dT&T: The Voyage of the Panora

Wherein your humble scribe presents a group of noble warriors for Deluxe Tunnels & Trolls. Why? Because his long-awaited hardback from the agonizingly (if moderately understandably) oft-delayed Kickstarter arrived at long last yesterday. Pictures of the book provided for your enjoyment.

Erginius of Autoria’s lost classic, The Panoriad, tells the tale of Alkibiades of Pythos and the journey he undertook to recover the Lyre of Tiros for the glory of Pythos and to win the love of Queen Meliana. The charming and charmed Alkibiades – a brilliant historian and philosopher with a talent for preparing spanakopita so delicious that Hera herself declared it the finest outside of Mount Olympus – recruited a disparate band to join him on his quest. Lasthenes, captain of the Panora. Echephron the beast tamer. Isagoras the tale-teller. Thestor, famed bronzesmith of Xaneira. Philonikos the Giant. And, of course, all of the unnamed Panoranauts who perished as the quest continued.

Among the dangers faced by Alkibiades and his compatriots included the Nacippe – a legendary sea serpent, the Oedes – twin tigers of Tartarus, the Haleclyphes – an army of damned souls risen from the River Styx, and Belemeos, son of Hades.

The tragedy of The Panoriad, of course, is that its ending has been lost to time. Many scholars have their own theories, and many fragments and forgeries have been discovered over the centuries, but none have been accepted by the academic community as definitive.

The Panoranauts

Alkibiades of Pythos / Human / Warrior 3 / 5′ 9″ 160 lbs
STR 16 CON 6 DEX 9 SPD 7 INT 14 WIZ 12 LK 16 CHR 32*
Combat Adds +8 Wt Possible 1,600 WU
Talents Cooking (+3), History (+3), Philosophy (+3)
Mace (5d6), Short Sword (3d6), Target Shield (4)

Lasthenes / Human / Warrior 1 / 5′ 7″ 155 lbs
STR 14 CON 12 DEX 14 SPD 14 INT 6 WIZ 11 LK 9 CHR 11
Combat Adds +6 Wt Possible 1,400 WU
Talents Knot Tying (+3)
Medium Spear (4d6), Short Sword (3d6), Target Shield (4)

Echephron / Human / Warrior 1 / 5′ 10″ 180 lbs
STR 13 CON 6 DEX 10 SPD 12 INT 8 WIZ 16 LK 16 CHR 19*
Combat Adds +5 Wt Possible 1,300 WU
Talents Animal Handling (+3)
Broad Axe (5d6), Short Sword (3d6), Target Shield (4)

Isagoras / Human / Warrior 1 / 5′ 10″ 170 lbs
STR 13 CON 9 DEX 19* SPD 10 INT 13 WIZ 6 LK 9 CHR 9
Combat Adds +8 Wt Possible 1,300 WU
Talents Storytelling (+3)
Short Sword (3d6), Javelin (3d6), Target Shield (4)

Thestor of Xaneira / Human / Warrior 1 / 5′ 5″ 145 lbs
STR 13 CON 12 DEX 14 SPD 10 INT 12 WIZ 12 LK 8 CHR 7
Combat Adds +3 Wt Possible 1,300 WU
Talents Bronzesmith (+3)
Broad Axe (5d6), Short Sword (3d6), Target Shield (4)

Philonikos / Human / Warrior 1 / 6′ 7″ 250 lbs
STR 14 CON 10 DEX 9 SPD 5 INT 7 WIZ 6 LK 11 CHR 10
Combat Adds +2 Wt Possible 1,400 WU
Talents Merchant (+3)
Medium Spear (4d6), Short Sword (3d6), Target Shield (4)

The Antagonists

Belemeos, Son of Hades
MR 150
Special Damage: 1/2 (double Spite); 5/Dem Bones (MR 50 Skeletons)
Special Abilities: Bone Armor (10)

Belemeos is a demigod, son of Hades and the mortal woman Polytio. He serves as a guardian of treasures that have been consigned to his father’s realm. He wears armor constructed of the bones of dead heroes and stands well over 9′ high.

The Haleclyphes
MR 120 (8 X15)
Special Damage: 1/1 (normal Spite); 4/Curse You (Level 12, Targets CON)
Special Abilities: Impervious to missile damage

Seeming at first like a dense, swirling fog, the individual spirits that comprise the Haleclyphes rise from the Styx to repel any who would cross without the express approval of Charon.

The Oedes
MR 90 (45 X2)
Special Damage: 1/3 (triple Spite);
Special Abilities: Tough Hide (8)

As black as the grave, the twin tigers of Tartarus stalk the shores of the Styx hungry for any living flesh they can devour.

Nacippe
MR 70
Special Damage: 1/1 (normal Spite); 6/Blasting Power (Level 7)
Special Abilities: Tough Hide (15)

Nacippe is a red-hued sea serpent that preys upon smaller vessels across the breadth of the Sea, breathing fire to destroy the ships and deliciously roast their crews.

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4 thoughts on “dT&T: The Voyage of the Panora

  1. G-Man

    Reading this makes me want to strap on sandals and grab a spear! I love how T&T can encapsulate your epic concepts for the villains in just a few stats.

    1. the venomous pao Post author

      You know what I left out? A trident. One of those guys needed to have a trident! Oh well, next time. In the interim, spears & sandals will get the job done 🙂

      Glad you dig it, G. What is it with you and me and the simple systems, anyway? Oh, it’s that they’re fantastic and we have excellent taste. Of course!

      1. G-Man

        That, and the fact simple systems don’t fetter your imagination when it’s time to come up with ideas.

        I’d love to see the BRP version of this, BTW. It’s interesting how the adventure would change in tone and strategy by switching from one system to another.

        1. the venomous pao Post author

          You’re right about the simple systems. So much easier to have a neat idea and implement it without having to fight a system to make the idea work. I think a lot of this would hold together in BRP, but the tone would definitely change. And a lot of that would depend on which flavor of BRP one were using, of course.

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