It took a bit, but we finally got it.
Our Reaper Bones came in the mail!
I have no idea how minis are here. A lot. Maybe too much.
All I know is I better learn how to paint.
ETA: Bones 5, not 4.
It took a bit, but we finally got it.
Our Reaper Bones came in the mail!
I have no idea how minis are here. A lot. Maybe too much.
All I know is I better learn how to paint.
ETA: Bones 5, not 4.
Been in a bit of a creative rut when it comes to D&D and D&D-like games lately. I get my best ideas when running and I have not been doing that in the morning due to the day job.
In the meantime, I have been thinking about my two Trek games BlackStar and Mercy.
For BlackStar I spent some money and had a 3D model designed for my ship, the USS Protector. I got the STL file from the designer and had my youngest print them out on our resin printer. The results? Well, I have to say I am thrilled to death with them.
Looking now I see the blue resin one is a little hard to see. The green resin one I painted with a light-gray/off-white "Corax White" from Citadel paints.
The painted/green resin/smallest is the largest size we can print with the ship length on the y axis. The blue is the largest we can do with the ship length on the z axis.
I am actually pretty happy with both sizes to be honest.
You can see the blue resin one better here. The front of the saucer section was where it was connected to the build plate. Connor raised it by a couple of mm and it looks much better. I gave that one to my friend Greg for his birthday and his own Trek game.
The blue resin also looks like it is the same scale as this little USS Reliant model I have. I also have an Enterprise A that is very nearly the same scale.
The smaller one matches the scale (nearly) of the Enterprise D model I have too.
If I compare to this sizing, the Protector uses the same space frame as does the Ambassador Class Enterprise-C.
I said originally that the Protector was 700 meters, that looks like a typo to me. I am now saying 600 meters, so still longer that than the Enterprise C. Most of that is in the nacelles.
It's kinda cool to have my own little starships coming out of what is this century's version of the replicator.
Speaking of centuries. I have been discussing my Mystoerth Timeline with some others and it is a little like sticking a square peg into a round hole. But it is still nowhere near as bad as trying to get my Star Trek timeline to line up. I am not talking about trying to figure out how to work things like Discovery and Axanar into the mix, I am talking about trying to figure out how Trek and real-world history can co-exist!
One of the bigger issues comes from the episode The Space Seed, the one that introduced Khan. In the episode Khan was supposed to rise to power during the Eugenics Wars in the 1990s. He then left Earth on a DY-100 sleeper ship around 2018.
uh...Ok. Look. The Space Seed aired in 1967. No one at the time thought people would still be watching Trek in the 1990s, let alone new Star Treks on the air at that time.
How do I fix this? Thankfully I stumbled on a video that neatly solves this problem (and some others) for me.
Moving it all to 2090? Well, that works out great for me to be honest. But I might even fudge it a bit more and say it happened in 2067, 100 years after the episode aired. Though that is only 46 years from now!
We know that Zefram Cochrane made his warp flight on April 4, 2063, but there had to be sleeper ships still in use. It works. It is inelegant in a way, there are other dates I'll have to move, but for *my* Trek universe it is fine.
In any case, it might not even come up in my games, though I am sure Mercy will deal with something from the Eugenics Wars. It's just too fruitful of a playground not to do something with it.
Last month I posted the stats for Twill Topknot and before that Sarana, the first main NPCs of my War of the Witch Queens campaign. While I have plenty more NPCs to figure out and stat up, there is one that I do need to do and figure out how he did it. That NPC is Kelek the Cruel.
I have talked about good (evil) old Kelek in the past and I think stating him out is a good idea. He has his origins in Basic/Expert D&D, Quest for the Heartstone and The Shady Dragon Inn, so Basic-era is the obvious choice. More so since he is my Big Bad for War of the Witch Queens.
One of the things I want to do with this is pick and choose from various RPG/OSR systems. I did Old School Essentials with Twill. While that doesn't mean I can't reuse it, but I would like to see what is out there. I also need to figure out what sort of "magic-user" old Kelek is since I also have that choice.
Much like what I have done with Skylla (with whom he has a history with) I took her Magic-user and tried her out as a witch in various OSR style games. If she is a witch, then what is Kelek?
He is a type of wizard to be sure. He learned his magic, so a warlock or a sorcerer (as defined by D&D 3 to 5) is fun, but not really who he is. I need some class that also has the ability to cast gates, maybe even a way to summon a minor demon or two. But not someone interested in controlling undead. Most importantly I need someone that would be able to kill a Witch Queen.
We know from Kelek's history that he wants some form of immortality or mastery over life and death. To me that says Necromancer. But I am kinda bored with necromancers. I mean I have done necromancers so many times. BUT this group has never gone up against one of my necromancers before. Eric over at Swords & Stitchery also talks about Kelek and even has him becoming a lich. Eric usually has very good ideas, so I am inclined to take this as a vote towards Necromancer.
So if it is a necromancer, then which one?
The Basic Fantasy one is nice, but not really powerful enough for what I need. The necromancer from Adventures Dark & Deep is good. Has a lot of potential but still not exactly what I want. Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea also has a great necromancer, but the spell list is not 100% where I want it. Magical Theorems & Dark Pacts are getting much closer, as is Gavin's Theorems and Thaumaturgy. The one that feels the closest is the one from the BX RPG.
I reviewed the BX RPG a while back and have been wanting to do something more with it.
If he is my big bad for War of the Witch Queens then I am going to take advantage of BX RPGs 1-20 level spread and make him 15th level.
Get your own Kelek the Crue from HeroForge |
Kelek the Cruel
Male Human (mostly) Necromancer, 15th level, Chaotic Evil
HD: 9d4 +6 (+9)
hp: 40
AC: 0 (Bracers AC 1, Ring of Protection +!)
Base THAC0: 14
Saving Throws (+1 for magic, +1 ring)
Paralyzation: 8
Petrification: 8
Wands: 9
Breath Weapon: 11
Spells: 8
Weapons
Dagger +1
Staff of Striking
Wand of Cold
Spells
First level: Read Magic, Sleep, Necrotic Shield, Fear, Hold Portal, Read Languages
Second level: Hold Person, Knock, Mirror Image, Wizard Lock, Necrotic Touch, Blight
Third level: Fly, Haste, Death Purge, Clairvoyance, Necrotic Blast, Dispel Magic
Fourth level: Dimension Door, Polymorph Other, Necrotic Strike, Wizard Eye, Confusion
Fifth level: Plane of Death, Magic Jar, Teleport, Life Drain
Sixth level: Abyssal Flame, Anti-Magic Shell, Death Spell
Seventh level: Astral Spell, Instant Summons
Eighth level: Clone, Gate
Scrolls*
First level: Chill Touch
Second level: Choke, Speak with the Dead
Third level: Skull Sight, Unhallow
Fourth level: Charm Monster
Fifth level: Death Spell
Sixth level: Knowledge of Life
Seventh level: Summon Demon
Eighth level: Symbol (Pain)
Height: 5'11"
Weight: 156 lbs
Age: 55
*The spells from scrolls are Necromancer spells from Theorems and Thaumaturgy. I am likely to give him other necromancer scrolls from the other necromancers out there.
I also say mostly human since I consider Kelek to have a bit of orc in his line somewhere. This explains his high strength and constitution, his low charisma, his pointed ears, oddly shaped head in some depictions of him. He can also speak orc and hangs out with Zarak all the time.
Kelek also has a large warg he rides like a horse. In typical D&D cartoon fashion, his name is just Warg.
Kelek on Warg from HeroForge |
Yeah, I have a lot of plans for this guy.
Now I need to figure out how he killed the Queen of Witches to get us all in the current problems we are in.
I am really enjoying HeroForge.
Maybe, too much really. I have nearly a hundred characters I have made and I have bought a few as well that I love.
So really it was only a matter of time before I made my own HeroForge Zatanna.
I also used the lighting effects on her. It works out well in the screenshots, but I still trying to find the proper "magic" for the printed minis. For example here is another mistress of magic, The Simbul holding silver flame.
And here is how it looks printed.
Not bad, but I can certainly tweak it a bit more.
Z would be a welcome addition to my growing group of magical people.
And while I was working on this we are NOW getting reports that an HBO Max series or movie for Zatanna is on the way!
Looks like we could be getting Batgirl, Batwoman, and more Shazam! This could be great!
"Every witch owns a clock. It is a special clock in that it never seems to be working until one night of the full moon every thirteen years. Then the clock chimes thirteen bells. Each full moon the clock chimes one less, counting down from thirteen. Until the night of the last full moon. During this time of the 13 Moons, the Witch Queens gather to choose a new Witch High Queen."
Still working on my War of the Witch Queens campaign.
I have the adventures picked out. I have some "Background noise." I think I even have my Big Bad figured out.
Now I just need my main NPCs. Thankfully HeroForge has me covered!
All my Witch Queens and a few extras.
Now I just need about $1,300* to get them all printed!
*Well...not really that much. I already have a few.