Tuesday 25 April 2017

d100 Diabolic Deaths of the Lotus Cult

Many players in my games in Shadelport have thought taking over the drug trade especially Black lotus much loved by seedy sorcerers in their pleasure domes (In my setting wizards have towers and sorcerers build pleasure domes for their sex and drug cult followers). When they looked into the drug came from a drug fueled empire overseas ruled by a subterranean cult that seemed like a few years of dangerous adventure. One sorcerer did manage to become a agent who brokered a deal between the cult and the Barron and became a successful middleman. That was about the best success and the drug remained illegal but the barron got more of a cut and could manipulate addicts into stooges for the secret police.

Generally anyone who meddles with the cult is targeted by assassins. Sometimes they are forewarned by a scroll with a poem or symbol. Sometimes not. Usually the cult use various increasingly bizarre assassination techniques which this table should help with.
Past blogs on this
http://elfmaidsandoctopi.blogspot.com.au/2017/01/sinister-underland-of-east.html
http://elfmaidsandoctopi.blogspot.com.au/2016/06/black-lotus-dreams.html

Fumanchu is interesting read. Pulp and comics often reveal fears of the time which are interesting yard sticks for prejudice of the time. Im interested in the history and evolution of these things. I guess I'm partly inspired by pulp but I do different things with this content. Fumanchu is more interesting than any white characters in the novels. The books say more about the writers racist fear than reality. My subterranean city that secretly rules the lotus kingdoms has a female ruler no player has ever met and probably wont.

A bit inspired by this
http://talesofthegrotesqueanddungeonesque.blogspot.com.au/2017/04/fu-manchu-and-nude-in-mink.html

Which links to this...

A cool blog on Fumanchu and pulp fiction book discussions
http://directory.libsyn.com/episode/index/id/5250238/tdest_id/417772

Dr Phibes and Marvel master of King Fu comics and even bond inspired this.
I like the TSR Agent13 sourcebook too, the novels were ok but brief.
I never liked Sherlock Holmes, sorry i hate the Author 

The table here handy for all kinds of nefarious skulduggery and exotic murder. Most have a possible escape and might serve as warning. You could have these used on a NPC also.

Poisons might be slow kind require antidotes that can start a quest or cult might offer you perform a task for antidote.

These don't happen in dungeons but close to home or even in your home. The more surprising the better. A pit trap in your bed is last thing an adventurer would expect but might require bribing servants or even magic. These are related to death traps but not quite. Assassin's may use proxies with bribes, blackmail, mind control or simply payments.

Cult assassins will often make a sign to warn others to fear the secret society. Possibly they may blame another party to start a war or harm several enemies at once.

Fumanchu uses deadly hashish to kill people who have amazing visions then die in agony just like you do from a few hits of a wizard bong today.

d100 
Diabolic Deaths of the Lotus Cult
01 Venomous spider in bed
02 Scorpion in clean clothes or boot 
03 Cobra in a mystery gift box
04 Trapped in sealed space with wasp nest or bee hive
05 Poison blowpipe dart or shuriken
06 Poisoned food or drink
07 Assassin in ceiling drops poison in mouth in sleep
08 Contact poison put on weapon, spellbook or favorite tools, slowly builds up 
09 Multi stage poison in different food and drinks
10 Plague contagion in bedclothes, possibly mummy dust

11 Poison needle placed in own equipment or home
12 Noose dropped from above by killer in tree or rooftop

13 Masked strangler with garotte wire or cord or scarf
14 Room sealed and flooded
15 Poison gas flooded in room while asleep or in package
16 Building made to collapse with acid and oxen tied to beams
17 Building exploded with spell or gun powder
18 Dangerous animals locked in room like panther or wolves or python
19 Dangerous monster released into sealed room with victim
20 Mutagen used on victim with witch hunters tipped off about demon spawn
21 Lured into underground chamber then sealed
22 Dropped through trapdoor and sealed in pit
23 Dropped through trapdoor into poison spiked pit
24 Dropped through trapdoor and sealed in well or subterranean river
25 Dropped through trapdoor into sealed pit with creature
26 Dropped through trapdoor into sealed pit with poison gas 
27 Dropped through trapdoor into sealed pit with alchemist fire trap
28 Dropped through trapdoor into sealed pit that fills with sand
29 Swinging pendulum on stair case or doorway or even bed
30 A servant or loved one controlled by drugs or spell with poison knife
31 Assassin disguised as a guard or servant or follower 
32 Doppelganger assassin in disguise as servant or follower or loved one
33 Mimic disguised as bed or pillow
34 Sheet phantom disguised as bed clothes
35 Loved one or follower killed and made undead sent to get close and kill
36 Potion put in food makes victim explode after some time elapses
37 Drop a gargoyle or stonework from wall or roof onto passing victim
38 Cause stampede of cattle or horses to trample victim
39 Rabid plague rats thrown in room then locked
40 Deadly grub like kyuss or rot grub dropped in bed in sleep
41 Poison arrow or dart fired by sniper or trap possibly in bed or at desk
42 Green slime dropped from glass vial from rooftop
43 Lasso thrown around victim neck tied to fast running horse saddle
44 Out of control horse coach runs over
45 Building sealed and set fire to
46 Town gang hired to kill victim
47 Town militia bribed to kill victim
48 Fake evidence of treason planted and secret police informed
49 Stabbed in public by disguised assassin with poison dagger
50 Fired on by snipers with bows, possibly poisoned also 
51 Follower or servant "accidentally" attacking by ambush during a attack or hunting
52 Bridge sabotaged when travelling
53 Horses startled (insect sting) make gallop out of control
54 Stirges released in bedroom
55 Candles or lanterns have slow burning poison added to fuel poison over time
56 Back stabbing assassin infiltrates house and attacks in privy or bedroom
57 Ambush from hired bandits targeting victim first then flee
58 Assassin in privy pit with spear impales victim on toilet
59 Suicidal knife wielder who swallowed poison if caught
60 Suicide squad of assassins who take poison if risk of capture
61 Suicidal disguised assassin tries to push victim off building
62 Suicidal assassin with explosive alchemist potion or spell explodes near target
63 Assassin disguised as healer uses poison potions
64 Assassin courtesan or attractive honey pot lures victim into vulnerable intimacy
65 Assassin will use city or castle portcullis by dropping on victim
66 Assassin will use city or castle or murderholes to kill with rocks or boiling oil or lead
67 Will cause avalanche or rockslide while on road
68 Assassin uses hidden siege artillery piece to attack bed chamber or privy
69 Monster such as cave lobster, python, giant leech or neo otyugh thrown in privy
70 Crane with freight goods being loaded or for construction dropped on victim
71 Narcotic vapour from tampered candles and torches send victim into drug coma
72 Dosed with drugs and assailed by normally invisible spirits
73 Dosed with berserker drug cant stop fighting to death next battle
74 Evidence of crime sends victim to prison where goalers bribed to kill them before trial
75 Gang murders easier but important target leaving evidence that true victim is the killer 
76 Victim kidnapped and tortured by masked cultists slowly for days
77 Victim kidnapped and and restrained in slow killing cruel apparatus 
78 Illusion that victim is a monster causing friends and lawmen to kill victim
79 Illusion that friends trying to kill victim creates fights, conflicts and trauma
80 Illusionary nightmare beast haunts dreams causing death by fear
81 A wizard is hired to lightning bolt victim while vulnerable
82 A wizard is hired to fireball victim while vulnerable
83 Invisible assassin climbs up walls to attack target in own room
84 Targets room webbed then ignited
85 Target is charmed to lure into alley and be stabbed by hired thugs
86 Gang of fanatic masked apprentices fire magic missiles and burst into smoke if killed 
87 A elemental appears to kill target sent by hired wizard
88 A magician sends a evil spirit to kill the victim
89 A demon appears to kill target sent by hired wizard
90 Dragon egg yolk spattered on victim, mother will hunt to ends of the earth
91 Frozen cube of troll flesh snuck into bed or privy
92 Polymorph into rat potion in food possibly a cat sent in to finish 
93 A succubus/incubus sent to seduce and charm victim then kill
94 A demon disguised as member of household attacks
95 Summoned monsters appear summoned by invisible wizard
96 An invisible stalker attacks victim in sleep
97 Gargoyles attack by night tearing open walls and carrying victim into sky to drop
98 Spectral hounds are sent by hired cultists to drag victim to another plane
99 Wraiths sent by necromantic cult attack by night while victim asleep
100 A minor deity is called on to send a servitor or avatar to slay the target

I welcome suggestions in comments
will do death traps for ancient and modern settings one day

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