with the Venetians reading their mail and running something so crass as an official spy network. The secret is that there are darker things in this world than mere human spies. The Venetians are dedicated hunters of the monsters that prey on humanity. They travel far and wide, hunting demons, witches, monsters and the undead. Many of these creatures are subtle and devious, and have had time to take control of local power structures... but the Inquisitori will ferret them out and make the world safe for a new age.

[ericthered]

Combination 42: Dungeons of Pindos
42) Renaissance Venice: Spies of Venice and Encounters: The Mysterious Airfield

On the isle of Pindos, the inquisitori run a secret dungeon for things too secret, too dangerous, and too scandalous to keep in Venice. Not to mention it would be difficult to move the portal. Here, they are free to test witchcraft to see if actually relies on the devil, to work on things that would surely get out in venice, and to figure out the mystery of the portal at its center. Above, Pindos appears as a military fort, which disguises its true sinister nature, and provides an extra layer of security.

[ericthered]

Combination 43: The Fae Gates
43) Renaissance Venice: Spies of Venice and Dungeon Fantasy 22: Gates

All over europe, sparkling portals to other lands are appearing. Hideous lands full of monsters and devilry. The venicians have accumulated some small expertise on this, and with some small support from the church, they are doing their best to secure the portals as they pop up. And perhaps exploit them a little. Who can blame the foremost traders of europe for wanting to travel just a little farther?

[Christopher R. Rice]

Originally Posted by ericthered

Combination 43: The Fae Gates
43) Renaissance Venice: Spies of Venice and Dungeon Fantasy 22: Gates

All over europe, sparkling portals to other lands are appearing. Hideous lands full of monsters and devilry. The venicians have accumulated some small expertise on this, and with some small support from the church, they are doing their best to secure the portals as they pop up. And perhaps exploit them a little. Who can blame the foremost traders of europe for wanting to travel just a little farther?

I like it. Yes, sir. More like that.

[ericthered]

Combination 44: The Ambassador's Labours
44) Renaissance Venice: Spies of Venice and Dungeon Fantasy 23: Twists

The Venezian ambassador to the Thrice-Crown and Suburbly Glorious Empire of Ash and Steel is no ordinary ambassador. They are a Mighty Hero hardened in personal battle with inhuman monsters that prey on civilization. Having risen to wealth and power by serving their country under its boundaries, the ambassador has been sent to serve it outside the boundaries. But this is no retirement, and being ambassador to the Glorious Empire of Ash and Steel is no cushy retirement job or convenient exile. The ambassador will have to face monsters that hide their cruelty behind careful manners, and traps made of words rather than mechanisms. They will have to fight battles in the shadows and in the dark streets of the capital, and ensure that the Empire does not attack their beloved home land... unless they do so as part war the empire is sure to loose...

[ericthered]

Combination 46: Fauna of the Forbidden Moon
46) Dungeon Fantasy Adventure 4: Two-Page Dungeons and Space Atlas: Grissom

The forbidden moon orbiting Grissom's star is not a simple airless rock. It is cold and forbidding, but deadly monsters live in its icy crevasses and geological hotspots. There is an impressive source of power hidden in there, but to get to and the secrets of the moon one must overcome the wild life before taking on the automated defenses, all while also dodging BuAstro.

Use a Cold Day in and The Floor is Lava as your base: they PC's will be climbing through a layer of glacier to an old control station near a geothermal hotspot. Yes, this is a brazenly soft science space opera take on the idea. Which is a nice take on Grissom, I think.

The Dragon can be fluffed as an alien fairly simply: give it four eyes, maybe combine its wings and front legs into a single limb, and make sure its breath is corrosive or venmous or maybe even a sticky fluid that quickly hardens, like a velvet worm, so you can sell it as biological.

The molds feel like aliens in the first place.

The wolves should be stealthier, clingier, and more alien. Give them clinging (ice), and make sure they ambush the party at close range. Oh, and add more eyes like the dragon, and they probably look more like monkeys than wolves if they have clinging.

The eyes of death can be replaced with the original hoverbot security drones of the station. How good of shape they are in is up to the GM, and may provide clues about the origin of the artifact. The same goes for the flaming skulls, which are probably a different kind of hovering guard bot. If you want to give it a flame thrower for fun, go right ahead.

The rock mites are silicon-based life-forms basking in the lava... keeping intact the iconic need to be careful about accidently hitting the floor. Of course, Space opera occasionally sees people fire full-auto...

The bronze spider is another gaurd bot, probably with heavier armor and a proper gun.

The demons of old are probably another set of robots, these ones humanoid... come up with what tickles your fancy.

The crystal at the end is of course a control station for the ancient artifact... at least for part of it.

[ericthered]

Combination 47: Monsters in Town
47) Dungeon Fantasy Adventure 4: Two-Page Dungeons and How to Be a GURPS GM: High-Powered Origins

What, Did you expect "White Wyrm" to be figurative? I come from the icy cravasses of the north, in search of the wealth that you little humanoids are so capable of creating. No, I'm not going to eat anyone. sheesh. Food that talks is not food. I might bite a few heads off if someone really deserves it, but I'm not going to eat them. Now onto business: I'd like to buy some fattened sheep...

No... I don't drink. I'm being literal. I'd prefer not to even drink water with you. Or eat. Pushy, aren't you? Ok, yes, I admit it. I'm dead. Can we both move on with our lives? I'm here for the music, and I have every intention of obeying the law while I'm in here. Yes, that's the magical amulet that keeps me alive. No, you can't touch it! Last time I let someone touch it ended up tied to rat on a sinking ship. No fun at all. I just want to enjoy the music. If I have to buy something can I just buy the right to sit in this chair?

[ericthered]

Combination 48a: The Quack's Dive
48) Dungeon Fantasy Adventure 4: Two-Page Dungeons and Encounters: The Mysterious AirfieldA top secret and obscure agency has an item they need retrieved off a sunken ship, and have somehow pulled the strings to get you to assigned to the job. You've got a tracker of the item that some how works, you have no clue how. And you've been told to watch for hostile wildlife. Underwater. Its probably a fool's errand, but that's a good half of all your orders. Just keep an eye out for trouble.

Combination 48b: The Desecrated Airfeild
48) Dungeon Fantasy Adventure 4: Two-Page Dungeons and Encounters: The Mysterious Airfield

They get up to funny things at Venus Airfield. You're not sure what government sponsored projected ended up summoning demons... but at least they did it at venus field and not at your base. At any rate, the demons definitely don't have clearance to be on base, and its your job to clear them out. You've been given a book of four different ways to keep the head demon dead. One of them should work. No telling WHICH one...

Combination 48c: Wastelands of the Portal
48) Dungeon Fantasy Adventure 4: Two-Page Dungeons and Encounters: The Mysterious Airfield

They've gotten a way through the portal... which means its time to take the next step and explore what's on the other side. Its not always the same place, and many of the places are hostile... which means they're roped you into their craziness again. You'd prefer high water over the frozen crevices and lava flows waiting for you on the other side...

The monster conversions for a sci-fi theme from combination 46: Fauna of the Forbidden Moon may be useful

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These three feel like they're adventures of a military unit that is slowly getting more and more involved with the craziness of Venus Base, much to their dismay. The Quack's Dive comes first, and the other two can be run in any order. Might make a fun short campaign. Could end up with a seal team trying to cross lava.

Combination 48d: A Ruin worth Defending (alternate)
48) Dungeon Fantasy Adventure 4: Two-Page Dungeons and Encounters: The Mysterious Airfield

You can set up the watchtower as defending Venus base in an After the End setting ... but I think the Hillfort works better here. You can use the watchtower as an additional encounter though.

Amidst the burned out ruins of north america is a fort that makes no sense. Its in southern nevada, but some ways away from the river that makes life in that part of the world possible. Its built on the remains of an airfield, and hosts a powerful and agressive force with a voracious hunger for slaves. How the force gets its food and water is unknown, as is why they live in such a remote place.

The secret? underneath the fortress is an old government lab. There are many precious things in this lab, but the most vital is a portal. Ivarson, the warlike cheif of the fort, has found a way back through the portal... but its dangerous and hazardous to health. He is sending slaves through to...somewhere else. perhaps somewhen else. Somewhere pristine with abundant food. But people can't live on the other side yet. Perhaps with some more experimentation they can, but for now he's sending slaves through to gather abundant food and water, and sending raiding parties far and wide to get slaves. And watching the strange powers that develop from living too close to the portal.