Tales of Jackson, IL: Hot for Teacher

I had something scheduled for today, but got my dates wrong, so today's post will be in one week instead. This one was supposed to be next week's post. 

One of my good friends has been helping me with ideas for this game. He has expertise here since he is a high school football coach and works security at a large suburban high school. Valerie Beaumont is one of his characters that I use as an NPC often. I have been helping him a little with his current Star Trek game, so I figure he can help me with some more teachers for my Jackson, IL game.

Today, two coaches and their friendly rivalry. 

Dr. Kiera "Keri" Moreau

Dr. Kiera Moreau could have gone anywhere. Former Olympian (Montreal, 1976), she retired, returned to school, and got her Ph.D. in Classical Studies. She was on her way to an interview for a job at MacAlister College when she crossed paths with Valerie Beaumont. They knew each other from years before and convinced her to come and teach at Jackson Public School. They also know each other's secrets. Vallerie is immortal, and Kiera is Fae, in particular, a sea nymph, or rather, the daughter of one. She isn't immortal, but she is long-lived. 

She opted to stay. She teaches Latin I and II, and an elective in Classical Mythology. Larina is in her class and is annoyingly excited about it. She is also the girls' swim team coach. 

In truth, Keri really kinda outclasses everyone here. I really like her and want to do more with her, and I know the characters can learn a lot from her. But. She has it all. Beauty. Brains. Strength and power. Why is she slumming it here? She knows something is going on. 

She has seen these patterns repeated throughout history, and this time she has decided that she won't just sit by. Valerie stays away because her connection to others hurts. Keri stays because life without that connection hurts more. This is a point of contention between the two. Val thinks Keri gets too involved, Keri thinks that Val doesn't get involved enough.

And if she can give the cast something to aspire to be? Well then, "fortes fortuna adiuvat." 

Dr. Kiera Moreau
7th Level Psychic (Empath), Half-fey (Sea Nymph)

Base Abilities
Strength: 12 (0)
Agility: 16 (+2) n
Toughness: 14 (+1) 
Intelligence: 18 (+3) 
Wits: 18 (+3) n
Persona: 20 (+4) A

Vit: 43 (7d6)
DV: 9
Fate Points: 1d8

Check Bonus (A/N/D): +4/+2/+1
Attack bonus (base): +2
Melee bonus: +0  Ranged bonus: +2

Languages: English, Latin, French, Greek 
Skills: History (Int), Swim (Agl), Occult Knowledge (Int)

Saves: +3 to Persona-based saves

Psychic Abilities
Body Control, Empathy, Hydrokinesis

Fey Abilities
Glamour, Breathe underwater (1 hour), Harmed by cold iron and shadow steel (double normal damage), Long-lived

Hair: Black
Eyes: Gold
Height: 5'10"

Archetype: The Teacher with a mysterious past
Quote: "Fortes fortuna adiuvat." Fortune favors the brave!
Quirks: Arrives at school super early to swim. 
Theme song: "Rio" - Duran Duran

Coach Kurt Zimmerman

Coach Zimmerman here is as much Greg's character as he is mine. Nearly all his background came from Greg.

Kurt Zimmerman, and he was born in Wisconsin in 1950. Went to college for math and was drafted into the Vietnam War in 1969. Did one tour of duty, where he rose to the rank of corporal. Was there at the Fall of Saigon and nearly missed his ride out. He was delirious but was rescued by Valerie Beaumont, whom he only sort of remembers. 

He was awarded medals that he felt he didn't deserve. He used the GI Bill to return to college and ended up at the University of Illinois, where he followed the Illini as a religion. Got his teaching degree in math and a coaching certification. Kurt likes the orderliness of math. Finding proofs and working on problems were his solace while overseas. 

He graduated and took a job teaching honors-level math (a job that Warren Evans wanted) and is the school's sponsor of the National Honor Society. He was raised on the idea that anything worth doing is worth doing correctly. This extends to his coaching and to his Calculus class.

He has a friendly rivalry with Keri over who will have more of their athletes on the Honor Roll. The winner gets to choose where they eat dinner, and the loser has to pay. Though they almost always end up at Sal's Pizza, where Keri orders her pizzas with green olives and extra anchovies. 

Kurt has seen the supernatural and fought it before. But he reasons that he left all that behind in Saigon. Now he is not so sure. He doesn't suspect that Keri or Valerie are anything other than they appear. Though he can't help but think he has seen Valerie somewhere else.

Kurt Zimmerman
6th Level Veteran, Human

Base Abilities
Strength: 16 (+2) A
Agility: 15 (+1) n
Toughness: 14 (+1) 
Intelligence: 16 (+2) n
Wits: 14 (+1) 
Persona: 12 (+0) 

Vit: 38 (6d8)
DV: 8
Fate Points: 1d8

Check Bonus (A/N/D): +4/+2/+1
Attack bonus (base): +3
Melee bonus: +2  Ranged bonus: +1

Languages: English, Latin, Spanish
Skills: Math (Int), Running (Agl)

Saves: +2 to all saves

Veteran Abilities
Melee combat, Ranged combat, Increased damage, Combat expertise, Improved defense, Supernatural attacks, Tracking

Hair: Brown, usually cut close to his scalp
Eyes: Green/Blue
Height: 5'11"

Archetype: The Coach
Quote: "Hello, class, my name is Coach Zimmerman. No, you can't call me Coach Z. Yes, I was in Vietnam. No, I will not tell you if I killed anyone."
Quirks: Flies a crop-duster plane over the summers and fall. Says he nevers takes late homework, but always does. Hates the sound of chalk on a chalkboard, one of the only teachers who has a whiteboard.
Theme song: "Fortunate Son"  - Creedence Clearwater Revival

Coach Zimmerman is one of those guys who could have come back bitter from the war, but instead threw himself into his chosen vocation. He could have gone on and maybe even gotten his Ph.D. in math, but he wanted to teach so he could be a positive influence. He is kinda based on my high school calc teacher who was also a coach. 

As of now, Kurt is the only Veteran in the group. I kept the Veteran class out of the players' hands because I couldn't justify it. I suppose if someone had come to me and said that their character was a hunter, then maybe. I mean, I knew kids like that in high school, so it's not that odd. But these players grew up in the suburbs. That never dawned on them.

He gets a bit flustered around women, especially Keri, but she makes conversation easy, and they have a lot of common ground. 

Their Quarterly wager is well known throughout the school, just as it is also known that they will end up at Sal's Pizzeria. The only thing more certain is the constant shouting match between the waitress, Denise, and the owner, Sal.

Kurt and Keri's date, while Denise wants to be anywhere else.

"I swear, why do I bother writing this down? You two order the same stupid thing each time: a large pizza, green olives and extra anchovies, and two Budweisers. Gross." - Denise. 

I think I'll have to detail Sal's Pizzeria along with some other locations.

Night Shift^® is a registered trademark of Elf Lair, LLC.

Tales of Jackson, IL: Teacher, Teacher

 No NIGHT SHIFT game this past weekend, Easter afterall even if we are atheists. So my oldest and I worked on some NPCs and got in a little bit of our Forgotten Realms game.

For Tales of Jackson, IL I thought I should detail a few of the teachers. Not all of them just yet; I want to feel out how much interaction I want with the "adults," but some will have a direct impact. Both these teachers are familiar for different reasons. They also play very different roles.

Ms Valerie Beaumont

Up first is one of my "shared" NPCs. She is an NPC in my games and a PC in my buddy Greg's games. She is his character, and since he works at one of the nearby High Schools (as a football coach and security guard), he has been my go-to for some ideas. It really only seems fitting that Valerie is here. In truth, if there is some weirdness going on in my world, Valerie is there. She can't help herself, really. The last time we saw Val (chronologically), she was in New York during my "Spirit of '76" game. As an immortal, she is always on the move, so now, in the 1980s, she has moved to Jackson, IL, to teach AP History and French and to sponsor the Fencing Club. 

And she is here to keep an eye on the characters. She works in the background to help keep the supernatural secret and keep the characters alive. 

Valerie Beaumont
5th Level Survivor/10th Level Sage (Immortal)

Base Abilities
Strength: 12 (0)
Agility: 16 (+2) 
Toughness: 14 (+1) 
Intelligence: 21 (+4) P 
Wits: 16 (+2) s
Persona: 16 (+2) s

Vit:  64 (5d4+5 / 10d6+10)
DV: 9
Fate Points: 1d10

Check Bonus (P/S/T): +8/+5/+3
Melee bonus: +6  Ranged bonus: +8

Languages: English, French, Latin, German
Skills: Research (Int), History (Int)

Saves: +3 Death Saves and area effects. +5 to saves vs. spells and magical effects.  She gains an additional +5 to all saving throws against magic, poison, disease, and death-based attacks due to her immortality.

Immortal Powers
Unique Kill: Virginia Dare (See Below)
Immortals regenerate 1d8 hit points every minute. 
+3 to Intelligence

Survivor Skills
Open Locks: 115%
Bypass Traps: 110%
Sleight of Hand: 120%
Move Silently: 120%
Hide in Shadows: 110%

Hair: Red
Eyes: light-green
Height: 5'7"

Spells
1st level: Magic Missle, Glamour, Sleep
2nd level: ESP, Produce Flame, Cause Fear
3rd level: Clairvoyance, Haste, Water Breathing
4th level: Arcane Eye, Phantasmal Killer

Immortal Arcana
Innate Magic: Suggestion (x3 per day)
Enhanced Senses

Archetype: The Immortal Teacher
Quote: "My name is Valerie Regina Beaumont. I was born in the year of our Lord, 1569, I am 415 years old. I am immortal, and I can not die. You, on the other hand, are not so lucky."
Quirks: Talks about the past as if she were there. Students think she is odd, but she was there.
Theme song: "Valleri" - The Monkees (written when Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart met her in the Summer of 1966) and "Valerie" - Steve Winwood (written by Steve Winwood and Will Jennings about her from a few years back).

Valerie was born in 1569 and is immortal. She was a young English girl who made her way to the New World in the year 1585.  She came to the New World and settled in the Roanoke Colony, where she lived for a couple of years. Then something happened.  She was caring for the young Virginia Dare and then woke up several days later, several miles from home.  When she had managed to return to the colony, everyone was gone.  She also discovered that she was immortal and was certain that the two were somehow linked.

Valerie spent the next few years roaming the new world.  She learned magic from some of the few true witches in Salem and more from the indigenous Native Americans.  

She has a ring on her right little finger that manages a glamour that "ages" her.  A gift from a former lover. Currently, she appears to be in her mid-40s.  Without the glamour, she appears as she did when she discovered her immortality, a young woman of 19.  Her mind, though, is like someone just over 400.

Shadow Steel Sword

She also carries a long, thin blade made of "shadow steel," a rare form of steel that the Fae can use.  It can attack any supernatural creature, even ones that are incorporeal or shifted out of phase. 

Valerie is rather powerful. And I debated on whether to include her at all. But the truth is, she's just too damn fun not to. So how do I keep her out of the spotlight? Easy, Val is at a point in her very, very long life that she loves being a teacher and seeing these kids grow, but it also makes her sad because she knows she will outlive everyone. So she keeps her distance.

Mr. Warren Evans

Mr. Evans is a composite of a couple of teachers I had in High School, but his base began with Ezren, the iconic wizard from Pathfinder. I say "began" because he quickly grew beyond that. By day, Mr. Evans is a well-liked Math and Computer teacher who swears in class and tells kids the best thing they can do is think for themselves and that anyone over 30 is full of shit; him included. 

By night, though, he goes to his home office with some computers he has built himself and is the hacker known only as "The Wizard." Here, he runs the BBS "Pathfinders," which tries to expose the truth about the supernatural occurrences in Jackson and beyond. He has hacked the Jackson PHS Football team's scoreboard, leaving, let's say, unflattering messages about the Assistant Principal. He has also hacked the billing systems at MacAlister College, but only to leave a message that they really need to upgrade their security. So he is an "ethical hacker," but his true fight is against the supernatural. 

So by day Valerie and Warren are supportive co-workers and maybe even a flirty. But by night, they are on opposite sides of an ancient battle. Valerie wants to keep everything secret to protect herself and the kids. Warren want to expose it all, also to protect the kids. There is no contradiction here, and it makes their conflict more layered than just "alignment."

Mr. Warren "The Wizard" Evans
5th Level Sage/ 5th Level Inventor Human

Base Abilities
Strength: 12 (0)
Agility: 12 (0) 
Toughness: 14 (+1) 
Intelligence: 18 (+3) P 
Wits: 16 (+2) s
Persona: 15 (+1) s

Vit: 21 (5d6)
DV: 9
Fate Points: 1d8

Check Bonus (P/S/T): +3/+2/+1
Melee bonus: +2  Ranged bonus: +2

Languages: English, German, Latin, Russian, Greek, Hebrew, Spanish, Portuguese, Japanese, Mandarin, Korean, Cobol, Pascal, Fortran
Skills: Computers (Int), Math (Int), Occult Knowledge (Int)

Saves: +4 vs. Spells and magical effects

Survivor Skills
Open Locks: 25%
Bypass Traps: 20%
Sleight of Hand: 30%
Move Silently: 30%
Hide in Shadows: 20%
Read Languages: 80%

Inventor Skills
Ingenuity Points: 2
Science! 75%

Hair: Brown, turning gray
Eyes: Brown
Height: 5'10"

Archetype: The Ethical Hacker
Quote: "The system isn't broken. It's working exactly the way cheap people built it."
Quirks: Swears in class, constantly drinking coffee. Complains he is dealing with an administration that thinks the future is chalk. 
Theme song: "The Wizard" - Black Sabbath

All of Evans' Inventor points have been put into his two customized Amiga computers. He likes these since he can buy parts for them without setting off any alarms, and they are cheap. Currently, they are several years ahead of what is considered state-of-the-art for the time. He has even replaced the chipsets in them with upgraded Motorola 68000-series RISC chips running overclocked at 20 MHz. He also has a few scrapped TRS-80s that he uses as dummy terminals.

He knows a few spells to deal with the supernatural. He doesn't consider them "magic" but "reality hacks."

Evans is a threat to any character with supernatural powers, like witches, psychics, or immortals. Which is too bad because he is actually a good guy. 

The soundtrack for my campaign continues to grow. I will likely have some more teachers to detail in the future.

Night Shift^® is a registered trademark of Elf Lair, LLC.

Elowen Hale: Night Shift/O.G.R.E.S.

“She gets it. I do not have to explain the quiet parts to her. When I am scared and shaking, she just sits beside me and waits until I am done. She does not treat me like I am fragile. She does not treat me like I am broken. She just treats me like I am still here. That is why she is my best friend.” - Aisling, the Dream Dancer

 Elowen belongs in West Haven, and that means all West Havens, including the one found in NIGHT SHIFT. 

In the NIGHT SHIFT version, West Haven is modern. Cell phones work. Coffee shops exist. The supernatural hides in plain sight.

Elowen Hale was a nice, if shy, girl. Trouble is, she died. She was at home, sitting at the dinner table, passing around the salad to her father, when she stopped, said "Ow," and fell over. 

She was clinically dead. Paramedics revived her. 

But she did not come back the same girl who sat at that diner table.

Since then, electronics glitch around her when spirits are near. She sees things in security footage that others miss. She occasionally zones out and mutters dates no one recognizes.

Therapists call it trauma. Occult investigators call it crossing contamination and talk about "hitchhikers" or other entities.

Elowen calls it "unfinished business."

She now records TikToks about West Haven’s hidden history. She acts as a tour guide to the town's strange corners. Most viewers assume she is leaning into aesthetic goth charm.

They have no idea she is cataloging liminal sites and haunted areas.

In this world, she is young, soft-spoken, dresses in black out of comfort rather than rebellion, and has chosen not to be bitter. She has friends who know what happened. They treat her like she is normal. She really shows off her personality when she is recording her videos.

Elowen Hale

1st level Witch

Strength: 10 (0)
Agility: 12 (0)
Toughness: 14 (+1) S
Intelligence: 16 (+2)
Wits: 15 (+1) S
Persona: 17 (+2) P

Vit: 15
Alignment: Light
DV: 9
Attack: +0

Fate Points: 1d6
Check Bonus (P/S/T): +3/+2/0
Melee bonus: 0 Ranged bonus: +0
Saves: +3 against spells and magical effects

Witch Abilities

Arcana, Supernatural Senses, Spells, Arcane Powers

Arcane (Occult) Powers: See Dead People

Familiar: Cat, "Mirepoix"

Skills
Research, Insight, 

Spells
First Level: Summon Familiar

This Elowen doesn't keep a journal; she records TikToks. She walks around West Haven and talks about the scary places, the haunted houses, and the best places to get Chai Lattes and Bubble Tea. Her core is still a good girl who had a bad thing happen to her, but she is getting better. She still has her calico cat "Mirepoix," and she still favors black. 

--

The Shadow Girl

The Shadow Girl was an idea I had for a NIGHT SHIFT game set in the 1980s featuring a young Larina. I developed it a bit with Little Fears and Chill, but now I think I should bring her over to interact with Elowen. Besides, Larina has enough to do. Instead of bothering Larina, the Shadow Girl has turned her attentions to modern Elowen. Is it the same creature or just the same sort of "Returned from Beyond" creature? I don't know yet, but I like the idea that if Elowen came back from the dead, and then something followed her back. 

The Shadow Girl looks like Elowen, just as it looked like Larina. Though in both cases, it looks like a version of them that has been dead for a long time. See why this works better for Elowen. Elowen sometimes worries that "she" is not really herself, and she is a spirit haunting Elowen Hale's body, and the Shadow Girl is really the original Elowen Hale. She is worried it might even be a Fetch, or a "Hitch-hiker" of the original, and "real" Elowen Hale's spirit.

Whatever the Shadow Girl is, we know it is not done with Elowen yet. In fact, she has not even really started. 

Elowen would say, "I don't know if I am real, or she is."

--

Is this the end of my exploration into Elowen? No, but it does mark a shift to talking about my new weekly NIGHT SHIFT game. "Tales of Jackson After Dark" is not a new game, but it has recently gained some traction with the players of my son's group (my youngest is too busy with school to play much anymore).  The setting is Jackson, IL, and it is the Summer of 1985. There is a new girl in town that everyone thinks is a witch (they are right), and last night a bell rang, but only people with a connection to the supernatural heard it. Even if you didn't hear it, you will soon feel its effects. 

This game has been set up to allow people to come and go as they need, so a wide variety of characters around a central core and a high school filled with NPCs.

Looking forward to sharing more with you all on this one. 

I only just worked out the connection between 1985's Jackson and 2026's West Haven last night.

Night Shift® RPG is a registered trademark of Elf Lair, LLC. 2026, Authors Jason Vey and Timothy S. Brannan. 

Character Creation Challenge: Day 13 Jana & Sarana

Today I want to explore two similar witches. Or more to the point, two witches who approach similar magics and traditions of witchcraft from two different vectors.

 Jana is another witch I created a couple of years ago. I wanted a human witch mixed up in the affairs of the Faerie Courts, in particular my Court of Swords. Despite being high(-ish) level, she is in way over her head. I have her serving the current Queen of Swords, Nicnevin. This is just one of her titles, she is also one of my witch queens. The Court of Swords is one of the "Shadow Courts" neither the Seelie nor the Unseelie, but somewhere in between. What they lack in prominence they make up for in guile, intrigue and ruthlessness. Nicnevin herself is ancient and very powerful. I say that Jana has a bit of fire nymph blood in her heritage, not enough to really do much than raise her charisma score a couple of point, but enough to give her entry to these courts. 

Sarana is not really my character exactly. She also featured in my War of the Witch Queens, in the adventure Tanglewood Keep, from DL15 Mists of Krynn, as well as a past Character Creation Challenge. She is a composite of two of Vince Garcia's characters, Sarana and Stevie, who may have been the same character anyway.

Both of these characters are "Faerie Witches" that is, they are part of the faerie tradition. Since I am trying to figure out what my Occult D&D looks like through the lens of AD&D, I figured I would compare and contrast the play styles of two different sort of faerie witches. Jana is a faerie traditional witch from Mayfair's Role Aids book "Witches." Sarana uses my Faerie Tradition from my Old-School Essentials book, Monster Mash II: A Midsummer Night's Dream. I am also grabbing some ideas from my The Craft of the Wise: The Pagan Witch Tradition and The Green Witch for Swords & Wizardry. This covers OSE, S&W and AD&D 2nd Ed; so none of them are AD&D 1st ed. 

Given I am trying to stick close to their native rules today I am not using Cantrips or Bonus spells. 

Jana
13th level Human Witch, Neutral

Secondary Skill: Translator

S: 11
I: 17
W: 16
D: 12
C: 11
Ch: 17

Paralysis/Poison: 11
Petrify/Polymorph: 9
Rod, Staff, or Wand: 7
Breath Weapon: 11
Spells: 8

AC: 6 (Leather +2, AC 8)
HP: 31
THAC0: 16

Weapon
Dagger 1d4/1d3
Staff +1 1d6

Spells
First level: Audible Glamer, Comprehend Languages, Friends, Read Magic
Second level: ESP, Forget, Know Alignment, Detect Good & Evil
Third level: Delude, Speak with Animals, Tongues, Remote Seeing
Fourth level: Emotion, Fear, Wizard Eye, Enervation 
Fifth level: False Vision, Domination, Advanced Illusion
Sixth level: Mindwrite, Mislead

Theme Song: Another Year of Rain

Jana is one of Queen Nicnevin's translators. Her job is to cast sublte magic to both enthrall and intimidate visitors to the Queen's court. 

In my game Queen Nicnevin combines the mythological Nicnevin, with a bit of Hecate (already part of Nicnevin according to some scholars) and a bit of Scáthach. 

Sarana
13th level Half-Elf (Gray Elf) Witch, Neutral

Secondary Skill: Herbalist

S: 10
I: 18
W: 19
D: 13
C: 15
Ch: 19

Paralysis/Poison: 9
Petrify/Polymorph: 9
Rod, Staff, or Wand: 10
Breath Weapon: 12
Spells: 11

AC: 6 (Robe AC 9 +3)
HP: 43
THAC0: 16

Weapon
Dagger +2 1d4/1d3
Staff 1d6

Familiar: White Dove, "Zeraida"

Spells
First level: Allure, Wailing Lament, Fey Step, Glamour
Second level: Burning Gaze, Evil Eye, Stunning Allure, Witch's Tooth
Third level: Blink, Psychic Assault, Magical Vestment
Fourth level: Command Person, Dryad's Door, Threefold Aspect
Fifth level: Baba Yaga's Secret Chest, Magic Cauldron
Sixth level: Arcane Window

Theme Song: Gypsy

Sarana is always an NPC, so I don't have much to say about her growth as a character. As a witch though she has fewer spells than does Jana at the same level. 

Along with Eireann and Rána, they were all in my "Kingdom of Rain" mini-campaign a couple years back. This was around the time I was experimenting with the Land of Faerie/the Feywild as a means to access other worlds. It would explain how I can have Forgotten Realms and Dragonlance Character's interact without resorting to gate spells, astral travel, or Spelljamming.

Character Creation Challenge: Day 11, Rána

Photo by Vanessa Pozos

Today's witch comes from a night of rolling up characters with my oldest a bit ago. We just sat down to roll up characters, he was doing the new Star Wars and I was making witches. I wanted to roll up a bunch and see if any came out as psionic. No, but we still had a great time. 

Rána was one of those witches. She began as a fairly basic elf witch. But as I tried her out she grew in complexity. She is a Twilight Elf, one of my new elf sub-species. It is a species of elf akin to the Shadow Elves, but live above ground and can tolerate light better. So I sat down to work on her. I set my my Spotify to Pagan Rock and listened to bands like Faun, S.J. Tucker, and of course Loreena McKennitt. Ok she is from Canada, but she counts. When I was done, Rána had become something different.

So who is Rána? She is Twilight Elf, but she is also alone and that is how she likes it. She has her familiar, a gray wolf named Circe. She is not just a Pagan, she is a militant pagan. She considers herself a Follower of Aradia (yes...I know Aradia is about as much Pagan as a Halloween mask, but this is a history blog, it is an RPG blog), and she feels all these new religions are a bad thing. And she is not really all that fond of humans either. So much so they she doesn't even know the Common tongue. She does know what she calls "the language of the forest" that is, sylvan, elven, and goblin as well as Primordial and a touch of Supernal. How did she learn this impossible language? Well, she won't be telling you.

Let's break up what makes her character.

Twilight Elf

Twilight Elves are another sub-species of elves that poped up after the Sundering of the Elves. When the elves split into Light and Dark factions, some elves stayed in the middle. The Free Elves, the Shadow Elves and the Twilight Elves. The twilight elves are the loners among elves, stoic and xenophobic. Their communities are small and hidden and of all the Elves they have the fewest numbers. Like Drow they gain some cantrips for free. Blur, Dancing Lights, and Minor Charm. They also get Infravision 60' and +2 to magic/spell saves. This is magic directed at them. 

Cantrips

I am using my new cantrip rules for her as well. I like these, they work well. I just want to work on some new cantrips.

Rána
11th level Elf (Twilight Elf) Witch, Chaotic Neutral

Secondary Skill: Herbalist

S: 12
I: 15
W: 16
D: 12
C: 14
Ch: 18

Paralysis/Poison: 9
Petrify/Polymorph: 9
Rod, Staff, or Wand: 10
Breath Weapon: 12
Spells: 11

AC: 1 (Bracers AC 1)
HP: 34
THAC0: 16

Weapon
Dagger +2 1d4/1d3
Staff +2 1d6

Familiar: Gray Wolf "Circe"

Spells
Bonus: Blur, Dancing Lights, Minor Charm
Cantrips: Ghost Sound, Mote of Light, Chill, Alarm Ward
First level: Charm Animal, Speak w/ Animals, Spirit Dart, Ghostly Slashing, Chill Touch, Endure Elements
Second level: ESP, Invisibility, Augury, Death Armor, Evil Eye
Third level: Scry, Tongues, Bestow Cure, Fly, Witch Wail
Fourth level: Analyze Magic, Moonlit Way, Tears of the Banshee
Fifth Level: Death Curse, Nightmare
Sixth Level: Moonbow

Theme Song: Running with the Wolves

It dawns on me how much Rána is like San of Princess Mononoke. For this reason I also give her the name of "Ghost of the Forrest." She protects her land from invading humans and orcs, who she sees as being the same thing.

Character Creation Challenge: Day 9 Aisling (Dreamer), Nida and The Shade

 I have been going through stacks of notes, character sheets, and just "stuff" from the days when I was playing AD&D all the time. Some things I find are fun, others are the typical gamer junk you expect from a 16-17-year-old. But sometimes I find something from a time long ago that makes me laugh out loud and wonder how on Earth I ever forgot it. The time was June (or so) 1989. The character was, is, Dreamer.

Dreamer was, is, an AD&D 2nd Edition character that I never played or really finished. That's not what makes her special. What makes her special is how much she reads like a rough draft of my Warlock character, Taryn. 

Dreamer, named after the movie "A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: The Dream Warriors," was going to be a character who moved through dreams. She was Larina's daughter, but not from her husband, but my assassin character, Nigel. According to my notes, she was going to take some spells from the Dreamer class from Dragon #134. My thoughts were that she could invade people's dreams to kill them. But it never really worked out.

Taryn came much later. She is what I call my iconic warlock. She is Larina's daughter as well, but from a Shadow Elf Cavalier/Knight Scáthaithe, The Umbral Lord and Knight of Swords. She is a warlock, not a dreamer, but in both cases, Dreamer and Taryn are very specifically "Not Witches." They share some overlap, but only enough to make the differences more pronounced. Both live in a liminal world. Dreams for Dreamer (naturally) and shadows for Taryn. I take Taryn's liminality even further by making her a half-elf. Taryn is also named for Jennifer Rubin's character Taryn from Nightmare 3. Dark hair and a fondness for knives, yes, 10-inch mohawk, not so much.

Dreamer never got very far. I mean, she doesn't even really have a proper name, just a description and a couple of sentences of backstory (edit: A family tree suggests "Tarani," which is interesting, in one place, and "Belladonna" in another), BUT she does have something else. Notes. I know she was going to have some thief skills, not the whole set, but some. She was going to have some witch magic. I never got the dreamer class to work well for me, but I was going to use some of the spells.  I am taking all of this, along with some unused ideas for Taryn, and putting them into a blender.

For a class, well, the dreamer won't work, and this character is also not a warlock. She is not a witch, not completely anyway. I'd like to keep some aspects of the witch, but apply it to the thief class. Much like my Gallowglass is to Fighters. 

The Shade

Operating in the liminal places between light and dark, between law and illegality, and between the seen and occult worlds lies the Shade.  Subclasses of the thief they use the same to-hit and saving throw tables. They possess a sub-set of the thief's skills and a few unique to their profession.

Shades are those individuals who dwell at the margins of witchcraft, moving unseen between the powers of the Craft and the unknowing world beyond. Neither initiated into the mysteries of witches nor wholly ignorant of them, a Shade survives by caution, agility, and an instinctive understanding of forbidden boundaries. It is said that Shades are drawn to witchcraft as are witches, but never actually hear the Call of the Goddess (God).

Many Shades serve covens or lodges as messengers, watchers, scouts, or attendants, trusted to act where a witch’s presence would draw too much notice. Others arrive at this role by accident, having lived near old places, survived a failed rite, or been spared by powers that marked them but did not claim them.

Shades possess an uncommon familiarity with occult dangers. They learn where circles are drawn, which paths are watched by spirits, and when to flee rather than fight. Their talents lie in stealth, balance, swift movement, and the reading of subtle signs, and they often excel at tasks requiring silence, precision, and nerve. Witches value Shades not for their power, but for their discretion and survivability. Warlocks seek them out for services that a normal thief would shun. Even Magic-users, Druids and Clerics value a professional with an eye for magical artifacts and items.

Shades operate like thieves but lack some of their key skills.

Shades have the following thief skills: Climb Walls, Find/Remove Traps, Hide in Shadows, Move Silently, Open Locks.

Additionally they have the follow skills unique to their class: Catwalking, Detect Magic, Sleight of Hand.

Shades do not have a sneak attack as do thieves and assassins. They can learn the Thieves Cant, but they must learn it as per any other language (not a free option). Shades of an evil sort can use poison. 

At 6th level a Shade also has limited spellcasting ability. They make cast witch spells from their own list of spells. 

(obviously a lot more to detail here. But that is my one cup of coffee so far effort.)

To test this out lets bring back Dreamer aka Belladonna aka Tarani, but as someone new. For a name? Well, when in doubt use Irish Gaelic! I also think to properly compare this new class I should use a thief with some magic, thankfully I have one on hand.

Aisling Rinceoir
9th level Human Shade, Chaotic Good

Secondary Skill: Performer (Dancer)

S: 12
I: 16
W: 12
D: 17
C: 12
Ch: 16

Paralysis/Poison: 11
Petrify/Polymorph: 10
Rod, Staff, or Wand: 10
Breath Weapon: 14
Spells: 11

AC: 1 (Bracers AC 1)
HP: 36
THAC0: 16

Weapon
Dagger +1 1d4/1d3
Baton +1 1d4

Shade Skills
Cat Walk: 85%
Climb Walls: 94%
Detect Magic: 85%
Find/Remove Traps: 50%
Hide in Shadows: 53%
Move Silently: 60%
Open Locks: 62%
Sleight of Hand: 65%

Spells
First level: Detect Invisibility, Glamour
Second level: Invisibility

Theme Song: Sweet Child O' Mine (First to Eleven cover)

Aisling (Irish for Dream or Dreamer) is no longer Larina's long lost daughter. She is a girl she rescued from in my playtest run of "A Barbarian in Hell" and adopted her as a "little sister." This way she is part of the West Haven Coven without being a full member. Plus I never gave Larina a sister before and I am kinda wishing I had done that.

Now to compare and contrast. I believe you all know Nida.

Nida
Human 4th level Thief / 9th level Witch, Chaotic Neutral

Secondary Skill: Herbalist

S: 11
I: 16
W: 13
D: 17
C: 16
Ch: 18

Paralysis/Poison: 11
Petrify/Polymorph: 11
Rod, Staff, or Wand: 12
Breath Weapon: 14
Spells: 13

AC: 6 (leather armor, ring of protection +2)
HP: 21
THAC0: 18

Weapon
Dagger 1d4/1d3

Familiar: Owl

Spells
First level: Bad Luck, Spell Dart, Minor Fighting Prowess, Blindness, Consecration Ritual (Ritual Spell)
Second level: Alter Self, Evil Eye, Hold Person, Rite of Remote Seeing, Weaken Poison
Third level: Bestow Curse, Dispel Magic, Toad Mind
Fourth level: Mirror Talk, Cloak of Intangible Shadows, Phantom Lacerations
Fifth level: Teleport

Theme Song: Spellbound

So Aisling is thief who has some witch powers and Nida is a witch with a thief's background.

Both characters have been fun in their respective games.

Monstrous Monday: Monsters From the Other Side

I have been working on monsters since the earliest days of this blog. I still intend to complete my Basic Bestiary someday. Art is the biggest issue. Editing is the other big hurdle. 

But in the meantime, here are all, as far as I can tell, the monsters I have created here, and the system I created them for.

Monster	Basic	AD&D	D&D3/d20	D&D5	NightShift	Unisystem	Other
Aglæc-wif	1
Aglæca	1
Ahrimanes, Demon Lord	1
Álfar, Dökkálfar		1
Álfar, Ljósálfar		1
Álfar, Skald	1
Allip	1
Almas	1
Alp		1
Alraune	1
Amphicyon	1
Angel, Dirae	1
Angel, Lunar	1
Ankou		1
Ape, Gargantuan	1
Apple Sprite	1
Apple Tree Man	1
Archangel, Michael		1
Astaroth	1
Astral Spider, Greater					1
Astral Spiders	1
Aswang	1
Bagman	1
Bánánach	1
Barghest	1
Basajaun	1
Bat, Olitiau	1
Berbalang			1
Bionic Bigfoot	1
Blink Bunnies	1
Blood Goblin (Hæmogoblin)	1	1
Blood Trees of Yule	1
Bluff Creek Woodwose (Bigfoot)		1
Bonnacon	1
Boo Hag	1
Brindlekin		1		1			1
Brownie, Boggart	1
Caliban	1
Camazotz	1
Cat-sìth	1
Chenoo		1
Chupacabra	1
Cimeris	1
Confessor	1
Corn Goblins	1
Cù Sìth	1
Dearg-Due						1
Death Dog	1
Demogorgon (The Creature)		1
Demon Lord Camazotz				1
Demon, Fohat	1
Demon, Gargantua	1
Demon, Leviathan	1
Demon, Prince Akelarre	1
Derro					1
Devil, Aamon	1
Devil, Buer	1
Devil, Malarea	1
Devil, Valac		1
Dird	1
Doppelgänger, Pod	1
Doppelsauger		1
Dragon, Anantanatha		1
Dragon, Bahamūt		1
Dragon, Faerie Dragon	1
Dragon, Hell Drake	1
Dragon, Lóngzihua		1
Dragon, Pseudo Dragon	1
Dragon, Purple	1
Dragon, Purple		1
Dragon, Sea	1
Dragon, Tiâmat	1
Dragon, Vritraxion		1
Dragon, Wood	1
Dragon, Zinc	1
Draugr		1
Drude	1
Duke Bartzabel	1
Dúlachán	1
Dybbuk	1
Elf, Shadow	1
Elves, Shadow	1
Estrie	1
Farkaskoldus	1
Faun	1
Fenodyree	1
Fire Nymph				1
Five Spirits of the Grimorium Verum							1
Frost Maiden	1
Galley Beggar	1
Gargantua Demons				1
Geryon	1
Ghost Lights		1
Ghost Spiders	1
Ghoul, Sand				1
Giant, Frost Undead	1
Giant, Mist		1		1
Gierach		1
Gladyolus	1
Glaistig	1
Glory Hound	1
Gnomi		1
Golem, Awakened	1
Golem, Brass	1
Golem, Snow	1
Green Martians		1
Greys (Zeta Reticulians)	1			1	1
Grimlock	1
Groundling	1
Grýla the Christmas Witch	1
Guardians of the Library		1
Gwragedd Annwn (Swan Maidens)	1
Gwragedd Annwn (swan-maidens)	1
Hag, Chaos	1
Hag, Hyrrokkin	1
Hag, Urban					1
Halfling, Trow	1
Hamingja	1
Haunted Dolls					1
Hautveränderer		1
Hell Hound	1					1	1
Heuler		1
Hippalektryon		1
Hodag	1				1		1
Horned Women	1
Hsi-Hsue-Kue	1
Iblis					1
Illinois Hominds (Bigfoot)	1
Imp of the Perverse	1
Impundulu	1
Incubus	1
Inguma	1
Initiate	1
Jack O'Lantern	1
Jackalope	1						1
Jann	1
Jigarkhwar	1
Jötunn, Inferno		1
Jötunn, Rime		1
Kelpie	1
Killer Rabbits	1
Kobold, Knockers	1
Kôkabîêl	1
Lamassu	1
Leviathan	1
Lilith	1
Lilith	1
Lilith	1
Lithobolia	1
LordʾIblīs	1
Lycanthrope, Were-Amphicyonidae	1
Mammon	1
Mastodon, Undead	1
Melinoë (Moon Nymph)	1
Melonheads	1
Memento Mori	1
Meowl	1
Merrow	1
Monster of Lake Fagua	1
Nauga Beast	1
Neh-thalggu (Brain Collector)							1
Nekojin (Catgirl)	1
Nergal	1
Nicnevin, Faerie Queen of Witches	1
Noidan Tytär (Daughters of the Crone)	1
Nøkk		1
Nosferatu	1
Nuckelavee	1
Nymph, Fire	1
Nymph, Keres	1
Ophidian					1
Ophidian, Abomination	1
Ophidian, Emissary	1
Ophidian, Lesser	1
Ophidian, Noble	1
Ophidian, Progenitor	1
Opinicus	1
Orc, Desert	1
Ördög	1
Ovegua	1
Paimon	1
Pĕnanggalan	1
Philosopher Lich	1
Philosopher Lich, Notion	1
Piasa Bird	1
Piasa Bird		1
Piasa Bird		1
Piasa Bird					1
Piasa Bird				1
Poludnitsa, Lady Midday	1
Púca	1
Pumpkin Golem	1
Pumpkin Headed Demon	1				1
Pyewacket	1
Qliphoth, Gamaliel	1
Rakshasa	1
Red Lizards	1			1
Rolang	1
Rübezahl	1
Rusalka	1
Rust Monster, Magiphagous	1			1			1
Sasquatch	1
Satan		1
Saurian (Worker, Scientist, Noble)	1
Saurian, Psionist	1
Saurian, Warrior	1
Scarecrow	1
Scarecrows	1
Schreckengeist	1
Scorpion Men	1			1
Sennentuntschi	1
Serpent Men of Lemuria		1
Shadowcat	1
Shattered Knights	1
Shattered Knights, Commander	1
Shedu	1
Skeleton, Electric	1
Soucouyant	1
Spider, Unlight	1
Star Jelly	1
Starchild		1
Street Faerie	1
Street Faeries		1
Strix		1
Tabonga	1			1
Tartalo	1
Tenatz	1
The Cailleach Bheur	1
The Monster	1
The Yule Cat	1
Thunderbird	1
Titania, Queen of Faerie	1
Troll, Cave	1
Troll, Demonic	1			1
Troll, Jötunn		1
Troll, Swamp	1
Troll, Wood	1
Trolla	1
Trollkönig (Troll King)	1
Typhon, the Thanatonic Titan		1
Ulmenfrau		1
Umbral	1
Umu	1					1
Undine	1
Upierczi	1
Utukku	1
Vampire, Children of Darkness	1
Vampire, Children of Twilight	1				1
Vampire, Eretica	1
Vrykolakas	1
Wendigo	1				1
Wendigo	1
Wendigo Matron	1
Wight, Barrow	1
Wind Wraith	1
Wine Nymphs	1
Wolf-Witch	1
Woodwose	1
Wurdalak	1
Wyrdcat		1	1	1
Xana	1
Xiāng-shī (殭屍)	1
Xing-tian	1
Yaksha	1
Yaoguai, Hóu Yaoguai	1
Yaoguai, Hǔ Yaoguai	1
Yaoguai, Niú Yaoguai	1
Yaoguai, Shé Yaoguai	1
Yaoguai, Shǔ Yaoguai	1
Yara-ma-yha-who	1
Yeti, Almas	1
Yog, The Monster from Space	1
Zburător	1
Zombie Witch	1				1
Zombie, Alchemical	1
Zombie, Drowned	1
Zsusr	1
Zugarramurdi Brujas	1				1
Zugarramurdi Brujas	1	1

I'll have to make sure I keep this updated. Maybe add it as a page.