Character Creation Challenge: Nik Nak, Goblin Warlock

Nik Nak by Jacob Blackmon

I was waiting on today's Character Creation Challenge until I got my copy of Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse today.  While this collects a bunch of material for other books into one volume, I did want to wait to see what the options for new character races/species were.  And I can say I am not disappointed at all!

Personally I like having all these different options in my games.  Especially with the way I have been playing D&D 5 of late.  It makes me want to make my part of the world something akin to Elis Island of the Multiverse.  A place where everyone comes too on their way to new lands.

One of those places in my town of West Haven.  Once I settled on that then the choice of today's character was an easy one.

Nik Nak is a goblin fey-pact Warlock in service to the Goblin King.  I featured him a while back for my Swords & Wizardry Warlock book; which introduced both the warlock class and the goblin playable species.   Here he is in his D&D 5th Edition version.

He is a sneaky little goblin, but not completely evil really. He lives in the Goblin Wood where he is the local Boglebo (akin to a warlock/shaman for goblins) and alchemist.  He sometimes sells potions in the market.  He has learned that ripping off a customer is a good deal in the short term, but to sell what he has at a fair price brings in more money in the long term.  He is fond of urban life and would bring more money home if he didn't have such a taste for human alcohol. 

He is often found with his toad familiar, "Lady Patricia Blackwell."  A gift to him from his patron the Goblin King.

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Want to see more of the #CharacterCreationChallenge? Stop by Tardis Captain's Blog and the #CharacterCreationChallenge on Twitter for more! 

Mail Call: Victorian, Tasha and League of Malevolence

It's a month since Christmas, so I can buy things for myself again.  And this is what the mail has given me this week.

Vis Imperium Victoriana is a Victorian RPG using the same rules as Pendragon Chivalry and Sorcery Essence (thanks for the corrections!).  So you know I am excited for that!

Enoch's Wake is from Richard Ruane. Game designer, co worker at my day job, and all around great guy.  Can't wait to get into that as well.  I am totally planning on stealing ideas from this for my BlackStar game.

I got a League of Malevolence figures which include my favorites Skylla and Kelek.

They look pretty good and compare well to my HeroForge ones I had made a while back.

I also treated myself to a signed photo from Ginny Di as Tasha.

That one is either going to be part of my D&D5 DM's Screen or be part of my Tasha/Iggwilv/Zybilna character folder.  Either way I am happy to have it!

Happy...uh...January to me!!

Character Creation Challenge: Nancy Drew

I have to admit I rather enjoyed the old Hardy Boys / Nancy Drew Mysteries.  I was more partial to Nancy Drew; having a crush on Pamela Sue Martin and later Janet Julian.  I  was quite excited on hearing there was going to be new Nancy Drew series staring Kennedy McMann.   So imagine my delight when the show went hard-core supernatural.  

The show is full of ghosts, possessions, family curses, witches fighting other witches, and yes lots of mystery.  In its 3rd season, it is one of my new guilty pleasures. 

Plus Nancy would be fantastic for any number of supernatural RPGs.  In the spirit of crossovers how about Nancy for the Buffy the Vampire Slayer RPG.  After all, Buffy would not have been here had it not been for Nancy Drew.  And the Nancy Drew show would not have been on the CW had Buffy not been on the WB before it.

So here is Nancy for the Buffy the Vampire Slayer RPG.

Nancy Drew
Experienced Hero

"Everyone loves a mystery"

Life Points: 33
Drama Points: 10

Strength 2
Dexterity 3
Constitution 3
Intelligence 4
Perception 5
Willpower 4

Qualities
Attractiveness (2)

Contacts (3)
Fast Reaction Time
Hard to Kill 1

Nerves of Steel

Photographic Memory 

Situational Awareness

Drawbacks
Adversary (1)

Honorable (1)

Love (Ex, Nick)

Useful Information
Initiative 5
Observation 10

Height: 5'8"
Hair: Red
Eyes: Blue

Skills
Acrobatics 3
Art 4
Computers 2
Crime 5
Doctor 2
Driving 2
Gun-Fu 0
Getting Medieval 2
Influence 3
Knowledge 4
Kung Fu 2
Languages 2
Mr. Fix-it 2
Notice 5
Occultism 3
Science 3
Sports 1

Combat

Maneuver	Bonus	Damage	Notes
Dodge / Parry	+5	-	Defense Action
Grapple	+6	-	Defense Action

Gear

Notebook

Flashlight

Scarf

Knit hat

Sunbeam Alpine Series III, light blue

--

You wont see Nancy getting into too many fights and she has never, in my memory, used a weapon.  Maybe a she has picked up a stick or used a supernatural weapon, but never a gun or even a knife really.  Her main weapon is her mind; her keen intelligence and her photographic memory.

She would really fit in well.  I mean Horseshoe Bay might as well be a Hellmouth with all the supernatural shenanigans going on. This Nancy Drew really is the spiritual daughter of Buffy, as much as Buffy is the spiritual granddaughter of Nancy Drew from the books.

Want to see more of the #CharacterCreationChallenge? Stop by Tardis Captain's Blog and the #CharacterCreationChallenge on Twitter for more! 

Character Creation Challenge: The 11th Doctor for Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Ever have one of those times when things seem to line up a certain way?  Yesterday I posted stats for Sherlock and Watson for the Doctor Who RPG, Adventures in Time and Space.  In particular the one for the 11th Doctor.  It's not a completely original idea, there is an entire sub-culture of fans for "Who-lock" out there. 

Also this week DriveThruComics is having their big Crossover sale now and I do love a good cross-over.  I picked up Army of Darkness/Xena Warrior Princess Volume 1, Sherlock Holmes & Kolchak: The Night Stalker, Red Sonja & Vampirella Meet Betty & Veronica (just because), and the Pathfinder: Worldscape  Vol 1 and Vol 2.    The Pathfinder ones are nice since they have Pathfinder 1st Ed stats for John Carter, Tarzan, Red Sonja, and more.  

I was thinking that some crossovers would be fun for the last week of this challenge. I have done a few in the past that were really fun. I have Xena and Gabrielle for Army of Darkness. Lots for Red Sonja.  Charmed and Buffy for both Dark Places & Demogorns and the Buffy RPG. And Willow and Tara for Doctor Who. 

One of my goals for NIGHT SHIFT was to be able to play any character I wanted from any modern supernatural horror franchise.  So I have been trying out a Buffy/Supernatural crossover with the Wayward Sisters and Willow and Tara. It has worked well. 

So I have been trying to come with ideas for other crossovers, and in particular ones I could do with NIGHT SHIFT.  The problem I am having is I have already done all the ones I was most excited about.  So I started looking for more.  I thought maybe an Expanse / Black Star crossover would be fun. The series ended and I was looking for more Expanse goodness.  I even looked into making a scenario where the MCRN Barkeith exits the Ring Gate and is not "gone" but ends up in the Black Star Universe. Given Admiral Sauveterre's attitude, he would likely fire on the first Earth ship he sees, which so happens to be USS Imbolc Mage.  It will be a short fight.  The MCRN Barkeith is a Donnager class Martian Warship (in the books).  The Imbolc Mage is a Mystic class experimental science vessel.  The Mage can out-fly, outmaneuver, and outgun the Barkeith by several orders of magnitude. The Barkeith's PDNs can't even get through the Imbolc Mage's navigation shields. This does not consider the Imbolc Mage's warp drive, phasers, or forward-mounted phase canons. 

But those are ships. Not characters. I was still at a loss of a character to do today.  That is until I saw an image from the 2022 Buffy the Vampire Slayer Calendar.

There is the 11th Doctor.  Not sure why, but I know a gift when I see it.

The photo behind Buffy's/SMG's head is one of the Dæmons from Doctor Who.  Which would also give a good reason for a crossover.  A Dæmon from the Doctor Who universe escapes to the Buffy universe where it is suspected of being a demon. 

So here is the 11th Doctor for the Buffy the Vampire Slayer RPG.

The Doctor (11th Doctor)
Very Experienced Hero

"Hello, I'm the Doctor.  Basically. Run."

Life Points: 57
Drama Points: 10

Strength 3
Dexterity 5
Constitution 5
Intelligence 9
Perception 4
Willpower 4

Qualities
Age (11) (1100 years)
Attractiveness (1)

Contacts (3)
Fast Reaction Time (Time Lord)
Hard to Kill 5 (Time Lord)

Nerd

Nerves of Steel

Photographic Memory 

Reduced Damage 3 (Time Lord)
Regeneration (6 Life Points per hour) (Time Lord)

Situational Awareness (Time Lord)

Time Lord

Drawbacks
Adversary (lots)

Honorable (3)
Love, Tragic (River)

Useful Information
Initiative +10
Observation 9

Height: 6'0"
Hair: Brown (and still not Ginger)
Eyes: Brown

Skills
Acrobatics 3
Art 2
Computers 9
Crime 2
Doctor 5
Driving 4
Gun-Fu 0
Getting Medieval 3
Influence 4
Knowledge 6
Kung Fu 3
Languages * (Everything)
Mr. Fix-it 5
Notice 5
Occultism 1
Science 8
Sports 4
Wild Card (Time Travel) 10

Combat

Maneuver	Bonus	Damage	Notes
Dodge / Parry	+8	-	Defense Action
Grapple	+9	-	Defense Action

Gear

Sonic Screwdriver

Bow tie

Fez

--

Oh, this would be a lot of fun. The 11th Doctor is more in tune with the whole vibe of Buffy.  I'd have to work out the details on what the Time Lord quality is, but in truth The Doctor Who RPG does it so well.  

A fact, most of the playtesters for Doctor Who were also the playtesters for Buffy.   

Want to see more of the #CharacterCreationChallenge? Stop by Tardis Captain's Blog and the #CharacterCreationChallenge on Twitter for more! 

Character Creation Challenge: Sherlock, Adventures in Time and Space

ETA: My post did not go as scheduled Saturday morning, so I am re-editing it with Sunday's post.

I am a HUGE Sherlock Holmes fan.  Last week's post on Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson reminded me of that.  It also reminded me of this post.  I had been picking at it for a bit, though this weekend would be a good time to wrap it all up. 

I have read all the stories, seen most of the movies and nearly all of the classic BBC series with Jeremy Brett (whom I still feel is the definitive Holmes), and few-score other adaptations including non-canon books, movies, and plays. I also really enjoyed the Sherlock series from the BBC starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman.

The show was created by Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat. The same duo that worked on the Russel T. Davies re-start of Doctor Who and who helmed the 11th and 12th Doctor years. 

I know I am not the only one who would love to see a Sherlock/Doctor Who crossover.



But considering I don't have the time or the skills to edit together a clip like that, I'll settle for the worlds I can manipulate.

Here is the modern Sherlock Holmes for Doctor Who: Adventures in Time and Space (Eleventh Doctor Edition).

Sherlock Holmes
Story Points: 12

Attributes
Awareness 6
Coordination 4
Ingenuity 6
Presence 3
Resolve 4
Strength 3

Skills
Athletics 4
Convince 1
Craft 3
Fighting 2
Knowledge 6
Marksman 1
Medicine 2
Science 6
Subterfuge 4
Survival 1
Technology 3
Transport 0

Traits
Attractive, Boffin, Eccentric, Insatiable Curiosity, Photographic Memory, Selfish, Technically Adept, Voice of Authority

Equipment
Smart Phone
Home Tech Level: 5

John Watson, MD
Story Points: 12

Attributes
Awareness 3
Coordination 2
Ingenuity 3
Presence 2
Resolve 4
Strength 3

Skills
Athletics 1
Convince 0
Craft 1
Fighting 2
Knowledge 3
Marksman 4
Medicine 5
Science 3
Subterfuge 1
Survival 2
Technology 2
Transport 1

Traits
Brave, Code of Conduct, Face in the Crowd

Equipment
Cellphone, Revolver

Home Tech Level: 5

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With many characters in different systems I strive to make mechanical or even closely mathematical equivalents.  With Sherlock here vs. Sherlock Holmes, I am more interested in staying true to the character and to the system.

Want to see more of the #CharacterCreationChallenge? Stop by Tardis Captain's Blog and the #CharacterCreationChallenge on Twitter for more! 

Character Creation Challenge, Kickstart Your Weekend style

Something a little different today.  I am interrupting my regularly scheduled Character Creation Challenge posts with a Kickstart Your Weekend style review.

The Kickstarter for SURVIVE THIS!! Dark Places & Demogorgons Class Compendium has begun and Bloat Games offered me a sneak peak.  I am providing a review of their new book, and a link for their Kickstarter.

The Kickstarter

I am a huge fan of Dark Places & Demogorgons. 

As of this writing the Kickstarter has made their initial goal. They are now heading to the next Stretch Goal of new art.  After this more stretch goals will be announced.  The lowest level to get in $6 and that gets you the PDF.  Not a bad deal really.

The Book

The current version of the book is all complete with layout and art.  Stretch goals will replace some of the art, but right now it looks great.

The book is digest sized, 210+ pages, color cover and black & white pages.  If you are familiar with any SURVIVE THIS!! book you have a good idea of how it looks on the inside.

The book contains all the classes that have appeared in every Dark Places & Demogorns book, all in one place.  The new classes include  Archery Enthusiast, Badger Scout,  Horror Connoisseur, Hot Shot,  Snoop, The Source, Sweet Baby, Thespian, and new psionic classes, Animal Wrangler and The Forgotten. So 56 classes and 10 new classes for 66 in total.  There are also new spells for the magic using classes.

Most classes cover two to three pages.  Everything you need to know about each class, but no rules for play. You still need the core rules for that. I am reading through and the classes do look expanded.  For example the Goth in the core Dark Places & Demogorgons book tops of, as all classes do in that book, at 5th level.  The Goth in the Class Compendium advances to 10th level, and there are archetypes of the "Mopey Goth" and the "Supernatural Goth."

The new classes are fun with the Horror Connoisseur toping the list of my favorites.  Though I knew a lot of "Sources" back in High School and they would also be a fun class to play.  Though the Magic Classes are still my favorite.  So I am quite pleased to get a bunch of new spells.

Skills are also updated.  The game moved up and out from the core book so new skills need to be defined and there are revised skills as well. 

There is even some space given to fighting threats from "The Otherside."  I'll try not to take that one personally! ;)

Really is a fun book and a must have if you are playing Dark Places & Demogorgons.  It should even work for We Die Young to be honest. 

So yeah, this is a Kickstarter worth backing.

The Character

Again, I think I need to go with my Drosophila melanogaster of playtesting magic classes and see what my dear little witch Larina was doing in the 1980s (1984 to be exact).  She was my big experiment in my Modern Occult Horror RPGs post a bit back, but let's have a look at her in detail.  I am also including my NIGHT SHIFT character sheet as well.

Click to see larger. 

I love how these two games work well with each other.  Each providing me a a detail I did not have before.

Character Creation Challenge: Lee Jun-fan

Today's character could work with either my Victorian setting or Spirit of '76 for a lot of the same reasons.  

I have always been a big fan of Bruce Lee.  I first saw him on the old Batman series as Kato and then later in interviews.  I am not sure what the first Bruce Lee movie I saw was, but likely it was "Enter the Dragon."  Later I learned of his legacies of how Asian-American actors were treated in Hollywood, his invention of Jeet Kun Do, and his atheism.   He was in every respect of the word, an icon and all-around good guy. 

He was huge in the 1970s, especially after his death, and he was central, or at least he heavily influenced the TV series Kung-Fu.   That gives him an "in" to both eras I am gaming with this month.

So in the tradition of the series(es) Kung-fu I have a character idea that would work for both times.  This is an alternate world (NIGHT SHIFT) where Bruce Lee's "Jun Fan Gung Fu" (just Gung Fu from here on out) was a classical style (and totally missing the point of what Lee was trying to do I know...).  

Victorian Era

Here a young British Lord and his Chinese wife had a son, Lee Jun-fan.  But they were killed in the Taiping Rebellion. Their son, whom they feared would also be killed, was left with monks where he was raised to learn Gung Fu. Here he trains for his first 30 years of life.  He returns to his father's home in England where he deals with the racism of 1880s Victorian England.  He is protected by title and wealth, but still, things are not easy for him. He is also a master of Gung Fu and learns of the vast Occult Underground London has to offer.  

Think of it as "Kung Fu by Gaslight."

Spirit of '76

In 1976, Lee Jun-fan's great-grandson, also named Lee Jun-fan, but going by "Lee Young" (yes, I know Lee was a family name) now lives in America, but his legacy will soon be tested.

Here he is (both versions use the same stats) for Night Shift. NIGHT SHIFT is available from the Elf Lair Games website (hardcover) and from DriveThruRPG (PDF).

Lee Jun-fan (Lee Young)
6th level Mystical Martial Artist (Human)
Archetype: Martial Artist in a Strange New World

Strength: 18 (+3) P 
Dexterity: 19 (+3) S
Constitution: 16 (+2) 
Intelligence: 13 (+1) 
Wisdom: 14 (+1) 
Charisma: 16 (+2) S

HP: 33
Alignment: Good
AC: 5
Attack: +3

# Attacks: 2

Fate Points: 1d8

Check Bonus (P/S/T): +4/+2/+1

Melee bonus: +3 Ranged bonus: +3

Saves: +2 to Constitution and Dexterity saving throws

Martial Arts Powers

+3 to Dexterity; Free Running; Instant Kill ("Gung Fu Death punch"); Lightning-fast; 

Danger Sense, Supernatural Attack, Pneuma Blast

Skills
Athletics, Steady Hands, Body Control, Insight

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In both campaigns, the emphasis for this character is he is close enough to the world he living in at the time, but still an outsider.  But he is also an outsider with this amazing power.

In both cases, I would want to feature his sense of humor. Bruce Lee had a wicked sense of humor and my Lee Jun-fan would also.  I also want a character who despite all the hardships and reversals he has faced wants to believe that people, in general, are good and they act how they do out of fear.  

Want to see more of the #CharacterCreationChallenge? Stop by Tardis Captain's Blog and the #CharacterCreationChallenge on Twitter for more!