Beyond the bridge, there is a cave filled with flames.
Inside the cave are two Flame Salamanders. They have maximum hp and attack on sight.
Combined, they have Treasure type F x3.
Monday, July 24, 2023
Sunday, July 23, 2023
#Dungeon23 Tomb of the Vampire Queen, Level 7, Room 23
The corridor goes on and on for several hundred feet. There are slight turns here and there and there is a gradual decline.
The corridor open into a large, as in giant cave, the floor has fallen away as the volcanic activity of this level as gotten to this section. Whatever room was here has fallen into the lava bed below.
Ahead there is a bridge that leads to the other side. The heat and smoke in this room are great, characters must save vs. paralysis to keep from choking. A failed save means the character can't move and must rest for five minutes. Characters need to make a save once when entering this chamber and once again at the bridge. Any character that fails also moves at a reduced half, rate of speed.
Lava flows in small "lava falls" from above.
It is 1000 ft from the opening of this chamber to the other side of the bridge.
Saturday, July 22, 2023
#Dungeon23 Tomb of the Vampire Queen, Level 7, Room 22
The corridor beyond widens. The passageway is an art gallery with portraits of the Vampire Queen (you are unable to tell), each in what looks like a wedding portrait. In each one, she is with a different husband.
There are dates under each portrait. The years are unknown to the party, but it seems every few years the Vampire Queen remarries.
The ornate frames are guided and fitted with all sorts of gems. The frames with portraits are worth 1,000 gp each (x4). The pieces separated will only bring in 2,500 GP total.
Friday, July 21, 2023
#Dungeon23 Tomb of the Vampire Queen, Level 7, Room 21
Going back to Room #18 and taking the door behind Gzor'nak this leads to a long hallway covered in gravel. When the party reaches a large chamber (Room 21) the gravel begins to move and form itself into a giant monster.
The monster has the stats of a Stone Giant. It regenerates 2 hp per round.
If it is reduced to 0 hp it will fall apart but reform when it reaches 10 hp.
This can be prevented by mixing the gravel with volcanic ash (everywhere prior to room 10) and water. OR by use of a Dispel Magic.
The corridor continues on.
Thursday, July 20, 2023
Wasted Lands: Nymwen the Necromancer
A while back, I posted B/X-OSE stats for the wonderful Morelia the Wood Witch. An "adoptable" NPC from the equally wonderful Ginny Di. With the release of the nonhuman species rules for The Wasted Lands, I thought I might revisit her. BUT while re-reviewing it all, I figured out two things. 1.) I really like Morelia, where I have her now. And 2.) One of her other characters Nymwen would be much more fun to have in the Dreaming Age!
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| Nymwen the Necromancer, courtesy of Ginny Di |
You can read all about Nymwen on Ginny's World Anvil site. You can also watch her introduction video here:
And Nymwen on her own:
She is a Necromancer and a Sage, so honestly, she would fit right into my notion of Wasted Lands as D&D.
Nonhuman species get a level in their species first and then choose to move on to a class. This gives them abilities that many here would largely expect.
Nymwen here is a High Elf. She was born and High Elf and was raised as a High Elf, so she takes full advantage of these sorts of rules. So she gains the following.
Vitality Die: d6 (at "first level" only)
Saves: +1 to Persona, +1 to Agility, and +2 to mind-affecting spells
Senses: Elves are Nightsighted.
She also gains a free 1st level spell.
In Ginny's D&D (Di&Di?) worlds, Nymwen is a cleric with a penchant for Necromancy but is described as a Sage. Here she can do both. Ginny has her at level 12 and may be a potential villain/adversary. I am going to put her at level 6 and see where she goes.
Nymwen the Necromancer
Class: Sage
Level: 6
Species: Elf (High)
Alignment: True Neutral
Background: Sage, Occultist
Abilities
Strength: 12 (+0)
Agility: 13 (+1)
Toughness: 14 (+1) N
Intelligence: 17 (+2) A
Wits: 16 (+1) N
Persona: 15 (+1)
Fate Points: 10
Defense Value: None 10
Vitality: 25 (d6)
Degeneracy: None (yet, outside of Alignment)
Corruption: None
Check Bonus (A/N/D): +4/+2/+1
Melee Bonus: +2 (base)
Ranged Bonus: +2 (base)
Saves: +1 to Persona, +1 to Agility, and +2 to mind-affecting spells (Elf), +4 to saves vs. Magical Effects (Sage)
Sage Abilities
Languages (17), Lore (75%), Mesmerize Others (60%), Suggestion, Renegade Skills, Spells, Read Languages
Renegade Skills
Hide in Shadows: 40%
Open Locks: 45%
Bypass Traps: 40%
Sleight of Hand: 50%
Necromancer Abilities (from Divine Touchstone)
Channel the Dead (30%), See Dead People, Summon the Dead (35%), Command Spirits, Protection from Spirits, Death Knell, Suggestion (Spirits)
Spells
1st Level: Mystical Senses (Elf), Protection from Evil, Read Languages, Chill Ray (DT)
2nd Level: Eternal Flame, Zone of Protection vs. Evil
3rd Level: Dispel Magic
Divine Touchstones
Level 1:
Level 2: 1st level Spell
Level 3: Level 1 of Necromancer
Level 4:
Level 5: Level 2 of Necromancer
Level 6: Level 3 of Necromancer
Heroic (Divine) Archetype: Death, Love
Nymwen can be a figure of tragic love or one of obsession (Ayana). I'll have to see what happens with her as she grows in level.
Notes on Wasted Lands D&D
The Divine (called here "Heroic") touchstones, allow the character a bit more flair and a bit more power.
I have not worked out how many Heroic/Divine Archetypes would be right for a D&D style game. If it is 5e I am emulating, then maybe one every level or two every three (like above). One every other level might also be good. One every third level for older style play or even none at all.
Also, if I am going to keep the Divine/Heroic touchstones I think I will also keep the Degeneracy and Corruption rules. It help balance it all out and reinforces the idea that power has a price.
This will al be fun to figure out.
The outstanding feature here is that with all the rules options in place in O.G.R.E.S., The Wasted Lands RPG is a Rosetta Stone of D&D and ORD games. A game system where anything can be easily added.
As always, thank you to Ginny Di for giving everyone such a great character to play with!
Please check out and back the Wasted Lands Kickstarter.
Nymwen's Links
#Dungeon23 Tomb of the Vampire Queen, Level 7, Room 20
Going back to Room #18 and taking the door behind Brog'lar the party is met with a similar corridor and ending in a similar room. Though the contents are very different.
In this room there is a glowing orb of light around where the pentagram and magic circle would have been (inspection will see the powder has been blow away).
Voices can be heard coming from the light, sibilant whispers promising all sorts of treasures and power.
If any character touches the light with a bare hand (not a weapon, pole, or even gloved) will be sucked into the light never to be seen again. They are trapped the demonic realms.
Game Masters can give a character a Save vs. Death to avoid being taken.
There are five gems embedded in floor. Each is a large diamond at the points of the former pentagram. Each is worth 1,000 GP. Removing them causes the light (and portal) to fade.
Wednesday, July 19, 2023
Wasted Lands: Larina Nix
If I am going to try to convert my D&D games over to Wasted Lands, then it only makes sense to try to convert my witch Larina.
I have already converted her modern incarnation to NIGHT SHIFT, which is the one I am happiest with. But Wasted Lands has a lot to offer, and I want to see what she can do here.
In this case I want to convert her AS&D 1st Edition version to Wasted Lands, though it will not be a 1 to 1 conversion. Instead, I will convert her concept. Also, this will not be a conversion of her NIGHT SHIFT stats. They will be similar, to be sure, but I want to rebuild her from the ground up.
I always imagine that the various versions of Larina were all in some way different aspects of the same character or even past lives. One thing I have never, to date, figured out was who was the very first (game world chronology) Larina. It makes sense then to base this build on the first Larina (real-world chronology) from AD&D 1st Edition.
This would be that very first one. Maybe not the first witch in the world (that is a bit presumptuous even for me), but certainly the first one in her line.
Class: Sorceress (Persona Aspected)
Level: 16
XP: 2,741,986
Species: Human (Avian heritage)
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
Why this Build is Important to Me
AD&D Larina was a very special character for me. I rolled her up as a "Magic-user" with the goal of playing her as a witch. We used our new method of rolling up psionic abilities and she ended up with psychic powers. I thought this was great. Later the infamous Dragon #114 came out, and I converted her to a proper witch. She kept her level of Magic-user (Dual classing), and we said it was because, as a witch, she was pretending to be a wizard so as not to get caught being a witch.
As the game progressed, she became less the magical powerhouse I envisioned back then and more the group's sage, occult expert, and polyglot. So when it came time to level her up I took the spells that gave her more social and mental power/aspects. If the choice was to take a power/spell/magic item that gave a blasty power OR say, learn a new language, then I always took the language.
For me, the Wasted Lands rules had to capture what happened by happenstance in 1986. Her odd combination of magic-user, psychic, sage, and witch.
I was able to replicate the feel of that AD&D 1st Edition Character rather perfectly, I think. She even has a bit of corruption to cover her, occasionally dipping her toes (sometimes a whole foot) into dark magic. In AD&D, I covered this by having her eyes change color and would replicate in other ways in other games.
Please check out and back the Wasted Lands Kickstarter in its final week!
#Dungeon23 Tomb of the Vampire Queen, Level 7, Room 19
Going through the door with the portrait of Xorxith, the party finds themselves in a dark room, there is a small child lying on the floor inside a magic circle. The powder glows faintly.
The child is a demon of course, the room has been sealed up for centuries and the demon has been stuck here. It's been so long that the demon barely remembers who or what they are. So it is not very convincing as a demon or as a child.
If the child ruse does not work (it is not likely to work), it will shift to a demonic form of a child (thinking it might be better) where it will try to convince the characters to free it so it can reap vengeance on those who imprisoned it. Those mages are dead, but the demon will not let the characters know it knows that.
The demon will attack once free. It is a demon, after all, and it really wants to kill something.
AC 4 [15], HD 6+6* (33hp), Att 2 × claws (2d6), 1 × bite (1d4), THAC0 14 [+5], MV 180’ (60’) / 240’ (80’) flying, SV D10 W11 P12 B13 S14 (6), ML 10, AL Chaotic, XP 500, NA 0 (1), TT None
Tuesday, July 18, 2023
Wasted Lands: Melissa Belladonna
.png "Melissa Belladonna")
That is until now.
If you are a backer, you already got the preview of nonhuman species so you can play the likes of an Elf, Dwarf or other stranger things. This is one of the key D&D experiences, and it is a welcome addition for those who want them. The rules addition from Jason includes the expected ones; elves, dwarves, gnomes and the like. But D&D 5 is full of all sorts of species to play. Can you do that in WL?
Yes.
Keep in mind one very, very important thing about the "humans" in the Wasted Lands. They are not really humans at all. They are proto-humans, proto in the sense that they very well might look like us but they were created by the Old Ones as sort of a "rough draft" of humans. So they could have ancestry from just about anything to be honest. Birds, reptiles, snakes, and yes, primates. The changes are largely cosmetic and immaterial to a group of mortals fighting evil elder things from beyond the stars. So adding an elf, dwarf or even dragonborn is really trivial.
Today I want to try a tiefling. Not just any tiefling, though.
It dawned on me a couple weeks back that I do not have a tiefling character to call my own. I still didn't but needed an NPC to fill a certain role. Enter Melissa Belladonna.
Melissa is a tiefling Artificer that runs an alchemist shop. You can follow her exploits on Twitter and Twitch (links below). But I was thinking here is a good character to try out. She has a 5e class. She is a tiefling. And she serves a role I needed of an alchemist. Plus, she is fun, and NPCs should be fun.
The party got to meet up with her, and she was great. I had more planned, but they had other things to do (and tacos were done). But she will certainly be back. Here is how I did her for the Wasted Lands.
Part of her background is should used to pretend to be human and used a glamour. That still works here, to be honest. There are demons in the Wasted Lands, so it is possible that there is an offspring of a demon and human that is also good.
Melissa Belladonna
Level: 17
Species: Tiefling (Mammon heritage)
Alignment: Neutral Good (Twilight Good)
Background: Sage, Alchemist
Abilities
Strength: 14 (+1)
Agility: 12 (+0)
Toughness: 14 (+1)
Intelligence: 18 (+3) A
Wits: 15 (+1) N
Persona: 17 (+2) N
Fate Points: 10
Defense Value: None 10
Vitality: 60 (d6)
Degeneracy: None
Corruption: None
Check Bonus (A/N/D): +7/+5/+3
Melee Bonus: +5 (base)
Ranged Bonus: +5 (base)
Saves: +1 Fire-based effects, +1 to Magical-effects (Tiefling), +7 to saves vs. Magical Effects (Sage)
Sage Abilities
Languages (18), Lore (188%)*, Mesmerize Others (170%)*, Suggestion, Renegade Skills, Spells, Read Languages
Renegade Skills
Hide in Shadows: 95%
Open Locks: 90%
Bypass Traps: 100%
Sleight of Hand: 100%
Spells
1st Level: Mystical Senses (Tiefling), Beast Speech, Glamour, Read Languages, Restore/Drain Vitality, Summon Familiar (Perry, a Raven)
2nd Level: Create Water, Eternal Flame, Invisibility, Subtle Influence, Zone of Honesty
3rd Level: Anti-toxin, Dispel Magic, Remove Curse, Slow, Zone of Protection from Evil
4th Level: Befuddlement, Conjure Fire, Kiss of the Succubus
Divine Touchstones
Level 1:
Level 2: Arcane Ability: Enhanced Senses
Level 3:
Level 4: Luck benefit (1d6)
Level 5:
Level 6: "Spirit Guide" Her cauldron homunculus.
Level 7:
Level 8: Magical Recovery
Level 9:
Level 10: 3rd level spell: Conjure Fireworks
Level 11:
Level 12: Glamour at will
Level 13:
Level 14: Slow aging
Level 15:
Level 16: Signature Item: Cauldron
Level 17:
Heroic (Divine) Archetype: Sage, Occultism, Dragons
Here lore skill covers her alchemy and artificer skills. She is also widely regarded as an expert on dragons, having conducted extensive field work on studying them for years.
Thank you to Melissa Belladonna for letting me borrow such a great character to play with! Everyone loved her.
Melissa's Links
- Carrd.co links
- Twitch
- Discord
- Merchandise
- Mini with homunculus servant
#Dungeon23 Tomb of the Vampire Queen, Level 7, Room 18
Going back to Room #15 and taking the corridor on the left leads to a large obsidian-paneled room.
This room is a scene from a horror movie.
The five walls are covered with paintings of demons by various artists. There are notes under each painting detailing when each demon was summoned and subjugated by the Vampire Queen. There are dozens here, and many of the names are unknown to the characters.
There are secret doors behind the three largest paintings. The demons are:
- Xorxith - This demon is known as the Destroyer in the Darkness. It is a powerful and destructive demon who is feared for its ability to tear through its enemies. He appears as a giant demon (60 ft high) with his head obscured by darkness.
- Brog'lar - This thin, sexless demon has long delicate fingers and a mouth filled with needle-like teeth. It sits on a pile of skulls. It is a cunning and manipulative demon who is known for its ability to control others.
- Gzor'nak - The Hunger. This demon appears to be a huge demonic monster with a giant mouth with thousands of teeth, a large belly, and huge legs. It is a voracious and insatiable demon who is always hungry for more power and destruction.
Reading over these paintings and notes provides characters the following XP.
Magic-users and witches: 100 xp
Clerics: 75 xp
Fighters and thieves: 50 xp
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| Xorxith |
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| Brog'lar |
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| Gzor'nak |
Monday, July 17, 2023
Monstrous Monday: Monster Mash II A Midsummer Night's Dream!
New Release Monster Mash II: A Midsummer Night's Dream!
Now available in PDF and Print on Demand.
Monster Mash II: A Midsummer Night's Dream
More Monster Classes for Basic-era Games
For years brave adventures have been going into the dangerous wilderness and fighting monsters.
Now the monsters are fighting back.
Monster Mash II is an Old-School Essentials Classic Fantasy compatible game that allows you to take on the role not of a stalwart hero but as one of the monsters.
This book features 12 faerie and sylvan-based classes.
Bugbears, Centaurs, Hamadryads, Leprechauns, Nymphs, Pixies, Púcas, Satyrs, Werebears, Werefoxes, Woodwoses, and the Faerie Witch.
New spells for Clerics, Druids, Illusionists, and Magic-users.
New spells, occult powers, and ritual spells for Faerie Witches.
All are completely compatible with Basic-era OSR games and my previous witch books.
Includes an Advanced Classes Appendix for using this book with "Advanced" versions of your favorite Old-School games.
All art by Dean Spencer.
#Dungeon23 Tomb of the Vampire Queen, Level 7, Room 17
A secret door behind one of the shelves leads to a hidden and sealed room. The room is small, but filled with books and scrolls. One wall is dominated by an ancient painting of Darlessa, the Vampire Queen, when she was a young student learning magic.
The books detail the history of the Citadel of Necromancers. Five of them are incredibly ancient and are worth at least 5,000 gp each if they can be brought back to a collector.
Another 5+1d6 books also have random magic-user spells of First to Fifth level.
- First level: 10+1d8
- Second level: 8+1d6
- Third level: 4+1d6
- Fourth level: 2+1d4
- Fifth level: 1d6
The total value of these treasures is 40,000 GP and worth 25,000 xp.
The portrait is large and seems to be part of the wall and can't be removed.
Sunday, July 16, 2023
Adopt this NPC! Doreen, the Goblin Girl
Going to try something a little different this week and hopefully fun!
I want to introduce you all to a new character, Doreen the goblin witch and her toad familiar Toad-O!
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| Doreen by Daniel Brannan |
What do I know about her? Not much! But here is what I have so far.
- She is a young goblin and is very curious about EVERYTHING
- She is a witch, and her magic started when she discovered she could speak to frogs and toads.
- Her goblin clan is not really evil, per se, but they are a rather chaotic neutral lot.
- She lives in "The Goblin Wood." Called that by the local humans or just "The Little Forest" by the goblins.
- She is fascinated with (and a little scared of) Elves.
And that is the extent of what I have figured out. So I thought it might be fun to try her out as an "Adoptable NPC."
Much in the same spirit as Jenny Everywhere, you take little Doreen here and remix her or do what you like. I am really curious to see what is everyone can do with her.
So make art, make stats, make whatever you like and your details are still 100% your own to use. I am giving her away and hope she finds some good homes. After all she is not a bad little goblin girl.
I am planning on having something up for her on Wednesday.
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So show me what you got!
Wasted Lands as a Dungeons & Dragons Replacement
All month long, I have been talking (rather obsessively so) about the Wasted Lands RPG. I make no apologies for this. It is a great game, and it shares DNA with my own NIGHT SHIFT, which is just a bonus.
I talked about how I can emulate superheroes, our modern Gods and Myths, as Wasted Lands Archetypes all last week. This week is going to be all about how I plan to use Wasted Lands (with a little help from NIGHT SHIFT) as my go-to Dungeons & Dragons replacement.
I have been talking bout this topic all year too, with examples from Castles & Crusades and Pathfinder 2e. I hope to have some good examples this week to show how well this works.
Obviously, Wasted Lands shares some DNA with D&D. NIGHT SHIFT was an OGL game and Wasted Lands grew out of that. It also shares DNA with Spellcraft & Swordplay. This is why you will find the O.G.R.E.S. and O.R.C.S. from each game (respectively) in The Wasted Lands.
If you are a backer, you already got the preview of nonhuman species so you can play the likes of an Elf, Dwarf or every stranger things. This is one of the key D&D experiences there is and it is a welcome addition for those that want them. I have already shared my two Shadow Elf, or Dökkálfar, characters Runu & Urnu.
Can Wasted Lands replace D&D at my table? Easily. In fact, it is has been doing that for a little while now.
Can Wasted Lands replace D&D in my heart? That is a different thing, but I aim to find out.
#Dungeon23 Tomb of the Vampire Queen, Level 7, Room 16
Taking the corridor on the right, this area looks less and less like the front door to Hell and more like a carved-out room in a castle. Though this room appears to have been a library of sorts only now all the books and scrolls are gone leaving only ash.
There are some clay tablets that have survived. These are mostly mundane affairs, but some include very old spells:
First Level: Read Languages, Shield
Second Level: Web
Third Level: Hold Person
Fourth Level: Massmorph
Fifth Level: Hold Monster
The clay is a bit damaged, but in good shape. The tablet itself is very old and worth quite a lot, it could be sold, intact, for 5,000 GP to a collector or 2,000 to a magical school. Finding it is worth 2,000 XP.
If the spells are read off of it as a scroll then like a scroll the spell disappears and renders the tablet worthless.
Saturday, July 15, 2023
Wasted Lands Playtest: Superheroes in the Dreaming Age, Part 6 The Mistress of Magic
Do you know what today is? Well, yes, it is the last of my superheroes for Wasted Lands, but is it also a Zatannurday! Have not done one of these in a very long time. So lets end this exploration right with someone really powerful.Today I cover the Mistress of Magic. She is a scion of a magical lineage and has worked out ways to do magic with little corruption. It makes her spellcasting more difficult but keeps her from going mad. Or evil. Or both.
The Mistress of Magic
Class: Sorceress
Level: 20
Species: Human
Alignment: Light Good
Background: Magical student and adept
Abilities
Strength: 13 (+1)
Agility: 13 (+1)
Toughness: 16 (+2)
Intelligence: 20 (+4) A
Wits: 16 (+2) N
Persona: 18 (+3) N
Fate Points: 10
Defense Value: None 10
Vitality: 52 (d4)
Degeneracy:
Corruption:
Check Bonus (A/N/D): +8/+6/+4
Melee Bonus: +6 (base)
Ranged Bonus: +6 (base)
Saves: +7 vs. Spells and Magical Effects
Sorcerer Abilities
Spells, Arcana, Arcane Powers
Arcane Powers: Astral Projection, Beguile, Enhanced Senses, Polymath (Sage Lore), Precognition, Telekinesis, Psychic Ability: Domination
Spells
1st Level: Arcane Darts, Chill Ray, Command, Create Light, Glamour, Read Languages
2nd Level: Beguile Person, Conjure Flame, Invisibility, Levitate, Magic Lock
3rd Level: Blinding Speed, Clairvoyance, Dispel Magic, Protection from Normal Missiles, Zone of Protection against Evil
4th Level: All-seeing Invisible Eye, Conjure Fire, Globe of Daylight, Illusory Landscape, Protection against the Deeper Dark
5th Level: Commune with Deeper Dark, Elemental Wall, Passage Way, Teleport
6th Level: Destroy Undead, Dispel Evil, Invisible Servant, Shadow Duplicate
7th Level: Ball of Sunshine, Create Catatonia, Precognition, Wave of Mutilation
8th Level: Animosity/Affinity, Mind Shield, Wail of the Banshee
9th Level: Astral Projection, Breath of the Goddess, Feedback Barrier
Divine Touchstones
Level 1: Sense Magic
Level 2:
Level 3: Psychic Ability: ESP
Level 4:
Level 5: Fly
Level 6:
Level 7: Magical Recovery
Level 8:
Level 9: Ability Increase: Intelligence
Level 10:
Level 11: Spell Resistance: 20%
Level 12:
Level 13: Reroll Saves: Poison or Disease
Level 14:
Level 15: Persistent Luck
Level 16:
Level 17: Heal Corruption
Level 18:
Level 19: Time Slip
Level 20:
Superhero (Divine) Archetype: Magic
The Divine Touchstones are really what separated the normal people from the heroes and the heroes from the legends.
And there is my Justice League of the Dreaming Age!
Please check out and back the Wasted Lands Kickstarter.
#Dungeon23 Tomb of the Vampire Queen, Level 7, Room 15
Past the fire elemental, the passageway continues on and the area cools a bit from the previous room.
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| Free Art Assets - Grey Gnome Games - Jason Glover |
This corridor looks more constructed than the rest of this level. There are two other corridors to the right and the left.
Friday, July 14, 2023
Wasted Lands Playtest: Superheroes in the Dreaming Age, Part 5 The Occult Detective
And then there is this arsehole.
The Occult Detective is the guy who has a little bit of knowledge, a little bit of magic, a little bit of luck, and a whole lot of bad choices.
He is obviously modeled after John Constantine, but his type ends up in all sorts of horror-related media. It makes him perfect for the world of the Wasted Lands.
The Occult Detective
Class: Sage
Level: 9
Species: Human
Alignment: Twilight Neutral
Background: Con-man, Occultist
Abilities
Strength: 12 (+0)
Agility: 13 (+1)
Toughness: 14 (+1)
Intelligence: 16 (+2) A
Wits: 15 (+1) N
Persona: 16 (+2) N
Fate Points: 10
Defense Value: None 10
Vitality: 36 (d6)
Degeneracy: Uncomfortable Aura
Corruption: 5
Check Bonus (A/N/D): +5/+3/+2
Melee Bonus: +3 (base)
Ranged Bonus: +3 (base)
Saves: +5 vs. Spells and Magical Effects
Sage Abilities
Languages (16), Lore, Mesmerize Others, Suggestion, Renegade Skills, Spells, Read Languages
Renegade Skills
Open Locks: 55%
Bypass Traps: 50%
Sleight of Hand: 60%
Sneak: 60%
Spells
1st Level: Chill Ray, Command, Obfuscation, Protection from Evil
2nd Level: Conjure Flame, Invisibility, Subtle Influence
3rd Level: Clairvoyance, Globe of Darkness, Zone of Protection from Undead
4th Level: Conjure Fire
Divine Touchstones
Level 1: Arcane Power: Mystical Senses
Level 2: Level 1 Sorcerer: (Arcane Power Attack Supernatural)
Level 3: Hedge Mage
Level 4:
Level 5: Psychic Power: Photokinetics
Level 6: Psychic Power: Telekinetics
Level 7: Arcane Power: Exorcist
Level 8:
Level 9: Astral Projection
Superhero (Divine) Archetype: Occult
The Divine Touchstones are really what separated the normal people from the heroes and the heroes from the legends.
Damn. Now I want this character moved over to NIGHT SHIFT.
#Dungeon23 Tomb of the Vampire Queen, Level 7, Room 14
Going back to Room #2 and taking the last passageway on the right. This passageway leads to a hard right (and down, as detectable by Dwarves) to a chamber filled with fire.
Once inside, one of the fires jumps out to attack the party.
The attacker is a fire elemental with instructions not to let anyone pass. It has been doing this for 1000s of years.
--
Tonight's monster and encounter was inspired by my "new" Monster Manual now sitting on top of my reading pile.
Thursday, July 13, 2023
Wasted Lands Playtest: Superheroes in the Dreaming Age, Part 4 The Demon's Daughter
Another concept that comes up is the Demon Spawn that tries to do good. These characters often appear in comics with magic as a theme and they are a great choice for a Wasted Lands game since there is likely to be a lot more interaction with demons.
This character could be a lot of different things, and "demon" might even be an alien, say in the case of Karolina Dean from Marvel's Runaways. But my example here will be borrowing heavily from DC's Teen Titan, Raven.
Now there are a lot of ways to do Raven. We have Psychics, Sorcerers, and even Necromancers. But Raven's primary powers come from her empathic abilities and astral projection with some spells. So I am going with Psychic for her here.
The Demon's Daughter
Class: Psychic (Persona Aspect)
Level: 6
Species: Human-Demon
Alignment: Twilight Good
Background: Student
Abilities
Strength: 12 (+0)
Agility: 13 (+1)
Toughness: 14 (+1)
Intelligence: 15 (+1) N
Wits: 15 (+1) N
Persona: 17 (+2) A
Fate Points: 10
Defense Value: None 10
Vitality: 30 (d6)
Degeneracy:
Corruption: Unnatural Parlor
Check Bonus (A/N/D): +4/+2/+0
Melee Bonus: +2 (base)
Ranged Bonus: +2 (base)
Saves: +3 to Persona based saves
Psychic Powers
Supernatural Attacks, Sixth Sense, Empathy, Psychokinesis (Telekinesis, 2d6+1), Temporal Sense, Shadow Walking, Astral Projection
Superhero (Divine) Archetype: Rebilous Child of older God/Demon
Divine Touchstones
Level 1: Mystical Senses (as Sorcerer spell)
Level 2:
Level 3: Additional Movement: Fly
Level 4:
Level 5: First-level Sorcerer
Level 6:
Spells
1st Level: Protection from Evil
The Divine Touchstones are really what separated the normal people from the heroes and the heroes from the legends. You likely will not use all of these on one character. I'll have some less-super examples coming up.
She has fewer to reflect that she is still just a teen or young adult. This also more likely the speed in which people will want to hand out the Divine Touchstones.
#Dungeon23 Tomb of the Vampire Queen, Level 7, Room 13
Moving on from room #12 the party enters a large spherical room 50' in diameter. The walls of the room are polished obsidian. The center of the room features a large monolith of the same material. Stalactites and stalagmites break up the otherwise uniform blackness of this room.
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Free Art Assets - Grey Gnome Games - Jason Glover |
This monolith radiates evil and necromantic energies. It doesn't take a magic-user to figure this out, all the characters can feel it.
Touching the monolith a character hears a voice. The monolith is known as the Monolith of Evil. It brags that it is 1000s of years old and was worshipped by 1000s of acolytes. Offerings of blood and lives kept it powerful. But now it is drained of all power, the Vampire Queen drained came and took all of its power.
It lets the characters know that if they could just kill their fellows it will be able to grant them the power to kill the Vampire Queen.
The monolith has no idea is the Vampire Queen is still active or not.
There is no magical compulsion here, save for being creepy it has no real power left.
Wednesday, July 12, 2023
Wasted Lands Playtest: Superheroes in the Dreaming Age, Part 3 The Paragon
In D&D, they would be a paladin or some other knight in shining armor. They are the bright reflection of the Dark Avenger. Thankfully they both have the Amazon Warrior Princess to help balance them out. One of many reasons why this unlikely trio works so well together.
The Paragon
Class: Warrior
Level: 14
Species: Human
Alignment: Light Good
Background:
Abilities
Strength: 22 (+5) A
Agility: 17 (+3)
Toughness: 17 (+2) N
Intelligence: 15 (+1)
Wits: 15 (+1)
Persona: 16 (+2) N
Fate Points: 10
Defense Value: Plate (7)
Vitality: 75 (d8)
Degeneracy: None
Corruption: None
Check Bonus (A/N/D): +6/+4/+2
Melee Bonus: +5 (base)
Ranged Bonus: +3 (base)
Saves: +5 to all saves
Warrior Skills
Combat Expertise, Improved Defense, Increased Damage, Melee Combat, Master of Battle (90%), Ranged Combat, Spell Resistance (36%), Supernatural Attacks (Melee), Tracking, Extra Attack (x4)
Improve Defense: -4
Superhero (Divine) Archetype: Justice, Hope
Divine Touchstones
Level 1: Mystical Senses (as Sorcerer spell)
Level 2: +1 to combat rolls
Level 3: Additional Movement: Fly
Level 4: Increased Ability Score (Strength +2)
Level 5: Divine Smite
Level 6: Gout of Flame (as Sorcerer spell), as Heat Vision (unique mode of attack)
Level 7: Divine Aura
Level 8: Damage Immunity from missile fire
Level 9: Increased Ability Score (Strength +2)
Level 10: Half Damage from Mundane slashing
Level 11: Chill Breath (as Ray of Frost Sorcerer spell)
Level 12: Unique Attack, Heat Vision 60' line
Level 13: Down But Not Out
Level 14: Divine Recovery
The Divine Touchstones are really what separated the normal people from the heroes and the heroes from the legends. You likely will not use all of these on one character. I'll have some less-super examples coming up.
This one looks great. And don't tug on his cape.
Please check out and back the Wasted Lands Kickstarter.
#Dungeon23 Tomb of the Vampire Queen, Level 7, Room 12
Heading back to Room #2 and taking the next tunnel on the right. The party does not get very fare into the next chamber when they encounter a group (five) of large and piggish-looking orcs.
These orcs are infected with the Wearboar Lycanthropy and are known as War Pigs. They stay in hybrid form but once wounded they can go into their berserk rage.
They have food and water for five for a week, but it is generally unpalatable and smells terrible. It is however completely edible.
They also have Treasure type C x5.
Tuesday, July 11, 2023
Wasted Lands Playtest: Superheroes in the Dreaming Age, Part 2 The Amazon Princess
This character's drive is not Vengeance (like the Dark Avenger) or even Justice (like the upcoming Paragon) but rather the most good possible. In a lot of ways she is also an emissary of a more enlightened, but still warrior, culture.
In both the cases of Wonder Woman and Xena they have a relationship to the Gods, the Greek Gods in particular. In the Wasted Lands then she would come the same culture that the warriors Zeus and Ares come from. But godhood is not her goal.
The Amazon Princess
Class: Warrior
Level: 12
Species: Human
Alignment: Light Good
Background: Nobility
Abilities
Strength: 20 (+4) A
Agility: 18 (+3) N
Toughness: 17 (+2) N
Intelligence: 16 (+2)
Wits: 16 (+2)
Persona: 16 (+2)
Fate Points: 10
Defense Value: Studded Leather (7)
Vitality: 60 (d8)
Degeneracy: None
Corruption: None
Check Bonus (A/N/D): +5/+3/+2
Melee Bonus: +4 (base)
Ranged Bonus: +3 (base)
Saves: +4 to all saves
Warrior Skills
Combat Expertise, Improved Defense, Increased Damage, Melee Combat, Master of Battle (90%), Ranged Combat, Spell Resistance (36%), Supernatural Attacks (Melee), Tracking, Extra Attack (x4)
Improve Defense: -4
Stealth Skills
- Open Locks: 15%
- Bypass Traps: 10%
- Sleight of Hand: 20%
- Sneak: 20%
- Climbing: 70%
Danger Sense 1-3 (d6)
Perception: 40%
Vital Stike: x2 damage +4 to attack
Superhero (Divine) Archetype: Justice, Truth
Divine Touchstones
Level 1: Unique mode of Defence, -1 vs. Missile attacks
Level 2: +1 to combat rolls
Level 3: Charm humans
Level 4: Increased Ability Score (agility +2)
Level 5: Level 1 of Renegade
Level 6: Unique mode of Attack (lasso) +1 and Detect Lie
Level 7: Ceases to Age (Natural)
Level 8: Divine Aura
Level 9: Signature Item, Lasso.
Level 10: Half Damage from Mundane slashing
Level 11: Transporation mode: Fly
Level 12: Restore Corruption
The Divine Touchstones are really what separated the normal people from the heroes and the heroes from the legends.
This one works out quite nicely, I think!
Please check out and back the Wasted Lands Kickstarter.
#Dungeon23 Tomb of the Vampire Queen, Level 7, Room 11
A secret door behind the statue leads to a small room. The room is filled with steam.
Inside there are four small demons, Steam Mephits.
Steam Mephit: HD 3; AC 5 [14]; THAC0 16 [+3]; Atk 2 claws (1d3); Move 120' (40') [Fly 240' (80')]; Save D12 W13 P14 B15 S16 (2); Morale 10; AL C; Special: Breathe steam cloud (2d6, save for half), gaseous form.
The mephits are playing in the steam. They attack the party.
Their morale is 10, but they are at 8 for this encounter. They were attracted by the energies from here to the elemental plane of fire.
Monday, July 10, 2023
Wasted Lands Playtest: Superheroes in the Dreaming Age, Part 1 The Dark Avenger
Humanity (well...proto-Humanity) has cast off the yoke of the Old Ones and now lives in a time of unimaginable horrors. There are monsters, there are forces of evil, and their are even evil humans that are all too willing to take over where the Old Ones left off. It is post-apocalyptic in a very real sense. But also, humanity has the chance in the form of our (your) heroes to make a better world.
The characters will one day be remembered as the Gods and Heroes of yore.
But not all of them are bright, happy people.
Making "superhero" characters for the Wasted Lands RPG really only takes a change of reference or point of view. If Superheroes are modern myths, then the Wasted Lands RPG can also make those. Though your character's origin story is not going to be one of being a young adult, and then BAM, your character is powerful. Legends are built over time, and legendary characters even more so.
The Archetype of the Dark Avenger is a great example. This character had a really bad day once and now spends a lifetime fighting against the forces of Darkness and Evil (yes capitalized) by donning the guise of evil. In comics, these characters are usually just normal humans but have something special about them. They are unnaturally dedicated to their cause for example, or maybe even they have a bit of an edge. It should also be noted that many take on the guise of an animal or creature that strikes fear into others; the bat, the wolverine, and even devils.
For these Superhero Archetypes, I will present them at higher levels to get a feel for what their legends will be like. I will also add the various Divine Touchstones to make the character a bit more "super."
The Dark Avenger
Class: Renegade
Level: 10
Species: Human
Alignment: Dark Good
Background: Nobility
Abilities
Strength: 18 (+3) N
Agility: 20 (+4) A
Toughness: 17 (+2)
Intelligence: 16 (+2) N
Wits: 16 (+2)
Persona: 16 (+2)
Fate Points: 10
Defense Value: Studded Leather (7) (See below for mods)
Vitality: 36 (d4)
Degeneracy:
Corruption:
Check Bonus (A/N/D): +5/+3/+2
Melee Bonus: +3 (see below)
Ranged Bonus: +9 (+4, +5)
Saves: +5 to Death attacks and area effects
Improved Defense: -6 to attackers
Stealth Skills
- Open Locks: 110%
- Bypass Traps: 115%
- Sleight of Hand: 125%
- Sneak: 125%
- Climbing: 100%
Danger Sense 1-5 (d6)
Perception: 95%
Vital Stike: x4 damage
Read Languages: 85%
Superhero (Divine) Archetype: Vengeance, Justice
Divine Touchstones
Level 1: +1 to Melee Combat
Level 2: Additional Vitality Points
Level 3: Level 1 of Warrior
Level 4: Level Two Spell: Invoke Fear
Level 5: Auto Success (once per session)
Level 6: Gains +1 to all attacks and +5% to all skills
Level 7: Servant: Ward of Vengeance
Level 8: Signature Item: Batarang (+5 to hit, +5 to damage, -3 DV, 1 fate point)
Level 9: Down but Not Out
Level 10: Hop and Skip
This is not a guy you want to meet in a dark alleyway.
The Divine Touchstones are really what separated the normal people from the heroes and the heroes from the legends.
Wasted Lands Playtest: Superheroes in the Dreaming Age, Part 0
I have been thinking a lot about gods, monsters, humans, and demons in these pages lately. Between my One Man's God, my ideas for Deities & Demigods II, and playtesting The Wasted Lands gods and their relationship to humankind have been on my mind a lot.
This has also got me thinking about how in today's society, the role of the hero of myth is now played out by comic book superheroes and maybe even more so by their movie counterparts.
And there are more. So this week I am going to make some modern "gods" and recraft them as Wasted Lands heroes.
As is my nature, I am going to lean in on DC Characters, or at least their archetypes.
So come back later today and all this week for some humans as superheroes as gods in the time of the Dreaming Age for Wasted Lands.
And don't forget to checkout and back the Wasted Lands Kickstarter too!
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