made for Archipelago

Introduction and the feel of the area

This island has once held a great civilization. It was extinguished in an instant, as baneful fire and wicked poison showered it, now leaving only a dead and decayed place. Nothing may grow here - not even the microbes. Each hex in here once held a village - only the concrete foundations remain, the rest destroyed by hatred, burning and the elements. Even air and the waters of this place seem to hate anyone who enters it - for each day spent breathing the air of this place, newcomers gain a slot of exhaustion that may not be removed until they leave it. For each 3 slots of exhaustion gained this way, one must save or gain a random mutation. The people of surrounding islands will warn you against this place, saying that it is cursed. They are right.

Random Encounters (1d12):

1. 2d6 (the dice explode) Skeletons - use the following table once for their type
2. Family of d6+3 half-living mutant cannibals (2 HD, count as both alive and undead, AC as leather, armed with spears and bows, each has the same d4 mutations). They are hungry and animalistic, but may be parleyed with if one uses gestures and gives them food.
3. Hate Elemental (5* (Supernatural) HD, AC as leather, has 2 attacks of d8 damage). A swirling cloud of green gas, with dozens of burning red eyes within. It tries to cover any creature encountered and both choke it as well as burn it.
4. Undead Tree (6* HD, AC as chain, 2 attacks for d6 damage, hides as a normal dead tree until approached, when it ambushes and devours moving targets, does not see those who don't move).
5. Undead Soil (Soil is just rotten flesh and bones of plants and animals. Sometimes it spontaneously springs to unlife in this place. Treat it as quicksand, except that it actively tries to swallow you up and inhibit your escape).
6. 2d4 Shadows (1* HD, AC as unarmored, d4 damage to strength if hits) - shadowy ghosts of those who were outside when the Hateful Bomb was detonated. They weep and wail, as they try to touch the living creatures to feel their warmth, even if just for a moment of reprise from their constant pain.
7. 2d4 Ghouls from 026.011 (2 HD, AC as Leather, d6 damage + save against paralysis if hit. They were once people who survived the first bombing, but chose undeath and eternal hunger instead of slow death and mutation. Bits of their old minds remain, mixed with the brains of those they ate.) - they think of themselves as uniquely civlized over the other creatures from this island.
8. Swarm of Undead Maggots (4 HD, AC as unarmored, if their attack hits they cover a person, dealing d6 damage per round and forcing a save against infection). At first when The Bomb fell, the maggots had a field day. There were so many corpses to eat. But even they were not immune to rot.
9. Corrupted Robot (10 HD, AC as Plate-and-Shield, the size of a combine-harvester, 4 attacks, d12 damage). It was once a magnificent mechanical creature, used to work the fields and the factories of this land. But the hatred of The Bomb didn't spare it, both in the rust of the body and in the corruption of its spirit - for each round it is present, roll d4: 1. It follows its original programming, trying to work the barren fields or an empty factory, 2. It attacks the nearest living target, 3. It moves in a random direction, attacking whatever is in front of it, 4. It stands in place, trying to reboot to fix its code. It does nothing.)
10. Screaming One (3* HD, AC as leather, instead of attacking it screams and howls, forcing anyone who hears to save or take d4 damage and lose their hearing for the same amount of days). The first person who saw the bomb fell and looked straight into the blast. It started screaming all these days ago, and haven't stopped even now. Its lungs may be used to create magical bellows that will let one control the winds. It now feels only fear, and will start fleeing from those it encounters. If killed, reroll.
11. Patrol of d6+3 Unbroken (as encounter no. 2, but they are not animalistic and are armed with either rifles of revolvers)
12. Necrotic Ooze (6 HD, AC as Chain, tries to grab anyone in melee range - if someone is grabbed, they take d8 necrotic damage until freed).

Hexes themselves

031.009 The Unbroken

This city was slow to fall. The people have united, digging bunkers and fighting the corruption. Even as their food ran out, even as they faced Death herself, they did not break. They may be twisted and mutated, they may look nothing like their forefathers, but they remain proud. They number 54, with 20 warriors (stats as the half-living mutants, but they have not degenerated as much and use rifles and firearms - they have a gunsmithing workshop). Their village is a fortification built in the ruins of an old university - they have retained some of their knowledge, using their medicine to slow the decay of their bodies, and their engineering to remake the university into a place where they may live. They mostly feed themselves by fishing. They have 6 fishing boats. They wage guirella wars with the ghouls from 026.011.

029.010 The Observatory

In the middle of the destroyed village, a dome of an observatory stood on a hill. While the glass is broken and the walls have rusted, it remains connected to the stars. This place feels ethereal, like it is far removed from the world. It is basically asking for one to look into the stars and try to read one's future. For each 4 hours spent watching the stars from here, roll d6+INT modifier on the following table:

1. (or less) - the unskilled reading of the skies has summoned a Star Vampire (5 HD, AC as Chain, d10 attack that heals it for dealt damage. It is invisible, except for 1 round after hitting, when it may be seen because of the stolen blood), which ambushes the star-gazer.
2. A Bad Omen - the GM rolls a d20 in secret. They may change any d20 roll they choose to its result, when they think it would inconvenience the characters most.
3. Cryptic Vision - the stargazer sees strange colours cover the sky. No effect, but if they decide to continue looking into stars(for another 4 hours) they have a +1 bonus on the next roll.
4. A Good Omen - the stargazer rolls a d20, they may change any other d20 roll to its result afterwards.
5. Sky's Eye - the stargazer sees a truth about a different location in the Archipelago. The GM should choose a random location and give the stargazer the same the same description they would give them, if they saw the location from bird's eye.
6. Insight From The Stars - the stargazer learns a useful truth about the world as a whole, like "iron is stronger if you mix in carbon when making it" or "you may make boom-powder by mixing saltpeter, carbon and sulphur". It is usually not enough to make a new technology, but it is enough of a starting point for further research.
7. (and more) No Secrets From The Sky - as 5, but the GM instead reads the whole description of a location. The next stargazing roll is made with a -1 modifier.

026.011 The Civilized

A shantytown built in the remains of a fishing village. In it, the Ghouls have called themselves Civilized, building boats and conducting raids upon the other islands. They number 96, and are led by Cycero The Bonegnawer (4 HD, has an enchanted bow that has a +3 bonus to hit and damage against enemies who use weapons). They are well-fed enough to seek a more permanent source of meat (currently they mostly eat fish and meat gained in raids). They see themselves as the successors of the previous civilization of this island. They have 5 raiding boats, and want more. They wage guirella wars with the mutants from 031.009.

027.011 The Crystalized Magus

A dwarven Crystalomancer (3 HD, AC as Chain, knows Crystalize Self, Magic Missile and Nobilize Stone), who has crystalized themself after seeing the explosion to secure their survival. They were a diplomat sent from the city in 008.038. They may be "ressurected" by a dwarven crystalomancer (some may be found in the aforementioned city), using a cockatrice's gland and a ritual. If ressurected, the Low King of the 008.038 will gladly grant a favour for their safe return. Alternatively, the crystal is worth ~1000 SP.

028.012 Devastation of the Bone Wyrm

Thousands of people lived in this city, extinguished in a few hours. Their bones have served a purpose. It started with a single serpent, into which the hatred poured itself. It defeated a skeleton, then made it into more of itself. Now it is as large as a building, a serpentine creature built out of fused bones and green mist. It mostly slumbers now, the power that has animated it mostly faded. But if a living creature will approach it, the hunt will begin again. On the bones that make it up there are reminders of the old world that it has collected. Sculptures, paintings, artworks, books, pushed between the bones. Together, they could be used to reconstruct the old civilization's history and culture, but warped by the hatred that has showered it. They hang like banners, upon the poles of the bones. (together the artworks take up 100 slots of equipment and are worth 100 000 SP, or 500 SP per slot - the whole collection is worth much more than its parts). The Bone Wyrm has no stats, treat it as a fortification instead. Siege weapons are needed to break it apart, but will surely damage the collection at least partially. A smart and fearless party could scale the creature and find its core, the skeleton of the first snake, and destroy it to kill it instead. It is like scaling a moving Sandworm, except the bones are also trying to catch you and kill you.

029.011 POINT ZERO

In this hex, one gains a slot of exhaustion every hour. The ground burns with evil. If anyone is stupid enough to search it, they will find in a great hole of glowing glass a black box. This is the source of the power and the corruption of The Bomb. The Evil One. It was bound and sealed inside and used as a source of power for The Bomb, but its prison is failing now. If the adventurers decide to break apart the box, It will leave, searching for extinction of all life in the world, starting with the adventurers who freed it.
The Evil One: 15(Supernatural) HD, AC as Chain, knows Command, Finger Of Death, Summon Spirit, Create Undead, Bind Undead and may cast them with 8 MD. The only thing it wants is ENTROPY. It is the Heat Death personified. Wherever it comes, the corrupting miasma follows.

031.011 Eaten City

This city is ruled by maggots. They ate everything but the rusted skeletons of the structures, and have now moved on to each other. While strange metal items, remains of great technologies may be found here, for each hour roll an encounter check. If it comes up positive, you are attacked by d4 Swarms of Undead Maggots (as encounter 8). For each hour of searching(per person focused on searching instead of keeping watch), however, roll d4+WIS modifier on the following table:

1. (or less) - You make an awful noise, the GM immediately makes 2 additional encounter checks.
2. Nothing but rust and broken dreams.
3. A small metal tool, like a knife or a screwdriver, which has avoided rust due to the ancient technologies.
4. d10 large golden coins(5 GP per coin), showing geometric patterns on both of their sides.
5. A well-kept part of a greater thing, like the gearbox of a car or a fuel pump. Useful for an engineer or a scholar.
6. A large metal tool, which allows one person to do the work of five people in a narrow field.
7. (or more) - A humanoid machine has somehow survived, covered with earth and devoid of fuel. If refuelled with (roll d4): 1. Uranium(1 gram per month), 2. Blood(1 pint per week), 3. Petroleum (may be substituted with alcohol, 1 liter per day), 4. Wood (10 kg per day) it will serve the first person it sees. It is not intelligent, but understands speech. The next scavenging roll is made with a -1 modifier.

029.012 Hydra's Village

The corpses of this village were grabbed by a malignant spirit, lured in by the horrible stench of rotting flesh. It has combined them into a mound of combined flesh, a Hydra (10 HD, each representing 1 "head"(a bunch of bodies combined), AC as unarmored. Regenerates 1 HD per round, as it combines the bodies with itself again. May only be permanently killed by fire). A corpse with the Dagger of Dragon Slaying (+3 to hit and damage against draconic creatures) in its heart is a part of it, the corpse of a hero who wanted to use it next to it. It turns out, hydras are not dragons.

031.012 Forbidden Bunker

There was a bunker built here, to house the elite in the case of an attack like the one who destroyed the island. The entrance is closed, but the airlock is cracked, and the hatred has seeped in. It is a dungeon, the link is here.