Want Suspense?
How's this. Tune in later today for a big announcement! ;)
Tuesday, August 27, 2019
#RPGaDAY2019: Suspense
Today's topic is Suspense.
Want Suspense?
How's this. Tune in later today for a big announcement! ;)
Want Suspense?
How's this. Tune in later today for a big announcement! ;)
Monday, August 26, 2019
Monstrous Monday: Spider, Unlight
"It was a creature from the Outer Darkness. Clothed in the shape of a gargantuan spider, but far more fell. It's exact shape was difficult to make out, save from where darkness gave way to a deeper unlight. All we could see were it's monstrous eyes. Each one glowed and betrayed great and evil greed or thirst for light and life."
The foul and fell creatures known as the Unlight Spiders are not true spiders, but take that form from the deepest fears of mortal kind. They are in truth shapeless spirits of the voids beyond the blackness of the darkest realms. Such is their hunger they feed not just on life, but on the light itself.
They crave light as much as they loathe it.
Here they are for Old School Essentials.
Spider, Unlight
10' long spiders of complete pitch-black color. Hide in dark webs in the deepest, darkest pits they can find.
AC 4, HD 7** (32hp), Att 1 × bite (3d6 + poison), THAC0 17, MV 90’ (30’) / 180’ (60’) in webs, SV D8 W9 P10 B11 S12 (F8), ML 10, AL Chaos, XP 1210, NA 1 (1d3), TT Ux2
• Growth: Every time the Unlight Spider drains life levels equal to twice their own HD they grow one size category larger.
• Energy drain: A successfully hit target permanently loses one experience levels (or Hit Dice). This incurs a loss of one Hit Dice of hit points, as well as all other benefits due to the drained levels (e.g. spells, saving throws, etc.). A character’s XP is reduced to the lowest amount for the new level. A person drained of all levels dies and cannot be raised.
• Infravision: 180’
• Loathe the Light: -1 to-hit in lighted conditions (Light spell) and -2 full daylight (Continual Light spell) conditions.
• Mundane damage immunity: Can only be harmed by magical attacks.
• Poison: Causes death in 1 turn (save vs poison).
• Webs: Creatures caught in webs become entangled and unable to move. Breaking free depends on Strength.
<10: Impossible to break free
10-13: 6 rounds
14-17: 5 rounds
18-19: 4 rounds
19-22: 3 rounds
23+ : 2 rounds
The webs can be destroyed by fire in three rounds. All creatures in a flaming web suffer 1d6 points of damage.
- From the Journals of Larina Nix
The foul and fell creatures known as the Unlight Spiders are not true spiders, but take that form from the deepest fears of mortal kind. They are in truth shapeless spirits of the voids beyond the blackness of the darkest realms. Such is their hunger they feed not just on life, but on the light itself.
They crave light as much as they loathe it.
Here they are for Old School Essentials.
Spider, Unlight
10' long spiders of complete pitch-black color. Hide in dark webs in the deepest, darkest pits they can find.
AC 4, HD 7** (32hp), Att 1 × bite (3d6 + poison), THAC0 17, MV 90’ (30’) / 180’ (60’) in webs, SV D8 W9 P10 B11 S12 (F8), ML 10, AL Chaos, XP 1210, NA 1 (1d3), TT Ux2
• Growth: Every time the Unlight Spider drains life levels equal to twice their own HD they grow one size category larger.
• Infravision: 180’
• Loathe the Light: -1 to-hit in lighted conditions (Light spell) and -2 full daylight (Continual Light spell) conditions.
• Mundane damage immunity: Can only be harmed by magical attacks.
• Poison: Causes death in 1 turn (save vs poison).
• Webs: Creatures caught in webs become entangled and unable to move. Breaking free depends on Strength.
<10: Impossible to break free
10-13: 6 rounds
14-17: 5 rounds
18-19: 4 rounds
19-22: 3 rounds
23+ : 2 rounds
The webs can be destroyed by fire in three rounds. All creatures in a flaming web suffer 1d6 points of damage.
#RPGaDAY2019: Idea
Today's topic is Idea.
Ideas come from a lot of different places. For example, this weekend's big idea came from my desire to do something big.
I am wrapping up my first big D&D 5 campaign, The Order of the Platinum Dragon, which will end in the Q1 Queen of the Demonweb Pits, but instead of using the "Steampunk" spider ship, I am going with the fan-created adventure Skein Of The Death Mother by John A. Turcotte.
My idea is to do something really special.
I have 5 2ft x 2ft pieces of a shitty particle-board. I have tubing, I have some LED lights. I have a ton of plastic spiders and a few broken mini-figures. I will get some spider-webs from the Halloween store, some gaming paper, some paint. I bet there are some maps I can print too.
I am going to build some giant "geomorphs".
The plan is not really to replicate the map above but to get the feel of it. I am likely to make rooms close to 13, 21 and 26 above, but also do some of the clusters of smaller rooms too.
I have 5 boards, so I figure I can "geomorph" them enough to build something really cool and flexible.
It should not take me too long, unless I get loss in the details, but it should still be fun.
Ideas come from a lot of different places. For example, this weekend's big idea came from my desire to do something big.
I am wrapping up my first big D&D 5 campaign, The Order of the Platinum Dragon, which will end in the Q1 Queen of the Demonweb Pits, but instead of using the "Steampunk" spider ship, I am going with the fan-created adventure Skein Of The Death Mother by John A. Turcotte.
My idea is to do something really special.
I have 5 2ft x 2ft pieces of a shitty particle-board. I have tubing, I have some LED lights. I have a ton of plastic spiders and a few broken mini-figures. I will get some spider-webs from the Halloween store, some gaming paper, some paint. I bet there are some maps I can print too.
I am going to build some giant "geomorphs".
The plan is not really to replicate the map above but to get the feel of it. I am likely to make rooms close to 13, 21 and 26 above, but also do some of the clusters of smaller rooms too.
I have 5 boards, so I figure I can "geomorph" them enough to build something really cool and flexible.
It should not take me too long, unless I get loss in the details, but it should still be fun.
Sunday, August 25, 2019
#RPGaDAY2019: Calamity
Today's topic is Calamity.
In many ways, this post is a continuation of my post on Lost.
One of the things all my Lost Lands have in common is they are lost due to some calamity.
Atlantis, Doggerland and East Beleriand were taken back by the sea. Their secrets hidden by the waves.
For the Suel Empire, it was the Rain of Colorless Fire. And that makes it interesting.
I think flooding is something we can get. We see it. Some have experienced it. I grew up near the Illinois River Valley. My wife grew up near the Fox River Valley (it was her backyard). We have both seen several "once in a lifetime" floods. Flooding I get. I know what happens, even when it is terrible.
Fire from the sky? That is some apocalypse-level shit.
I think that is also one of the reasons that attracted me so much to the whole Suel Empire. Their world was just under a sea, in this case the Sea of Dust, but they were wiped out by fire. Like Pompei.
A good calamity can add some gravitas to your world. Plus it helps explain all those lost treasure hordes dragons seem to have.
Water was running; children were running
You were running out of time
Under the mountain, a golden fountain
Were you praying at the Lares shrine?
But oh your city lies in dust, my friend
We found you hiding we found you lying
Choking on the dirt and sand
Your former glories and all the stories
Dragged and washed with eager hands
But oh your city lies in dust, my friend
Water was running; children were running
We found you hiding we found you lying
But oh your city lies in dust, my friend
Hot and burning in your nostrils
Pouring down your gaping mouth
Your molten bodies blanket of cinders
Caught in the throes
And your city lies in dust
In many ways, this post is a continuation of my post on Lost.
One of the things all my Lost Lands have in common is they are lost due to some calamity.
Atlantis, Doggerland and East Beleriand were taken back by the sea. Their secrets hidden by the waves.
For the Suel Empire, it was the Rain of Colorless Fire. And that makes it interesting.
I think flooding is something we can get. We see it. Some have experienced it. I grew up near the Illinois River Valley. My wife grew up near the Fox River Valley (it was her backyard). We have both seen several "once in a lifetime" floods. Flooding I get. I know what happens, even when it is terrible.
Fire from the sky? That is some apocalypse-level shit.
I think that is also one of the reasons that attracted me so much to the whole Suel Empire. Their world was just under a sea, in this case the Sea of Dust, but they were wiped out by fire. Like Pompei.
A good calamity can add some gravitas to your world. Plus it helps explain all those lost treasure hordes dragons seem to have.
Rain of Fire
Level: Witch Ritual 6
Ritual Requirements: Minimum 3 witches, see text
Range: See text
Duration: See text
"It is said that only those that give life know the price of taking a life. This is why originally only witches were given the power to destroy."
- From the Journal of Larina Nix
The witches of old had powerful rituals both of creating life and creating death. This ritual is very much the latter.
Three or more witches are needed for the most basic version of this horrible ritual, more witches added the more devastating the effects. Each witch must know this ritual.
The witches take a prepared focus item, an effigy made from the same materials of their target. Usually a town or a locale. Each witch contributes a bit of blood (1hp worth) to item's creation since life must be given to take life
Once the ritual has begun the witches make a plea and summons to dark gods of vengeance, destruction, and fire. The pleas, once heard, will be answered in kind, with vengeance, destruction, and fire.
The witches then burn the effigy, each providing the flame via magic. Once that is done the fire rains down on the actual location destroying it and anyone in it. Victims can run from the location if they make it out of the area, they will be safe, but a save vs. Spells must be made or take 1d6 hp of damage per all the level of the witches involved, or half on a save.
Material Components: The effigy of the place targeted, made with materials from the target. Each witch also uses a rod of ash that she uses to focus her energy on the effigy then they raise their rods to sky to direct the energy out to the target. Each witch also contributes 1hp worth of blood in the casting.
This ritual is rare and all witches must know the ritual in order to cast it.
I wonder what lies in the Suel Cities of Dust? Treasures? The Suel people preserved only as ashen shells? One day I should find out.
Water was running; children were running
You were running out of time
Under the mountain, a golden fountain
Were you praying at the Lares shrine?
But oh your city lies in dust, my friend
We found you hiding we found you lying
Choking on the dirt and sand
Your former glories and all the stories
Dragged and washed with eager hands
But oh your city lies in dust, my friend
Water was running; children were running
We found you hiding we found you lying
But oh your city lies in dust, my friend
Hot and burning in your nostrils
Pouring down your gaping mouth
Your molten bodies blanket of cinders
Caught in the throes
And your city lies in dust
Saturday, August 24, 2019
#RPGaDAY2019: Triumph
Today's topic is Triumph.
Let's all cast our minds back to the early and mid-80s when D&D was getting REALLY popular.
There are more, if you want to find them. Lots more really.
The biggest Triumph we have had as RPG players and geeks, in general, is that society has come to embrace us.
The biggest movies in the world now are all nerdy topics that never would have worked in the 80s. Comic-books, stories about wizards, Lord of the Rings, movies about Aliens.
Let's have a look at the at the top box office earners according to Box Office Mojo.
The only "non-geek" movie in the bunch is Titanic.
Now celebrities tout their geek and D&D cred like it is a badge of honor and respect.
Vin Disel, Stephen Colbert, Felicia Day, Dwayne Johnson, Joe Manganiello among many others routinely talk about D&D. Will Wheaton walks around Gen Con like he BELONGS there (spoiler, he does!).
And then you have something like this.
Actress Dominique Tipper from "The Expanse", a British/Dominican actress of color so no where near the stereotype of a D&D player.
Her Twitter posts after this have been a delight. She is falling in love with the game so many of us love and it is a wonderful thing.
The Triumph of D&D is how we went from being persecuted in the 80s to being in the limelight today.
They say the best revenge is living well and D&D is living well indeed.
Let's all cast our minds back to the early and mid-80s when D&D was getting REALLY popular.
There are more, if you want to find them. Lots more really.
The biggest Triumph we have had as RPG players and geeks, in general, is that society has come to embrace us.
The biggest movies in the world now are all nerdy topics that never would have worked in the 80s. Comic-books, stories about wizards, Lord of the Rings, movies about Aliens.
Let's have a look at the at the top box office earners according to Box Office Mojo.
| 1 | Star Wars: The Force Awakens | BV | $936,662,225 | 2015 |
| 2 | Avengers: Endgame | BV | $858,188,415 | 2019 |
| 3 | Avatar | Fox | $760,507,625 | 2009^ |
| 4 | Black Panther | BV | $700,059,566 | 2018 |
| 5 | Avengers: Infinity War | BV | $678,815,482 | 2018 |
| 6 | Titanic | Par. | $659,363,944 | 1997^ |
| 7 | Jurassic World | Uni. | $652,270,625 | 2015 |
| 8 | Marvel's The Avengers | BV | $623,357,910 | 2012 |
| 9 | Star Wars: The Last Jedi | BV | $620,181,382 | 2017 |
| 10 | Incredibles 2 | BV | $608,581,744 | 2018 |
The only "non-geek" movie in the bunch is Titanic.
Now celebrities tout their geek and D&D cred like it is a badge of honor and respect.
Vin Disel, Stephen Colbert, Felicia Day, Dwayne Johnson, Joe Manganiello among many others routinely talk about D&D. Will Wheaton walks around Gen Con like he BELONGS there (spoiler, he does!).
And then you have something like this.
Actress Dominique Tipper from "The Expanse", a British/Dominican actress of color so no where near the stereotype of a D&D player.
WHY DID NO-ONE TELL ME ABOUT D&D?! Whhhhhhhhhhyyyyy @Casanvar was most suprised when I messaged him and was like “bro why havent we played D&D yet?” And then I was all “so can you DM a D&D game for the cast next season?” 😂 lets see if I can get everyone on board hehe!— Dominique Tipper (@Mi55Tipper) August 20, 2019
Her Twitter posts after this have been a delight. She is falling in love with the game so many of us love and it is a wonderful thing.
The Triumph of D&D is how we went from being persecuted in the 80s to being in the limelight today.
They say the best revenge is living well and D&D is living well indeed.
Friday, August 23, 2019
#RPGaDAY2019: Surprise
Today's topic is Surprise.
What is the most surprising thing you ever witnessed in a game? I have to say it was a game my older son ran for my youngest son and the sheep.
It was so surprising because of how crazy it all was and how much noise we heard coming from the basement.
So it goes like this. The party was supposed to get to the next town to get to a job. The job was what the adventure was supposed to be about. Simple right? So they all decide to take a short cut through a field and stay off the main road. They ask what is in the field. My oldest, not having planned this bit out (because why should he) rolled and said "Sheep".
The players freaked out. They all wanted to have sheep as pets or animal companions. So they spent a long time chasing sheep, trying to charm them or casting any spells they could think of. By this time some of the players got tired of chasing sheep so they started killing them. Next thing the players they started try and raise the sheep from the dead, others wanted to bring them back as zombies. Then the characters started attacking each other, the zombie sheep started to attack the characters. By the end of the night, some four hours later, the sheep were all dead, the countryside was on fire, and at least three characters (out of six) were dead.
There was so much yelling and laughing and shouting. We were laughing our asses off upstairs.
Every kid downstairs had to tell us their version of the story.
I know I am not doing the story any justice here. But it was so damn funny to hear them tell it.
What is the most surprising thing you ever witnessed in a game? I have to say it was a game my older son ran for my youngest son and the sheep.
It was so surprising because of how crazy it all was and how much noise we heard coming from the basement.
So it goes like this. The party was supposed to get to the next town to get to a job. The job was what the adventure was supposed to be about. Simple right? So they all decide to take a short cut through a field and stay off the main road. They ask what is in the field. My oldest, not having planned this bit out (because why should he) rolled and said "Sheep".
The players freaked out. They all wanted to have sheep as pets or animal companions. So they spent a long time chasing sheep, trying to charm them or casting any spells they could think of. By this time some of the players got tired of chasing sheep so they started killing them. Next thing the players they started try and raise the sheep from the dead, others wanted to bring them back as zombies. Then the characters started attacking each other, the zombie sheep started to attack the characters. By the end of the night, some four hours later, the sheep were all dead, the countryside was on fire, and at least three characters (out of six) were dead.
There was so much yelling and laughing and shouting. We were laughing our asses off upstairs.
Every kid downstairs had to tell us their version of the story.
I know I am not doing the story any justice here. But it was so damn funny to hear them tell it.
Thursday, August 22, 2019
Adventures in Hyperborea
So if I know ANYTHING at all about Conan, likely it came from Jason Vey. In addition to being a top rate game designer, he is a Master's level scholar on Robert E. Howard. So when he shares something related to Conan, or Howard or realted topics, I pay attention.
This week he shared this with me, Adventures of the Hyborian Age. This is an older site with adventures for the Mongoose d20 Conan game. Jason is using this material for his OD&D-based Conan game which sounds fantastic.
He shared with me something he knew I would love. A Conan-flavored conversion of one of my favorite adventures of all time, S4 The Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth.
The new adventure has a more Hyborian feel to it and draws heavily from Conan lore, in particular, Red Nails.
HS4 The Lost Caverns of Acheron
The adventure is, at it's heart, the same as S4. Save now it has been reskinned for the Hyborian Age and all the background has been changed.
Now maybe I have been reading a lot of Eric Fabiaschi of late (or always really) but this sounds like a PERFECT adventure for Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea!
Eric has had a LOT to say about AS&SH (most of his blog) and S4 The Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth. In fact he pulls in a lot of Jason Vey's own game, Amazing Adventures into the conversations too.
In fact, I am very curious to hear what Eric has to say about this adventure. (EDITED: I talked to Eric before this post went up. He has played it using AS&SH. He also pointed out my next point.)
Now AS&SH only takes us to level 12. This adventure is right up against that level limit and might even be a bit more than a party can deal with. I would alter this by having a larger party to be honest or carefully scaling the encounters.
Outside of the Hyborian skin the biggest change is the Witch-Queen Xaltana. She essentially combines the characters of Iggwilv and Drelzna into one.
So instead of this:
We get this:
It actually works out quite well. In fact, Xaltana is much more interesting than Drelzna ever was. (Sorry D!)
Appropriately the adventure takes on a more Clark Ashton Smith feel to it. This plays so well into the sequel WG4 The Forgotten Temple of Tharizdun. Which could in like fashion be reskinned as The Forgotten Temple of Thasaidon. Hmm. Maybe that is something to try; borrowing heavily from The Tomb-Spawn.
She would make a great Witch Queen! More on that later.
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