Friday, December 10, 2010
Red Sonja: She Devil with a Sword: J. Scott Campbell Sonja
Red Sonja: She Devil with a Sword: J. Scott Campbell Sonja: "J. Scott Campbell has been mentioned in this blog before, and with good reason. He does a heck of a job on Sonja. You can also visit hi..."
Blogging about Blog stuff
I did however add this new LinkWithin gadget to my blog so if you are reading something here their might be a post that is similar, or as it says below "You might also like". No idea if it will be any good or not, but I have liked seeing it and have used it on sites like Hero Press and Grantbridge Street.
I'll watch the stats and you all can also let me know.
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Level Titles, Part 2
Thanks for all the comments on yesterday's post on level titles.
The opinion seems to be that many like them and even use them, but only when they have utility and don't conflict with the character concept; the Necromancer title for Magic-Users the oft cited example.
Most of the level titles seem to work well enough. The thief ones are generic enough, the fighter seems fine (with maybe the Swashbuckler being the odd one out). Te cleric ones follow a general logical progression, maybe move bishop up one to replace "Lama" and make the old Bishop into "Abbot".
Oddly enough it seem Magic-Users are the ones that have the most problems.
Most likely it is due to the fact that many of the level title names don't seem to have ranks implied like the Cleric and Fighters do. It is also due to that the names represent different types of magic-using types in other games and in later versions of D&D itself. A Necromancer is a particular type of Magic-User, as is an Enchanter, Sorcerer and Witch.
This is also something that is easily fixed.
Have a quick look at my Gnomes for Basic D&D. For this I wanted something different than Gnomes as Illusionists and especially Gnomes as "Tinker Gnomes". I went back to the research on gnomes when they were earth spirits used by alchemists and other arcane types. So for me Gnomes did magic via alchemy. I used a variation of the Degree Titles for Rosicrucians and the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn for them.
Using this as a guide this can give us new level titles for Magic-Users that would work regardless the type of magic they are doing.
I opted for "Mage" instead of "Wizard" since these are "Magic Users" and the Mage is the highest level of a magic-user. A Wizard would be a specific type of Mage then. To alter this for say AD&D/OSRIC then add "Adeptus Superior" to level 7 and shift the rest up (Wizards were "name" level at 10th, not 9th).
I am releasing this under the OGL and it is 100% Open Content. Please use in your publications as you see fit. For your Section 15 you can identify this as "Level Titles for Magic Using Classes" Copyright 2010 Timothy S. Brannan.
It is based on one of my previous publications, "Liber Mysterium: The Netbook of Witches and Warlocks" Copyright 2003 Timothy S. Brannan and the Netbook of Witches Team.
I am going to put up a full OGL deceleration on my blog later.
ETA: Here it is. OGL
The opinion seems to be that many like them and even use them, but only when they have utility and don't conflict with the character concept; the Necromancer title for Magic-Users the oft cited example.
Most of the level titles seem to work well enough. The thief ones are generic enough, the fighter seems fine (with maybe the Swashbuckler being the odd one out). Te cleric ones follow a general logical progression, maybe move bishop up one to replace "Lama" and make the old Bishop into "Abbot".
Oddly enough it seem Magic-Users are the ones that have the most problems.
Most likely it is due to the fact that many of the level title names don't seem to have ranks implied like the Cleric and Fighters do. It is also due to that the names represent different types of magic-using types in other games and in later versions of D&D itself. A Necromancer is a particular type of Magic-User, as is an Enchanter, Sorcerer and Witch.
This is also something that is easily fixed.
Have a quick look at my Gnomes for Basic D&D. For this I wanted something different than Gnomes as Illusionists and especially Gnomes as "Tinker Gnomes". I went back to the research on gnomes when they were earth spirits used by alchemists and other arcane types. So for me Gnomes did magic via alchemy. I used a variation of the Degree Titles for Rosicrucians and the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn for them.
Using this as a guide this can give us new level titles for Magic-Users that would work regardless the type of magic they are doing.
| Level | Title |
| 1 | Initiate |
| 2 | Apprentice |
| 3 | Neophyte |
| 4 | Adeptus Minor |
| 5 | Adeptus Major |
| 6 | Adeptus Exemptus |
| 7 | Magician |
| 8 | Magister |
| 9 | Magus |
| 10 | Mage 10th level |
I opted for "Mage" instead of "Wizard" since these are "Magic Users" and the Mage is the highest level of a magic-user. A Wizard would be a specific type of Mage then. To alter this for say AD&D/OSRIC then add "Adeptus Superior" to level 7 and shift the rest up (Wizards were "name" level at 10th, not 9th).
I am releasing this under the OGL and it is 100% Open Content. Please use in your publications as you see fit. For your Section 15 you can identify this as "Level Titles for Magic Using Classes" Copyright 2010 Timothy S. Brannan.
It is based on one of my previous publications, "Liber Mysterium: The Netbook of Witches and Warlocks" Copyright 2003 Timothy S. Brannan and the Netbook of Witches Team.
I am going to put up a full OGL deceleration on my blog later.
ETA: Here it is. OGL
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
To the OSR People: Level Titles?
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?
Do you like level titles? Do you use them in your games?
Why or why not?
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.
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