RPGs

Creation of the Waters and the Wastelands

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© Daniel S. Wall, September 15, 2026.

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This is Chapter 2 of the most authoritative account of creation contained in the Stone Philosophic. A full table of contents can be found here.

***

Text

In time the great dragon awoke to the sound of a voice; “Are you not hungry?”

And he was.

So, Hetht consumed a portion of the mass below him, carving still greater valleys into the mass still spinning beneath him. In time, the great dragon satisfied his hunger and laid down again. Before he could resume his sleep, the voice returned; “Are you not thirsty?”

And he was.

But the world as yet had no water, and so Hetht cupped his great forepaws and spat in them. In the palm of his left hand, the great dragon found to his own surprise that he held a small turtle whereas a tiny fish clung to the talons of his right hand. And Hetht placed the spittle, the turtle, and the fish in the greatest depression he had made upon the mass and bade them to call it home.[1]

At first, the turtle and the fish got along well with one another, but then the fish bit the turtle and grew larger in consequence. Again, and again, the fish lashed out at the turtle, growing still larger each time it feasted. In his own defense, the turtle grew a hard shell, but still this did not deter his voracious companion. Hetht admonished the fish to play nicely and to love its brother, but the fish cried out; “I cannot help myself father. My brother’s flesh calls to me, and I hunger so.”

Seeking to end the rivalry between his children, Hetht sent the fish to the east and the turtle to the west. As each swam away from the other, the waters stretched out with them until all the great impressions in the world had been covered. And the turtle grew into the god, Ayomichi, and the fish became The Shark King. Ever enemies, these first-born children of Hetht contend with one another for control of the seas, the one by means of its wisdom and the other by the strength of its jaws.

Hetht then drank his fill from the oceans created by his progeny.

Once again, Hetht laid down to rest only to be disturbed by the voice once again. “Isn’t there something you have to do?”

And so the great dragon relieved himself, turning a portion of the world into a great wasteland.

***

[1] It goes without saying that the text here refers to the great trench, Marianis, but the great sages differ as to the source of the impression. The greatest mages of the Library Philosophic insist that this location had been created when Hetht dined upon the world earlier in the text.

A rival school of thought favored among the elves of the Sylvan Isle suggests that the depression was in fact the place where Hetht finally slept. The impression left by Hetht’s meal may be seen, according to this view, in the beginnings of the great dungeon which is said to stretch beneath all the seas and to connect all the great lands of this world. What Hetht actually did when he consumed the first meal, so this theory goes, was to pull a great tuber up and out of the ground, only to find its roots stretched endlessly in all the directions of the world. Hetht ate all of this, leaving a great tunnel complex where its roots had once been. No dwarf has ever accepted this theory, of course, insofar as it suggests the origin of their own homes are best understood in terms preferable to surface-dwelling gardeners and arborists.

 

Cosmogony

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The best account of creation can be found in the Library Philosophic, complete with commentaries from a number of credible sources. Below is a list of the individual chapters in this story along with a brief summary of its content.

I: Out of Nothing. Being an account of the creation of The Stone Philosophic by the God, Hetht.

II: Creation of the Waters and the Wastelands. Being an account of the creation of the oceans, the wastelands, and of the gods, Ayomichi and The Shark King.

I: Out of Nothing

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© Daniel S. Wall, September 15, 2026.

***

This is Chapter 1 of the most authoritative account of creation contained in the Stone Philosophic. A full table of contents can be found here.

***

Text

In the beginning there was nothing, not even Hetht, a fact which displeased him to no end. And so the great dragon brought himself into existence. There is little reason to believe that he meant to create the rest of the world, but of course accidents do happen, and something else soon followed the self-creation of Hetht. All things in this world have their origins in this something else, the afterbirth of the first Dragon.[1]

No sooner had he brought himself into this world than the great dragon flew to the east, but his claw caught a corner of his afterbirth and stretched it right along beneath him. For eight days and untold miles the great dragon flew to the east. Finding nothing of interest, he turned to the South, still dragging a corner of his afterbirth along with him. Sixteen days did the great dragon fly to the south, but he found nothing to keep him occupied. So, Hetht turned and flew west for thirty two days before changing course. Finally, Hetht flew to the North for sixty four days, the formless mass still caught in his claw. [2]

Wondering at the effort it now took to fly, Hetht looked beneath his feet and finally saw the great stretch of ill-formed mass now grown large and spinning slowly beneath him. Tired of dragging so much weight along with him, Hetht finally shook the mass from his claw, yawned a bot and stretched his wings one after another, until he resolved to shed the feeling of exhaustion that had come over him. So, Hetht laid down upon the center of the mass beneath. His sleep was fitful, and Hetht tossed and turned for ages, kicking up mountains and digging out great impressions in the mass below his body.

Thus did the world begin to take its present shape, even as it slowly hardened beneath of the fitful dragon sleeping on top of it.

***

[1] The dvergr sage, Horst Gverdigen, objects to this passage, arguing that the world could not possibly be the afterbirth of a dragon as of course any real dragon would have issued from an egg. Gverdigen does not object to the notion that this world is secondary to the self-creation of Hetht, but he does reject the specific notion that the world began as a sort of placenta.

The hrega sorceresss, Tiannon Shigire, has provided what most consider to be best answer to this argument when she noted 3 things, 1) that Horst Gverdigen is known to have disappeared fully a hundred years before one might expect a Dvergr to die of old age, and no-one alive today can rule out divine retribution, 2) it is in fact an article of faith among the priesthood of Hetht that he is the sole dragon to have been born rather than hatched, and 3) the next phase of creation is far easier to reconcile with the qualities of soft and malleable placenta than those of a hard and brittle egg,

The Cult of the Broken Shell has long argued that Hetht was indeed hatched and this world has an entirely different origin, but this is best regarded as a minor heresy of little concern to serious scholarship.

  • Melia Turee, Archivist, Library Philosophic

[2] A wise man would note that the direction of movement in the first stage of creation matches that of benign winds and whirlpools. This is not a coincidence. All right-thinking winds and currents follow the pattern of creation by turning from east toward the south. Following the pattern later established by Mizizra, a corrupt wind reveals its nature by turning from east to north.

The pattern of movement described herein is of course the basis for the common terms used to describe the direction of spinning movement. Those turning from east to south are commonly said to be turning creatively whereas those turning from east to north are said to be spinning destructively.

  • Professor, Nilgin Fozhe of the Library Philosophic

 

Slow-Starter Weapon

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This is a magical weapon designed to grow in power over the course of a battle. In the first round or two of combat, it isn’t that impressive, but in extended fighting, its wielder is likely to become a major force on the battlefield.

D&D

This is an unusual item in that it can take the form of any type of hand-held  weapon, except a projectile missile (though it may take the form of a bow, sling, etc). Once it is taken in hand, it automatically transforms to the immediate preference of the wielder and remains in that form unless she wills it to change. It can be changed once per round, doing so instantly at the will of the user.

On the first round of combat, the weapon is +1 to hit and damage. On the second it is +2; it is +3 on the third, and so on, all the way up to +7 on the seventh round. On round 8, the bonus for the weapon does not change, but it does do an additional d6 in damage on a critical roll. This does not change for the remainder of the combat.

Should combat cease, the weapon loses its benefits at the same pace, first dropping the crit bonus after 1 round without use, then losing a +1 per round until it is down to +1.

Note also that the weapon only works this way if it is used in combat against a real opponent who means to harm them.

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Tunnels and Trolls

This is an unusual item in that it can take the form of any type of hand-held  weapon, except a projectile missile (though it may take the form of a bow, sling, etc). Once it is taken in hand, it automatically transforms to the immediate preference of the wielder and remains in that form unless she wills it to change. It can be changed once per round, doing so instantly at the will of the user.

On the first round of combat, the weapon is normal. On the second it gains 2 adds over and above anything normal for its weapon type; On the 3rd, it adds 4 more total, and so on, all the way up to +20 on the 11th round. On round 12, the adds do not change, but its wielder does do 2 on any spite damage inflicted with the weapon. This does not change for the remainder of the combat.

Should combat cease, the weapon loses its benefits at the same pace, first dropping the spite bonus after 1 round without use, then losing a 2 adds per round until it is down to normal.

Note also that the weapon only works this way if it is used in combat against real opponent who means to harm them.

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Worlds of Hurt

This is an unusual item in that it can take the form of any type of hand-held  weapon, except a projectile missile (though it may take the form of a bow, sling, etc). Once it is taken in hand, it automatically transforms to the immediate preference of the wielder and remains in that form unless she wills it to change. It can be changed once per round, doing so instantly at the will of the user.

On the first round of combat, the weapon is +1 to hit and damage. On the second it is +2; it is +3 on the third, and so on, all the way up to +8 on the eighth round. On the 9th round, the bonus does not change, but the value of the third dice is tripled (instead of doubled) in the event of a critical success on an attack.  This does not change for the remainder of the combat.

Should combat cease, the weapon loses its benefits at the same pace, first dropping the crit bonus after 1 round without use, then losing a +1 per round until it is down to +1.

Note also that the weapon only works this way if it is used in combat against a real opponent who means to harm them.

A Slow-Starting weapon always has the trait of “Stalwart.”

Malaise

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© Daniel S. Wall, July 20, 2026.

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https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTANR5VfV/

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A Trace of Death Lingers by Joyce Maureira

Malaise is an inverse measure of a character’s will to live. The higher their Malaise, the less resilient a character will be. Those with truly high malaise will be quick to grow ill and slow to heal. They will also be remarkably susceptible to attacks from Undead. They will retain all their normal skills and abilities, but a character with a high malaise has one foot in the grave. Until she learns to love life again, a character with high Malaise may be very difficult to keep alive.

The idea here is to create a long-term problem with its own significance in role-play, one that is solvable, but not with a quick healing spell. It plagues characters who have come close to death, or experienced significant loss, been subjected to life-draining attacks, or engaged behavior contrary to their deepest convictions. Any one of these could leave a character with a weakened will to live. It does not undermine their skills and abilities, but it does leave them more fragile. Malaise provides an alternative to the loss of levels or attribute scores and the forcible alignment change of earlier editions of D&D while keeping a sense that these issues create problems not easily resolved within a single game session.

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Malaise at its Core

Squonk painted by Andy Sneed

Acquiring Malaise: Aside from rare instances of special attacks or magical effects imposing it, Malaise is usually acquired through close calls with death, the loss of loved ones, or by actions inconsistent with the established nature of a character. A character fresh off a near-death experience may find that death itself still has a little bit of a hold on them, just as they may long to join a dead spouse or some other loved one. Characters who have acted in a manner significantly inconsistent with their values and goals may find themselves questioning the value of their own life.

Malaise can also be the result of extraordinary attacks one might characterize as life-stealing, such as the bite of a vampire or the nightmares caused by a succubus. These too will weaken a character’s will to live.

Effects of Malaise: The Malaise score of a character is a penalty to any healing done to that character. It is also a vulnerability penalty, adding to the damage done by Undead to that character. A character with 1 point of malaise thus reduces the damage healed from a spell by 1 point and raises her damage from an Undead by 1 as well. A character with 6 points of malaise reduces healing spells by 6 and adds 6 points to any damage caused by Undead. Malaise can have other featurs as well, and at their own discretion, a GM may certain flesh add implications of their own.

Overcoming Malaise: A character must play a full game session with any Malaise earned before attempting to buy it off. After that, a character may buy off malaise at a cost built on a triangular sum at the end of any given game session. If 1 point of Malaise can be bought off at the cost of 1 point of x.p., then 2 may be bought off at a cost of 3 total (1+2=3), and 3 can be bought off at a cost of 6 (1+2+3=6). Thus, Malaise can be bought off slowly at a low cost or rapidly at a high cost. It is up to the player to decide which he prefers.

Certain special abilities or problems may enhance malaise, trigger tactical benefits on the basis of malaise, facilitate rapid overcoming of malaise, or drag out that process. These are rare abilities, and they are prone to high cost. In no case, will an ability ever enable a character to overcome Malaise without going through a full game session with any given Malaise penalty.

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Game-Specific Applications

D&D (1st through 3rd editions): How does one apply the concept to D&D? First we will look at the specific mechanics for acquiring Malaise, the specific effects of Malaise, and finally, the means of overcoming it.

Mechanics for acquiring Malaise: Malaise may be acquired in a variety of ways.

Death: Any character brought back from the dead automatically gets 10 points of Malaise.

Grief: The death of a loved one or dear friend, or a significant loss with serious consequences, may incur 1-3 points of Malaise at the discretion of the GM (or alternatively, the consensus of the players present).

Life-Draining Attacks: Any attack which might otherwise cause the permanent draining of a level or a point off a character’s attributes would instead result in 3 points of Malaise. (Alternatively, 1 point of Malaise could be added to the existing effect without taking that effect away.)

Moral Transgressions: Any time a character acts in such a manner as to contradict their alignment, they acquire 1-5 points of Malaise, depending on the severity of the transgression. This can replace the old first edition mechanic of simply changing the character’s alignment. How this decision is made varies. It could be the GM’s call or it could be a decision at the consensus of the players.

Near Death Experiences: A Character acquires 1 point of Malaise once she goes below 0 hit point status and 1 more for every 3 continuous rounds spent at 0 hit point status or below. (Note: if the character dies outright, just apply the death rule instead.)

Effects of Malaise: The numeric value of a character’s Malaise provides a variety of different problems for a given character.

Attacks by Undead: It is a bonus to the damage done by Undead to that character.

Death Magic: It is damage taken in the event of a successful save versus death magic. A failed save would of course make this irrelevant.

Healing Magic: It is a penalty to any healing done on the character in question (to a minimum of 1 point healed).

Natural Healing: It is a penalty to any rolls made to assist a character in healing by means of natural medicine, and it is a chance (multiplied by 5) that the wound will not naturally heal according to the normal rules on any given day.

Mechanics for overcoming Malaise: To buy off Malaise, a character must first play a full game session with any Malaise they wish to eliminate. After this, they may buy off Malaise in the following manner. To buy off 1 point of Malaise at the end of a given session, a character must spend 10% of the difference between the experience needed for their current level and that needed for the next. To buy 2 points off at the end of a given session, a player must spend 30% of that difference. To buy off 3 at the end of a given session, they must spend 60%, and so on.

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Tunnels and Trolls (Deluxe Edition): How does one apply the concept to Tunnels and Trolls? First we will look at the specific mechanics for acquiring Malaise, the specific effects of Malaise, and finally, the means of overcoming it.

Mechanics for acquiring Malaise: Malaise may be acquired in a variety of ways.

Near Death Experiences: A Character acquires 1 point of Malaise once she goes below 0 hit point status and 1 more for every 3 continuous rounds spent at 0 hit point status or below. (Note: if the character dies outright, just apply the death rule instead.)

Death: Any character brought back from the dead automatically gets 10 points of Malaise.

Grief: The death of a loved one or dear friend, or a significant loss with serious consequences, may incur 1-3 points of Malaise at the discretion of the GM (or alternatively, the consensus of the players present).

Moral Transgressions: If the player running a character and the GM agree that the character has acted in a manner wildly inconsistent with their character and/or the best interest of their stated goals, they acquire 1-5 points of Malaise, depending on the severity of the transgression. This may not happen often, as a player is unlikely to agree to it, but it remains an option.

Effects of Malaise: The numeric value of a character’s Malaise provides a variety of different problems for a given character.

Attacks by Undead: It is a bonus to the damage done by Undead to that character.

Healing: It is a penalty to any healing done on the character in question (to a minimum of 1 point healed). Note that the in event that a character should have been healed to full Constitution, they end up with their Malaise in damage after all.

Mechanics for overcoming Malaise: To buy off Malaise, a character must first play a full game session with any Malaise they wish to eliminate. After this, they may buy off Malaise in the following manner. To buy off 1 point of Malaise at the end of a given session, a character must spend 10 adventure points. To buy 2 points off at the end of a given game session, a player must spend 30 adventure points. To buy off 3 at the end of a given game session, they must spend 60 adventure points, and so on.

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Worlds of Hurt (My Homebrew): How does one apply the concept to Worlds of Hurt? First we will look at the specific mechanics for acquiring Malaise, the specific effects of Malaise, and finally, the means of overcoming it.

Mechanics for acquiring Malaise: Malaise may be acquired in a variety of ways.

Death: Any character brought back from the dead automatically gets 10 points of Malaise.

Grief: Characters may take on Malaise for the loss of loved ones or for major set backs, as detailed in the rules for social relationships and other relevant portions of the game system.

Deep Wounds: A variety of special attacks cause Malaise as spelled out in the game rules.

Moral Transgressions: Characters may take Malaise for actions contrary to their moral values or memes as spelled out in the relevant sections of the game rules.

Near Death Experiences: A Character acquires 1 point of Malaise once they go down to 0 physical durability or below. They acquire 3 points of Malaise if they spend 1 full round in that status, and 5 points if they spend 2 rounds in that status.

Effects of Malaise: The numeric value of a character’s Malaise provides a variety of different problems for a given character.

Attacks by Undead: It is a bonus to the damage done by Undead to that character.

Healing Magic: It is a penalty to any healing done on the character in question (to a minimum of 1 point healed).

Natural Healing: It is a penalty to any rolls made to assist a character in healing by means of natural means.

Mechanics for overcoming Malaise: To buy off Malaise, a character must first play a full game session with any Malaise they wish to eliminate. After this, they may buy off Malaise in the following manner. To buy off 1 point of Malaise at the end of a given session, a character must spend 1 experience point. To buy off 2 at the end of a given session, they must spend 3. To buy off 3, they must spend 6, and so on.

Sidehill Grabber

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© Daniel S. Wall, April 29, 2026.

***

“If you can get just get to his other side yer safe! Dern thing can’t turn around without fallin’ down the side o’ the mountain.”

– Maddoch Riwarden, Mountain Scout

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This creature has the appearance of a large puma, but this particular puma is particularly well-suited to life in the high mountains. One may not notice at first, but both legs on one side of its body are significantly smaller than those on the other. The Side-Hill Grabber is thus perfectly balanced on a steep slope, so long as it is facing one particular direction.

Sidehill Grabbers spend their lives hunting mountain goats and mountain sheep. They are particularly fond of Side-Hill Bashers. And of course, no Sidehill Grabber will hesitate to add a dwarf or a random Ligén to its diet.

A Sidehill Grabber will typically hide just above a given mountain path or game trail and pounce on the first victim to come along. Using its claws to secure a victim and hold it in place, the Sidehill Grabber will take great care to avoid letting its victim escape or fall. A falling victim may easily bounce in the wrong direction, forcing the Sidehill Grabber to walk all the way around the mountain in order to claim its meal.

As it happens all the sidehill grabbers on a given mountain-side will always face the same direction. This is due to the odd rivalries of the kindred. While a Sidehill Grabber will rarely take any violent action against one of its own kind, provided they are both facing the same direction, it will do anything in its power to kill one coming from the other direction.

Zhidastra

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© Daniel S. Wall, April 13, 2026.

***

“Were you to burn a man alive in his honor, it will please our lord well enough. It would please him more were you to add yourself to the fire.”

– Pielshte, the Cruel.

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Zhidastra has the shape of a giant ape. His body is covered natural scales much like those of a great dragon. His teeth are as sharp and pointed, and he possesses great canines much like those of a saber toothed tiger. Zhidastras claws are said to be larger than one might expect even for a creature of his great size. His eyes are yellow in color, with reptilian pupils.

Above all else, this creature craves the blood of innocent victims. Zhidastra wants only to see others suffer and die in the most brutal fashion possible. He has no patience for subtleties. He is unimpressed with psychological torment. Zhidastra is pleased only at the sight of physical pain and death, and his pleasure never gives rise to gratitude.

In vain do his priests sacrifice others to this terrible god. Were all of humanity torn apart before his very eyes, Zhidastra would only wish to see more carnage.

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Religion: There are many cults devoted to the worship of Zhidastra. Though one might well ask why? The Devourer is revered all over the world. Though he may be called by different names, cannibals and cults of human sacrifice invariably worship Zhidastra, each trying in its own way to please him with greater and more horrible acts of cruelty, all of it to no avail. He is never impressed with their offerings.

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Domains: Cannibalism, Human Sacrifice.

Symbol: A Gaping Maw.

Favored Offerings: The life of a sentient creature.

Tlegachet

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© Daniel S. Wall, April 12, 2026.

***

“Upon greeting Tlegachet, The first king showed his admiration with a dozen strong horses, a chest of gold, and a wagonload of the finest silks. The second king bore no gifts at all. One his knees before the fair nomad, he said simply; ‘the gates of my kingdom are open; whatever is mine is now yours.’

“To the first king Tlegachet replied; ‘The riches of miserly men is a burden upon their soul. I shall repay your kindness today by relieving you of the bonds which now bind you. Your city shall feed itself without grains, greens, or meat; your armies shall fight without hands; your mentors shall teach without tongues, and your women shall raise their children without husbands.

“Tlegachet smiled upon the second king; ‘There is no shame in empty hands, but only in tight knuckles and sweaty palms. To you I shall bring the treasures which a generous king ought to have at his disposal. In a fortnight you shall receive all the wealth and slaves that you could ever dream. The children of your kingdom shall grow fat and wise. Your farmers shall reap beyond their own seeds, and your armies shall join mine bearing new weapons and riding new horses. When next I travel, you shall be at my side, and you shall share in the riches we discover.”

– Kulest Hulugur, Elder Bard.

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Tlegachet G’Surl is at once feared and loved throughout all the lands knowing her name. She appears as a beautiful nomad, always in the company of great horses. (She always rides a standard horse with at least 3d8+10 Experience Points) carries a great bow and a scimitar. On her right hand, she bears a ring of war.

Tlegachet is known both for her compassion and her cruelty. The one, she shows to all who submit to her rule, and the other she inflicts on all who resist her. Stories of her compassion towards those Tlegachet brings under her control are matched only by those of misery and suffering inflicted by those who thought to deny her ambitions.

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Religion: Priests of Tlegachet rarely settle into any kind of temple. They travel instead with great warriors, preferring especially to accompany those on the march in foreign lands. Many a soldier

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Domains: Conquest, Pastoralism

Symbol: The Symbol of Tlegachet is a scimitar over two horse hooves.

Favored Offerings: Tlegachet is most pleased with well cooked meals offered to her in prayer.