Character Creation Challenge: Johan Werper III for Wasted Lands

 Moving ahead to the magical year of 1986 a few things were going on in my games. For starters, I was fully converted over to AD&D 1st ed. I was playing rather regularly with my High School DM, Michael Grenda, and we were looking to merge our worlds to be something more cohesive. To this end we thought we needed a "New Generation" of characters. This was the generation into which Larina was born, but today is not her story. 

Today I am going to talk about Johan Werper III. This Johan was the son of Johan II and grandson of Johan I. But this Johan was not a Cleric or a Paladin. He was one of the new Cavaliers from the new Unearthed Arcana. 

I wanted this Johan to be a bit different, he was the son of a King, not something I had done before. Johan II was the son of a cleric, and Johan I was the son of a fisherman. So I wanted him to be a bit arrogant, and he didn't have the frame of mind to be a holy warrior. He eventually became something else, a key figure in my giant "War of the Dragons" to end my high school games, and start my college ones.

For this build I want to stick to a rather solid Warrior build. That was his thing. He was a "Knight in Shinning Armor" but not necessarily "nice." His alignment was Lawful Neutral as opposed to the more common (for me) Lawful Good.

Johan Werper III

Class: Warrior
Level: 9
Species: Human
Alignment: Light (fits here)
Background: Warrior (Wasted Lands p. 185)

Abilities
Strength: 19 (+3) A
Agility: 16 (0) 
Toughness: 18 (+3) N
Intelligence: 17 (+2) 
Wits: 16 (+2) 
Persona: 17 (+2) N

Fate Points: 1d10
Defense Value: 1
Vitality: 87 (9d8+1d10)
Degeneracy: 1
Corruption: 1

Check Bonus (A/N/D): +5/+3/+1
Melee Bonus: +7 (base) +1 Divine Touchstones
Ranged Bonus: +7 (base)
Saves: +3 to all Saves, +2 to Toughness (Warrior background), +1 Divine Touchstones

Warrior Abilities
Combat Expertise, Improved Defence, Melee Combat, Master of Battle, Ranged Combat, Supernatural Attacks, Spell Resistance, Tracking, Masters of Weapons, Extra Attacks (3), Extra Damage

Divine Touchstones
1st Level: +1 to melee attacks
3rd Level: +1 to saves 
5th Level: Smite
7th Level: Favored Enemy Undead
9th Level: Blind Fighting

Heroic (Divine) Archetype: War

Gear
Longsword, Full plate armor, Holy symbol

Wasted Lands as AD&D 1st Ed

Like previously, the conversion between AD&D and Wasted Lands is rather easy thanks to O.G.R.E.S. (and to a degree O.R.C.S.). While the Wasted Lands Warrior covers a lot of what would have been AD&D Fighters, Paladins, Rangers, Barbarians, and Cavaliers. To split them up there are skills, powers, multiclassing and divine touchstones. All to make for some very unique characters.

You can get the Wasted Lands RPG and the NIGHT SHIFT RPG at Elf Lair Games.

Character Creation Challenge: Johan Werper II for Wasted Lands

 While I had other Basic (B/X) era D&D characters I could discuss (and still will), I want to skip ahead a bit and talk about another character in Johan's family tree, his son, Johan Weper II.

Johan II was the son of Johan and another character of mine Luna Mondgott, a cleric "of the old ways" who converted over to still rather unspecified faith of Johan I. She was a prototype witch for me.

Johan II differs from Johan I in that he was a Paladin and my very first Paladin to be truthful. I always imagined he had some clerical training first before moving on to Paladin, thus the dual-classed Cleric/Paladin.  I would revisit this later on in D&D 3.x.

While I have a LOT of options here, I am going for something fairly straightforward. Johan II is a warrior with some clerical, or in this case, Theosophist training. I'll use some divine touchstones to help smooth out his paladin powers.  Since this is the first "Advanced" conversion, I'll also make use of the optional backgrounds in the Wasted Lands.

Johan Werper II

Class: Warrior (from Wasted Lands) / Theosophist (from NIGHT SHIFT)
Level: 8/4
Species: Human
Alignment: Light
Background: Warrior (Wasted Lands p. 185)

Abilities
Strength: 19 (+3) A
Agility: 11 (0) 
Toughness: 17 (+2) 
Intelligence: 16 (+2) 
Wits: 18 (+3) N
Persona: 18 (+3) N

Fate Points: 1d8
Defense Value: 1
Vitality: 66 (8d8, 4d6, +1d10)
Degeneracy: 0
Corruption: 0

Check Bonus (A/N/D): +6/+4/+2
Melee Bonus: +3 (base)
Ranged Bonus: +3 (base)
Saves: +3 to all Saves, +2 to Toughness (Warrior background).

Theosophist Abilities
See Dead people, Turn Undead, Protection from Dead

Warrior Abilities
Combat Expertise, Improved Defence, Melee Combat, Master of Battle, Ranged Combat, Supernatural Attacks, Spell Resistance, Tracking, Masters of Weapons, Extra Attacks (3), Extra Damage

Divine Touchstones
1st Level: Bless, Cure Light Wounds
3rd Level: Cure Disease

Heroic (Divine) Archetype: Occult Scholar, Hunter of the Undead

Gear
Longsword, Full plate armor, Holy symbol

Wasted Lands as AD&D 1st Ed

Like previously, the conversion between AD&D and Wasted Lands is rather easy thankks to O.G.R.E.S. (and to a degree O.R.C.S.). Play style is also quite similar. Given when I was playing Johan (High School) my Roman-Norse Pantheon would be a perfect choice with the Werpers all paying homage to Unser Vater and Luna Werper originally worshiping Ôstara. 

This Johan was the one who first fought Strahd von Zarovich back in 1986. So I would want to play up his general attitude vs. Undead over what is written for the Warrior class. The rest of playing a Paladin is largely going to be one of role-playing and me sticking to a prescribed set of ideals I think a Paladin, an AD&D Paladin, should follow. 

Looking at the Goldenrod character sheet, I see Johan will be 40 years old at the end of this month. He was, for the longest time, my central character. At the end of my high school games, he became a King and started a dynasty that I still use to this very day. I think I could be quite happy with this version.

You can get the Wasted Lands RPG and the NIGHT SHIFT RPG at Elf Lair Games.

Character Creation Challenge: Johan Werper I for Wasted Lands

 Today I want to go back in time. All the way back to the dawn of Dungeons & Dragons...well at least my dawn. One of the first (if not the first) characters I ever made for D&D was a cleric named Johan. I wanted a sage, someone who knew a lot about things, I also wanted a Van Helsing-like character. A cleric dedicated to destroying undead, and vampires in particular. 

I have talked about Johan a lot in the past and his connection to Darlessa, the Vampire Queen. 

Johan the First was a quintessential Basic D&D character for me. He was a great character to be honest, exploring the Keep on the Borderlands, the Isle of Dread, and more. We walked the streets of Glantri together and fought horrible undead. 

In the Wasted Lands, he would be more of a Sage and Theosophist. These are, as it turns out, NIGHT SHIFT classes. But these are NIGHT SHIFT classes, not Wasted Lands ones. But one of the best features of the O.G.R.E.S. games is they are completely interchangeable. So swapping out the classes is easy.

Basic, B/X, D&D is an easier if even simpler game to play and run, so Wasted Lands can handle this well. The concepts central to D&D are at its core design. 

Johan Werper I

Class: Theosophist/Sage (from NIGHT SHIFT)
Level: 5/3
Species: Human
Alignment: Light
Background: Scholarly

Abilities
Strength: 16 (+2) 
Agility: 15 (+1) 
Toughness: 18 (+3) 
Intelligence: 16 (+2) 
Wits: 18 (+3) 
Persona: 15 (+1) 

Fate Points: 1d8
Defense Value: 5
Vitality: 66 (d6)
Degeneracy: 0
Corruption: 0

Check Bonus (A/N/D): +4/+3/+1
Melee Bonus: +3 (base)
Ranged Bonus: +3 (base)
Saves: +4 vs Wits 

Theosophist Abilities
See Dead people, Turn Undead x2, Summon Dead, Channel Dead, Death Knell, Suggestion

Sage Abilities
Languages (16), Lore, Mesmerize Others, Suggestion, Renegade Skills, Spells, Read Languages

Spells
1st Level: Bless, Cure Light Wounds

Heroic (Divine) Archetype: Occult Scholar, Hunter of the Undead

Gear
Mace, Armor, Holy symbol

Wasted Lands as D&D B/X

Thanks to O.G.R.E.S. (and to a degree O.R.C.S.) the conversion between D&D B/X and Wasted Lands is rather easy. Play style is also quite similar. For this "new" campaign I would drop a lot of the campaign setting from the Wasted Lands. The setting is great, but I need some gods for my games. I guess this would be a great place to bring in my Roman-Norse Pantheon.  

To emulate this sort of D&D experience, I would likely not use a lot of Divine Touchstones. Granted, stripped of the setting the divine touchstones are not as central either, but mechanically they still have their use. I might later use some to help work out the differences between the spells of a D&D Cleric and O.G.R.E.S. Theosophist. 

You can get the Wasted Lands RPG and the NIGHT SHIFT RPG at Elf Lair Games.

Character Creation Challenge: Larina Nix for Wasted Lands

 To start out my 2024 Character Creation Challenge with a character near and dear to me. So near and and dear that I have already stated her up for both the Wasted Lands and NIGHT SHIFT. 

The Witch from NIGHT SHIFT and the Sorceress from the Wasted Lands are very nearly the same class, so both work well here. They are also both designed with my witches in mind. So this class is by design perfect for her in a D&D like game.

Larina Nix

Class: Witch (Sorceress - Persona Aspect)
Level: 16 
XP: 2,741,986
Species: Human
Alignment: Neutral-Light
Background: Sage

Abilities
Strength: 9 (+0) 
Agility: 11 (+0) 
Toughness: 12 (+1) 
Intelligence: 17 (+2) N
Wits: 16 (+2) N
Persona: 18 (+3) A

Fate Points: 10
Defense Value: 7
Vitality: 33 (d4)
Degeneracy: 14
Corruption: 3

Check Bonus (A/N/D): +7/+5/+3
Melee Bonus: +3 (base)
Ranged Bonus: +3 (base)
Saves: +6 vs magical effect

Arcane Abilities
Arcana, Spellcasting (140% base + bonus)

Sage Abilities

Languages (17), Lore (37%), Mesmerize Others (20%), Suggestion, Renegade Skills, Spells, Read Languages

Renegade Skills

Hide in Shadows: 20%
Open Locks: 15%
Bypass Traps: 10%
Sleight of Hand: 20%

Spells
1st Level: Black Flames, Arcane Darts, Mystical Senses, Night Vision, Chill Ray, Read Languages (Sage)
2nd Level: Beguile Person, See Invisible, Locator Spell: Objects, Magic Lock, Levitate
3rd Level: Clairvoyance, Globe of Darkness, Concussive Blast, Dark Lightning
4th Level: All-seeing Invisible Eye, Befuddlement, Protection against the Deeper Dark, Hop and Skip
5th Level: Convert Stone to Mud, Passageway, Shadow Armor, Dominate Other
6th Level: Dispel Evil, Invisible Servant, Enchant Item
7th Level: Ball of Sunshine, Wave of Mutilation, Widdershins Dance
8th Level: Animosity/Affinity, Wail of the Banshee

Arcane Powers
Level 1: Telekinesis 
Level 4: Beguile 
Level 7: Empathy
Level 10: Precognition
Level 13: Psychic Power: ESP
Level 16: Shadow Walking

Divine Touchstones
Level 1: Sense Magic
Level 2: 
Level 3: Bonus to Spellcasting (+10%)
Level 4: 
Level 5: 
Level 6: Level 1 of Sage
Level 7: 
Level 8: 
Level 9: Spirit Guide (Nightbird) 
Level 10: 
Level 11: Glamour
Level 12: 
Level 13: Magical Recovery
Level 14: Level 2 of Sage
Level 15: 
Level 16: 2 Level Ones: Arcane Power: Astral Projection. Psychic Power: Bio-feedback

Heroic (Divine) Archetype: Witchcraft, Occultism

Gear
Staff, dagger, ring of protection

Wasted Lands as D&D

I have used Larina in various forms of D&D, so using her in a Wasted Lands as a D&D game is largely a matter of role-playing options. The Night Shift version is closest to say, classic style D&D, and Wasted Lands adds a few more options, mostly due to the Divine Touchstones.  Those will be the key to all sorts of great customizations. 

She is an easy sell for me since by design she is a flexible character. The others will be my true tests.

You can get your copies of the Wasted Lands RPG and the NIGHT SHIFT RPG.

TARDIS Captain's 31 Day Character Creation Challenge 2024

 Tomorrow is New Year's Day and the start of 2024!

I am also participating in TARDIS Captain's 31 Day Character Creation Challenge. This is always a lot of fun.

This year, my theme is "Wasted Lands as my Dungeons & Dragons Replacement."

And to put my money where my mouth is, I am going to make Wasted Lands versions of 31 of my past D&D characters from the last 45 years. Now I understand that most people will have no interest at all in *my* characters. So this will be less about how to convert that character on a one-to-one basis and more about how to get the proper feel for the character, and the particular version of Dungeons & Dragons being used.

I am also going to bring in bits from NIGHT SHIFT to show how flexible O.G.R.E.S. is and talk about Thirteen Parsecs a bit too.

But the real goal here is to show how you can have fun with a great fantasy RPG and support the small publishers out there at the same time. 

Yes, yes. D&D is a fine game. We would not be here 50 years later if it wasn't. But there are also other great, games that offer the D&D "experience" and none of the D&D overhead.

Join me all month long!

Buy Wasted Lands & NIGHT SHIFT

• Wasted Lands Print, Complete
• Wasted Lands PDF
• NIGHT SHIFT, Print
• NIGHT SHIFT, PDF

Don't forget, Thirteen Parsecs is coming soon!

Character Creation Challenge: Ethyl Critchlow for NIGHT SHIFT

Running a bit late on this one.  Today I am going to show how to use NIGHT SHIFT with one of my often-forgotten witches, the Hedge Witch for Hero's Journey RPG, First Edition.

The Hero's Journey is a great RPG from James M. Spahn.  Designed to capture the feel of a bygone time when people would go on adventures for the sake of adventure. The rules are close enough to Swords & Wizardry to be, oh, 95%-97% compatible. In truth, it is my favorite presentation of the Swords & Wizardry rules.

The class I designed for it is the Hedge Witch. Someone that dabbles in magic but was not a full-on wizard. 

The Hedge Witch

These are lower-powered witches and are thus perfect for dabblers or supernatural species that also gain other abilities. 

The Hedge Witch has the following powers.

Level 1: Supernatural Awareness. This acts as a Detect Evil spell, and the Hedge can determine if someone is a supernatural creature in disguise or not.

Level 4: Craft Potions. The stock and trade of the Hedge witch are her potions. Guidelines are the same as in the Witch for the Hero's Journey book. Essentially she can replicate any spell she knows.

Level 7: Evil Eye. She can cast the Evil Eye spell once per day at any target.

Level 10: Curse. The hedge witch can curse one target per day.

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I did Ethyl Critchlow a while back as an Urban Hag, but I always wanted to give her some levels in witch.

Ethyl Critchlow
9th Level Hedge Witch / Urban Hag

Strength: 17 (+2)
Dexterity: 17 (+2)
Constitution: 18 (+3) s
Intelligence: 16 (+2) P
Wisdom: 16 (+2) S
Charisma: 8 (-1) 

HP: 78
Alignment: Dark / Chaos
AC: 2
Attack: +1

Fate Points: 1d10

Check Bonus (P/S/T): +5/+3/+1
Melee bonus: +2 Ranged bonus: +2
Saves: +3 against spells and magical effects

Witch Abilities

Arcana, Supernatural Senses, Spells, Arcane Powers

Arcane (Occult) Powers
Supernatural Awareness, Craft potions, Evil Eye

Skills
Knowledge (supernatural), Knowledge (occultism), survival

Background
400 year-old hag

Spells
First Level(4): Bad Luck, Far Sight, Glamour, Minor Curse
Second Level(3): ESP, Evil Eye, Night's Companion
Third Level(3): Clairvoyance, Mind Shield, Scry 
Fourth Level(2): Discern Lies, Remove Curse 
Fifth Level(1): Primal Scream

Note Ethyl uses Intelligence as her prime for spell casting. 

Every child, whether human or witch-born, knows to stay away from the house on the corner of Taylor and Bell.  Here sits an old run-down house that everyone thought would either fall in on itself or the city would have condemned.  

But it is not the house that frightens the children, though it is frightening.  Nor is it the small angry dog everyone remembers from their childhoods, making it at least 25 years old or older.  Rumor in the neighborhood is that once the dog got out and bit the fingers off of a boy who could not run fast enough. 

It is not the dog or the house. It is the owner of both that keeps people away.

Ethyl Critchlow looks like a stereotypical old witch, but this is just a glamour, her true form is that of an ancient and hideous old hag.  She is an Urban Hag and has been living in West Haven for nearly as long as there has been a West Haven.  She hates all children and takes glee in terrorizing them, but a pact made with the City Council keeps her from doing any actual harm to them.  Though if their toys land in her yard she will keep them and if any child climbs her fence to get these toys then she will send her "dog" (in actuality a glamoured Hell Hound) Maximillian after them.  

Ethyl would also admit that at her age (almost 400), eating children, especially modern ones, gives her terrible heartburn.  Though she did eat a couple of missionaries from East Haven back in the 1960s, but no one came looking for them.  

She stays in West Haven because she has nowhere else to go. The city tolerates her and is just waiting for her to finally die of old age or a magical mishap.   She is also a great source of magical knowledge and history. She can be bribed with 18-year-old single malt scotch. Ethyl is a heavy drinker, so bring more than one bottle if you plan to use this for information.  Also, fair warning, as Ethyl drinks, her glamour begins to fade. Her glamour will be gone when she has worked through two bottles.

Urban Hags are hoarders. Her home is a falling apart pit of junk she has collected over her nearly four centuries of life.  Amongst the filth, garbage, and debris of decades, there are also some magical treasures.  In particular, Ethyl has several magical scrolls with spells that can be used by any witch or scholar. There is also a magical pipe that can lure the undead to sleep. Though one is advised not to go looking for such treasures.

You can get NIGHT SHIFT in print and pdf.  You can get my the Witch for Hero's Journey RPG here.

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Want to see more of the #CharacterCreationChallenge? Stop by Tardis Captain's Blog and the #CharacterCreationChallenge on Twitter for more! 

Character Creation Challenge: Katherine Montblanc for NIGHT SHIFT

Moving on to one of my older witches, one of the first I did for Swords & Wizardry.

 The Aiséiligh, or "reclaiming" tradition, is pretty much my "Social Justice Witch" book. I never come out and say that, but that is what they are and what I was thinking when I wrote it.

While they are not 100% living up to their potential in Swords & Wizardry, they could shine in NIGHT SHIFT.  Especially in the "Nocturnumverse" and "Ordinary World" Night World settings. 

The Aiséiligh

These witches also have a strong connection to NIGHT SHIFT.  When I worked for Eden Studios and worked on the WitchCraftRPG line, I had a group of Wicce known as the Daughters of the Flame. I am sure if you are a long-time reader, you have seen them here before. The Daughters of the Flame were a coven dedicated to the Goddess Brigit. They started in my old AD&D 2nd Ed Witch netbook and were modernized for WitchCraft.

Well, when Eden opted not to produce more Unisystem books, I took those notes and let them stew on my hard drives.

The Daughters of the Flame were brought back as part of a new Tradition, the Aiséiligh. You can still be a member of the Daughters coven, but now there were other covens too.

The same notes would later go on become NIGHT SHIFT and my two Night Worlds, "Generation HEX" and "Ordinary World."

There was a quote I scribbled down in my notes back then.  It was for the Daughters, but it now applies to the Aiséiligh and explains what they do well. 

"The world is in peril.  The forces of evil in the guise of law and weal threaten all lands.
The people of good conscience scream out for champions.
The Witches of the Aiséiligh Tradition hear those cries and are charged by the Goddess to be Her hands and Her mortal representatives on this plane.

And the Goddess is angry."

In NIGHT SHIFT these are your activist witches. They are part of the movements for social justice. They are the ones volunteering at the Sanctuary houses to help others. These are the ones fighting for more LGBTQI+ representation. They are the ones making noise. That is not everyone's cup of tea, but for some it is exactly what they want. 

Arcane Powers from Occult Powers

The Aiséiligh are somewhat unique among my witches since they do not receive familiars by default. Instead, they are said to hear the voice of their Goddess directly. In the case of the Daughters of the Flame they look into the flames to get their insight and learn spells.  This has given them the somewhat joking nickname of "Campfire Girls."

Level 1: Healing Touch. The Aiséiligh witch can heal by touch. Once per day she can heal a 1d4+Level+Cha mod in HP.  She can parse this out to multiple uses, but not exceed that maximum. 

Level 4: Protection. Once per day, the witch can invoke Protection from Evil, 10'. This lasts for rounds equal to half her level.  

Level 7: Immune to Fear. The Aiséiligh witch is so focused in purpose she becomes immune to the effects of fear, either mundane or magical.

Level 10: Psychic Power. The witch can choose a psychic power.

Level 13: Mantle of the Goddess. Greater protection as described in the Aiséiligh tradition book.

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Katherine "Kat" Montblanc
10th Level Aiséiligh Witch

Strength: 14 (+1)
Dexterity: 13 (+1)
Constitution: 13 (+1) 
Intelligence: 16 (+1) S
Wisdom: 14 (+1) S
Charisma: 17 (+2) P

HP: 38
Alignment: Light
AC: 9
Attack: +

Fate Points: 1d10

Check Bonus (P/S/T): +5/+3/+2
Melee bonus: +1 Ranged bonus: +1
Saves: +3 against spells and magical effects

Witch Abilities

Arcana, Supernatural Senses, Spells, Arcane Powers

Arcane (Occult) Powers
Healing Touch, Protection, Immune to Fear, Psychic Power (Bio-Feedback)

Skills
Knowledge (medicine), Insight

Background
Trust-fund rebel

Spells
First Level(4): Burning Hands, Feel My Pain, Sanctuary, Sleep
Second Level(4): Augury, Calm Emotions, Evil Eye, Mind Obscure 
Third Level(3): Clairvoyance, Remove Disease, Witch Wail
Fourth Level(3): Discern Lies, Instant Karma, Remove Curse 
Fifth Level(2): Dispel Evil, Primal Scream

Katherine "Kat" Montblanc is one of the more notorious rebels in the Montblanc family. She wants nothing to do with her family at all except for when she can rub their nose in her defiance. An aspect of her personality she admits is a character flaw. She works as a social worker in her family's hospital but only accepts the salary paid to her by The Sanctuary, where she also does volunteer work.  She specializes in trauma inflicted by other supernatural types, though she will go on to say that some of the worst monsters out there are humans.

Kat does not get along with, nor trust, Katia Crane. The feelings are mutual. 

You can get NIGHT SHIFT in print and pdf.  You can get my Aiséiligh Witch book pdf here.

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Want to see more of the #CharacterCreationChallenge? Stop by Tardis Captain's Blog and the #CharacterCreationChallenge on Twitter for more! 

Character Creation Challenge: Erika Lenard for NIGHT SHIFT

Today I want to discuss Warlocks in NIGHT SHIFT.

Warlocks are a different class from witches in my Old-School games. Warlocks get more powers but far fewer spells to cast. Witches and warlocks cast spells from the same group, Occult Spells, and there are even a few power overlaps.  Both have patrons, but these patrons demand more of the warlock than the witch.

In NIGHT SHIFT, they are interchangeable in terms of mechanics. The differences largely lie in roleplaying.

I have two different warlock books, each covering a different OSR system (Swords & Wizardry and OSE) and different types of warlocks.  I have discussed the differences between the two books before, but for today I want to talk about what each offers NIGHT SHIFT.

The Warlock

In the case of both books, if you choose to play a warlock in NIGHT SHIFT use the Witch class from the Core. Could you use the S&W or OSE Warlocks as is? Sure, but I have to point out I have never play-tested the warlock under the NIGHT SHIFT rules. It *should* work, but I can't promise that there isn't some odd little system things that might come up.

With the warlock, it is much less about one-to-one conversions as it is a role-playing one.  

Start with the NIGHT SHIFT witch class and add invocations and spells as appropriate to whichever warlock pact and/or lodge you want to play.

Pacts

Warlocks have pacts. This is pretty much a given in FRPGs today, but it bears repeating. These pacts are almost like subclasses, in a sense.

The Warlock for Swords & Wizardry has: Cthonic, Demonic, Diabolic, and Fey pacts.

The Warlock for Old-School Essentials has: Chaos, Cosmic, Death, and Dragon pacts.

Each of these gives us a slightly different warlock. Sure to the outsider Chaos and Demon pact warlocks act the same and the differences between Demonic and Diabolic might be purely academic, but to the warlocks in question they are all the differences they need.

Lodges

Witches have covens, and warlocks have Lodges. These are groups of like-minded warlocks (and sometimes others) to achieve a specific Earthly goal. Often they have members of the same pacts, but not always so.  Characters will typically not deal with "Demon Pact Warlocks" but more often "The Lodge of a Particular Demon Lord."

Like the pacts, each book offers different lodges.

The Warlock for Swords & Wizardry has: Ascension Lodges, The Dark School of the Scholomance, Goetic Lodges, The Grand Coven, The Hermetic Lodge, the Lodge of Pure Thought, and the Masters of the Invisible College.

The Warlock for Old-School Essentials has: The Academy of Noble Stargazers, Chaos Cults, The Dragon Cult, and The Lords of the Undying.

All of these would be right at home in a NIGHT SHIFT game.  The Scholomance would be a great rival school in Generation HEX. Most, if not all, these lodges would find a home in Jason's "Veterans of the Supernatural Wars" Night World setting. Indeed many of the groups would work with my Hermetic Lodges. In his "Nocturumverse" his Esoteric Order of Gnostics would follow my lodge rules, as would his Rosicrucians.

My "Ordinary World" setting also has a lot of room for warlocks. Angels and demons battle each other and seek mortal aid in their wars. Fey lords and ladies plot and scheme, and who knows what else is out there hiding and waiting. 

Erika Lenard
3rd Level Witch (Warlock)

Strength: 10 (0)
Dexterity: 17 (+2) S
Constitution: 14 (+1)
Intelligence: 15 (+1) S
Wisdom: 12 (+0) 
Charisma: 16 (+2) P

HP: 13
Alignment: Light
AC: 9
Attack: +0

Fate Points: 1d6

Check Bonus (P/S/T): +3/+1/+0
Melee bonus: 0 Ranged bonus: +2
Saves: +3 against spells and magical effects

Witch Abilities

Arcana, Supernatural Senses, Spells, Arcane Powers

Arcane (Occult) Powers
Familiar, Talk to Animals

Skills
Knowledge (Egyptian History)

Gear
Cellphone, Cat-ear Bluetooth headphones.

Spells
First Level(2): Detect Magic, Sleep
Second Level(1): Animal Summoning

Erika Lenard always knew she was different. Very different. Even at a very young age, she could understand animals, particularly cats. It was a school field trip to the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago that she heard the voice of Sekhmet. She passed out and the next thing she knew, she was surrounded by her classmates, and she could see the Goddess Sekhmet.

Sekhmet has given her the spells she knows and has instructed her via her cat-familiar Isis.  

She has so far, used her ability to summon cats as a means to help find a missing child and even attack a would-be burglar.  Though Sekhmet has mentioned that she has greater plans for Erika.

Erika is currently being watched by several groups, including the OTO, the Rosicrucians, and the One True Way. Each with their own plans for her.

You can get NIGHT SHIFT in print and pdf.  You can get The Warlock for Old-School Essentials and The Warlock for Swords & Wizardry in print and pdf.

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Want to see more of the #CharacterCreationChallenge? Stop by Tardis Captain's Blog and the #CharacterCreationChallenge on Twitter for more! 

Character Creation Challenge: Katia Crane for NIGHT SHIFT

Continuing my series here on using my OSR Witch books with NIGHT SHIFT I am providing more detail and background to a character that only got a paragraph in the NIGHT SHIFT core rules.

The Green Witch

I will admit, the Green Witch is one of my favorites. It has a witch concept I really love and introduces both the Huntsman and Green Knight classes to use.  

While it works fantastic for Swords & Wizardry, it really gets to shine as part of NIGHT SHIFT.

I have discussed the idea of a Ban Drui or druid-witch in the past. The Green Witch comes closest to that idea.  In NIGHT SHIFT this can get even closer to my concept.  

Again, you can use all the spells from the Green Witch in NIGHT SHIFT. Some might need to be altered to fit your game or gaming style, but the idea is to give the Green Witch something more special about here above and beyond that of the average witch.  

Here is how I would redo her occult powers into arcane powers.

Level 1: Familiar. The Green Witch gets a familiar. This is a spirit in the form of a naturally occurring animal.  Use the familiar rules in the Green Witch book for the bonuses to the witch.

Level 4: Herbal Healing. Just like the Herbal Healing power in the Green Witch book.

Level 7: Speak to Plants and Animals. Again, just like the Occult Power the Green Witch gets at level 7.

Level 10: Green Walking. Just like the Shadow Walking power in NIGHT SHIFT, but the witch uses her natural surroundings to move.

Level 13: Pass Without A Trace. Same as the level 13 Occult Power for the Green Witch.

I have to admit, this works rather well. 

Katia Crane
8th Level Green Witch

Strength: 12 (0)
Dexterity: 13 (+1)
Constitution: 14 (+1) S
Intelligence: 13 (+1) S
Wisdom: 14 (+1) 
Charisma: 17 (+2) P

HP: 30
Alignment: Light (for now), Neutrality
AC: 9
Attack: +1

Fate Points: 1d8

Check Bonus (P/S/T): +4/+3/+1
Melee bonus: 0 Ranged bonus: +1
Saves: +3 against spells and magical effects

Witch Abilities

Arcana, Supernatural Senses, Spells, Arcane Powers

Arcane (Occult) Powers
Familiar, Herbal Healing, Speak to Plants and Animals

Skills
Knowledge (botany and plants), Knowledge (chemistry), Insight

Spells
First Level(4): Bless Growth, Detect Magic, Sanctuary, Sleep
Second Level(3): Bewitch II, Binding Earth, Command
Third Level(3): Bestow Curse, Fear (Greater), Remove Disease
Fourth Level(2): Call Lightning, Confusion

Katia Crane is an attractive witch in her early 30s. She has a young son, Henry, who she dotes over. She runs the local apothecary and herbal shop in the town of West Haven.  By all accounts, she is a pleasant person and no one, witch, supernatural, or mortal, seems to have a bad thing to say about her.  This is largely due to the fact that she plays her cards very close to her chest.

Katia is of the belief that witches should rule the world. She has no idea exactly how to make that happen, but she keeps tabs on all the witches in the area, particularly the Montblanc and Winters clans.  If she had a preference, she would side with the Winters; odd given her focus on plants and their focus on the cold, but she feels they are an older family more in touch with the "old ways."  She thinks the Montblancs are too used to their modern comforts. 

She never speaks about Henry's father, not even to say if they were married or not. This has led to some gossip that she had poisoned him. She did not, but she did have him killed. 

You can get NIGHT SHIFT in print and pdf.  You can get my Green Witch book in print and pdf here.

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Want to see more of the #CharacterCreationChallenge? Stop by Tardis Captain's Blog and the #CharacterCreationChallenge on Twitter for more! 

Character Creation Challenge: Tanith Winters for NIGHT SHIFT

One of the questions I have been asked is, can I use my various witch books/traditions with NIGHT SHIFT witches?

The short answer is YES!

The longer answer is still yes, but there are ways to do it. 

There are a few things to consider. My various witch books will not go up to the spell levels that NIGHT SHIFT does.  Even at the highest, my OSR witch books are capped spell level 8. NIGHT SHIFT goes to 9.  NIGHT SHIFT witches get to choose their powers at 1st, 4th, 7th, and 10th levels (and every three levels after). My OSR witches get assigned an occult power at various levels, usually 1st, 7th, 13th, and more. 

So with this character creation challenge, I want to take on some particular examples. 

Since this is winter, let's start with the Winter Witch book.

The Winter Witch

The Winters family is mentioned (but not detailed) in the NIGHT SHIFT core. They are a rival family of the Montblanc family in my "Ordinary World" setting/Night World.

The Winters are Winter Witches, and the Montblancs are Family Witches. They are bitter rivals but keep their hostilities out of the open. 

When adapting the Swords & Wizardry-based Winter Witch book, you can substitute the powers the NIGHT SHIFT witches can choose with the Occult Powers of the Winter Witches.

Winter Witches gain the following powers in NIGHT SHIFT.

1st Level: Immunity to Cold.  The cold never bothered them anyway.

4th Level: Cool Demeanor. The winter witch adds +1 to all her cold-based attacks and spell rolls.

7th Level: Wild Form. Assume the shape of any winter animal.

10th Level: Pass Without a Trace/Free movement. The winter witch can move freely in ice or snow on foot. Never slipping, never falling, never leaving a trace of movement. Treated as having stealth skills in the ice and snow of a Survivor of equal level. 

There are other powers like "Hyperborean Apotheosis" that the Winter Witch can use, but that should be only granted at the 19th level. 

Photo by Darya Sannikova from Pexels

Tanith Winters 
4th level Winter Witch

Strength: 10 (0)
Dexterity: 12 (0)
Constitution: 14 (+1) S
Intelligence: 13 (+1)
Wisdom: 14 (+1) S
Charisma: 16 (+2) P

HP: 15
Alignment: Light (for now)
AC: 9
Attack: +0

Fate Points: 1d6

Check Bonus (P/S/T): +3/+2/0
Melee bonus: 0 Ranged bonus: +0
Saves: +3 against spells and magical effects

Witch Abilities

Arcana, Supernatural Senses, Spells, Arcane Powers

Arcane (Occult) Powers
Immunity to Cold, Cool Demeanor

Skills
Research, Insight, 

Spells
First Level: Detect Magic, Protection from Evil, Sleep
Second Level: Knock, Suggestion

Tanith Winters is a young witch already making a name for herself among the Winters family. She has even attracted the attention of the family matriarch, Grandmother Winters.  This can be a good or bad thing.

Tanith lives in West Haven, where she has already encountered the members of the rival Montblanc family. While the Montblancs have more money and Earthly power, the Winters are an older family with more powerful magic. So at the moment, they are avoiding direct confrontation with each other. 

Other versions of Tanith can be found here, here, and here. 

You can get NIGHT SHIFT in print and pdf.  You can get my Winter Witch book in print and pdf here.

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Want to see more of the #CharacterCreationChallenge? Stop by Tardis Captain's Blog and the #CharacterCreationChallenge on Twitter for more! 

Character Creation Challenge: Jassic Winterhaven

“Some sages say we are related to dwarves because of our tendency to live underground.  Might as well say we are related to purple worms with that logic!  Others say we are akin to earth elementals. So we must be related to rocks. But I say we are really related to birds. Give me long distances to travel. Give me a song to play. Give me women to impress.  That’s what it means to be a gnome to me.”

- Jassic Winterhaven, Gnome adventurer.

I wanted to start off this year's Character Creation Challenge with one of my "scholar" characters I am using in my Monstrous Maleficarum; Jassic Winterhaven. Gnome adventurer, bard and witch (or warlock). He is charming, curious, and always in trouble.  Great for a witch that runs into a lot of monsters. 

He got his start in during my 3.0 days as an NPC. He then moved on to 4th Edition and then to 5th Edition. 

Jassic Winterhaven

We will see more Jassic this year and more Monstrous Maleficarum scholars this month.

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Want to see more of the #CharacterCreationChallenge? Stop by Tardis Captain's Blog and the #CharacterCreationChallenge on Twitter for more! 

Various Updates: Year of the Monster, Mega-dungeons, and the OGL 1.1

Lots of little things going on here during this time between 2022 and 2023.  I am not sure what day it is or even the time, but hey, here we are.

Hastur, Ifrit Princess, and 3 Goblins in a trenchcoat.
Painted by my wife.

Year of the Monster

I have made some oblique references to this, but 2023 is going to be my Year of the Monster. Going back to my earliest roots of this hobby and talking more about monsters and monster-related topics. So more monsters for NIGHT SHIFT, more Monstrous Maleficarum, and a few other projects I have in my back pocket.

#Dungeon23

So this is one I just found out about. The idea is neat. Detail a new room every day for a 12-level mega-dungeon in 2023. I have never really been a fan of mega-dungeons, BUT as a writing exercise, I can see how it would be fun.  I would want to have a theme and do it for Old-School Essentials. Though I have not made up my mind just yet.

New Year, New Character

I have done this for the past two years, and it was fun.  I had an idea for this year but have run out of time to do it right. Have to think some more about this one.

OGL 1.1 and One D&D

Well. Once again, people are freaking out. Here is exactly everything we know for sure about the new OGL coming out when the next version of D&D is released.

• It will be called "The Open Gaming License 1.1."

And that is it. 

Everything else is, at best, speculation and, at worst, Chicken Little style running around fear mongering.  My personal plans are not changing. I will still publish under the OGL 1.0a, and still use the 3.5, Pathfinder, and 5e SRDs as I see fit.

Other Items

More "This Old Dragon" and other regular features. I am undecided on The April A to Z Challenge yet, and I am pretty sure I will not do another 100 Days of Halloween. But who knows.

Hope everyone is having a great Holiday Season.

Character Creation Challenge: Nik Nak, Goblin Warlock

Nik Nak by Jacob Blackmon

I was waiting on today's Character Creation Challenge until I got my copy of Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse today.  While this collects a bunch of material for other books into one volume, I did want to wait to see what the options for new character races/species were.  And I can say I am not disappointed at all!

Personally I like having all these different options in my games.  Especially with the way I have been playing D&D 5 of late.  It makes me want to make my part of the world something akin to Elis Island of the Multiverse.  A place where everyone comes too on their way to new lands.

One of those places in my town of West Haven.  Once I settled on that then the choice of today's character was an easy one.

Nik Nak is a goblin fey-pact Warlock in service to the Goblin King.  I featured him a while back for my Swords & Wizardry Warlock book; which introduced both the warlock class and the goblin playable species.   Here he is in his D&D 5th Edition version.

He is a sneaky little goblin, but not completely evil really. He lives in the Goblin Wood where he is the local Boglebo (akin to a warlock/shaman for goblins) and alchemist.  He sometimes sells potions in the market.  He has learned that ripping off a customer is a good deal in the short term, but to sell what he has at a fair price brings in more money in the long term.  He is fond of urban life and would bring more money home if he didn't have such a taste for human alcohol. 

He is often found with his toad familiar, "Lady Patricia Blackwell."  A gift to him from his patron the Goblin King.

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Want to see more of the #CharacterCreationChallenge? Stop by Tardis Captain's Blog and the #CharacterCreationChallenge on Twitter for more! 

Character Creation Challenge: Nancy Drew

I have to admit I rather enjoyed the old Hardy Boys / Nancy Drew Mysteries.  I was more partial to Nancy Drew; having a crush on Pamela Sue Martin and later Janet Julian.  I  was quite excited on hearing there was going to be new Nancy Drew series staring Kennedy McMann.   So imagine my delight when the show went hard-core supernatural.  

The show is full of ghosts, possessions, family curses, witches fighting other witches, and yes lots of mystery.  In its 3rd season, it is one of my new guilty pleasures. 

Plus Nancy would be fantastic for any number of supernatural RPGs.  In the spirit of crossovers how about Nancy for the Buffy the Vampire Slayer RPG.  After all, Buffy would not have been here had it not been for Nancy Drew.  And the Nancy Drew show would not have been on the CW had Buffy not been on the WB before it.

So here is Nancy for the Buffy the Vampire Slayer RPG.

Nancy Drew
Experienced Hero

"Everyone loves a mystery"

Life Points: 33
Drama Points: 10

Strength 2
Dexterity 3
Constitution 3
Intelligence 4
Perception 5
Willpower 4

Qualities
Attractiveness (2)

Contacts (3)
Fast Reaction Time
Hard to Kill 1

Nerves of Steel

Photographic Memory 

Situational Awareness

Drawbacks
Adversary (1)

Honorable (1)

Love (Ex, Nick)

Useful Information
Initiative 5
Observation 10

Height: 5'8"
Hair: Red
Eyes: Blue

Skills
Acrobatics 3
Art 4
Computers 2
Crime 5
Doctor 2
Driving 2
Gun-Fu 0
Getting Medieval 2
Influence 3
Knowledge 4
Kung Fu 2
Languages 2
Mr. Fix-it 2
Notice 5
Occultism 3
Science 3
Sports 1

Combat

Maneuver	Bonus	Damage	Notes
Dodge / Parry	+5	-	Defense Action
Grapple	+6	-	Defense Action

Gear

Notebook

Flashlight

Scarf

Knit hat

Sunbeam Alpine Series III, light blue

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You wont see Nancy getting into too many fights and she has never, in my memory, used a weapon.  Maybe a she has picked up a stick or used a supernatural weapon, but never a gun or even a knife really.  Her main weapon is her mind; her keen intelligence and her photographic memory.

She would really fit in well.  I mean Horseshoe Bay might as well be a Hellmouth with all the supernatural shenanigans going on. This Nancy Drew really is the spiritual daughter of Buffy, as much as Buffy is the spiritual granddaughter of Nancy Drew from the books.

Want to see more of the #CharacterCreationChallenge? Stop by Tardis Captain's Blog and the #CharacterCreationChallenge on Twitter for more! 

Character Creation Challenge: The 11th Doctor for Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Ever have one of those times when things seem to line up a certain way?  Yesterday I posted stats for Sherlock and Watson for the Doctor Who RPG, Adventures in Time and Space.  In particular the one for the 11th Doctor.  It's not a completely original idea, there is an entire sub-culture of fans for "Who-lock" out there. 

Also this week DriveThruComics is having their big Crossover sale now and I do love a good cross-over.  I picked up Army of Darkness/Xena Warrior Princess Volume 1, Sherlock Holmes & Kolchak: The Night Stalker, Red Sonja & Vampirella Meet Betty & Veronica (just because), and the Pathfinder: Worldscape  Vol 1 and Vol 2.    The Pathfinder ones are nice since they have Pathfinder 1st Ed stats for John Carter, Tarzan, Red Sonja, and more.  

I was thinking that some crossovers would be fun for the last week of this challenge. I have done a few in the past that were really fun. I have Xena and Gabrielle for Army of Darkness. Lots for Red Sonja.  Charmed and Buffy for both Dark Places & Demogorns and the Buffy RPG. And Willow and Tara for Doctor Who. 

One of my goals for NIGHT SHIFT was to be able to play any character I wanted from any modern supernatural horror franchise.  So I have been trying out a Buffy/Supernatural crossover with the Wayward Sisters and Willow and Tara. It has worked well. 

So I have been trying to come with ideas for other crossovers, and in particular ones I could do with NIGHT SHIFT.  The problem I am having is I have already done all the ones I was most excited about.  So I started looking for more.  I thought maybe an Expanse / Black Star crossover would be fun. The series ended and I was looking for more Expanse goodness.  I even looked into making a scenario where the MCRN Barkeith exits the Ring Gate and is not "gone" but ends up in the Black Star Universe. Given Admiral Sauveterre's attitude, he would likely fire on the first Earth ship he sees, which so happens to be USS Imbolc Mage.  It will be a short fight.  The MCRN Barkeith is a Donnager class Martian Warship (in the books).  The Imbolc Mage is a Mystic class experimental science vessel.  The Mage can out-fly, outmaneuver, and outgun the Barkeith by several orders of magnitude. The Barkeith's PDNs can't even get through the Imbolc Mage's navigation shields. This does not consider the Imbolc Mage's warp drive, phasers, or forward-mounted phase canons. 

But those are ships. Not characters. I was still at a loss of a character to do today.  That is until I saw an image from the 2022 Buffy the Vampire Slayer Calendar.

There is the 11th Doctor.  Not sure why, but I know a gift when I see it.

The photo behind Buffy's/SMG's head is one of the Dæmons from Doctor Who.  Which would also give a good reason for a crossover.  A Dæmon from the Doctor Who universe escapes to the Buffy universe where it is suspected of being a demon. 

So here is the 11th Doctor for the Buffy the Vampire Slayer RPG.

The Doctor (11th Doctor)
Very Experienced Hero

"Hello, I'm the Doctor.  Basically. Run."

Life Points: 57
Drama Points: 10

Strength 3
Dexterity 5
Constitution 5
Intelligence 9
Perception 4
Willpower 4

Qualities
Age (11) (1100 years)
Attractiveness (1)

Contacts (3)
Fast Reaction Time (Time Lord)
Hard to Kill 5 (Time Lord)

Nerd

Nerves of Steel

Photographic Memory 

Reduced Damage 3 (Time Lord)
Regeneration (6 Life Points per hour) (Time Lord)

Situational Awareness (Time Lord)

Time Lord

Drawbacks
Adversary (lots)

Honorable (3)
Love, Tragic (River)

Useful Information
Initiative +10
Observation 9

Height: 6'0"
Hair: Brown (and still not Ginger)
Eyes: Brown

Skills
Acrobatics 3
Art 2
Computers 9
Crime 2
Doctor 5
Driving 4
Gun-Fu 0
Getting Medieval 3
Influence 4
Knowledge 6
Kung Fu 3
Languages * (Everything)
Mr. Fix-it 5
Notice 5
Occultism 1
Science 8
Sports 4
Wild Card (Time Travel) 10

Combat

Maneuver	Bonus	Damage	Notes
Dodge / Parry	+8	-	Defense Action
Grapple	+9	-	Defense Action

Gear

Sonic Screwdriver

Bow tie

Fez

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Oh, this would be a lot of fun. The 11th Doctor is more in tune with the whole vibe of Buffy.  I'd have to work out the details on what the Time Lord quality is, but in truth The Doctor Who RPG does it so well.  

A fact, most of the playtesters for Doctor Who were also the playtesters for Buffy.   

Want to see more of the #CharacterCreationChallenge? Stop by Tardis Captain's Blog and the #CharacterCreationChallenge on Twitter for more! 

Character Creation Challenge, Kickstart Your Weekend style

Something a little different today.  I am interrupting my regularly scheduled Character Creation Challenge posts with a Kickstart Your Weekend style review.

The Kickstarter for SURVIVE THIS!! Dark Places & Demogorgons Class Compendium has begun and Bloat Games offered me a sneak peak.  I am providing a review of their new book, and a link for their Kickstarter.

The Kickstarter

I am a huge fan of Dark Places & Demogorgons. 

As of this writing the Kickstarter has made their initial goal. They are now heading to the next Stretch Goal of new art.  After this more stretch goals will be announced.  The lowest level to get in $6 and that gets you the PDF.  Not a bad deal really.

The Book

The current version of the book is all complete with layout and art.  Stretch goals will replace some of the art, but right now it looks great.

The book is digest sized, 210+ pages, color cover and black & white pages.  If you are familiar with any SURVIVE THIS!! book you have a good idea of how it looks on the inside.

The book contains all the classes that have appeared in every Dark Places & Demogorns book, all in one place.  The new classes include  Archery Enthusiast, Badger Scout,  Horror Connoisseur, Hot Shot,  Snoop, The Source, Sweet Baby, Thespian, and new psionic classes, Animal Wrangler and The Forgotten. So 56 classes and 10 new classes for 66 in total.  There are also new spells for the magic using classes.

Most classes cover two to three pages.  Everything you need to know about each class, but no rules for play. You still need the core rules for that. I am reading through and the classes do look expanded.  For example the Goth in the core Dark Places & Demogorgons book tops of, as all classes do in that book, at 5th level.  The Goth in the Class Compendium advances to 10th level, and there are archetypes of the "Mopey Goth" and the "Supernatural Goth."

The new classes are fun with the Horror Connoisseur toping the list of my favorites.  Though I knew a lot of "Sources" back in High School and they would also be a fun class to play.  Though the Magic Classes are still my favorite.  So I am quite pleased to get a bunch of new spells.

Skills are also updated.  The game moved up and out from the core book so new skills need to be defined and there are revised skills as well. 

There is even some space given to fighting threats from "The Otherside."  I'll try not to take that one personally! ;)

Really is a fun book and a must have if you are playing Dark Places & Demogorgons.  It should even work for We Die Young to be honest. 

So yeah, this is a Kickstarter worth backing.

The Character

Again, I think I need to go with my Drosophila melanogaster of playtesting magic classes and see what my dear little witch Larina was doing in the 1980s (1984 to be exact).  She was my big experiment in my Modern Occult Horror RPGs post a bit back, but let's have a look at her in detail.  I am also including my NIGHT SHIFT character sheet as well.

Click to see larger. 

I love how these two games work well with each other.  Each providing me a a detail I did not have before.