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1d20 Factions in Tropical Archipelagos/Seas

On the OSR discord channel, there is a d20-democracy channel. Basically, a person can pitch in a topic or idea for a random table, and people will help filling it up. Here's one of my pitched ideas, posting it here for posterity. Thanks to the following people in helping making it.

  • Qadim
  • Periapsis
  • tipsta
  • twocalf
  • Ian (iemcd)
  • liszante
  • bendutter
  • elanfanboy
  • Tryggvassen
  • KingstanII
  • TheLittlestPyro
  • Gorinich
  • Rook
  • SirOnyx
  • BurningHeron
  • lejeune
  • Xsi
  • ArkosDawn



image from pxhere.com

1d20 Factions in Tropical Archipelagos/Seas 


1. Lavamancers - a tribe of shamans and warriors who give tribute to spirits of volcanoes and magma pits. They often raid and pillage other islands with volcanoes in them, appeasing the spirit boiling within.

2. Wavewatchers - a tribe of religious crusaders descending into the depths using Water Breathing (or similar) to convert heathen fishmen to their religion.

3. Publicteers - in response to pirates preying on merchant vessels and creating a surprisingly robust pirate economy between various pirate colonies, the hapless fishing villages and native settlements banded together to form a startlingly effective force of reverse-pirates, plundering their plunder back from the plunderers.

4. Wa'nua's Wayfinders - unparalleled sea navigators who owe there skill to what is in truth a curse; as they may never step foot on land or be turned to stone.

5. Inked Mages - group of shipwrecked mages who realizes that the tropical climate would eat their spell books decide to tattoo their spells into their flesh.  dead members are carefully preserved in a sealed cave, a hybrid crypt/library if you will

6. Jellybrains - a secretive hive mind of people whose brains have been replaced by (or converted into?) telepathic jellyfish. Goals unclear, mostly just happy to exist and be secretive.

7. Squids - mostly foreigners who trawl through the islands and oceans seeking interesting plants, animals, stones, and other materials to create rare and therefore valuable inks. Very protective of their discoveries and always eager to steal others' secrets. Very intolerant of conmen who make false or inferior pigments as it hurts color values for everyone. Also known as Pigment Hunters, Color Scouts, etc.

8. The Orca Consortium - Orca whales have learned rudimentary magic and had an enormous growth in the last century, becoming a powerhouse in the seas. Sailors must pay tribute if they don't want their ships turned to dredge.

9. The Coral Relief - an organization that provides relief aids to those who lose their boats in coral reefs, they are only so specific because they receive so little funding, and receive so little funding because they are so specific.

10.  Fishlovers - a subculture of very determined tourists that are looking to hook up (ahem) with the local fish-people, as inspired by some very popular romance stories.  The reactions of the fish people have been varied, but mostly confused.

11. Keepers of the Wave - a union of warrior-pirates who realized that sailing and pillaging thru different islands is costly and hardly profitable. Instead, they stationed in almost every strait they can find, created bridges and ports, and demanded toll for any passage, both land and sea.

12. The Dolphin Empire - a group of highly intelligent dolphins, at war with the Orca Consortium. They recover shipwrecks and protect ships in exchange for worked metal goods.

13. Stone Children - an organization of right-thinking folk who realize people have no place at sea. Resolutely remain on land and refuse to wade deeper than their thighs in the sea or use boats. If they must travel by ship, they wear specialized clogs full of pea gravel to keep in touch with the ground and do penance.

14. Boring run of the mill pirates. Exactly what you imagine. You'd think they have some clever twist but no, their just pirates.

15. A race of lotus-eating, mercantile Orangutan-men, lazily drifting from island to archipelago in  their furnished dhows, they lay lounging in a haze of opium and embroidered cushions.

16. They-Who-Do-Not-Breathe - a group of sailors who have been cursed to forever walk beneath the waves.

17. Krakenopolis - a city of cutthroats and pirates built atop a titanic Portuguese man o' war. Its long tentacles drag ships in to be boarded.

18. The Wave Riders - elite band of mercenaries that use magical surfboards to ambush targets. All have long hair.

19. The Imperial Expedition - a well-equipped, well-disciplined group. Can be either aggressive and expansionist or productive and co-operative depending on the current mainland policy or governor. Pretty cookie-cutter and predictable

20. The Glass Walkers - tall men with cavities of silent blackness instead of faces, their pointed limbs turn water to class. They come from the north. They came to bring silence and trade.






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