Quick one today, directed mostly at the members of the OSR.
Do you like level titles? Do you use them in your games?
Why or why not?
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Monday, December 6, 2010
Recycled Adventures
So it is well known that I love the old D&D adventures from the early 80's. I think they are well done and a lot of fun to play. I have been playing them with my kids but I have not been able to fit in all the ones I have wanted into our 3.x game.
But I have lots of games.
So here are some of the recycled adventures I have done using other systems and the classic adventures.
Ash vs The Keep on the Borderlands
System: Army of Darkness and Dungeons & Zombies
Module: B2 Keep on the Borderlands
The character get sent back in time to the Keep and need to clean out the Caves of Chaos with a shotgun.
I designed this as a way to play-test Dungeons & Zombies under the Cinematic Unisystem Rules.
Never got to play it all, but the bits I did were a blast. Characters I created for the game were Xena and Gabrielle (seemed appropriate) and used a version of Indiana Jones I found online.
One day I should run this at a convention. I think it will be a blast.
The Ghost Tower of Inverness, Illinois
Systems: Doctor Who and Angel.
Module: C2 The Ghost Tower of Inverness
From the intro:
"No one has ever asked why there is a lighthouse between Palatine and Inverness, Illinois. The closest large body of water is Lake Michigan, over 20 miles away. But it has always been there, quiet.
Till the day the Time Beacon went crazy."
The Ghost Tower of Inverness, IL was an adventure that I had converted for my playtest of Doctor Who. Outside my town there is a water tower that is painted like a light house. I thought it would be cool if it were a real lighthouse, but not for ships at sea, but ships in the time stream. On top was a beacon to warn passer-bys "warning, primitive culture ahead!" Well one day the time beacon goes nuts and start pulling in people from out of their times (an excuse to convert a bunch of Unisystem characters from Ghosts and Angel). The characters have to go through the tower and shut down the beacon. Each level of the tower is a different time stream, so I had dinos, Victorian, post-apocalyptic and all sorts of terrible things. At the top was the control center and the time beacon. So I converted the original Ghost Tower module and replace the Soul Gem with the Time Beacon. Part Doctor Who, part Angel, part Ghosts of Albion, part D&D and a dash of Primeval and Torchwood. It was going to be the first adventure in a new campaign, but I never got it going. Too bad, really.
Ghosts of Albion: Ravenloft
System: Ghosts of Albion
Module: I6 Ravenloft
Ravenloft might be my favorite classic module ever. Ghosts of Albion is of course my game. It was natural to me to bring them together. Ravenloft has that great Gothic feel. Ghosts of Albion deals with all sorts of magical weirdness, and while it is hard for us today to really understand this, to the Victorians the world was a wild and scary unknown. Unknown lands were meant to be explored and conquered. What can be more unknown than Barovia? Who is to say it is not on the map somewhere in 1840? Plus you might have noticed that Ghosts of Albion movies and books all have one word titles, "Legacy", "Astray", "Witchery" and my adventures have followed suit, "Obsession", "Blight", and "Synchronicity". So "Ghosts of Albion: Ravenloft" also works.
The idea is simple. The characters are travelling by rail to the east. Their train suffers some malfunction, and I start the Ravenloft adventure by the book. I include the mists and Madame Eva and everything. And that map of Castle Ravenloft is still one of the coolest maps ever made. One day I'll build a 1" = 5' miniature of it for play. That would be very awesome.
For this I have bits I am using from the Ravenloft world, WitchCraft RPG and the Expedition to Castle Ravenloft module for 3.x.
I still have more games and more adventures. I'd like to try some other pairing in the future.
But I have lots of games.
So here are some of the recycled adventures I have done using other systems and the classic adventures.
System: Army of Darkness and Dungeons & Zombies
Module: B2 Keep on the Borderlands
The character get sent back in time to the Keep and need to clean out the Caves of Chaos with a shotgun.
I designed this as a way to play-test Dungeons & Zombies under the Cinematic Unisystem Rules.
Never got to play it all, but the bits I did were a blast. Characters I created for the game were Xena and Gabrielle (seemed appropriate) and used a version of Indiana Jones I found online.
One day I should run this at a convention. I think it will be a blast.
Systems: Doctor Who and Angel.
Module: C2 The Ghost Tower of Inverness
From the intro:
"No one has ever asked why there is a lighthouse between Palatine and Inverness, Illinois. The closest large body of water is Lake Michigan, over 20 miles away. But it has always been there, quiet.
Till the day the Time Beacon went crazy."
The Ghost Tower of Inverness, IL was an adventure that I had converted for my playtest of Doctor Who. Outside my town there is a water tower that is painted like a light house. I thought it would be cool if it were a real lighthouse, but not for ships at sea, but ships in the time stream. On top was a beacon to warn passer-bys "warning, primitive culture ahead!" Well one day the time beacon goes nuts and start pulling in people from out of their times (an excuse to convert a bunch of Unisystem characters from Ghosts and Angel). The characters have to go through the tower and shut down the beacon. Each level of the tower is a different time stream, so I had dinos, Victorian, post-apocalyptic and all sorts of terrible things. At the top was the control center and the time beacon. So I converted the original Ghost Tower module and replace the Soul Gem with the Time Beacon. Part Doctor Who, part Angel, part Ghosts of Albion, part D&D and a dash of Primeval and Torchwood. It was going to be the first adventure in a new campaign, but I never got it going. Too bad, really.
 |
| Why does Inverness need a light house? |
System: Ghosts of Albion
Module: I6 Ravenloft
Ravenloft might be my favorite classic module ever. Ghosts of Albion is of course my game. It was natural to me to bring them together. Ravenloft has that great Gothic feel. Ghosts of Albion deals with all sorts of magical weirdness, and while it is hard for us today to really understand this, to the Victorians the world was a wild and scary unknown. Unknown lands were meant to be explored and conquered. What can be more unknown than Barovia? Who is to say it is not on the map somewhere in 1840? Plus you might have noticed that Ghosts of Albion movies and books all have one word titles, "Legacy", "Astray", "Witchery" and my adventures have followed suit, "Obsession", "Blight", and "Synchronicity". So "Ghosts of Albion: Ravenloft" also works.
The idea is simple. The characters are travelling by rail to the east. Their train suffers some malfunction, and I start the Ravenloft adventure by the book. I include the mists and Madame Eva and everything. And that map of Castle Ravenloft is still one of the coolest maps ever made. One day I'll build a 1" = 5' miniature of it for play. That would be very awesome.
For this I have bits I am using from the Ravenloft world, WitchCraft RPG and the Expedition to Castle Ravenloft module for 3.x.
I still have more games and more adventures. I'd like to try some other pairing in the future.
I talk to dead people, part 2
Looks like we are getting an official D&D4e Necromancer after all.
Heroes of Shadow will include a Necromancer Wizard option.
http://www.wizards.com/dnd/Product.aspx?x=dnd_products_dndacc_280880000
That will be in March.
To give us something in the meantime, Dragon has some new feats from Vecna for the cleric side of things.
http://www.wizards.com/DnD/Article.aspx?x=dnd/4pr/20101206
Sounds cool to me!
Heroes of Shadow will include a Necromancer Wizard option.
http://www.wizards.com/dnd/Product.aspx?x=dnd_products_dndacc_280880000
That will be in March.
To give us something in the meantime, Dragon has some new feats from Vecna for the cleric side of things.
http://www.wizards.com/DnD/Article.aspx?x=dnd/4pr/20101206
Sounds cool to me!
Saturday, December 4, 2010
I talk to dead people
Nothing really says un-repentant evil quite like raising armies of undead. As a DM I love pitting Necromancers against my players and as a player I love fighting these guys. I can have mixed morality about killing orcs and goblins and quasi-human-like creatures every so often. But undead are fair game. In fact killing is the right thing to do.
I guess it is really no surprise that I gravitate to horror games. Killing human like creatures can be one step away from mass murderer, but killing hordes of zombies? That is the sign of a kick-ass hero!
So obviously some one has to be pulling the strings of this rotting undead Pinocchio's. And that guy is the Necromancer.
In my world the baddes ass Necromancer is Magnus. He started out life as a Druid till he learned from him father that he was not really his son, nor even 100% human. He delved into demonology, devil-worship and everything my then twisted teenage brain could come up with. Of course he turned to Necromancy to find a way to cheat death.
I am bringing Magnus back in my 4e game. The Revenant rules are a good fit, but there is no 4e Necromancer. I have notes on a 4e "Death Pact Warlock" that might work well enough.
3.x had, at the last time I looked, at least 3 different kinds of Necromancer classes, 3 of them were from WotC themselves. There is the old Death Master class from Dragon for 1st ed and then updated to 3.0e. The Crypt Lord from the aptly named Necromancer Games (I miss those guys).
White Dwarf gave us two for 1st ed, the Necromancer (which needed to sacrifice humans for his magic at higher levels) and the Black Priest which in the artwork was sacrificing a nude woman in a way that made the Eldricth Wizardry cover look positively tame (one day I need to do a White Dwarf retrospective).
Presently for the retro-clones we have another post from Dangerous Brian, The Necromancer for OSRIC, Part 1 and Part 2. We also have the Necromancer for Basic Fantasy RPG.
I'd love to put together a Necromancer/Death-Pact Warlock for 4e, it is a class/role that I think it is seriously lacking in. Just need to find the time to do it.
Edited to add: Part 3.
Friday, December 3, 2010
Gypsy Elves for Basic Era Games
Another in my series of posts for Basic era (late 70's to early 80's) games.
This one expands on my sub-race of elves known as Gypsy Elves.
The Gypsy Elf
"Thousands of years ago the elves were a unified race. The elven people stood strong and diverse.
Then the War came and the Elves were Sundered. The elves were divided by the war.
But some chose not to fight, some took in their brothers and sisters from all sides.
These elves were cursed by the Great God of the Elves to wander the lands till the day when all elves stood as one people again. The other elves took pity on them, calling them, in their own tongues The Wanderers. But not the Wanderers themselves. They knew a powerful secret.
They knew they were Free."
- From the Songs of the Ranagwithe
The Gypsy Elf, or as the call themselves "The Free Elves" (Ranagwithe in their own language) , wander the world, in and out of the land of faerie, searching for their lost home. They will find it only on the day when all the elves are reunited as a race. Until then they wander.
Like their human counterparts, Gypsy Elves travel all over the known world. However, unlike the Human Gypsies, Gypsy Elves are much more gregarious and less xenophobic. The origins of the Gypsy Elves date back to what has become to be known as the Sundering of the Elves. When the Dark elves broke free from the light elves they split into several races.
There were elves that remained outside of the conflict. One group was a band of light elves that protected both the dark and light elves from each other. When the gods split the elves apart, the gypsy elves were left without a home to call their own. Since they never harmed another elf before they were not forced into the dark underground. Ever since then the Gypsy Elves have wandered from place to place looking for a home. While Gypsy elves tend to be neutral to all other races, they are always treated as “good” to other elves. There are several universal elven customs that apply only to Gypsy Elves.
As long as the other elves do not fight amongst themselves or the other Gypsy Elves they may remain with the tribe as long as they like. Also any Gypsy Elf is invited to remain in any Elf community, but few rarely do.
Gypsy Elves are on friendly terms with humans. They find Human Gypsies to be too xenophobic for their tastes, but they will travel with them for mutual benefit.
Gypsy Elves, like their Elf cousins, produce fine art, in particular music and dance. Many have excelled in woodcarving and sell these pieces of art in communities they pass through. What these elves cannot make, they buy. In this respect they are very good terms with humans.
Gypsy Elves are careful never to take more from the land or their hosts then they absolutely need. It has been said that there will be no evidence of a gypsy elf camp 24 hours after they leave.
Gypsy Elf (Ranagwithe)
Armor Class: 6
Hit dice: 1*
Move: 120' (40')
- Caravan: 90' (30')
Attacks: 1 Weapon
Damage: By Weapon
No. Appearing: 2-8 (2d4) / 5-40 (5d8)
Save As: Elf 1
Morale: 12 or see below
Treasure: Same as Elf
Intelligence: 12
Alignment: Neutral
XP Value: 5
Monster Type: Demihuman (race)
Gypsy Elves are typically found traveling in caravans across the world. Any given caravan will have 5 to 40 members with an a advance scouting troop of 2 to 8 members. Each caravan has a "Caravan Master" who will be a 5th level or greater elf and a "leader", typically an Elf Seeress (known as a "Kuruni") of 6th level or higher. Most gypsy elves will be armed with a short sword (75%) or a cross-bow (25%). All will have daggers as well.
There will also be a variety of random faerie creature travelling with the gypsy elves. These creatures do not fight if the caravan is attacked, but will flee.
Each Gypsy Elf will know a 1st level elf spell, the Kuruni will know spells as a 6th level elf. The Caravan Master and the Kuruni will typically have magic items appropriate for a fighter and a wizard respectively of their level.
Moral will be 12 unless their Caravan Master or Kuruni is dead, then it will be 9. If both are killed it will drop to 6.
Like elves, gypsy elves are immune to the touch of a ghoul.
Section 15 Copyright Notice
Open Game License v 1.0a Copyright 2000, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.
System Reference Document Copyright 2003, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.; Authors Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, Skip Williams, Bruce R. Cordell, based on original material by E. Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson.
Liber Mysterium: The Netbook of Witches and Warlocks is Copyright© 2003, Timothy S. Brannan and the Netbook of Witches Team.
Basic Fantasy Role-Playing Game Copyright © 2006-2008. Chris Gonnerman.
Labyrinth LordTM. Copyright © 2007, Daniel Proctor. Author Daniel Proctor.
"Gypsy Elve for Basic era FRPGs" Copyright ©2010, Timothy S. Brannan
This one expands on my sub-race of elves known as Gypsy Elves.
The Gypsy Elf
"Thousands of years ago the elves were a unified race. The elven people stood strong and diverse.
Then the War came and the Elves were Sundered. The elves were divided by the war.
But some chose not to fight, some took in their brothers and sisters from all sides.
These elves were cursed by the Great God of the Elves to wander the lands till the day when all elves stood as one people again. The other elves took pity on them, calling them, in their own tongues The Wanderers. But not the Wanderers themselves. They knew a powerful secret.
They knew they were Free."
- From the Songs of the Ranagwithe
 |
| by Nichole Grubb |
Like their human counterparts, Gypsy Elves travel all over the known world. However, unlike the Human Gypsies, Gypsy Elves are much more gregarious and less xenophobic. The origins of the Gypsy Elves date back to what has become to be known as the Sundering of the Elves. When the Dark elves broke free from the light elves they split into several races.
There were elves that remained outside of the conflict. One group was a band of light elves that protected both the dark and light elves from each other. When the gods split the elves apart, the gypsy elves were left without a home to call their own. Since they never harmed another elf before they were not forced into the dark underground. Ever since then the Gypsy Elves have wandered from place to place looking for a home. While Gypsy elves tend to be neutral to all other races, they are always treated as “good” to other elves. There are several universal elven customs that apply only to Gypsy Elves.
- No Gypsy Elf may harm another Elf. Even Dark and Light elves.
- No other elf, Dark or Light, may harm a Gypsy Elf.
- No Elven community may refuse lodging to a band of Gypsy Elves. The Gypsy then must agree to be on their way soon after.
As long as the other elves do not fight amongst themselves or the other Gypsy Elves they may remain with the tribe as long as they like. Also any Gypsy Elf is invited to remain in any Elf community, but few rarely do.
Gypsy Elves are on friendly terms with humans. They find Human Gypsies to be too xenophobic for their tastes, but they will travel with them for mutual benefit.
Gypsy Elves, like their Elf cousins, produce fine art, in particular music and dance. Many have excelled in woodcarving and sell these pieces of art in communities they pass through. What these elves cannot make, they buy. In this respect they are very good terms with humans.
Gypsy Elves are careful never to take more from the land or their hosts then they absolutely need. It has been said that there will be no evidence of a gypsy elf camp 24 hours after they leave.
Gypsy Elf (Ranagwithe)
Armor Class: 6
Hit dice: 1*
Move: 120' (40')
- Caravan: 90' (30')
Attacks: 1 Weapon
Damage: By Weapon
No. Appearing: 2-8 (2d4) / 5-40 (5d8)
Save As: Elf 1
Morale: 12 or see below
Treasure: Same as Elf
Intelligence: 12
Alignment: Neutral
XP Value: 5
Monster Type: Demihuman (race)
Gypsy Elves are typically found traveling in caravans across the world. Any given caravan will have 5 to 40 members with an a advance scouting troop of 2 to 8 members. Each caravan has a "Caravan Master" who will be a 5th level or greater elf and a "leader", typically an Elf Seeress (known as a "Kuruni") of 6th level or higher. Most gypsy elves will be armed with a short sword (75%) or a cross-bow (25%). All will have daggers as well.
There will also be a variety of random faerie creature travelling with the gypsy elves. These creatures do not fight if the caravan is attacked, but will flee.
Each Gypsy Elf will know a 1st level elf spell, the Kuruni will know spells as a 6th level elf. The Caravan Master and the Kuruni will typically have magic items appropriate for a fighter and a wizard respectively of their level.
Moral will be 12 unless their Caravan Master or Kuruni is dead, then it will be 9. If both are killed it will drop to 6.
Like elves, gypsy elves are immune to the touch of a ghoul.
Section 15 Copyright Notice
Open Game License v 1.0a Copyright 2000, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.
System Reference Document Copyright 2003, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.; Authors Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, Skip Williams, Bruce R. Cordell, based on original material by E. Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson.
Liber Mysterium: The Netbook of Witches and Warlocks is Copyright© 2003, Timothy S. Brannan and the Netbook of Witches Team.
Basic Fantasy Role-Playing Game Copyright © 2006-2008. Chris Gonnerman.
Labyrinth LordTM. Copyright © 2007, Daniel Proctor. Author Daniel Proctor.
"Gypsy Elve for Basic era FRPGs" Copyright ©2010, Timothy S. Brannan
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Can't Sleep...Gotta Make characters...
So. I should be sleeping, or working, or working on something academic related.
But I am not.
No. I am playing around with the new D&D4 character builder.
It is everything the old character builder had and more. The interface is clunky in places and sometimes slow, but all in all it is a great tool for anyone playing any type of D&D4.
My biggest complaint so far? I can't use my own images for characters.
There are some bugs, but nothing that I can't work around really.
But I am not.
No. I am playing around with the new D&D4 character builder.
It is everything the old character builder had and more. The interface is clunky in places and sometimes slow, but all in all it is a great tool for anyone playing any type of D&D4.
My biggest complaint so far? I can't use my own images for characters.
There are some bugs, but nothing that I can't work around really.
The Houri class
I have mentioned in the past that I am a fan of the "Bad Girl" trope. I get the appeal.
Well the fine folk over at Dangerous Brian have revised the Houri class from White Dwarf,
http://dangerousbrian.blogspot.com/2010/11/new-osric-class-houri-part-i.html
http://dangerousbrian.blogspot.com/2010/11/new-character-class-houri-part-ii.html
It is an interesting take and a class that I think has it has a place in some games. Obviously other think so as well. We have a group very similar in Sisters of Rapture and the infamous Book of Erotic Fantasy (now from White Wolf). From Mongoose we have Nymphology and The Quintessential Temptress. Yes, I have actually purchased all of these.
But the question I have is, is there enough for the Houri to actually do in a game about killing things and taking their stuff?
I can see the houri as a particular type of thief or even magic-user, but not enough to have them as their class.
Though to be fair, I did have a group of assassins called "The Red Assassins" that used guile, seduction and charm to get their jobs done. The great thing about them is that no one know who they were exactly. The Red Assassins came from all walks of life and every profession (not just the oldest one), it made them effective and invisible.
Now what might be interesting is expand of the Arabic and Islamic myths of the Houri and make them some sort of Jann/Human or Nymph/Human crossbreed. Maybe then Houri is a race that has certain powers at different levels. Hmm. An interesting idea. Maybe it can be more like a nymph-like race that is suitable for characters. One thing that must be part of the race is their large, doe-like or gazelle-like eyes. Though there is a certain squik factor of creating a race for the sole purpose of sex. Though I suppose that Star Trek did give us the Deltans and Betazoids, each with strong sexual themes to their cultures.
If we further expand on the race/class idea a logical next step would be to try this for Basic era D&D. Maybe I'll try that sometime.
Well the fine folk over at Dangerous Brian have revised the Houri class from White Dwarf,
http://dangerousbrian.blogspot.com/2010/11/new-osric-class-houri-part-i.html
http://dangerousbrian.blogspot.com/2010/11/new-character-class-houri-part-ii.html
It is an interesting take and a class that I think has it has a place in some games. Obviously other think so as well. We have a group very similar in Sisters of Rapture and the infamous Book of Erotic Fantasy (now from White Wolf). From Mongoose we have Nymphology and The Quintessential Temptress. Yes, I have actually purchased all of these.
But the question I have is, is there enough for the Houri to actually do in a game about killing things and taking their stuff?
I can see the houri as a particular type of thief or even magic-user, but not enough to have them as their class.
Though to be fair, I did have a group of assassins called "The Red Assassins" that used guile, seduction and charm to get their jobs done. The great thing about them is that no one know who they were exactly. The Red Assassins came from all walks of life and every profession (not just the oldest one), it made them effective and invisible.
Now what might be interesting is expand of the Arabic and Islamic myths of the Houri and make them some sort of Jann/Human or Nymph/Human crossbreed. Maybe then Houri is a race that has certain powers at different levels. Hmm. An interesting idea. Maybe it can be more like a nymph-like race that is suitable for characters. One thing that must be part of the race is their large, doe-like or gazelle-like eyes. Though there is a certain squik factor of creating a race for the sole purpose of sex. Though I suppose that Star Trek did give us the Deltans and Betazoids, each with strong sexual themes to their cultures.
If we further expand on the race/class idea a logical next step would be to try this for Basic era D&D. Maybe I'll try that sometime.
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