Mail Call: Gary's Other Grandkids

 Maybe "stepchildren" might be a better moniker. We are coming up on the first anniversary of WotC's attempt to murder the OGL 1.0. This sent many publishers (myself included) on various paths of re-discovery on what to do about it. Some looked for new licenses. Others stuck with the OGL 1.0 to show it can't be removed.

Myself? Well, it knocked the wind out of my sails, to be honest, and I have spent the better part of 2023 figuring out where I want to go next. But while I am over here contemplating the various Gods, others have moved on.  So here are a couple of recent purchases that embrace the two paths of the OGL.

Pathfinder and OSRIC

Undoubtedly two of the biggest success stories of the OGL and 3e era has been Pathfinder and OSRIC. Both gambled on the OGL and spent a long time enjoying the fruits of that gamble.

OSRIC of course used it to go back to "1st Edition style" play and Pathfinder to extend and enhance their own flavor of "3rd Edition style" play.

The OSRIC Players Book covers everything the Player needs to know. It is a great resource and a good replacement for your Player's Handbooks and Unearthed Arcana books that might be showing their wear.

This one embraces the OGL 1.0 and keeps it alive.

Pathfinder has taken a different path (sorry) and taken their own 2nd Edition and revised it into two new books for Players and GMs.

This uses the new OGL-free version of Pathfinder. I have not spotted many differences yet, but I am still working through the game. The new books combine the older OGL Corebook and some of the Advanced Player's Guide.

These are supposed to be the same system, Pathfinder 2nd Ed, so there are far more similarities than differences.

I am looking forward to delving deeper into both games.

 

#Dungeon23 Tomb of the Vampire Queen, Level 12, Room 5

 The passageway has a slight (5 degrees), which can easily be detected by a dwarf, gnome, or other subterranean species can easily detect. At the end of the mile, the characters have descended an additional 460 feet.

All along this passageway, the characters will encounter the ghosts of the servants she killed to ensure they would protect her. There are also thousands of bats flying hidden in the darkness above. 

At the end of this passageway, there is a large set of double doors. These doors are decorated with many bats.

The bats will speak once the characters approach. Their voices are high-pitched whispers, but there are so many that the volume is loud and seems to come from everywhere, echoing in the passageway. 

They ask, "What does the Queen desire?"

To open the doors, two characters must put their hands into the mouths of the only two bats with their mouths open.  Once they put their hands in, the bats will bite and draw blood. The characters will take 1d4 hp of damage.  This damage cannot be healed via magic, only through natural healing. If the characters leave this level then they can heal via magic, but not while here.

One they have their blood the doors open as thousands of bats fly out.

Monstorus Mondays: Saving Throw Clarifications

 Just a quick on today. Really busy.

I got an email over the weekend asking me to clarify some of my Saving Throw notations on my various monster stat blocks.

I can't say that I am surprised. I post a lot of monsters here for a variety of games, and sometimes I do hybrid stats without really thinking about them.

For example some of my recent demons I have posted for my Tomb of the Vampire Queen have OSE style saving throws, with the addition of another type of save, "SS."  In this case SS is "Single Save" and is the saving throw you roll if there is no other category that makes sense. These numbers are from Swords & Wizardry's saving throws.

Some recent examples:

• Labyrinthine Lurker
• Mezzalorn Demon (Wasp Demon)
• Mezu Demon (Yokai)

I hope that clears things up.

Deities & Demigods II Updates

Still working on the PDF. Hope to get it out to you all for Christmas. A reminder this is will be a free product.

I was visiting my parents for my Dad's 94th birthday and his and my mom's 55th wedding anniversary this past weekend. Had a great time see family. My mom had a stack of books for me and in it was this copy of Edith Hamilton's classical work "Mythology."  

This was not my original, I think my cover was black, but this the same book I had. I thought this might have been the book I remembered that had Greek and Norse myths as well as Beowulf, but this one only has Greek and Norse.  Still. Wonderful to have again.

#Dungeon23 Tomb of the Vampire Queen, Level 12, Room 4

 Entering the mausoleum proper, there are statues of the chief servants of the Vampire Queen lining the walls.  An inspection by a magic-using class or using means to detect magic will reveal that these statues are in fact her former servants turned to stone.

If a character casts "Stone to Flesh" or similar magic the targeted statue/servant will return to life, but will gasp and die of old age. If they do enough of these (at least 3) they will learn that the Vampire Queen took her servants with her to her final death.

Ahead of the characters is a long hallway.  The hallway is long, 1 mile, and descends deep into this structure. There are arcane lights that flicker and glow every so many yards. There are shadows that flicker and dance in the corner of their eyes. These are the ghosts of the servants. They are powerless to attack the characters.

#Dungeon23 Tomb of the Vampire Queen, Level 12, Room 3

 The party moves towards the only structure on this plane. The large mausoleum of the Vampire Queen.

The large double doors are trapped (normal rolls to remove) and double locked.

The entry way is guarded by two large iron golems. They attack any who enter the entry way.

#Dungeon23 Tomb of the Vampire Queen, Level 12, Room 2

 The portal takes the party to large and mostly empty expanse. 

Everything is predominantly gray. The sky is dark and a lifeless moon hangs in the sky. The light is roughly twilight and there is no sun in the sky. 

On entering this plane all characters must make a saving throw vs. Death. Failing means they lose 1 point of Constitution and 1d6+2 hp of damage permanently.  A successful save means the loss is only 1d4+1 hp of damage, but this is permanent also.

There is a dark castle in the distance.

#Dungeon23 Tomb of the Vampire Queen, Level 12, Room 1

 As the party exits this layer following a grand flight of stairs they see a large glowing portal before them.

This portal will transport the characters to the Tomb of the Vampire Queen.