Stone Age Tests
Staying alive may not turn out like one intends.1-9. Primitive urges demand the cleric's action. Roll again to see what must be done right now!
Caveman (1d4)
[1] Smash the next 1d6 things he sees that he is forbidden from using (e.g. metal, pottery, pants). Those using them at the time will likely not appreciate it.
[2] Yell at the closest person or thing in a random direction until either they attack or flee. Inanimate objects might need to be yelled at for quite a while.
[3] Dance especially crazily, causing 2d10-1 damage to himself and to all within 1d3 x 5' who don't save vs. death/ make a Reflex save DC 10. He has a 50% chance of singing too (per Caveman Do's in Part I)
[4] Regress, losing 2d4 Intelligence and having to make a check (DC 15) to say words, take simple actions, or even use fire for the next 2d6 turns. Much grunting is required.
Hunter-Gatherer (1d6)
[1] Consume the next edible being they see that isn't a member of their tribe, or at least make a good effort to. If successful, there's a 5% chance of gaining some part of its power (per Referee) and a 100% chance of greatly upsetting its allies.
[2] Make an offering worth 4d4 meals to the local beast and/or nature spirits.
[3] Engage in a ritual involving at least 1d6 other primitive-types, taking at least 2d6 turns, doing very primitive things.
[4] Create a permanent (as much as possible) painting of the last magic act they performed, requiring 2d6 hours of artistic effort and an Intelligence check (DC 15).
[5] Act like one's beast spirit for the next 1d6 hours, making sure others are fully aware of it too.
[6] Move onto another area, not to return until at least 1d6 seasons have passed.
Neolithic (roll 1d8)
[1] Go to and do not leave one's sanctum for 1d6 hours, only allowing other elites to enter.
[2] Stare at the stars, moon, and/or sun for 1d6 hours. Half the time is needed if some great stone object or earthen work is already present to aid in the viewing.
[3] Work towards the construction of a wall or other defense for 1d8 hours. Half that time is required if 2d6 assistants are available and a nearby threat is known, or if they are convinced that one is at least.
[4] See to having a megalith or earthworks erected for 1d6 hours. Half that time is needed if 3d6 assistants are available and they are properly motivated.
[5] Visit the communal barrow or cairn graves of one's ancestors, or take some act to honor them and help ensure one's burial there someday too.
[6] Make an offering of grain and/or livestock worth at least 5d4 meals to the spirits.
[7] Eliminate 1d3 rivals in a memorable way so that other rivals might not engage in so much rivalry.
[8] Take 1d3 mates, spreading one's progeny so that others don't.
10-17. Those who would survive may be altered in the process. Roll again to see what permanent change befalls the stone age cleric now.
Caveman (roll 1d7)
[1] Gains 1 Constitution, but loses 1 Intelligence, becoming tougher, but even more crude and neanderthalish.
[2] Speaks with an especially limited vocabulary, but gains a +4 bonus to saves against speech-based influence and enchantments. The next 4d6 words the caveman cleric says will be the limits of what he can describe from now on, apart from obtuse gestures.
[3] Can ignore 1d2 damage per round, but must save vs. death/ make a Will save DC 10 to remain around such bizarre magic as fire, metal, pottery, manners, or pants.
[4] Gains 1 HD and 6" in girth, becoming larger, but loses 1 Dexterity and has trouble fitting into things as well. Cavewoman clerics who experience this test become quite fertile looking too- they gain 1 Charisma instead and inspire much stone age art.
[5] Even simple advancements won't work within 1d3 x 5' of him: fire cannot start, nor can metal cut, let alone magic be used for those who fail to save vs. death/ make a Will save DC 10 when close enough.
[6] Believes that the last (non-magical) item he used is now magical. The Referee can determine its supposed qualities, and nothing will convince the caveman cleric otherwise, though there is a 10% chance of it actually being magical whenever he uses it, thereby egging him on.
[7] Becomes stonelike, gaining +1 AC, but losing 5' speed, eventually becoming a statue if this test result is experienced enough times.
Hunter-Gatherer (roll 1d7)
[1] Gains 1 Dexterity, but loses 1 Intelligence, becoming wilder and beastly.
[2] Must always act just as their patron beast or plant spirit now. They may speak, but only like it would, and all but the most dedicated to the spirit (including actual mortal versions of it) will find the hunter-gatherer cleric strange at best.
[3] Grows claws, fangs, horns, or even a beak, allowing him to make an additional melee attack for 1d3 damage per round. Those without such adornments (and who notice and aren't enlightened enough to appreciate them) will either react with fear (if weaker than the cleric) or disgust (if stronger) thanks to the change.
[4] With a more feral look, gain superior senses for finding prey and other sustenance more easily, with a +4 bonus, but all lesser beasts will become agitated and even flee when within 1d4 x 50'.
[5] Swiftness is needed, granting the hunter-gatherer cleric +10' speed, but also the inability to wear footwear, let alone pants.
[6] Gain a tougher hide and natural AC bonus of 1, but less self-control, suffering a -4 penalty to such rolls.
[7] Become a werebeast or beastman (equal chance of either), as all above but at 1d3+1 x the effect, with penalties increased the same amount then too. See also Volume V for suggestions.
Neolithic (roll 1d6)
[1] Gains 1 Charisma, but loses 1 Constitution, becoming better at leading large groups, but in less natural ways.
[2] Will not associate with cavemen, hunter-gatherers, nor other such primitives, encouraging his own folk to shun them too at best and to be more hierarchical themselves.
[3] Can ignore up to 1d8 damage from an attack each round, but will be unable to affect the physical world the following round, becoming almost ghostly.
[4] Can ignore a spell effect or other malady, but must have some unique sustenance of their land, whether grown or taken directly from their folk, within 1d6 turns afterwards or else its impact will be tripled.
[5] Suffers a -1d6 penalty to all rolls when exposed to sunlight, unless near some megalith or earthen structure that would help in its transcendence would be within view. If the latter is the case, then the neolithic cleric will even gain a +1d2 bonus to his spell rolls while there.
[6] Becomes some form of a spirit or vampire, as all above but at 1d3+1 x the effect, with penalties doubled by that amount too.
18+ Stone can support, but it can fall. The latter falls upon the stone age cleric sometime within the next 1d20 minutes.
Caveman: A prehistoric megabeast or dinosaur lumbers into view with a HD equal to the stone age test. It is hungry and the caveman cleric looks delicious.
Hunter-Gatherer: 1d3+1 dangerous beasts arrive, each with a HD equal to 1/4 of the stone age test, rounded up (18-20: 5 HD, 21-24: 6 HD, etc.) The hunter-gatherer cleric may now become the hunted.
Neolithic: A massacre is in the making. Warriors of a rival group invade, each with 1 HD and numbers equal to the stone age test. They will vie with the neolithic cleric and any allies he might have to see who will claim the remaining women, slaughtering all the men. Such events may even cause some sort of Y-chromosome bottleneck, greatly affecting generations to come. See Part III for the warriors' stats.
Next week: Stone Age spells, Folk & Epoch Variations, and a Stone Age encounter!
RPG srd Old School 1st ed AD&D Stone Age Paleolithic Mesolithic Neolithic Ice Age
