A Perfect Wife (Play Report, Session 1)

by goobernuts

This is a narrative recap of a campaign of A Perfect Wife by Zedeck Siew and Copy/Paste Co-op. I was using Liminal Horror as a system for this one, with a few tweaks.

On a Wednesday morning, a woman walked out of the Desa Damai Wet Market, canvas bag filled with groceries in arm. Outside were six strangers; strangers to each other, to the town, but not to her. She knew all of them personally. They knew her as Sara.

Miaow, an artist, taught her the basics of painting. She knew the author Li Ting’s wife, before she disappeared mysteriously. She has supported Uncle Gurang’s campaigns as a social worker before. Kier has interviewed her before as a journalist. She helped Deyna in her complicated ( an understatement) family situation. Pinang, a street kid, stole from her but she let her keep the money.

“Thank you for coming. I didn’t know who else to turn to.” Sara led them to the Peaceful Heart Community Center. There was someone she wanted the six to meet.

She was slow to walk, every now and then caressing her swollen belly as if it is the most precious thing. Some women at the Community Center waxed compliments about her complexion, said she’s glowing. She knows they’re lying. She knows she looks like shit. She hasn’t been sleeping well recently.

A child hugged Sara as soon as she saw her. Yinyin was her name. Her father disappeared two Saturdays ago. Not an uncommon phenomenon in this town. The first disappearance was from a year ago, and they have only gone up in frequency.

“The police don’t really care about the case anymore. Can you find Yinyin’s father, Tet?” Sara asked of the strangers.

They asked Yinyin questions to get some sort of lead. Some way of identification, where was he seen last?

“Papa doesn’t have a middle finger in his left hand and he has a picture of a black cat on his arm. Oh, and he always has a panda pendant I gave him!” Yinyin pointed them towards Zaya Trading as her father’s last known location.

Before the group left, they noticed a brown stain on the rug in the community center. Deyna identified the stain as blood.

Sara made excuses about it. “You know how kids can be. They run around and make everything filthy!”

—–

The group headed to Zaya Trading. There was a small area cordoned off with police tape on the way there. A constable waved and told them to move along.

Curiosity struck Pinang, who ducked under the police tape. What met her eyes past it was a severed hand. The constable picked her up and returned her to the group, but now without berating them for being so irresponsible with a child. He warned them about Desa Damai and its frequent show of gang violence. “If you’re not careful, that’ll be your arm next.”

Kier tried taking a picture of the arm but the constable caught his phone before he could. He pocketed it, telling him to pick it up at the Police Kiosk, but not before paying a confiscation fee. Pinang tried stealing it back, but the constable caught her and has had enough of the group.

—–

At Zaya Trading, a general store with all sorts of wares, a man greeted the group from behind a counter. He introduced himself as Uncle Yat. “See this panther here?” He points to a tattoo on his left arm. “We fought. We believed! But we lost. That’s life.”

The group asked him if he saw Tet come by. He remembers, Tet came by with a real pretty girl. The prettiest girl he’s ever seen. Li Ting asked what she looked like, but he couldn’t remember.

Miaw saw a door with a sticker saying “KEEP OUT” behind the counter. Curious, she and Pinang snuck over the counter while Kier and Deyna were buying from Uncle Yat.

Past the door was an alley with people too stoned to really comprehend anything. Most of them had black panther and black band tattoos on their arm. Pinang swiped some of the weed and stored them in her pocket.

—–

The group decided to get Kier’s phone back from the police kiosk. On the way there, three Black Bands accosted them for snack money. While Uncle Gurang was mentally calculating how much would be enough of a bribe to leave them alone, Pinang handed the men 10 in cash and the weed she stole. That was enough.

—–

The group had to ring the bell in the front desk of the police kiosk an officer could come to attend to them. She told Kier to fill up a form and pay 50 in cash to get back his confiscated phone. Li Ting convinced her that the confiscation was just a mistake, and Pinang convinced her to give Kier back his phone without the fee.

They also asked about Tet and the other disappearances. For that, the officer called Sub-Inspector Rafiq. “Still open investigation.” he answered them dismissively.

The group pushed with more questions. The sub-inspector got suspicious. “Did Dr. Azman’s wife put you up to this?” This was the first time the group heard about Sara’s husband.

“The doctor’s wife has pure intentions, yes. But she is naive. These refugees? Human trafficking. We should protect pure women from bad realities.”

—–

The sun is going down, and the group has collected pieces they don’t know how to put together yet. Perhaps more would need to be collected to create the whole picture.

The Essence and Death of Folk in Mangayaw

by goobernuts

This is an old blog from my Patreon. Support me there!

Last month, I released a very early version of a new edition of Mangayaw, dubbed Folk Hero Edition. Now the time has come for some designer commentary.

– – – – –

Mythic Bastionland made the change from the classic Into the Odd attribute spread of Strength, Dexterity, and Willpower, to Vigour, Clarity, and Spirit, now calling them Virtues. The brilliance of this change is in how well it meshes with the new game’s themes. Calling them Virtues reinforces the feel of being knights with high physical and moral standards to uphold. Putting all physical stuff into Vigour and adding Spirit instinctively tells players that the game cares about the internal turmoils of a character equally as their physical challenges.

From this I made a reframing of my own, inspired by Philippine folklore and beliefs. These attributes are what makes one a person, the Essence of Folk.

Essence represents different elements of Folkhood. Each is used for different circumstances. 

  • Body represents the physical form and ability of a Folk.
  • Spirit represents the intellectual and moral powers of a Folk.
  • Bond represents the social and environmental oneness of Folk.

– – – – –

In Hinilawod, a Sulod ethnoepic, the hero Humadapnon requested his sister to create a companion, a new brother, to accompany him in his travels. She made a body out of her, Humadapnon, and their mother’s blood, but a body does not make a person. 

“Bestow life on this man,

Grant him the breath of existence;

Bestow on him life,

Plant in him reason to think;

Give him the voice to express

His free will. And to check

His actions, give him a conscience.”

The body sprang to life. They named him Dumalapdap. He became Humadapnon’s most loyal companion.

– – – – –

In the previous edition of Mangayaw, losing LAKAS meant death, losing LIKSI meant paralysis, and losing LOOB meant delirium. Each of these outcomes fit the theme of dungeon crawlers, but do I want Mangayaw to be a dungeon crawler? I must take it further, I thought.

If the Essences make up a person, what does it mean to lose Essence? It means a kind of death, but maybe that is inaccurate. A transformation? A new way of being? 

– – – – –

The Philippines is filled with ghost stories. Stories of headless men roaming cemeteries. Stories of white (not pertaining to skin complexion) ladies hailing midnight taxis and scaring the drivers. Stories of spirits haunting buildings built on top of WW2 era hospitals where they met their demise, or worse, wartime atrocities. 

Ghost stories from centuries ago are less horrifying. People would call upon and pray to the spirits of their ancestors, like they would to gods. They believed their ancestors protected them from harm.

– – – – –

At 0 Body, the character becomes a spirit. Without a physical form, it must be tied to an object, another Folk, or Site to avoid wandering.

This will probably be the most common kind of death in Mangayaw. Makes sense for how many ghost stories we have. 

Spirits can possess objects or Folk. Spirits can haunt a particular spot. Spirits can stay in the underworld until their descendants call upon them in request. Not even death can prevent a grandparent from doting on their apos.

– – – – –

It is a common indigenous belief in the Philippines that a person has a spirit or multiple spirits that are considered separate from the body. The spirit is a person’s intellect and morality.

Dreams are the result of the spirit travelling while the body is asleep. Sickness or ill-health is the result of long or violent separation between the body and spirit. Traditional healing, then, involves the healer calling the spirit to inhabit the body once again. 

– – – – –

At 0 Spirit, the character’s Spirit flees its Body, leaving it ill and unresponsive. The Body cannot survive long in this state.

There are a number of ways to lose Spirit. Internal damage like poison or illness may be considered damage to the Spirit. Using sorcery or getting affected by witchcraft may prove too much for one’s spiritual fortitude. Intense fear may force a Folk’s Spirit to leave the Body, rendering it unconscious. 

So long as its Body is alive, the Spirit will return, in time. It risks becoming a wandering spirit, anyways. But to make it return faster, healers may have to make an enticing proposition. Free the Body from what it is afflicted by. Give the Spirit a deal they can’t refuse.

– – – – –

When the babaylan Malubay Hanginon enchanted Humadapnon to be lured into the cave of Tarangban, he started slowly changing. He could not think straight and forgot the purpose of his journey, captured by a lust for Hanginon. He ignored and dismissed Dumalapdap’s warnings and entered the cave. He was trapped inside for months. 

The hero Sunmasakay raided the cave to get him out, but he had transformed into something else.

“There he attacked

Buyong Sunmasakay

With savage fury.

The big, red, angry eyes

Of Buyong Humadapnon

Burned like embers

Sharp like razor edge.

Fierce and deadly to look at.

Oh, Sunmasakay! He spat on his face

‘Oh, what filth you are

A disgracing speck of dirt

You are no longer a lampung

No longer a man

You are now one of the witches

Roaming around as an ingkantadu’”

He had become something less like a person and more like a feral beast. He could not recognize Dumalapdap nor his parents. He had become a monster.

– – – – –

At 0 Bond, the character becomes a monster, its Body and Spirit becoming distorted. Monsters bring Ruin in their wake.

Ever since I read “D&D Doesn’t Understand What Monsters Are,” I’ve always wanted to contextualize my monsters. The existence of monsters in my game, in my fantasy world, has to be rooted in something. Injustice, atrocity, colonialism, among many many others.

For this new edition of Mangayaw, I thought it best to tie the existence of monsters to an Essence, particularly a social one.

I already made a post about how important Community is to the Folk and Heroes. Following this, it makes sense that monsters, something so hostile and opposed to the concept of Folk and Community, would come from the lack or loss of it. Folk must slay them to create settlements in the islands. They lurk in the shadows, away from the warm lights of a village. Monsters attack Communities and leave them in Ruin.

– – – – –

Death is not the end in Mangayaw, but it does mean you cease being Folk. It is hard to maintain webs of social relations when you are a spirit that is unable to maintain a form outside the underworld. It is contradictory to be a monster and be in a community.

Regain your Essence and you will be Folk again. But scars of your death remain. Maybe you are more in tune with your spirit, or maybe your spirit becomes more skittish. Maybe you retain your monstrous traits, but someone has accepted them, now.

Lose all of your Essence? You cease to exist, then.

Debt in Mangayaw

by goobernuts

This is an old blog from my Patreon. Support me there!

Back in 2022, I added the concept of debt to Mangayaw. You can see the latest iteration of this in the current version of Mangayaw in itch.io. Not much changed, but there is an infant idea there.

Debt in Mangayaw was inspired by Gubat Banwa’s Debt mechanics, which was connected to the player characters’ Honor and the economy. The PCs in Gubat Banwa are called Kadungganan, “honored ones”– Honor is how they move up in the world. Debt being tied to such a concept, both in the world and mechanics, makes it equally important.

I ran a Mangayaw campaign with my adaptation of Gubat Banwa’s Debt mechanics sometime in 2023. In play, I felt something was missing. I was not able to adapt the extra dimensions of debt, beyond the economic. It wasn’t a glaring issue, just a nagging feeling.

Why am I making such a big deal out of such a thing as debt? Is it not just something of monetary value that someone owes and pays another person? Well, no. I’m only using debt as a snappy, easily understandable game term, but when I say debt, I really mean to say the concept of utang na loob in Philippine cultures. 

Debt as utang na loob goes beyond the economic sense of the word. Gubat Banwa treats debt as a concept equal to honor. Mangayaw will treat debt as economy, relationships and community. 

But first, a disclaimer. Debt as a concept in Philippine culture and history also has the dimension of slavery attached to it. Entire societies were built on peasants and prisoners indebted to the elite and the powerful. Utang na loob still exists in our cultures. Though it is more disconnected from the concept of slavery (in most cases), it can still be a toxic concept that we live with. 

Adding debt to my game does not mean I romanticize the toxic dimensions of utang na loob. Debt as social connections might seem like an optimistic view of debt, but I mean to have both the good and bad of it. I want players to appreciate the closeness and reciprocity debt provides, struggle with the obligations debt entails, and revolt against the injustice debt can be used for. 

Besides, if D&D and other western fantasy games and worlds can depict monarch and feudalism as status quo, why can’t Filipinos use our own imperfect societal systems in our games?

Heroes and Community in Philippine Ethnoepics and Mangayaw

by goobernuts

This is an old blog from my Patreon. Support me there!

I have been reading and studying Philippine ethnoepics a lot recently. Just cultivating that brainrot of mine (or letting it fester?). I’ve found that these texts are a wealth of inspiration for Mangayaw. In vibes, in game loop, in identity. 

There is an interesting commonality in these ethnoepics in how heroes are tied to community. I began contemplating how the player characters’ relationship with the game, the world, and the narrative they will make would change if they were part of and responsible for a community of their own. This is not an original concept by any means– folklore and stories from other countries have community-focused heroes as well. But in the realm of fantasy TTRPGs, heroes are usually framed as outsiders and travellers. They enter a new town, solve their problems, and move on. 

Heroes from these islands’ ethnoepics can’t just move on. They are tied to their communities, for better or worse. 

This is an attempt to define heroes and their communities as seen in a few select Philippine ethnoepics, and how I’ll try to take that as inspiration for Mangayaw. My sisyphean task of revising Mangayaw’s character creation continues.

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The Bikolnon ethnoepic Ibalong follows three different heroes: Baltog, the hero who slayed a giant boar; Handiong, the hero who tamed the land by slaying monsters and creatures that threatened his community; and Bantong, the hero who outsmarted a giant with mystical powers.

In the Sulod ethnoepic Hinilawod, the hero that the narrative first introduced, Humadapnon, became trapped in an enchanted cave. From then until Humadapnon was freed from the cave, the narrative followed his brother, Dumalapdap, and the powerful binukot whom Humadapnon was searching for, Nagmalitong Yawa, who ultimately freed him from the cave. 

There is no one hero in a community. Multiple heroes may appear and grow from it. The focus of the narrative might even shift from one to the other.

*****

In the Ifugao ethnoepic Hudhud hi Aliguyon, the hero Aliguyon learned from his father of a rival community, whose champion he was at a stalemate with. Aliguyon ventured out to this rival community and faced the son of his father’s rival, Pumbakhayon. Both their skills were so great a winner couldn’t be decided. So after years of fighting, the two decided to become brothers, and their communities became allied with each other. 

The community is a character of its own. It has history and relations with other communities. And the hero further write its story. 

*****

In the Ilianon ethnoepic Agyu, the hero Kuyasu’s community could no longer pay tribute to a sultan, so he killed the sultan. As a result, the brothers Agyu, Banlak, and Kuyasu had to lead their people into the mountains and fend off the sultan’s men who gave chase. 

A hero does not leave the community even when they are venturing outside of it. The hero is always responsible and representative for their community. The community may even suffer from the hero’s rash actions. 

*****

I want players to create a community of their own during character creation. The community is:

  • Their home, a refuge after their journeys. Raiding is seasonal, and a hero has to rest eventually.
  • Their strength and power. So a hero must labor to build the community up. 
  • Their responsibility. A hero’s actions have consequences, especially to their community.

Where is the community situated? Who considers it home? What does it do for a living? What trial is it going through? These are questions I want the players to answer.

From this home they have made for themselves, wounded and fatigued heroes may rest, and other heroes may venture out in their stead. The character stable concept is already common in OSR games, so there are plenty of games to take inspiration from.

A hero representing a community in their journeys would act differently from a hero without a home to go back to, no people to be responsible for. Favors become alliances. Connections become trade. Conflict becomes war. 

They may (and will) still make bad decisions or perform less-than-spectacularly. That’s fine, that’s just what happens in TTRPGs. But they still hold responsibility for their community.

A hero is responsible for the community. They may venture out to solve the problems of the community, to build and maintain it. When there are holes in your ceiling and the storm is approaching, you will have to repair it.

But the relationship between the hero and community doesn’t have to be one-sided. They might bring back treasure, assets, or people, increasing the community’s capabilities. A war boat to travel with, a crew of warriors to lead into war, a mentor to train heroes. Building up the community is building up the heroes. 

*****

By next month, I’d like to have a draft of the Community mechanics for Mangayaw. I’m inspired by a lot of different games, not just from the OSR/NSR space. Whitehack, Mythic Bastionland, storygames, collaborative worldbuilding games. I have a bit of experimentation to do. 

I also want to read more on how other TTRPGs handle similar subjects. Some games I’m eyeing are Blades in the Dark and Beyond the Wall. Is there anything I should add to this list?

Boat Grunt and Brass Gunner (WIP Backgrounds for Mangayaw)

by goobernuts

​This blogpost was first released in my Patreon last week. Consider supporting!​

I wanted to make warrior backgrounds this month. Again, these are all subject to change for later on. But I have to start somewhere, right?

Enjoy!

BOAT GRUNT

You were a paddler upon bamboo outriggers–seawater up to your knees, pushing through the waves. You were in the frontlines of raids on port towns. You are a nobody until you gain a kill. And yet the boat cannot set sail without your labor. You take:

  • Rations (3 uses)
  • Torches (3 uses)
  • Hardwood paddle (d6/d10 one handed/two handed damage)
  • Weaved armor (1 Armor)
  • Rigging rope (50 ft)

WHAT FEAT EARNED YOU YOUR FREEDOM FROM SERVICE?

1. You saved your captain from certain death. You were given gratitude. Replace your weaved armor with a chain armor (2 Armor) and take a loyal lackey (3 GRIT, 10 LAKAS/LIKSI/LOOB, d6/d8 hardwood paddle).

2. A devastating storm struck the boat you served on while at sea. You were among the few that survived. You can always foretell the next day’s weather.

3. Your last kill ended the raid. You were given first pick over the spoils of war. Take a gilded naga kris (d6 damage).

4. You saved the boat from almost certain doom. You can always tell the safest route through waterways.

5. You led the charge against a port town and struck fear into the hearts of your enemies. You have the charisma to rally and lead an impassioned and impressionable crowd.

6. You had enough and deserted. The captain knows who you are. You have some bamboo javelins (3 uses), a pack of thorn caltrops (3 uses), and a small canoe.

WHAT TOOL ENSURED YOU WOULD LIVE TO SET SAIL ONCE AGAIN?

1. Water-walk clogs – Carved from wood that has been drifting on the sea for a decade. Allows you to travel on top of water for a handful of steps at a time.

2. Amihan’s breath (1 use) – A wind god’s gentle breath stored in pufferfish leather. Pressing hard on the pufferfish will unleash a gust of tradewinds from its mouth. To recharge, leave it tied to a tree on a mountain’s peak on a stormless night until sunrise.

3. Mermaid heartbreaker (3 uses) – A necklace of braided mermaid hair. Allows you to resist magically alluring calls. To recharge, braid in hair from a mermaid you deeply betrayed.

4. Storm watcher tattoo – Wave-like patterns etched on your ankles. You do not easily lose footing and you are not easily swayed by the motions of what you stand on.

5. Missile charm (3 uses) – An obsidian arrowhead amulet. The winds will assist you in catching projectiles flung at you. To recharge, use it as a wind chime to welcome in a storm.

6. Archerfish tattoo – Fish scale-like patterns etched on around your mouth. Allows you to shoot water from your mouth and out like a dart (d6 damage). But your mouth is not meant to withstand this much water pressure (1 LAKAS damage per use)

BRASS GUNNER

You are in possession of a most ancient weapon. It erupts like thunder and strikes like lightning. It is heavy for even the strongest arms, and unwieldy for even the steadiest shoulders. You decided to dedicate your life to taming it. You take:

  • Rations (3 uses)
  • Torches (3 uses)
  • Ancient firearm (see table)
  • Packet of gunpowder (1 use)
  • Iron monopod (d6 damage)

HOW DID YOU EARN YOUR FIREARM? 

1. This is a prized treasure, passed down from your father, his father’s father, and so on. Take a silver headdress with a magnifying lens over one eye.

2. You won it fair and square in a duel. The other duelist’s party might not agree with the results. Before a duel, intimidate your opponent to make their attack impaired.

3. You came back from war a veteran. Take a wide-brimmed hat (+1 Armor) and a nasty scar.

4. You went through a trial that almost killed you. But this very same trial has linked your soul with your gun. You can always tell the distance and general location of your firearm.

5. You received it in a wrecked state. You restored it to the best of your ability. Take a jar of polishing oil (3 uses) and a brush.

6. You’re a clay shooting champion. Even the swiftest of birds are outmatched by your reflexes. When stationary and holding your firearm, you can always attack before anyone else.

WHAT WAS YOUR FIREARM MADE FOR?

1. Hunting (d10 damage, ignores 2 Armor, bulky, 1 use in combat). Rusted rose gold.  Critical Damage: target bleeds out (d6 LAKAS damage every round).

2. Defense (d10 damage, ignores 2 Armor, bulky, 1 use in combat). Burn marks along the wood. When stationary, it can be reloaded as an action.

3. Naval combat (d10 damage, ignores 2 Armor, bulky, 1 use in combat). Bleached wood with sea rot setting in. Can fire even when wet. 

4. Close combat (d10 damage, ignores 2 Armor, bulky, 1 use in combat). Scratches and notches along its barrel. Has a bayonet fixed at the end (d10 damage).

5. Destruction (d6 damage, blast, near-ranged, bulky, 1 use in combat). Chipped, dragon scales etched along the barrel. Critical Damage: target is engulfed in fire (d6 damage every round).

6. Breaching (strong, d6 damage, ignores 2 Armor, blast, heavy, 1 use in combat). Bronze, large, and shoulder-mounted. User can’t move and fire in the same round.

Some Notes:

  • I think Boat Grunt might be my favorite background so far.
  • I love the concept but I’m still unsatisfied with the Brass Gunner, so I’ll have to revisit it sometime.
  • Fantasy settings should have more guns!

3 New Character Backgrounds for Mangayaw

by goobernuts

This blogpost was first released in my Patreon last week. Consider supporting!

It’s been 2 weeks since my first post here on Patreon. I’ve been writing up some character backgrounds for Mangayaw. I’ve been trying to figure out how to make a Youtube channel for another TTRPG-related project in the works. I hope to say more about that soon!

My goal for character backgrounds is to have six by the end of the month. But with college semester coming up soon, I might not be able to hit that self-imposed quota. We shall see.

But hey, I have three for you right now!

These are not final, of course. I’d love to get feedback on them.

BEAST HUNTER

You use beasts to hunt other beasts. You have seen the kindness and ferocity they are capable of. You know of their patterns and behaviors, but mutual respect is hard to gain. Take:

  • Rations (3 uses)
  • Torches (3 uses)
  • Bow (d6 damage)
  • Grass coat (sheds rain, blends well in the forest)
  • Hunting net

WHAT QUARRY DID YOU FAIL TO HUNT?

1. A boar the size of an elephant. It flattened an entire village. Take a tusk spear (d10 damage, bulky), and a crossbow trap.

2. A crocodile that swallowed an outrigger boat whole, with you inside it. You spent a day in its stomach before it threw you back up. You developed a strong reptilian scent that you can’t wash off.

3. A demon tiger that only attacks at night. You were mauled half to death. You developed feline eyes and sharp claws (d6+d6), but need a healing ritual every week to avoid turning into a demon tiger yourself.

4. A giant skulking spider. It turned a cave cemetery into its nest. Take sticky webbing material (3 uses) and flesh-eating venom (3 uses)

5. An ancient shark that terrorized a bay. It was covered in scars from battles long past. Take a bundle of tethered tridents (3 uses) and some scars of your own.

6. A carabao-eating eagle. Despite its size, it remains elusive. Take a quiver of eagle-flight arrows (6 uses); they will fly to impossible distances with deadly accuracy.

WHAT BEAST AIDS YOU IN YOUR HUNTS?

1. missile-dog (4 GRIT, 6 LAKAS, 12 LIKSI, 10 LOOB, d8 bite). It will spare no effort to chase its quarry, to a fault. A lone, exhausted dog is easy pickings for larger prey.

2. A swift-deer (4 GRIT, 4 LAKAS, 15 LIKSI, 6 LOOB, d6 hooves, 6 inventory slots). It can outrun prey in short bursts, even with you on its back. But it panics when anything hostile gets too near.

3. A scout-raptor (4 GRIT, 4 LAKAS, 15 LIKSI, 10 LOOB, d6+d6 claws). Having a set of eyes that can fly is a great boon to a hunter. It can even answer yes or no questions.

4. A witch-chicken (3 GRIT, 3 LAKAS, 10 LIKSI, 12 LOOB, d6 claws). Long, iridescent feathers means it’s not for food. It’s able to learn sorcery.

5. A mimic-macaque (4 GRIT, 4 LAKAS, 15 LIKSI, 10 LOOB, d4 bite). It makes a lot of noise, but never its own. Communicating with it is possible, but it can only respond with sounds it has already heard.

6. An stone-snake (3 GRIT, 3 LAKAS, 10 LIKSI, 8 LOOB, d6 bite, Critical Damage: paralyzes the target). Its name comes from its venomous bite’s effect of stunning and paralyzing those that suffer it.

FLEDGELING WITCH

You wandered too far into the forest or encountered powers you can’t truly understand. Now your words and body carry fear and blight. Fortunately for you, there is a need for your sorcery on these islands.

  • Rations (3 uses)
  • Torches (3 uses)
  • Moonstone dagger (d6 damage)
  • Herbal poultice (restore d4 LAKAS, 3 uses)
  • Dreadflower amulet (petty, blooms in the presence of the work of other witches)

HOW DID YOU BECOME A NIGHTMARE TO THOSE WHO COULD NOT SLEEP?

1. You were born with a snake twin. It parted ways with you when you were still young, but you still remember what it taught you. You have a natural affinity for snakes and knowledge of their language. 

2. You wandered into a witch’s home and ate something you shouldn’t have. Take chameleon paper masks (wearer assumes the identity of another, 3 uses).

3. You were cursed by a rival. Becoming the same as them was the only way to get your revenge. Take a chopping sword (d6 damage) and a pouch of salt (3 uses).

4. You were attacked by a shapeshifter. You escaped, but not unscathed. Take an owl anklet (signals when the wearer is being ambushed in the night).

5. You were lost in the forest for months. When you found your way out, no one could recognize you. Take a gnarled staff (d6 one handed/d8 two handed, etched with directions to something valuable in the forest not accurate).

6. You fell ill and never really got better. It’s a daily burden, but you found ways to cope (suffer -5 to one Ability Score permanently, but you can make common remedies from the most unsavory ingredients).

WHAT CURSE WAS ETCHED ON YOU?

1. Form of the Beast – You can transform into a specific animal at the risk of losing yourself. Make a LOOB save or take d10 LOOB damage when you change back to your original form.

2. Curse of the Eye – You can look into another’s eyes and watch them become fraught with fear. 

3. Form of the Bisected – You can sprout wings from your back and your torso separates from your lower body from the waist down. Salt and spices harm you. Your lower half is a vulnerable target as well.

4. Curse of Swelling – Once a day, you can point at a target and make a part of their body swell to grotesque size. 

5. Form of the Nightstalk – Your tongue is a proboscis 3 times your body’s length that can suck a target’s blood and organs (d6 LAKAS every 10 minutes). But beware, it is vulnerable to cutting. You are also DEPRIVED under sunlight.

6. Curse of the Swarm – You tend to attract pests. Once a day, you can command a swarm of them to do your bidding. But wherever there are pests, there is plague. Without prevention, your Community will suffer disaster.

CROP CULTIVATOR

Farms are the cornerstone of every community, and it was your job to make sure they would not fail. From keeping it healthy to guarding it from threats until the harvest, then the cycle continues. Farming is no joke.

  • Rations (3 uses)
  • Torches (3 uses)
  • Farming sword (d6 damage)
  • Gourd hat (1 Armor)
  • Weaved basket

HOW DID YOU ENSURE A GOOD HARVEST FOR YOUR COMMUNITY?

1. The fields you farm on are borrowed from a small god that lives there. You get to grow your crops while they get a nice new landscape to play on. Take a favor from a small locality god. 

2. Prevention is key. You fortify your field with a sturdy wooden fence as tall as you are. You’ve become very efficient at making them. Take a roll of wooden fence (20 ft, bulky).

3. Weeds steal away the nutrients from the soil, leaving too little for crops. You know to pull them out quickly. Take a karambit (d6 damage) and a hand shovel.

4. Watching over a farm doesn’t have to be boring. With good friends and good wine, the job can be not so monotonous. Take a jar of rice wine and a couple of clay cups.

5. Rains are frequent in the islands, but some crops need more water than the weather can provide. You provide what they need by diverting the water to them. Take an iron hoe (d10 damage, bulky).

6. Clearing a field for farming is hard work. You know to use the help of little helpers to make your work easier. Take a jar of rotbugs (eats through a tall tree in a day, 3 uses). 

WHAT CROP DID YOU USE TO WORK WITH?

1. Frostlicked Rice – Grown on terraces carved into frostladen mountains. The meat of the grain is black as charcoal, but tender as clouds. The husk absorbed a harvest’s worth of cold. Take a jar of its grain (3 uses).

2. Ash Plantain – Grown on fields made fertile with the ashes of what once grew on it. The fruit’s meat is dense, starchy, and explodes in direct contact with fire. Makes for phenomenal fritters. Take a bundle (d12 damage, blast, 3 uses).

3. Gecko Bamboo – Grows when barking geckos mate on a bamboo sprout. It is heavier and tougher, and it still lives even after cutting it from its colony. Whenever it is cut, a 1 foot section will quickly grow from the cut ends. Take a long rod (10 ft).

4. Heartache Grass – Said to sprout whenever young love dies. When crushed, it releases a widespread scent so strong and sharp it attacks emotions. Gives soups and syrups a bittersweet flavor. Take a bundle (d6 LOOB damage, blast, 3 uses).

5. Drowned Palm – Grown on murky swamps or irrigated farms. The starch extracted from its core is ever thirsty for moisture. One block of starch can absorb 100 times its volume. Take a bundle of palm-sized blocks (3 uses).

6. Spirit Cane – Grown on a private plantation. To consume its sugar is to steal from your own future; vitality in smaller doses, memories in larger doses. It is coveted by Castellanos’ for this attribute. Take a small block (3 uses).

Some notes:

  • I’ve been worrying if I have enough to fill these backgrounds, especially if I were to do 20. So far so good, though. I’ve been enjoying researching Philippine material culture, though.
  • I’ve been trying to internalize Zedeck Siew’s “Use King when you mean Raja; Keep a Keris in your Dagger” with these character background write ups. I don’t know yet if I’ll keep that philosophy. But for now, this is how I’m trying to write.

Mangayaw in 2025 (and Patreon announcement)!

by goobernuts

I made a public Patreon post about my plans to work on Mangayaw this 2025. Some important points:

  • Cairn 2e/Electric Bastionland-style character creation
  • Making community more important
  • Sorcery changes (again)
  • Finding its own identity

And yeah, that’s right. I made a Patreon. I’d like to be able to afford my own daily expenses as I go through college. I’m pledging an update on TTRPG work every month, though I might post more than once a month is work goes smoothly.

Don’t worry though, most of my posts will be public. You don’t have to pay for my jeepney fare and lunch to know what’s going on with Mangayaw. It will be highly appreciated if you do, though!

CLICK THE BIG IMAGE BELOW TO CHECK OUT MY PATREON

Play Report: Lorn Song of the Bachelor x Mangayaw (Session 10, The Finale)

by goobernuts

This is a retelling of a game session of Lorn Song of the Bachelor run with Mangayaw.

The Party Crashers

  • Malakas, a shamanistic healer
  • Bantok, a hunter without a bow
  • Eumining-gud, an aswang curse whisperer
  • Dumalapdap, a nimble ratfolk musketeer
  • Tusok, a witch’s apprentice and shapeshifter

Inna Wa Inna

The party split up. Bantok, Dumalapdap, and Tusok led Vartu Si Vartu and his retainers to the Catfish Village. Eumining-gud and Malakas remained to talk to Inna Wa Inna, hoping they would find out how to end the curse.

Inna Wa Inna was sitting by a cottage, with a waterfall backdrop. She is a paragon of poise with deft, expressive fingers. A master weaver with a century of practice. Once she was aware she had guests, she welcomed them. “Come in. Have stew, if you please. It won’t matter, but who are we without manners?”

She told the two about the methods to end the curse.

One method is to get the river spirits to lift the curse. For that, they would need to hear from Vung Si Vung’s own mouth that his thirst for retribution is satisfied. This way is implausible, Inna Wa Inna said. “Vung Si Vung is no longer the man I once loved.”

The other method is to slay the sitting chief of the Gleaming Fins and bury him with Vung Si Vung and Inna Wa Inna’s mummified remains. All three pieces for this method are already in the Ruins, and soon all will be together in one room. This one is more doable.

Inna Wa Inna stood up and summoned two pebble golems. She wanted to come with them. “I have to see this through.” she said.

Towards The Head

Bantok, Dumalapdap, Tusok went to fetch the catfish folk to help with the increasingly climactic battle and also because they needed Grimkin San Mor’s key to open the stupa to Vung Si Vung.

Grimkin San Mor thinks it is time for her to take control of the Bachelor, but the party had no intention of letting her.

The group met with Eumining-gud, Malakas, and Inna Wa Inna at the Bachelor-filled Belly. The party caught each other up. They knew what to do to end the curse. It was time to descend to the Head.

Vung Si Vung

At the end of an impossibly long descent was Vung Si Vung’s Longhouse. Two tooth golems gaurd the dais holding the mummified remains of Vung Si Vung and Inna Wa Inna. Vung Si Vung himself was on his usual perch, on the timber struts above.

Malakas chanted Mentala meant to mend curses. A curse that ran so deep could not be unraveled entirely with a few words. A paltry amount of knots were cut, enough that Vung Si Vung found the words to express himself again.

Malakas used this opportunity to convince Vung Si Vung to stop his terror as the Bachelor. But not even Inna Wa Inna’s presence could convince the Warrior. He was come to love the Bachelor’s butchery and its hot simplicity.

Vartu Si Vartu advanced towards Vung Si Vung and challenged the Warrior to a duel. Vung Si Vung obliged with a great smile on his face.

To End The Curse Of The Bachelor

The fight started. Pebble and rusty ax against teeth, Vartu Si Vartu’s spear against Vung Si Vung’s great machete.

In the midst of the clash, the party had their own objectives. Bantok and Eumining-gud had to slip past the fight to retrieve the mummified cadavers. Dumalapdap and Tusok were on standby, pistol aimed and Mentala pre-chanted.

Bantok managed to give the fighters the slip without even catching a stray blade, with the help of Dumalapdap’s precise shooting. Eumining-gud was not as lucky. She became a victim to spear and machete. Inna Wa Inna sent one of her pebble golems to fetch her from danger.

Vartu Si Vartu proved to be a formidable warrior. His spear thrusts were a challenge to dodge, but without his other hand, his defense was lacking. Vung Si Vung took advantage of this weakness and prevailed. His great machete tasted Vartu Si Vartu’s blood.

The chief of the Gleaming Fins, gash across his chest, admitted defeat. “You truly are a god. And I am your servant.” He ordered his retainers to kill the intruders and declared themselves as the Crocodile Cult.

It was then that Tusok finished chanting his Mentala. His transformation was different this time. His skin produced orange and black fur, his canines grew that they protrude out of his mouth, his hands and feet widened into paws.

In this form, he charged at Vartu Si Vartu. His victim was helpless to his fangs. He dragged the now-former chief’s body away from the fighting, dodging Vung Si Vung and the Crocodile Cult in the process.

With all three bodies, the party decided to flee from the scene. Inna Wa Inna’s pebble golems blocked way that they may escape.

Back in the Bachelor-filled Belly, Grimkin San Mor caught up to the party. Her detachment of catfish folk were routed by a tooth-golem and she has no control of the Bachelor. This operation was a total bust, and she blamed the party.

The jig was up. Bantok and Malakas quickly grabbed her and Dumalapdap shot his pistol at the catfish, the true Grimkin San Mor. The gun smoke cleared and the catfish was no longer attached to the crotch. Grimkin detached and dove the water surrounding the stupa. A loose end.

An Epilogue

They buryied Vartu Si Vartu with the mummified corpses of Inna wa Inna and Vung Si Vung near the Singer’s Stone, per Inna Wa Inna’s request. “Do not feel sad for me.” she said. Ritual agaru smoke filled the air.

The curse is lifted. The Bachelor will never terrorize the river again. The Crocodile Cult fell into irrelevance after the death of both their chief and their god.

Mahivir Sanna Krau knows to appease those who work under him. He took care of the party’s Debt to Oppu Wa Oppu, just as he said. A deal is a deal.

Auntie Sati was glad to know that the Song of Vung Si Vung has finally ended. She went back to work with a smile on her ancient lips. “Now comes the hard part: healing.”

Bavu Si Bavu returned to the village a hero. He was of the party that ended the Bachelor’s reign of brutality. Such an achievement would impress any Gleaming Fin.

Oppu Wa Oppu married the hero. Immediately after the wedding, she proposed they travel. Auntie Sati says its the moon spirit inside her; it was itching to leave and have an adventure.

On Niti Si Niti’s lap fell the role of village chief. But he owed much Debt to the The-Isles-Like-Precious-Ivory Trading Company that his integrity was compromised. There was a power vacuum in the village, and the Company swooped in to fill it.

Some did not approve of Company rule. They plan to leave the village.

Most did not have the privilege of being able to leave. Their Debts are shackles that tie them to the village.

And so the Gleaming Fins village remains. Changed, but it remains.

GM COMMENTARY

  • Thanks all for suffering through my play reports. I hope you found some value out of it lol
  • My players were all awesome. Many times in this short campaign I was on the edge of my seat because of what they did.
  • This is where I will pivot the game to a sandbox of the A Thousand Thousand Islands localities and other RPGSEA stuff that I have. It’s gonna be a very different dynamic from an adventure with a beginning and end. I might only post a shortened play report once a month for that. I’m very excited!

BONUS CONTENT: Some art my players made for the session

I don’t know who made this, it was just drawn on the vtt. Whoever it was, thank you.

“Live Tusok Reaction” by ThespianMask

Bantok, by Jamie Douglas

Tooth Golem, by Jamie Douglas

Play Report: Lorn Song of the Bachelor x Mangayaw (Session 9)

by goobernuts

This is a retelling of a game session of Lorn Song of the Bachelor run with Mangayaw.

The Party Crashers

  • Malakas, a shamanistic healer
  • Bantok, a hunter without a bow
  • Eumining-gud, an aswang curse whisperer
  • Dumalapdap, a nimble ratfolk musketeer
  • Tusok, a witch’s apprentice and shapeshifter

Singer’s Stone

The party wanted to learn more about Vung Si Vung, that they might find out how to end his curse. They were directed by Oppu Wa Oppu to the Singer’s Stone.

The Singer’s Stone is a natural ampitheatre formed by a cliff, about half a day away from the village by boat. New singers learn from and sing for the elder singers to earn their tattooes.

The party approached an elder in the middle of tattooing. They asked if he knew more songs about Vung Si Vung and performed the Song of Vung Si Vung for the elder, a song they only heard from Auntie Sati. They were graded badly by the elder, who also remarked that this is the first time he has heard of the Vung Si Vung and his song.

A young singer approached the party. His name was Rus Si Rus, his skin still a blank canvass. He told them he was about to sing the Song of Vung Si Vung, his favorite song, to earn his tatoos.

The party decided to stay a few more hours to watch. Rus Si Rus sung the Song of Vung Si Vung and was acknowledged by the elder singers. He was then given tattoos of open maws with curling tusks, signifying he is a true singer of the Gleaming Fins.

After his promotion, the party approached Rus Si Rus to congratulate him. The young man was ecstatic. When the topic of Vung Si Vung came up, Rus Si Rus was confused. He could not remember the name, nor the song he just sang for his promotion. “My apologies, my head is in a haze. It must be the adrenaline from performing catching up to me.”

Not even the elders who oversaw Rus Si Rus’ promotion could remember.

Auntie Sati confirmed their suspicions. The Gleaming Fins singers could not retain the memory of Vung Si Vung.

Return to the Old Ruins

An impatient Vartu Si Vartu and his 10 retainers boarded his outrigger boat. The party apologized for the delay. He smirked at the size of the party’s dugout canoes compared to his.

And they set off for the Old Ruins again.

On the way, the party spotted a raggedy girl by the banks of the river. She waves to them. “Hey, I lost my doll. Can you find me a new one?“

Eumining-gud remembered she has a doll made of abaca fibers in her pack. She retrieves it and offers it to the girl. The girl beams a smile at them.

As a jest, Eumining-gud also offers the girl a centipede from her pack. The girl refused. “It’s okay, I have plenty of friends already.” From the water surfaced many kraits and surrounded the girl, but never biting her.

The party left with haste, chills down their spines. They didn’t dare imagine what could have happened if Eumining-gud did not have that doll. The girl waved as they paddled away.

Directions from a Godling

Their first order of business in the ruins, visit Sikkukurut. They asked for Vartu Si Vartu’s patience in this detour.

The trek to the Lungs was short. They were met with a deafening wall of chirps and chatter. Hundreds, thousands of kingfishers roost upside down under the ceiling.

Sikkukurut was easy to spot, being made of orange-ish smog. The party offered her the teeth they plucked from the cave crocodile they defeated and asked her how to get to Inna Wa Inna.

Sikkukurut laughed at the idea of a toothless cave crocodile. “Heehee! Wonder which one you defanged!” Satisfied with the prank, she gave the party the directions they needed.

“Want more information? Steal Inna Wa Inna’s tapestries! Or bring vampire snails! Heehee!”

Following Sikkukurut’s directions, the party found themselves in front of a great brass door. It sports a bas relief of a woman, impervious with corset, weaving shuttle, and knife.

Beyond the door was a waterfall. Around its plunge pool, ferns garland lounge-worthy rocks. It was like a scene plucked from your childhood and planted underground.

There is a lit cottage here, guarded by 4 pebble golems. Inside is a weavery workshop.

A woman sits at a bench, polishing stone with a strip of stingray leather. On her right is a basket full of unfinished, smooth pebbles. She is the paragon of poise.

An impossible sight lay before them. But then again, the Old Ruins has been full of such things.

GM COMMENTARY

  • The end is in sight. I can feel it!
  • I think I did a good job with unraveling the mystery in the Singer’s Stone. I just wanted to pat myself on the back for that.
  • It was a coincidence that Eumining-gud had what the Snake Urchin wanted. The abaca doll was something she got from her mangkukulam background. I didn’t expect it would be used like this!