There are a lot of things I love about RPGs. I could go on about the games I love, or the social aspects, or the friends I have made over the years. But today I think I want to talk about one love I have not talked about before.
Gen Con.
I love Gen Con. I do. The larger it gets the more I love it. I started going only recently, the last 12 years, but I love everything about it.
I love the spectacle, I love the dealer's hall, the food trucks, staying in the hotel with my family, playing games all day and all night.
Every year for the last few years we have been staying at the same hotel, the JW Marriot Indy, so showing up there feels like, well, coming home. My kids love the hotel and we are within walking distance of everything we want. The Marriot has open gaming till 3:00am in their ballrooms, so it has been our tradition to play a game of D&D 5 for the last 5-6 years every night.
Every year we also try out new places to eat and we LOVE the food trucks. We love the cosplay parade and all the cosplay there.
Of course, there are the games. I try to get a nice variety in with the kids. We try out new games, play some old ones. One year I did "The History of D&D" for my family where we played every edition we could get into. Where else can you do that?
This is no slight to other cons, I have had great times there too. But Gen Con is our love.
I also know that people complain it is "too big", not me. I love the fact that 70,000 people are there.
It is a great feeling to be in a place where 70k+ people are there all for the same reasons. It is a wonderful time.
I know there will be a time when we don't go. My kids are getting older, it is getting more expensive and that drive from Chicago to Indy is the WORST. But for now, I am going to enjoy Gen Con with my family.
Diana, Queen of the Hunt! “Let us be Diana's foresters, minions of the moon” - William Shakespeare
Artemis and Diana, Forever Young. Forever Wild.
Time out of mind the symbol of Diana meant freedom. And in freedom there is Power.
This book introduces the Amazon Witch Tradition. Witches from the ancient time of myths and legends.
- The witch class and two new witch covens
- 40 Spells and 8 Rituals for witch characters
Fully compatible with BLUEHOLMETM and other Basic-Era games.
Fully compatible with other witch books from The Other Side.
All for the low, low price of FREE.
Overtly this is designed to go with the Blueholme Prentice Rules. This gets you going using my Holmes inspired witch class for the price of a couple of clicks.
"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."
- 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.
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.
HD
hp
XP
7
32
1,210
14
63
6,600
28
126
26,600
• 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.
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.
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.
Witches Participating
Minimum Damage
Area Sq. Miles
3
36d6
5
4
48d6
10
5
60d6
25
6
72d6
50
7
84d6
100
8
96d6
250
9
108d6
500
10
120d6
1,000
12
144d6
2,500
13
156d6
5,000
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
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.
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!
