I've undervalued Tumblr for too long. Now that I have a Tumblr I hope to focus this Blogspot entirely on my home brew campaign content. My tangential rants, game reviews, and just anything too bizarre to place here can instead be found on my Tumblr. I hope to write shorter and more frequent posts on my Tumblr, so I can reserve this Blogspot for less frequent albeit more deliberated articles.
Read my Tumblr at http://lividastronaut.tumblr.com/
Thursday, July 26, 2012
Sunday, July 22, 2012
Design Inspiration: Telltale of the Wolf
I used to combat middle school ennui by visiting the library in search of occult lore. Instead I found several slim and cheaply printed black volumes detailing paranormal findings from the seventies or eighties. The series didn't attempt to be anything but investigative children's books, but at the time I found the black and white photos in the middle of each book remarkable. Some of the photographs took a lot of imagination to see anything unusual, but the ample light leaks and distortions in the shots kept me awake at night wondering.
I can't recall the titles nor can I recall the publisher. But I remember taking these books with me everywhere. What I gleaned in those pages was paramount, more so than the offensive and seemingly perpetual arithmetic forced my way in the classroom. Though written for children, these books leant me the foundation for what my interests would develop into over the years. Today I'm much more interested in statting the supernatural than finding it in my backyard with a flashlight.
But thats not to say these books don't still inspire my campaign design. I remember one of the books detailed the witch's mark, a common trope for use in myth and metaphor. But I like the idea enough that I'm applying it to the Cult of Aois Lychomancer. Every Lychomancer has a bite-shaped scar somewhere on his body. The origin stories vary, but every legend acknowledges that the scar runs deep through the flesh to pierce the soul.
Apparently like a legal stamp it binds a pact between the Lychomancer and his patron -- the Devil Wolf. But only Lychomancers know the truth. Some of these scars are easily concealable, others less so. But Lychomancers hide these scars desperately. Even the rumor of possessing such a scar will certainly summon harassment from local law-abiding authorities. Every Moon Lychomancer's scar is a luminous white. Every Sanctity Lychomancer's scar is a dull black. Besides a slight variation in scent, these scars are the only discernable physical difference between Moon and Sanctity werewolves.
I can't recall the titles nor can I recall the publisher. But I remember taking these books with me everywhere. What I gleaned in those pages was paramount, more so than the offensive and seemingly perpetual arithmetic forced my way in the classroom. Though written for children, these books leant me the foundation for what my interests would develop into over the years. Today I'm much more interested in statting the supernatural than finding it in my backyard with a flashlight.
But thats not to say these books don't still inspire my campaign design. I remember one of the books detailed the witch's mark, a common trope for use in myth and metaphor. But I like the idea enough that I'm applying it to the Cult of Aois Lychomancer. Every Lychomancer has a bite-shaped scar somewhere on his body. The origin stories vary, but every legend acknowledges that the scar runs deep through the flesh to pierce the soul.
Apparently like a legal stamp it binds a pact between the Lychomancer and his patron -- the Devil Wolf. But only Lychomancers know the truth. Some of these scars are easily concealable, others less so. But Lychomancers hide these scars desperately. Even the rumor of possessing such a scar will certainly summon harassment from local law-abiding authorities. Every Moon Lychomancer's scar is a luminous white. Every Sanctity Lychomancer's scar is a dull black. Besides a slight variation in scent, these scars are the only discernable physical difference between Moon and Sanctity werewolves.
Friday, July 20, 2012
Lychomancy Magic: The King's Way
I recommend starting with part one, and then reading part two if you haven't already.
Lychomancy is not merely a way of life. The tenants provide spells and bonuses, but most importantly they secure the Lychomancer's sanity. They keep the Lychomancer from destroying friends and loved ones. Lychomancy is an aberrant magic from an inconspicuous origin, so practitioners tend to be the desperately curious or those well adjusted to violence. There are of course Lychomancers who disdain the paths. But these damned souls live in brooding solitude with scarcely any humanity left at all.
Sanctity magic is called "The King's Way." To resist accidental frenzy against allies during demon form, every Sanctity Lychomancer must internally recite the mantra, "Walk lightly in the shade. Turn your eye from the moon so you may gaze inward." Magic is difficult to cast during demon form due to the mantra.
Sanctity Spell:
The Curse
Level: Lychomancer 1
Duration: Extended
Range: Melee attack
This is damnation in spell craft. The Lychomancer may declare this spell during a successful bite attack. The Lycomancer sacrifices a daily turning of demon form and rolls 1d3 on the table. Only three targets may be subject to the effects of The Curse per night. If a target is slain, the effects end and the spell may be cast additionally that night.
1. Target takes penalty to all attacks against the Lychomancer equal to the Lychomancer's level for 2d3 turns. The Lycomancer also gains an additional permanent +1 (during d6 roll) for tracking the target by smell.
2. Target takes penalty to all attacks against the Lychomancer equal to the Lychomancer's level + WIS modifier for 2d3 turns. Also, the target must make a will save, if unsuccessful, the target has till dawn to find the cure. If the will save succeeds, the target may pass the curse to an innocent before dawn instead of finding the cure.*
3. In addition to the effects of "2," the Lychomancer may add his WIS modifier to the duration of turns. Also, the target must make a will save, if successful, the target has 24 hours to find the cure. If the target fails to save, the curse manifests immediately.*
* Wolfsbane alchemically combined with the blood of the Lychomancer caster provides the cure. If it is not taken in time the afflicted target transforms into a "wolf knight." These wolf knight's maintain their intelligences but become utterly savage agents of chaos. They seek out the Lychomancer who transformed him and serve as retainers who seek only food and companionship as payment.
Even if a target had the opportunity to transfer the curse, they likely wouldn't know to do it. But to transfer the curse, the afflicted just needs to bite an innocent. In doing so, the curse will manifest in the innocent instead. A Lychomancer may only have one "wolf knight" per level + WIS modifier (maximum 3). Unscrupulous Lychomancers may choose to sacrifice wolf knights to empower the effects of the transformation table. Every sacrificed "wolf knight" adds a +2 bonus to the die roll on that table.
After the window of treatment passes, only the death of the casting Lychomancer can permanently transform the cursed target back to original form and mind.
Moon magic will be covered in upcoming posts.
Lychomancy is not merely a way of life. The tenants provide spells and bonuses, but most importantly they secure the Lychomancer's sanity. They keep the Lychomancer from destroying friends and loved ones. Lychomancy is an aberrant magic from an inconspicuous origin, so practitioners tend to be the desperately curious or those well adjusted to violence. There are of course Lychomancers who disdain the paths. But these damned souls live in brooding solitude with scarcely any humanity left at all.Sanctity magic is called "The King's Way." To resist accidental frenzy against allies during demon form, every Sanctity Lychomancer must internally recite the mantra, "Walk lightly in the shade. Turn your eye from the moon so you may gaze inward." Magic is difficult to cast during demon form due to the mantra.
Sanctity Spell:
The Curse
Level: Lychomancer 1
Duration: Extended
Range: Melee attack
This is damnation in spell craft. The Lychomancer may declare this spell during a successful bite attack. The Lycomancer sacrifices a daily turning of demon form and rolls 1d3 on the table. Only three targets may be subject to the effects of The Curse per night. If a target is slain, the effects end and the spell may be cast additionally that night.
1. Target takes penalty to all attacks against the Lychomancer equal to the Lychomancer's level for 2d3 turns. The Lycomancer also gains an additional permanent +1 (during d6 roll) for tracking the target by smell.
2. Target takes penalty to all attacks against the Lychomancer equal to the Lychomancer's level + WIS modifier for 2d3 turns. Also, the target must make a will save, if unsuccessful, the target has till dawn to find the cure. If the will save succeeds, the target may pass the curse to an innocent before dawn instead of finding the cure.*
3. In addition to the effects of "2," the Lychomancer may add his WIS modifier to the duration of turns. Also, the target must make a will save, if successful, the target has 24 hours to find the cure. If the target fails to save, the curse manifests immediately.*
* Wolfsbane alchemically combined with the blood of the Lychomancer caster provides the cure. If it is not taken in time the afflicted target transforms into a "wolf knight." These wolf knight's maintain their intelligences but become utterly savage agents of chaos. They seek out the Lychomancer who transformed him and serve as retainers who seek only food and companionship as payment.
Even if a target had the opportunity to transfer the curse, they likely wouldn't know to do it. But to transfer the curse, the afflicted just needs to bite an innocent. In doing so, the curse will manifest in the innocent instead. A Lychomancer may only have one "wolf knight" per level + WIS modifier (maximum 3). Unscrupulous Lychomancers may choose to sacrifice wolf knights to empower the effects of the transformation table. Every sacrificed "wolf knight" adds a +2 bonus to the die roll on that table.
After the window of treatment passes, only the death of the casting Lychomancer can permanently transform the cursed target back to original form and mind.
Moon magic will be covered in upcoming posts.
Thursday, July 19, 2012
Lychomancy Transformation
Read Part one.
I think the Lychomancer tone I'm going for fits particularly well with Dungeon Crawl Classics. I've decided to write up a "Transformation Table" in the Style of DCC. This table modifies the Lychomancer's forms so roll on this table when the Lychomancer transforms. Roll 1d6 when transforming into beast form. Roll 1d20 when transforming into demon form. Note that once the demon form is activated, the Lychomancer must make a will save to attempt any action besides a melee strike (or a move towards a melee strike). Failure might indicate an attack on an ally instead!
Add one's level and WIS modifier to the roll. But a natural 1 on a d20 counts as a 1. CON and WIS may be burned to heighten the effects. Burned points recover at the rate of a magic user's recovery time. The beast form may be rerolled at the start of every encounter (The higher value may be chosen. It just takes the Lychomancer a little while for the moon to energize him). The demon form must be rerolled every time it is utilized. But re-roll if the value is lower than the Beast form's total value. A transformation grants all the benefits on the table up to (and including) the value of the roll.
I'm not really sure how well the Lychomancer will balance with the other classes. The Lychomancer is perhaps best suited to fulfilling an antagonistic NPC role. I'll allow the Lychomancer as a PC class in my game, but I'm sure I'll be tweaking it as the campaign churns on.
TRANSFORMATION TABLE
1. Flight over fight in beast form; gain x1.25 speed. DEX becomes 15 (unless it was already higher). In addition the Lychomancer's human form takes on a permanent lupine feature (tail, pointy wolf-ears, nocturnal eyes, etc). Enough of these features eliminates the human form until the Lychomancer only has the beast and demon forms.
2. Leap attack. Like a charge but without the AC penalty on the following turn. If the attack hits, deal an additional +1d6 "slam" damage (modified by STR).
3. Bite and claw attacks add double strength modifier damage to hit rolls.
4. Howl; -1 to enemy morale on failed will save.
5. Gain five temporary HP with resistances*
6. Gain six temporary HP with resistances*
7. Can verbally speak to and understand animals. Gain seven temporary HP with resistances*
8. Gain eight temporary HP with resistances*
9. Gain nine temporary HP with resistances*
10. Gain x1.5 speed. Gain ten temporary HP with resistances*
11. Leap attack (as above) but +1d8 "slam" damage (modified by STR)
12. May make a bite AND claw attack in addition to normal attacks.
13. Howl; -2 to enemy morale on failed will save. Furthermore, enemies subject to the effects of the howl cannot move for 1d3 rounds.
14. May cast spells in demon form without making a will save.
15. Gain x2 speed. Gain 15 temporary HP*
16. When a Lychomancer slays an enemy in demon form, an adjacent enemy must make an immediate will save or flee with a chance of dropping any held weapons.
17. Either a bite or claw attack may be rolled with 1d6 damage every attack (as opposed to 1d4).
18. Claw & bite attacks crit on a natural 18.
19. Every killing blow by the Lychomaner in an encounter grants a cumulative +1 bonus to attacks till the end of the encounter. The maximum bonus is equal to the Lychomancer's level.
20. Killing blows grant temp HP equal to damage dealt*
21. Black Pact; can telepathically communicate with any predator within line of sight at will. The predator is "friendly" once the psychic bond is instated.
22. Gain 18 temporary HP*
23. Bite and claw attacks crit on a natural 17.
24. Shadow Leap; Lychomancer may teleport from shadow to shadow within line of sight as a move action. This might allow for truly absurd leap attacks**
25. Gain 20 temporary HP*
26. Bite and claw attacks crit on a natural 16.
27. Savage Sight; Lychomancer see through any predator's eyes w/ in 100 miles.
28. Gain 22 temporary HP*
29. Bite and claw attacks crit on a natural 15.
30. Immortal moon; cannot die on the night of a full moon. These effects persist even after the demon form is shed (till dawn). Once reduced to to 1 HP the Lychomancer disintegrates into shadows and is dispersed. On the following dawn the Lychomancer will return to human form in the wilderness fully healed and rested (as though at least 24 hours had passed). If the Lychomancer is ever reduced to this shadow state, he will never age but may ONLY subsist on sentient flesh***
* These temporary HP with resistances take damage before non-temporary hit points. These hit points last as long as the form (that called for the roll) remains active. Temporary HP recovers in beast form after a short rest or short bout of non-strenuous activity. Regular HP heals as normal. The resistances work differently depending on the chosen Road. These temporary HP only take half damage from most attacks (round damage down). But silver weapons instead deal full damage to followers of the Road of Moon. Holy weapons deal full damage to followers of the Road of Sanctity.
Note: Alternatively the temporary HP might instead convert a number of already existing hit points to a resistant status (without granting extra HP). This would still allow the Lychomancer a significant measure of protection. I will probably use this tweak for players in Cult of Aois who choose to play werewolf characters.
** I owe this ability to the 3rd edition "Shadowdancer" prestige class.
*** DCC's Hound of Hirot is the premier inspiration for this power.
Part three will begin to cover Lychomancer spells.
I think the Lychomancer tone I'm going for fits particularly well with Dungeon Crawl Classics. I've decided to write up a "Transformation Table" in the Style of DCC. This table modifies the Lychomancer's forms so roll on this table when the Lychomancer transforms. Roll 1d6 when transforming into beast form. Roll 1d20 when transforming into demon form. Note that once the demon form is activated, the Lychomancer must make a will save to attempt any action besides a melee strike (or a move towards a melee strike). Failure might indicate an attack on an ally instead!
Add one's level and WIS modifier to the roll. But a natural 1 on a d20 counts as a 1. CON and WIS may be burned to heighten the effects. Burned points recover at the rate of a magic user's recovery time. The beast form may be rerolled at the start of every encounter (The higher value may be chosen. It just takes the Lychomancer a little while for the moon to energize him). The demon form must be rerolled every time it is utilized. But re-roll if the value is lower than the Beast form's total value. A transformation grants all the benefits on the table up to (and including) the value of the roll.
I'm not really sure how well the Lychomancer will balance with the other classes. The Lychomancer is perhaps best suited to fulfilling an antagonistic NPC role. I'll allow the Lychomancer as a PC class in my game, but I'm sure I'll be tweaking it as the campaign churns on.
TRANSFORMATION TABLE
1. Flight over fight in beast form; gain x1.25 speed. DEX becomes 15 (unless it was already higher). In addition the Lychomancer's human form takes on a permanent lupine feature (tail, pointy wolf-ears, nocturnal eyes, etc). Enough of these features eliminates the human form until the Lychomancer only has the beast and demon forms.
2. Leap attack. Like a charge but without the AC penalty on the following turn. If the attack hits, deal an additional +1d6 "slam" damage (modified by STR).
3. Bite and claw attacks add double strength modifier damage to hit rolls.
4. Howl; -1 to enemy morale on failed will save.
5. Gain five temporary HP with resistances*
6. Gain six temporary HP with resistances*
7. Can verbally speak to and understand animals. Gain seven temporary HP with resistances*
8. Gain eight temporary HP with resistances*
9. Gain nine temporary HP with resistances*
10. Gain x1.5 speed. Gain ten temporary HP with resistances*
11. Leap attack (as above) but +1d8 "slam" damage (modified by STR)
12. May make a bite AND claw attack in addition to normal attacks.
13. Howl; -2 to enemy morale on failed will save. Furthermore, enemies subject to the effects of the howl cannot move for 1d3 rounds.
14. May cast spells in demon form without making a will save.
15. Gain x2 speed. Gain 15 temporary HP*
16. When a Lychomancer slays an enemy in demon form, an adjacent enemy must make an immediate will save or flee with a chance of dropping any held weapons.
17. Either a bite or claw attack may be rolled with 1d6 damage every attack (as opposed to 1d4).
18. Claw & bite attacks crit on a natural 18.
19. Every killing blow by the Lychomaner in an encounter grants a cumulative +1 bonus to attacks till the end of the encounter. The maximum bonus is equal to the Lychomancer's level.
20. Killing blows grant temp HP equal to damage dealt*
21. Black Pact; can telepathically communicate with any predator within line of sight at will. The predator is "friendly" once the psychic bond is instated.
22. Gain 18 temporary HP*
23. Bite and claw attacks crit on a natural 17.
24. Shadow Leap; Lychomancer may teleport from shadow to shadow within line of sight as a move action. This might allow for truly absurd leap attacks**
25. Gain 20 temporary HP*
26. Bite and claw attacks crit on a natural 16.
27. Savage Sight; Lychomancer see through any predator's eyes w/ in 100 miles.
28. Gain 22 temporary HP*
29. Bite and claw attacks crit on a natural 15.
30. Immortal moon; cannot die on the night of a full moon. These effects persist even after the demon form is shed (till dawn). Once reduced to to 1 HP the Lychomancer disintegrates into shadows and is dispersed. On the following dawn the Lychomancer will return to human form in the wilderness fully healed and rested (as though at least 24 hours had passed). If the Lychomancer is ever reduced to this shadow state, he will never age but may ONLY subsist on sentient flesh***
* These temporary HP with resistances take damage before non-temporary hit points. These hit points last as long as the form (that called for the roll) remains active. Temporary HP recovers in beast form after a short rest or short bout of non-strenuous activity. Regular HP heals as normal. The resistances work differently depending on the chosen Road. These temporary HP only take half damage from most attacks (round damage down). But silver weapons instead deal full damage to followers of the Road of Moon. Holy weapons deal full damage to followers of the Road of Sanctity.
Note: Alternatively the temporary HP might instead convert a number of already existing hit points to a resistant status (without granting extra HP). This would still allow the Lychomancer a significant measure of protection. I will probably use this tweak for players in Cult of Aois who choose to play werewolf characters.
** I owe this ability to the 3rd edition "Shadowdancer" prestige class.
*** DCC's Hound of Hirot is the premier inspiration for this power.
Part three will begin to cover Lychomancer spells.
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
The Lychomancer
The variant of werewolves in Cult of Aois is the Lychomancer.
Requirements: 12 STR, 12 CON, 12 WIS
Prime Requisites: CON, WIS
Hit Die: D8
Attacks/Saves/Experience Chart: as cleric
Weapons/Armor: weapons as fighter, armor is leather or lighter.
The Path of Lychomancy is abhorred by civil society. Lychomancers are walkers of the wilds, savages in darkness, and callous warlocks. Well, so say the legends at least. Those who know better call them werewolves or skin changers. The ignorant know them only as wolf demons of hunger. While the Lychomancer shares some spells with the cleric, the Lychomancer is barred from many cleric spells and abilities (at the DM's discretion). Lychomancers have a few unique spells in their repertoire, but may never turn or command undead. Additionally, Lychomancers cannot be lawful of any variation.
Instead of heavy armor proficiency, the Lychomancer may only wear skins of the creatures he has hunted himself for armor. The Lychomancer may assume a "demon form" a number of times per day equal to the Lychomancer's level. A point of luck may be spent to fuel an additional demon form use per day. Generous DM's will add a character's wisdom modifier to the number of changes per day, as well. Once transformed, the Lychomancer remains in the form so long as he is currently endangered or a danger is perceived to be eminent. The transformation happens immediately as a free action in a grotesque and noisy fashion.
Unfortunately inside the demon form there is an unquenchable hatred and rage. Allies within the vicinity of a demon formed Lychomancer are subject to his agression if absolute restraint is not exercised. Once started, the rage is carried with an immense momentum. The Lychomancer may direct his rage, but he must rage still. In order to not rend his allies limb from limb, the Lychomancer must choose a sacred Road and follow its tenants well. But on a full moon, sometimes even the tenants cannot quell the lunar madness.
The Road of Sanctity:
1. Eat every kill.
2. Protect the wilds.
3. Advise the Pack.
>Hide/Move Silently on a 1-3 of a d6 (dex mods apply)
Track on a 1-3 on a d6 (wis mods apply)
An additional +1[-1] Armor Class
Access to Sanctity spell list.
The Road of Moon:
1. Never abandon a hunt.
2. Destroy law.
3. Protect the pack.
>Track on a 1-3 on a d6 (wis mods apply)
Hide/Move Silently on a 1-3 of a d6 (dex mods apply)
An additional +1 Attack Bonus
Access to Moon spell list.
*The benefits of the chosen Road persist while the the Lychomancer is in any form. Only if a committed tenant is broken will the Lychomancer lose the benefits.
So long as the Lychomancer maintains his chaotic status he may assume a "beast [aka wolfman] form." He most easily casts spells in beast form and gains a static 15 strength while beast form is assumed (unless already higher). This 15 STR carries over into Demon form as well. The beast or demon formed Lychomancer may also make an additional bite or claw attack for 1d4 damage every turn if he has a free hand/ or face to do so.
The Lychomancer's appearance is horrific in the beast and demon forms, so the DM might want to apply penalties or bonuses to social situations while the Lychomancer is transformed. But even in human form, Lychomancers smell fear, which might grant a bonus in circumstances involving intimidation or lie detection. Like magic users, Lychomancers are particularly at risk for their bodies becoming Lychanids.
Part two details the Lychomancer's transformations.
Requirements: 12 STR, 12 CON, 12 WIS
Prime Requisites: CON, WIS
Hit Die: D8
Attacks/Saves/Experience Chart: as cleric
Weapons/Armor: weapons as fighter, armor is leather or lighter.
The Path of Lychomancy is abhorred by civil society. Lychomancers are walkers of the wilds, savages in darkness, and callous warlocks. Well, so say the legends at least. Those who know better call them werewolves or skin changers. The ignorant know them only as wolf demons of hunger. While the Lychomancer shares some spells with the cleric, the Lychomancer is barred from many cleric spells and abilities (at the DM's discretion). Lychomancers have a few unique spells in their repertoire, but may never turn or command undead. Additionally, Lychomancers cannot be lawful of any variation.
Instead of heavy armor proficiency, the Lychomancer may only wear skins of the creatures he has hunted himself for armor. The Lychomancer may assume a "demon form" a number of times per day equal to the Lychomancer's level. A point of luck may be spent to fuel an additional demon form use per day. Generous DM's will add a character's wisdom modifier to the number of changes per day, as well. Once transformed, the Lychomancer remains in the form so long as he is currently endangered or a danger is perceived to be eminent. The transformation happens immediately as a free action in a grotesque and noisy fashion.
Unfortunately inside the demon form there is an unquenchable hatred and rage. Allies within the vicinity of a demon formed Lychomancer are subject to his agression if absolute restraint is not exercised. Once started, the rage is carried with an immense momentum. The Lychomancer may direct his rage, but he must rage still. In order to not rend his allies limb from limb, the Lychomancer must choose a sacred Road and follow its tenants well. But on a full moon, sometimes even the tenants cannot quell the lunar madness.
The Road of Sanctity:
1. Eat every kill.
2. Protect the wilds.
3. Advise the Pack.
>Hide/Move Silently on a 1-3 of a d6 (dex mods apply)
Track on a 1-3 on a d6 (wis mods apply)
An additional +1[-1] Armor Class
Access to Sanctity spell list.
The Road of Moon:
1. Never abandon a hunt.
2. Destroy law.
3. Protect the pack.
>Track on a 1-3 on a d6 (wis mods apply)
Hide/Move Silently on a 1-3 of a d6 (dex mods apply)
An additional +1 Attack Bonus
Access to Moon spell list.
*The benefits of the chosen Road persist while the the Lychomancer is in any form. Only if a committed tenant is broken will the Lychomancer lose the benefits.
So long as the Lychomancer maintains his chaotic status he may assume a "beast [aka wolfman] form." He most easily casts spells in beast form and gains a static 15 strength while beast form is assumed (unless already higher). This 15 STR carries over into Demon form as well. The beast or demon formed Lychomancer may also make an additional bite or claw attack for 1d4 damage every turn if he has a free hand/ or face to do so.
The Lychomancer's appearance is horrific in the beast and demon forms, so the DM might want to apply penalties or bonuses to social situations while the Lychomancer is transformed. But even in human form, Lychomancers smell fear, which might grant a bonus in circumstances involving intimidation or lie detection. Like magic users, Lychomancers are particularly at risk for their bodies becoming Lychanids.
Part two details the Lychomancer's transformations.
Monday, July 16, 2012
Lychanid
Corpses tainted by the reserves of arcane energy might rise again as undead abominations known as Lychanids. Lychanid's were almost unanimously fallen adventurers, and are only encountered in the most depraved and isolated depths. Some dungeons are so damned, so infested by malevolent will, that a demon might attempt to claim not simply a mortal's soul, but his body too.
Magic-users can offer their bodies to a demonic patron in exchange for avoiding the afterlife. Only the most desperate souls would be willing to ask such a price, because it incurs an eternity as an incorporeal ghost. The magic user must beg for mercy in his final breath at which point his soul is ejected from his body. The soul must be bound to whatever place, person, object, or entity means most to the dying character in their moment of death -- the body being the only exception.
The dying and soulless body is then immediately rejuvenated by dark magics and occupied by the demonic patron. A rapid process of evolution occurs at which point the magic-user's sold body transforms to fit the visage of the patron. To clarify, the soul of the magic-user is a ghost, so when I refer to "Lychanid" I am referring to the magic-user's sold body now occupied by the demon.
The ejected magic-user can still cast spells as in life, but cannot level, nor can he easily control or communicate with whatever he is bound to. To adult mortals the magic-user ghost is entirely invisible and silent. Only in the most exceptional circumstances (burning stats as in DCC) can the magic-user exert enough will to communicate (either telepathically or in a wraith like wail). This is the only physical action a ghost magic user may take.
The ghost magic user never gains back spent attributes. Once a stat is brought to zero the ghost dissipates to whatever incalculable fate awaits. Only through an external excommunication cast on his captive body can a magic-user hope to re-enter his body. Worse yet -- if the demon possessed body is slain, the magic-user's ghost is bound bodiless for eternity.
Sunday, July 15, 2012
RIP Jareth, Devotee of Orcus
*Spoiler Warning*
Even if a player makes all the right choices, the die gods care little for the affairs of mortals. Goodman Games' Doom of the Savage Kings module promised to be deadly, and for Jareth it was. I can't claim this to be an adequate review of the module because I modified the dungeon significantly to fit the scheme of my home-brew campaign. But for the purposes of this article, I will discuss only the aspects I drew from the module without getting into my custom content.
But I will say that Doom of the Savage Kings is easily adapted. I had no problem sculpting the content to fit my overarching ACKS sandbox. I've never really been one to run modules. I prefer to plan just the exoskeleton of my own adventures. My players are rather unpredictable, so extensive planning usually ends up as a waste of time (Gotta love players who keep a DM on his toes). But this module proved to be well worth the prep time.
Gauging the reactions of my players, they seemed to find DCC's serpent infested ghouls far more intimidating (and deadly) than the centrally antagonistic demonic Hound of Hirot. As I mentioned -- the dice gods didn't favor Jareth during the session. After burning stats to fend off the hound in a spectacular display of arcane might, the already wounded Jareth was slain by a snake infested ghoul perched in a high and shadowy alcove.
Doom of the Savage Kings provides everything I want in a dungeon; mythic treasures, bizarre monsters, the necessity of true strategy, and above all, peril. As Jareth's death was the first death in the campaign, the other characters certainly seemed sobered from their bloodlusts. It's a real feat to actually scare your friends at the game table as a DM, but I think this module gets as close as it gets in DnD.
If you manage to get your hands on Doom of the Savage Kings I would certainly recommend running it, or at the very least mining it for ideas. After reading through the module I'm really considering converting my campaign to DCC once the PC's hit level two -- if only to test out the system fully.
Even if a player makes all the right choices, the die gods care little for the affairs of mortals. Goodman Games' Doom of the Savage Kings module promised to be deadly, and for Jareth it was. I can't claim this to be an adequate review of the module because I modified the dungeon significantly to fit the scheme of my home-brew campaign. But for the purposes of this article, I will discuss only the aspects I drew from the module without getting into my custom content.
Gauging the reactions of my players, they seemed to find DCC's serpent infested ghouls far more intimidating (and deadly) than the centrally antagonistic demonic Hound of Hirot. As I mentioned -- the dice gods didn't favor Jareth during the session. After burning stats to fend off the hound in a spectacular display of arcane might, the already wounded Jareth was slain by a snake infested ghoul perched in a high and shadowy alcove.
Doom of the Savage Kings provides everything I want in a dungeon; mythic treasures, bizarre monsters, the necessity of true strategy, and above all, peril. As Jareth's death was the first death in the campaign, the other characters certainly seemed sobered from their bloodlusts. It's a real feat to actually scare your friends at the game table as a DM, but I think this module gets as close as it gets in DnD.
If you manage to get your hands on Doom of the Savage Kings I would certainly recommend running it, or at the very least mining it for ideas. After reading through the module I'm really considering converting my campaign to DCC once the PC's hit level two -- if only to test out the system fully.
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
Cult of Aois III
Osvald the assassin was lost again to turbulent dreaming. Again he found himself hiding in a nightmare; the very dungeon the heroes are delving into. Every night this assassin found himself hiding from the Ogre while it sang it's vile rituals to summon the dead. Were these the souls the assassin had sent to death? But one night the assassin saw Faylor burst into the room to challenge the Ogre, and so took the chance to escape.
In the attempt, the assassin was slain by the scything bones of the Ogre's skeleton guardians. In his dying breath the assassin begged for life, and a demon of these cursed halls whispered back. The assassin did not pass on. Instead he was transformed into a spirit of shadow and jealous hunger. He realized then, that he would never wake from this. I used the Wizards' World 'vampire' class as an inspiration, although I plan to modify the model significantly.
Faylor was desperate to defeat the ogre and so opened the black chest. Faylor found that for him -- the price of opening resulted in the obliteration of his connection to magic. Thus forth Faylor walked the caves as an explorer not a mage (the player wanted to change classes without sacrificing his character's backstory). But the trauma of the transforming experience knocked Faylor unconscious. In the chest, Luukol found black barnacled spear wrapped in seaweed. In the chest Aever found a shield with a gargoyle's mein carved into the front. Luukol and Aever desperately held back the ogre, but only until Faylor regained his senses, at which point the heroes retreated.
The ogre's elvish accomplice claimed to be the ogre's prisoner not its ally. Faylor was particularly distrusting of the elf, but Aever managed to convince the party to allow the mysterious elf at least a weapon for defense. A spring bubbled beneath the stairs, forming a river which fell in quiet waterfalls from an open-top plateau. To the south a decrepit outpost winds further into the depths. To the north a massive kiln in the shape of a helmet sits outside a door. The door is at the base of a cliff face with numerous winding caves in the lofty heights. Listening behind the door, Jareth heard the goblin tongue.
Saturday, June 2, 2012
Traveller
The other day I dropped a post on Reddit entitled, 'Classic Vs. Mongoose Traveller' to determine which edition would most adequately suit my storytelling needs. I've never played Traveller because I've never been able to decide which edition to devote myself to. The following morning the Traveller 5E Kickstarter went live. Odd timing. Now only a couple days in, the 5E Kickstarter has already raised over $34,000.
There have been some legitimate concerns about the 5E Hardback's price tag. Marc Miller suggests his tome will be the "Ultimate Edition" weighing in at around 600 pages. To get an actual physical copy of the game, Kickstarter funders must be willing to pay out $100 + s&h. Unsurprisingly this has raised a fair number of eyebrows despite the fact that Miller exceeded his pledge goal in just two days.
To be fair a 600+ page hardback for $100 might be more reasonable than it first appears. If this Traveller 5E is complete and without the need of further supplements, then the price actually seems about right. The downside of course is that the 5E content cannot be broken into more convenient separate purchases. But that is because this new hardback aims not be the 'core rules set,' but rather the source of absolutely everything ever, one would need to play Traveller.
I'm not sure what the Classic Traveller black book box retailed for in the seventies, but a quick kata in internet-fu allowed me to find the original box purchasable, albeit lightly used, for around $40 today. Now consider the price of supplements, there were six more (after the core 1-3) I believe. If you buy all nine, perhaps going the Classic Traveller route might be a bit cheaper, but I doubt by much. Miller notes though, that he is creating substantial never before seen material as well for this new edition. For someone like me, having ALL the content in one hardback book is appealing. And I have to admit, the black cover looks absolutely slick.
The demand for an affordable PDF reached Miller's ears already. Added today; a pledger offering $51 receives a full PDF version of the 5E. This is still a lofty price tag, but one I think a lot of fence-sitters will be pleased with. I probably will wait to see what happens. The fact that Miller is adding such significant pledge rewards so quickly is interesting. I hope to have the hardback edition one day, but for now I'm waiting to see if Miller throws in more rewards before I pull the trigger.
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
What Shelob Taught Me
*THE TWO TOWERS BOOK SPOILERS HEREIN*
Perhaps this is why 'magic items' have become such a staple in most iterations of the classic game. The 'Phial of Galadriel' as well as the elven forged 'Sting' are essential to Sam's survival against the psuedo-mythic spider-demon, Shelob. Even a hobbit of Sam's resolve couldn't survive against such a threat without the aid of supernatural means. And though victorious, the battle left Sam exhausted to his absolute capacity in enemy territory.
Both in DnD and LotR, magic items don't substitute hard-won experience. But they do provide the necessary edge to perhaps offer survival in an otherwise impossible encounter. Because all low level encounters are potentially lethal, every decision must be made with the absolute strategic proficiency to prevent untimely character deaths.
Because magic is limited in LotR as it is in DnD -- low level players/ characters are desperate for creative solutions. Sam's seemingly counter-intuitive assault from beneath was just the unexpected strategy he needed to wound the beast. In all likelihood Sam would have been killed had he not eventually driven the beast away with the elvish phial's light.
Oddly the turning of Shelob seemed akin to the DnD cleric's 'turn undead' ability. And yet arguably Sam's first strike is comparable to a thief's 'sneak attack.' Of course, as treasure equates experience, perhaps it's not quite fair to rate Sam and Frodo as low level.
Indeed both have remarkable elvish gifts as well as the Ring of Power. But even if Tolkien's texts dont seamlessly translate into the DnD experience, the influence is sufficient enough that I personally enjoy 'low level' DnD more than the advanced levels. For me, low level character-growth is more palpable and satisfying.
A friend (Faylor's player) had just finished J.R.R. Tolkien's The Two Towers and expressed that the reason the book is so fulfilling is because it satisfies a desire for both "high" and "low level" adventure. I thought for a while about what he meant -- the more I did, the more I agreed with him.
Whenever I witness a particularly mighty character in fiction my first question always is, 'how did he/she get that way?' In one chapter of The Two Towers readers witness powerful heroes capable of dreadful slaughter. But the reader witnesses the separate and pitiable trudge of the remaining fellowship in the very next chapter. But most interesting to me, is the transition or 'leveling' the hobbits undergo.
I've been thinking about how Tolkien's telling of Sam's battle against Shelob informed the original designs of Gygax and Arneson. The hobbits are 'low level' in comparison to the rest of the fellowship. As such they must rely more on guile than force to accomplish their goals. Sneaking past a few orcs is a feat, but slaying a monster as vile as Shelob is an altogether more epic challenge. Such would take much grit and careful cunning.Perhaps this is why 'magic items' have become such a staple in most iterations of the classic game. The 'Phial of Galadriel' as well as the elven forged 'Sting' are essential to Sam's survival against the psuedo-mythic spider-demon, Shelob. Even a hobbit of Sam's resolve couldn't survive against such a threat without the aid of supernatural means. And though victorious, the battle left Sam exhausted to his absolute capacity in enemy territory.
Both in DnD and LotR, magic items don't substitute hard-won experience. But they do provide the necessary edge to perhaps offer survival in an otherwise impossible encounter. Because all low level encounters are potentially lethal, every decision must be made with the absolute strategic proficiency to prevent untimely character deaths.
Because magic is limited in LotR as it is in DnD -- low level players/ characters are desperate for creative solutions. Sam's seemingly counter-intuitive assault from beneath was just the unexpected strategy he needed to wound the beast. In all likelihood Sam would have been killed had he not eventually driven the beast away with the elvish phial's light.
Oddly the turning of Shelob seemed akin to the DnD cleric's 'turn undead' ability. And yet arguably Sam's first strike is comparable to a thief's 'sneak attack.' Of course, as treasure equates experience, perhaps it's not quite fair to rate Sam and Frodo as low level.
Indeed both have remarkable elvish gifts as well as the Ring of Power. But even if Tolkien's texts dont seamlessly translate into the DnD experience, the influence is sufficient enough that I personally enjoy 'low level' DnD more than the advanced levels. For me, low level character-growth is more palpable and satisfying.
Post Apocalyptic Pictures
Millenarianism fascinates me. Sine Nomine publishes Stars Without Number, undoubtedly one of my favorite science fiction RPG's. So I'm confident Sine Nomine's upcoming post-apocalyptic Other Dust will impress.
When I hear "Post/Apocalyptic" I first think of Revelation, Cormac McCarthy's The Road, or Robert Kirkman's The Walking Dead. But for whatever reason, I also picture ruined barns and ruined boats; images I find oddly alluring. I'm sure this reflects the time I've spent in south shore Ma and in upstate Ny. So I've done some scrounging to find the images that speak to my end-of-times nightmares.
This image is just one of many midwestern 'abandoned places' photographs Tau Zero features:
This one is perhaps my favorite photograph from Tau Zero:
This last one isn't anywhere near me either, but it gets the idea across. Find it with the rest of it's gallery at I09.
When I hear "Post/Apocalyptic" I first think of Revelation, Cormac McCarthy's The Road, or Robert Kirkman's The Walking Dead. But for whatever reason, I also picture ruined barns and ruined boats; images I find oddly alluring. I'm sure this reflects the time I've spent in south shore Ma and in upstate Ny. So I've done some scrounging to find the images that speak to my end-of-times nightmares.
This image is just one of many midwestern 'abandoned places' photographs Tau Zero features:
This one is perhaps my favorite photograph from Tau Zero:
This last one isn't anywhere near me either, but it gets the idea across. Find it with the rest of it's gallery at I09.
Monday, May 28, 2012
Call of Cthulhu: New World Colonists
After my pal and I watched the Black Goat short film he suggested I run a historical game about the Roanoke colony. While I'm not sure the campaign will be about Roanoke exactly, the game will take place sometime during the 16th-century and focus on the colonial experience.
I expect a rather different tone to emerge in this game than a classic 1920's/30's era CoC scenario. Though the Age of Exploration is so removed from Lovecraft's 1920's and 30's, the Cthulhu mythos seem particularly suited to the mysteries lying in wait behind the veil of discovery in the New World.
The Age of Exploration evokes desperation and tested-faith particularly well. The benefit of operating outside of a Lovecraftian purist setting is that I feel more comfortable experimenting. Specifically this game will emphasize survival horror elements more than the traditional CoC session might.
CoC is an investigation and horror game. Adding a survivalist edge will take some research on my part. In New World Colonists, maintaining ones scarce resources, shelter, and warmth are sufficient distractions to keep most from questioning the uncanny. The survival component of this game applies just as much to the cold in pathless woods as it does to horrors from deep space.
Technology is also a significant consideration. Firearms are slow and unwieldy, light requires oil or wood, and medicine cannot alleviate some of the malady's modern science solves with a few pills. But perhaps the most interesting element of this game will be the developing relationship players will make with the indigenous peoples.
I expect a rather different tone to emerge in this game than a classic 1920's/30's era CoC scenario. Though the Age of Exploration is so removed from Lovecraft's 1920's and 30's, the Cthulhu mythos seem particularly suited to the mysteries lying in wait behind the veil of discovery in the New World.
The Age of Exploration evokes desperation and tested-faith particularly well. The benefit of operating outside of a Lovecraftian purist setting is that I feel more comfortable experimenting. Specifically this game will emphasize survival horror elements more than the traditional CoC session might.
CoC is an investigation and horror game. Adding a survivalist edge will take some research on my part. In New World Colonists, maintaining ones scarce resources, shelter, and warmth are sufficient distractions to keep most from questioning the uncanny. The survival component of this game applies just as much to the cold in pathless woods as it does to horrors from deep space.
Technology is also a significant consideration. Firearms are slow and unwieldy, light requires oil or wood, and medicine cannot alleviate some of the malady's modern science solves with a few pills. But perhaps the most interesting element of this game will be the developing relationship players will make with the indigenous peoples.
Friday, May 25, 2012
Cult of Aois II
Read Part I first.
The giant spiders assaulting the heroes were borrowed from Greg Gillespie's Barrowmaze megadungeon. I chose these spiders due to Gillespie's "Blood-Thirsty" quality. Blood-thirsty monsters catch the scent of a PC's open wound and converge to attack the injured target en masse. These are particularly brutal monsters in low level play because hit points are precariously low.
The heroes rolled well for initiative and managed to swiftly kill the spiders with a few well aimed bolts before the blood-thirsty quality could come into play. The heroes noticed that these spiders had white scars that ran like streams (a divergence from Gillespie's design) over their faces and heads. The heroes don't know what these scars are from, but they will probably find out in a deeper level of the dungeon.
Skeletons were waiting silently behind the door to the north. These undead stood in formation in the claustrophobic hall that turned at a right angle behind them into the unknown. The heroes had a hard time hitting, let alone pushing through these restless foes. Luukol managed to turn the undead while Aever stood vigilantly between the dead and the living. The skeletons fled into the darkness and the heroes carefully followed.
Around the corner the heroes found a door with it's arch labelled, "Confessional." The heroes walked into the 10 by 15 room and saw that a screen had been slashed to ribbons in the east. Another room stood behind the ruined screen -- this is where the skeletons were assumed to have run. The heroes looted tapestries off the western and the northern walls before moving into the next room. Hamish, the party's hireling torchbearer was convinced to carry the loot. He didn't complain, he'd been asked to do worse things before...
The other side of the confessional screen displayed a room with much the same parameters as the last. But instead of tapestries lining the walls, delicate and ancient tomes crowded the walls. These books contain a history of the demon Orcus as well as the "summon" spell as it appears in James Raggi's LotFP Grindhouse Edition. A door to the south stood ajar. While the heroes tore through the books, Aever noticed the approach of skeletons from the southern door.
Using door-cover, Aever managed to brutally hack the lead skeleton away from the doorway. But even this did little to slow them, so Luukol was forced to unleash his darker aspect. He did not 'turn' the undead but chose instead to 'command' them to destroy each other. Once the bone dust settled, the heroes were able to move through the short hall the skeletons had been standing in.
The hall led to a grand eastern door. Inside the heroes found a mausoleum; four stone caskets rested in each corner of the room. From here, the heroes could hear a guttural and unholy song coming from behind a fine dark-wood door to the south of the room. A massive onyx chest sat in the center of the room. A door stood ajar to the east. A lot started to happen very quickly.
Jareth used his ten foot pole to lift the lid of the chest. Inside he found his first familiar, a fox sent on Orcus' behalf. Faylor could stand the singing no more so he kicked open the southern door, tossed in a torch, and strode into the room. Inside he saw a massive chamber held up by classical pillars. Trampled scrolls and relic boxes littered the floor in a pattern of refuse mingling with a pile of corpses. A female elf stood silent beside an ogre who was chanting the vile ritual at the top of a staircase inside a humming magical circle.
Skeletons rose from the pile of dead and made their move towards Faylor who cast 'sleep' before retreating from the room. The elf fell unconscious in the circle, but the ogre stood unfazed. At the door the heroes did their best to brace the door against the skeletons, but the Ogre charged the door himself to see who was on the other side. The party managed to bloody his nose with bolt and missile, but they will be in real danger when he crosses the threshold.
Once Jareth got sight of the ogre he fled, backtracking the route the party had made. Stumbling with the treasure and his hireling, Jareth ran into the half-dwarf the party had had terrified the day prior. Jareth tried to calm the mysterious half-dwarf, but succeeded only in startling him further. Jareth caught the half-dwarf's axe in the eye, falling into a well of dreams drank by his demon patron.
Read Part III.
The giant spiders assaulting the heroes were borrowed from Greg Gillespie's Barrowmaze megadungeon. I chose these spiders due to Gillespie's "Blood-Thirsty" quality. Blood-thirsty monsters catch the scent of a PC's open wound and converge to attack the injured target en masse. These are particularly brutal monsters in low level play because hit points are precariously low.
The heroes rolled well for initiative and managed to swiftly kill the spiders with a few well aimed bolts before the blood-thirsty quality could come into play. The heroes noticed that these spiders had white scars that ran like streams (a divergence from Gillespie's design) over their faces and heads. The heroes don't know what these scars are from, but they will probably find out in a deeper level of the dungeon.
Skeletons were waiting silently behind the door to the north. These undead stood in formation in the claustrophobic hall that turned at a right angle behind them into the unknown. The heroes had a hard time hitting, let alone pushing through these restless foes. Luukol managed to turn the undead while Aever stood vigilantly between the dead and the living. The skeletons fled into the darkness and the heroes carefully followed.
Around the corner the heroes found a door with it's arch labelled, "Confessional." The heroes walked into the 10 by 15 room and saw that a screen had been slashed to ribbons in the east. Another room stood behind the ruined screen -- this is where the skeletons were assumed to have run. The heroes looted tapestries off the western and the northern walls before moving into the next room. Hamish, the party's hireling torchbearer was convinced to carry the loot. He didn't complain, he'd been asked to do worse things before...
Using door-cover, Aever managed to brutally hack the lead skeleton away from the doorway. But even this did little to slow them, so Luukol was forced to unleash his darker aspect. He did not 'turn' the undead but chose instead to 'command' them to destroy each other. Once the bone dust settled, the heroes were able to move through the short hall the skeletons had been standing in.
The hall led to a grand eastern door. Inside the heroes found a mausoleum; four stone caskets rested in each corner of the room. From here, the heroes could hear a guttural and unholy song coming from behind a fine dark-wood door to the south of the room. A massive onyx chest sat in the center of the room. A door stood ajar to the east. A lot started to happen very quickly.
Jareth used his ten foot pole to lift the lid of the chest. Inside he found his first familiar, a fox sent on Orcus' behalf. Faylor could stand the singing no more so he kicked open the southern door, tossed in a torch, and strode into the room. Inside he saw a massive chamber held up by classical pillars. Trampled scrolls and relic boxes littered the floor in a pattern of refuse mingling with a pile of corpses. A female elf stood silent beside an ogre who was chanting the vile ritual at the top of a staircase inside a humming magical circle.
Skeletons rose from the pile of dead and made their move towards Faylor who cast 'sleep' before retreating from the room. The elf fell unconscious in the circle, but the ogre stood unfazed. At the door the heroes did their best to brace the door against the skeletons, but the Ogre charged the door himself to see who was on the other side. The party managed to bloody his nose with bolt and missile, but they will be in real danger when he crosses the threshold.
Once Jareth got sight of the ogre he fled, backtracking the route the party had made. Stumbling with the treasure and his hireling, Jareth ran into the half-dwarf the party had had terrified the day prior. Jareth tried to calm the mysterious half-dwarf, but succeeded only in startling him further. Jareth caught the half-dwarf's axe in the eye, falling into a well of dreams drank by his demon patron.
Read Part III.
Thursday, May 24, 2012
Tools, Tips, & Crochet
The prophets have spoken. This "God Generator" is an excellent tool for the GM looking to cook up a DnD god on the fly. Read Rolang's Creeping Doom.
Who doesn't want to cuddle with a creepy Cthuloid? Get them at NeedleForge. You can hear what NeedleForge is all about at Gamerati.
Dude is funny. Behind the rage is some real insight. Read The Moldy Vale.
Who doesn't want to cuddle with a creepy Cthuloid? Get them at NeedleForge. You can hear what NeedleForge is all about at Gamerati.
Dude is funny. Behind the rage is some real insight. Read The Moldy Vale.
The Hurting
My level of want certainly corresponds to the obscene Amazon price tag on this rare, now out of print Beyond the Mountains of Madness module. But if I were to snap and buy this, it would be an irrevocable deathblow to my reason. I would soon spiral into a depraved state of impish lunacy. Can't have that. Looks like I'll have to do some forum investigating to find this arcane tome at a reasonable price.
If Beyond the Mountains of Madness is anything like The Thing (1982) I'm totally sold. Kidding aside, Lovecraft is my favorite genre writer. Sure I think there a defter, much more profound genre writers, absolutely. But I find Lovecraft's cosmic terror inescapable. Horror is always present when I run an RPG, it is the assumed crossover along with whatever stock stetting the game provides. But no game is scarier than Call of Cthulhu. The game recognizes that vulnerability and sanity are the pillars of excellent horror (i.e. fear for ones corporeal state and fear for ones mental/spiritual state).
Lovecraft's horror is so inspiring because it feels at once close enough to touch, and yet somehow foreign. Lovecraft's tales take place in an era decades before my time. Cultural sensibilities from the 1920's and 30's are only a frail and rattling echo in the ear of today's reader. Lovecraft's bizarre cults and rites for ancient gods renders a mysticism that fractures man's pillar of moral sanity. Lovecraft's alien superscience defies the logic of man, or rather supersedes it, leaving man incapable of trusting his reality. Lovecraft translated the fear of God into commercial fiction.
I will keep my current DnD campaign running until there is a TPK "total party kill." Even if just one player-character survives an ordeal, the campaign will continue and the other players can roll up new characters after a character's death. However, once/ if all the player-characters die together, the campaign ends. The deceased heroes will join the ranks of the eulogized and a new DnD campaign will start anew. But not before I run a Call of Cthulhu game a while. Ill likely run Masks of Nyarlathotep because it is infinitely easier to find than Beyond the Mountains of Madness. Besides, I've never run a CoC module before -- why not start with a classic?
Lovecraft's horror is so inspiring because it feels at once close enough to touch, and yet somehow foreign. Lovecraft's tales take place in an era decades before my time. Cultural sensibilities from the 1920's and 30's are only a frail and rattling echo in the ear of today's reader. Lovecraft's bizarre cults and rites for ancient gods renders a mysticism that fractures man's pillar of moral sanity. Lovecraft's alien superscience defies the logic of man, or rather supersedes it, leaving man incapable of trusting his reality. Lovecraft translated the fear of God into commercial fiction.
I will keep my current DnD campaign running until there is a TPK "total party kill." Even if just one player-character survives an ordeal, the campaign will continue and the other players can roll up new characters after a character's death. However, once/ if all the player-characters die together, the campaign ends. The deceased heroes will join the ranks of the eulogized and a new DnD campaign will start anew. But not before I run a Call of Cthulhu game a while. Ill likely run Masks of Nyarlathotep because it is infinitely easier to find than Beyond the Mountains of Madness. Besides, I've never run a CoC module before -- why not start with a classic?
Today is the Day
Sign up for DnD Next play-testing here. Whether you are waiting anxiously for, are perturbed by, or indifferent to 5th Edition DnD, it is finally open to the general public. At Pax East there was some open play-testing (I believe) on Friday night. Unfortunately I missed testing by a few hours. I have faith that WotC will finish a worthy new edition even if this preliminary draft doesn't indicate that. In all likelihood I will mine the new edition for elements that I enjoy and will implement them into my home-brew. I doubt that I will use the new edition as a main source, because even now I don't think there is a DnD tome I use primarily over the others. I might arrive on a favorite one day, but I'm in no rush.
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Cult of Aois I
The first session started pretty gonzo -- the players were blinded/ teleported by a magical sandstorm. They wandered through the desert looking for their destination but instead found a statue erected to "the god-killer" overlooking a jagged valley. Almost as soon as they got their bearings they were attacked. Depraved madmen in tattered priestly robes emerged from the biting winds gibbering in tongues and lashing long obsidian daggers.
The players were still feeling out the system so perhaps this ambush was a bit unfair. But now the players are fully aware of how desperate low level play is. A henchman had died, two heroes had fallen unconscious, and some of the trader's wares had been ruined. Paraphrasing Luukol, the group's cleric, "We are at 60% strength and havent even walked into the dungeon." But I'm not a malicious DM, no, of course not. I offered the players a risky power grab just outside the dungeon gate to make up for the gritty start.
A ram-horned 14 foot tall demon in hell-forged plate armor offered the players a pact. This demon presented himself as Orcus and told the players that those madmen were his unworthy thralls. In exchange for the players' worship, he would grant them a blessing in his halls. Two of the players responded with fervent piety, out of fear or greed I do not know. Others responded with guarded and not-so-guarded suspicion. The demon vanished into the sandstorm leaving the players with a lot of uncertainties. The heroes know that this demon's tunnel can lead to the dwarven city, but all else is speculation and rumor.
In the dungeon's antechamber the players found a half-dwarf entranced or stunned, but the players managed to terrify him away from any sort of allegiance. He had actually just been attacked moments before the heroes arrived, but saw the heroes as another threat. Dwarves are the only lawful race in these depths, all others are either neutral or chaotic generally. The half-dwarf fled, but could not be pursued far in the darkness. Once down into the actual depths, the players found themselves in a claustrophobic armory-turned rusting trash heap.
At one time this dungeon was a sacred barrack for the dwarven people, crafted by the finest artisans in pious worship of Aois. Aois was the famed demi-god bard who slew the selfish pantheon, freeing the dwarven people from their divine debts. While the dwarven faith in Aois was real the dwarves lived near the surface but never lost a war to the beastmen. After Aois ascended becoming a god himself, the dwarves' grip on the surface caves became a tenuous one. They retreated ever lower, building their mausoleum citadels in worship of cthonic demons instead. Orcus was once the demon prince, but the dwarves stole his staff through unknown trickery, greatly reducing his power and outcasting him from their new pantheon. If the players read the books they found in the second session, they will learn this.
The heroes came across two doors, but opted for the one without the sound of dripping water behind it. The passage opened to to a hall with a collapsed staue defaced beyond recognition to the north. A door to the west opened upon a long "L" shaped hall lined on both sides by flying buttresses. Altars to various crumbling idols had been erected in alcoves by the beastmen after they had torn these halls from the dwarves. I was going for a holy warrior vibe hence the religious iconography and the remnants of long past battle. Thick gossamer webs flooded the room but the heroes pressed on, that is until the sound of skittering above warned them to draw their blades. Part II begins in medias res.
Read Part II.
The players were still feeling out the system so perhaps this ambush was a bit unfair. But now the players are fully aware of how desperate low level play is. A henchman had died, two heroes had fallen unconscious, and some of the trader's wares had been ruined. Paraphrasing Luukol, the group's cleric, "We are at 60% strength and havent even walked into the dungeon." But I'm not a malicious DM, no, of course not. I offered the players a risky power grab just outside the dungeon gate to make up for the gritty start.
A ram-horned 14 foot tall demon in hell-forged plate armor offered the players a pact. This demon presented himself as Orcus and told the players that those madmen were his unworthy thralls. In exchange for the players' worship, he would grant them a blessing in his halls. Two of the players responded with fervent piety, out of fear or greed I do not know. Others responded with guarded and not-so-guarded suspicion. The demon vanished into the sandstorm leaving the players with a lot of uncertainties. The heroes know that this demon's tunnel can lead to the dwarven city, but all else is speculation and rumor.
In the dungeon's antechamber the players found a half-dwarf entranced or stunned, but the players managed to terrify him away from any sort of allegiance. He had actually just been attacked moments before the heroes arrived, but saw the heroes as another threat. Dwarves are the only lawful race in these depths, all others are either neutral or chaotic generally. The half-dwarf fled, but could not be pursued far in the darkness. Once down into the actual depths, the players found themselves in a claustrophobic armory-turned rusting trash heap.
At one time this dungeon was a sacred barrack for the dwarven people, crafted by the finest artisans in pious worship of Aois. Aois was the famed demi-god bard who slew the selfish pantheon, freeing the dwarven people from their divine debts. While the dwarven faith in Aois was real the dwarves lived near the surface but never lost a war to the beastmen. After Aois ascended becoming a god himself, the dwarves' grip on the surface caves became a tenuous one. They retreated ever lower, building their mausoleum citadels in worship of cthonic demons instead. Orcus was once the demon prince, but the dwarves stole his staff through unknown trickery, greatly reducing his power and outcasting him from their new pantheon. If the players read the books they found in the second session, they will learn this.
The heroes came across two doors, but opted for the one without the sound of dripping water behind it. The passage opened to to a hall with a collapsed staue defaced beyond recognition to the north. A door to the west opened upon a long "L" shaped hall lined on both sides by flying buttresses. Altars to various crumbling idols had been erected in alcoves by the beastmen after they had torn these halls from the dwarves. I was going for a holy warrior vibe hence the religious iconography and the remnants of long past battle. Thick gossamer webs flooded the room but the heroes pressed on, that is until the sound of skittering above warned them to draw their blades. Part II begins in medias res.
Read Part II.
Monday, May 14, 2012
Mortals
Men sup from the bosom of mortality. Such is the tragedy of man, such is his triumph.
ACKS provides an appropriately open-ended description of the human nomad, leaving much to the DM's determination. In sandbox games like Cult of Aois this is preferable. The nomads I envision are jointly inspired by Howard's barbarian as well as mexican indian mythos. Rival nomad tribes war over resources and honor, but band together against the neanderthal threat. While men follow the herd, the neanderthal pursue men from caves. Neanderthal come for flesh, both as a breeding stock and as a food source.
Humanity's social elite rarely concern themselves with neanderthals. Living in decadent and crumbling castles they are safe from the threat for now. This elite is the extended family, court, and knights of the last king, consisting of 10% of the population. The king has been dead for over 100 years with no heir. But the scheming and vile grabs for the throne has torn the court into disorder. Many wars have been waged over the petty squabbles of noblemen with nomad blood.
Even behind castle walls, there are far more fel dramas than the occasional noble's infidelity or incest. House Halrys' patriarch is the un-living nephew of the past king. Patriarch Greln Halrys is a vampire who brings his brave men back from the grave with cursed miracles. Greln's living servants are enraptured because they believe him to be the first lord to cast off his humanity for godhood. There will be more on the vampires soon.
ACKS provides an appropriately open-ended description of the human nomad, leaving much to the DM's determination. In sandbox games like Cult of Aois this is preferable. The nomads I envision are jointly inspired by Howard's barbarian as well as mexican indian mythos. Rival nomad tribes war over resources and honor, but band together against the neanderthal threat. While men follow the herd, the neanderthal pursue men from caves. Neanderthal come for flesh, both as a breeding stock and as a food source.
Humanity's social elite rarely concern themselves with neanderthals. Living in decadent and crumbling castles they are safe from the threat for now. This elite is the extended family, court, and knights of the last king, consisting of 10% of the population. The king has been dead for over 100 years with no heir. But the scheming and vile grabs for the throne has torn the court into disorder. Many wars have been waged over the petty squabbles of noblemen with nomad blood.
Even behind castle walls, there are far more fel dramas than the occasional noble's infidelity or incest. House Halrys' patriarch is the un-living nephew of the past king. Patriarch Greln Halrys is a vampire who brings his brave men back from the grave with cursed miracles. Greln's living servants are enraptured because they believe him to be the first lord to cast off his humanity for godhood. There will be more on the vampires soon.
Second Roll20 Live
Where will you be in a little less than an hour? I'll be watching the second Roll20 live-stream (At 9PM Eastern). Kudos to my friend Chris for the reminder.
Caterpillar Elevators (Part II)
Read part 1 first.
Sylk Wyrms or "Dire Wyrms" (as they are called by surfacers) are ordinarily more docile than their nickname implies. These gigantic furry mollusks have earned the nickname, "Deep Mammoths" by the few lore-men who withdraw from ancient scrolls fantasies of the ancient cold. Mature wyrms even have powerful tusks which resemble those of the long-distant mammoth. Larvae wyrms are hairless, bone white, and translucent. From the egg they are about the size of a bull, and their tusks are barely pronounced.
By puberty the wyrm's tusks have grown up to a span of ten feet long. But wyrms with tusks those large are the very largest of their kind, about the size of a sperm whale. By middle age, the wyrm's hair is a ruddy red. In their eldest stages the wyrms outer flesh hardens into a gravelly and chitinous surface, and the hair turns black. Their saliva is a corrosive substance capable of breaking down stone, earth, and flesh. Though wyrm flesh is impervious, of course. In a spiral-screwing motion wyrms use their tusks and spittle to tunnel out suitable domains. Some claim that they can "swim" through the earth as fast as a man can run.
Typically wyrms nest in colonys as they are social creatures. Various glands allow the wyrm to weave a powerful acid-impervious thread. Gnomish artisans use this thread to make a superior weave the gnomes implement into everything from insulation to armor. Wyrms use these webs to make "nests" over high chasms ussually near moisture sources. Both male and female wyrms have tusks and can secrete the acidic saliva from birth. Female wyrms are typically 20% larger than males. Once a wyrm's hair has turned fully black it retreats from it's colony in an isolated pilgrimage until death.
What is a "Caterpillar Elevator"?
Answer: Deep gnomes with wyrm companions make use of the wyrm's ability to quickly zip up and down their thread-lines. Gnomish excavators grab a ride on the furry flank of their wyrm accomplices and in minutes have sped upwards to ore-rich caverns ordinarily hours of climbing away.
Sylk Wyrms or "Dire Wyrms" (as they are called by surfacers) are ordinarily more docile than their nickname implies. These gigantic furry mollusks have earned the nickname, "Deep Mammoths" by the few lore-men who withdraw from ancient scrolls fantasies of the ancient cold. Mature wyrms even have powerful tusks which resemble those of the long-distant mammoth. Larvae wyrms are hairless, bone white, and translucent. From the egg they are about the size of a bull, and their tusks are barely pronounced.
By puberty the wyrm's tusks have grown up to a span of ten feet long. But wyrms with tusks those large are the very largest of their kind, about the size of a sperm whale. By middle age, the wyrm's hair is a ruddy red. In their eldest stages the wyrms outer flesh hardens into a gravelly and chitinous surface, and the hair turns black. Their saliva is a corrosive substance capable of breaking down stone, earth, and flesh. Though wyrm flesh is impervious, of course. In a spiral-screwing motion wyrms use their tusks and spittle to tunnel out suitable domains. Some claim that they can "swim" through the earth as fast as a man can run.
Typically wyrms nest in colonys as they are social creatures. Various glands allow the wyrm to weave a powerful acid-impervious thread. Gnomish artisans use this thread to make a superior weave the gnomes implement into everything from insulation to armor. Wyrms use these webs to make "nests" over high chasms ussually near moisture sources. Both male and female wyrms have tusks and can secrete the acidic saliva from birth. Female wyrms are typically 20% larger than males. Once a wyrm's hair has turned fully black it retreats from it's colony in an isolated pilgrimage until death.
What is a "Caterpillar Elevator"?
Answer: Deep gnomes with wyrm companions make use of the wyrm's ability to quickly zip up and down their thread-lines. Gnomish excavators grab a ride on the furry flank of their wyrm accomplices and in minutes have sped upwards to ore-rich caverns ordinarily hours of climbing away.
Sunday, May 13, 2012
Caterpillar Elevators (Part I)
Gnomish cities (or "skitter dens") are woven of web and sculpted of wax beneath bioluminescent lichen in vast underground grottos. In Cult of Aois the "deep gnomes" are the lords of insects. The deep gnomes' mastery of insect-husbandry is peerless because gnomes are taught at a young age the art of placating and commanding dire bugs. Dire wyrms and dire bees willingly cooperate with gnomes because they all expect to benefit mutually. By residing in the same delve they offer their partners communal protection from would be predators. Additionally, the gnomish presence seems to offer an uncanny boon to colony productivity. Gnome inhabited skitter dens have more resilient bug-labor, finer wyrm-webs, and purer honey than would be found in the natural environment.
Picture Link.
The bugs have long worshipped a bizarre pantheon. Since joining the gnomes they have steadily impressed the influence of their alien mysticism. Even the dead are offered to the brood -- skitter dens generally offer corpses (both bug and gnome) to it's hungry. As I'm writing this article, I'm realizing that the Dune vibe lingers still. Well, no matter. Gnomes are generally against burial or cremation, and believe salvation is easier found from inside the digestive tract of a 20-foot-long millipede. Skitter dens usually consist of two or three family lines, but it is not unusual for a gnome patriarch or matriarch to have several spouses and dozens of children each. If the players aren't too intimidated by the gnome's inhuman cohorts, they might be able to hire some rather valuable hirelings.
Read Part II.
The bugs have long worshipped a bizarre pantheon. Since joining the gnomes they have steadily impressed the influence of their alien mysticism. Even the dead are offered to the brood -- skitter dens generally offer corpses (both bug and gnome) to it's hungry. As I'm writing this article, I'm realizing that the Dune vibe lingers still. Well, no matter. Gnomes are generally against burial or cremation, and believe salvation is easier found from inside the digestive tract of a 20-foot-long millipede. Skitter dens usually consist of two or three family lines, but it is not unusual for a gnome patriarch or matriarch to have several spouses and dozens of children each. If the players aren't too intimidated by the gnome's inhuman cohorts, they might be able to hire some rather valuable hirelings.
Read Part II.
The Illithid Faction
Having multiple factions in a dungeon encourages the suspension of disbelief. NPC's from factions usually seem more organic and significant because their faction lends them purpose. The dungeon with factions in conflict feels less like a caricatured fun-house, and more like an environment with the potential for evolving conflicts and resolutions. With that said -- the Illithid or "mindflayer" faction is one of the first factions my players might be unfortunate enough to encounter in the Cult of Aois megadungeon.
As mindflayers have the tendency to be rather potent adversaries, the level 1 players will probably not encounter these monsters in our first few sessions. But it is likely that plenty of the mindflayer's minions will be an ever-looming threat. I'm placing such an emphasis on the Illithid because my aim is to craft the Cult of Aois as a sci fantasy megadungeon. I've been cooking up ideas for some sickening and depraved mindflayer thralls, and I will post more about these minions after our game tomorrow night.
Every faction has a goal. In Cult of Aois, the mindflayer faction seeks to infiltrate the dwarven capital. The illithids hope to harness the mythical dwarven "Runewright," an artifact which is believed to be able to re-open the illithid's now-dead portal to the "space realm." The illithid are an antediluvian race that was once guided by their patron deity across the stars. But their deity ascended eons ago, joining the ranks of the forgotten. Their god abandoned his people as all forgotten do. Since then, the illithid have brooded beneath the darkness of their "material realm"prison while cursing the name of the god who used then stranded them.
As mindflayers have the tendency to be rather potent adversaries, the level 1 players will probably not encounter these monsters in our first few sessions. But it is likely that plenty of the mindflayer's minions will be an ever-looming threat. I'm placing such an emphasis on the Illithid because my aim is to craft the Cult of Aois as a sci fantasy megadungeon. I've been cooking up ideas for some sickening and depraved mindflayer thralls, and I will post more about these minions after our game tomorrow night.
Every faction has a goal. In Cult of Aois, the mindflayer faction seeks to infiltrate the dwarven capital. The illithids hope to harness the mythical dwarven "Runewright," an artifact which is believed to be able to re-open the illithid's now-dead portal to the "space realm." The illithid are an antediluvian race that was once guided by their patron deity across the stars. But their deity ascended eons ago, joining the ranks of the forgotten. Their god abandoned his people as all forgotten do. Since then, the illithid have brooded beneath the darkness of their "material realm"prison while cursing the name of the god who used then stranded them.
Saturday, May 5, 2012
The Numen
Elves call them spirits, men call them demons, dwarves call them gods. The numinous forces of the standing races can be divided into two categories. The first group, called "The Forgotten" are the class of gods which no longer respond to the appeals of worshippers. These are entities so ascendant that even the power of prayer is of little concern to them. These gods are in an eternal political struggle with the other master powers. The Forgotten rarely manifest on the material plane, but send pawn lesser deity's if necessary.
Picture Link.
The second class of deity are are called "The Singers." These are the mouthpieces of faith and the architects of cults. These are the lesser gods who cringe before the greater gods. But it is the duty and the honor of the Singers to make men bow. Whether through service to the material plane or through its domination, The Singers are the forces that meddle in the affairs of elves, dwarves, and mortals. For a Singer to ascend, they must first enrapture the masses into prayer. The faith-force of the devout directly empowers a Singer. A cult's power grows with the deeds of deity's champions. As the masses are inspired, the deity feeds on their devotion with a dreadful gluttony.
Picture Link.
The second class of deity are are called "The Singers." These are the mouthpieces of faith and the architects of cults. These are the lesser gods who cringe before the greater gods. But it is the duty and the honor of the Singers to make men bow. Whether through service to the material plane or through its domination, The Singers are the forces that meddle in the affairs of elves, dwarves, and mortals. For a Singer to ascend, they must first enrapture the masses into prayer. The faith-force of the devout directly empowers a Singer. A cult's power grows with the deeds of deity's champions. As the masses are inspired, the deity feeds on their devotion with a dreadful gluttony.
Thursday, May 3, 2012
The Eldar
The elves in my home-brew are inspired by several sources, but Frank Herbert's Dune is the primary influence. The elves in my campaign are in the vein of Herbert's fremen; supreme survivors conditioned by the hell-blasted desert. They are mystic warriors who worship martial and magic cults. Though the aesthetic is certainly fremen, thats really as far as the similarities go. These elves worship magic as men worship gods. Males follow one cult, females the other. The elves were the first race to hear the whisperings of magic from the spirits. The eldar mother chose the cult of the *Nightblade. The son-father found the cult of the *Spellsword.
Picture link.
The males are not fair elves, their flesh has taken the hue of the red sands, and been shaped by it too. In Dark Sun (I never played it) I heard that the elves stood taller than men, something around seven feet tall if my memory serves me. So too will the elves in my campaign stand seven feet tall. The male's ziggurats are antediluvian pyramid-fortresses where the brotherhood may hone their magics and their steel through monk-like meditative practices.
Underground the female cult extends it's shadowy grip of the underworld ever further into the depths. The spirits of both cults require an absolute separation between males and females except during procreation rituals. Though ancient, the elvish race faces decline. Males are particularly hesitant to participate in elvish consummation because to do so would be to sever the male elf's magic potential forever. The elf may no longer level as a Spellsword, and must instead level as a fighter. Though a different system, this male elf attitude is comparable to the male Giant Spider's attitude in Luke Crane's Burning Wheel.
For this reason males are taught to practice asceticism at a young age. The only woman some males ever encounter is their mother before they are taken and delivered to a surface ziggurat. Female elves follow a more martial path than the brotherhood. As they are dwellers in darkness, their flesh is a light grey, and fairer than the brotherhood's. The sisterhood's cult of deep spirits demand virtue through conquest. Vengeance is the spiritual absolution the sisterhood's ancient matriarchs glean like coins. Breathtaking natural caverns and grottos house the sisterhood. Through magic the natural chambers have been enchanted to be both luxuriant and deadly. Obviously I've drawn some inspiration from the Drow as well.
* The Nightblade is an ACKS class which is effectively a thief/magic-user multiclass for elves.
The Spellsword is an ACKS class which is effectively a fighter/ magic-user multiclass for elves.
The males are not fair elves, their flesh has taken the hue of the red sands, and been shaped by it too. In Dark Sun (I never played it) I heard that the elves stood taller than men, something around seven feet tall if my memory serves me. So too will the elves in my campaign stand seven feet tall. The male's ziggurats are antediluvian pyramid-fortresses where the brotherhood may hone their magics and their steel through monk-like meditative practices.
Underground the female cult extends it's shadowy grip of the underworld ever further into the depths. The spirits of both cults require an absolute separation between males and females except during procreation rituals. Though ancient, the elvish race faces decline. Males are particularly hesitant to participate in elvish consummation because to do so would be to sever the male elf's magic potential forever. The elf may no longer level as a Spellsword, and must instead level as a fighter. Though a different system, this male elf attitude is comparable to the male Giant Spider's attitude in Luke Crane's Burning Wheel.
For this reason males are taught to practice asceticism at a young age. The only woman some males ever encounter is their mother before they are taken and delivered to a surface ziggurat. Female elves follow a more martial path than the brotherhood. As they are dwellers in darkness, their flesh is a light grey, and fairer than the brotherhood's. The sisterhood's cult of deep spirits demand virtue through conquest. Vengeance is the spiritual absolution the sisterhood's ancient matriarchs glean like coins. Breathtaking natural caverns and grottos house the sisterhood. Through magic the natural chambers have been enchanted to be both luxuriant and deadly. Obviously I've drawn some inspiration from the Drow as well.
* The Nightblade is an ACKS class which is effectively a thief/magic-user multiclass for elves.
The Spellsword is an ACKS class which is effectively a fighter/ magic-user multiclass for elves.
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
Next Session
Intro:
Where are the gods? Elvish sorcerers meditate in ziggurats above a sand scarred desert. Only the desert rivals the elves' callousness. Dwarves dig grand tomb-cities like ants to stabilize their death cult "queen." Humans are the few, they are as weariless as they are desperate. The tribes of men must constantly war with each other and with the desert to compete for scarce resources. And stranger things still lie in the swamplands. The spirits are said to be restless there. But the spoils of dead kings are said to be there too, cursed though they be. But past the fetid wetlands great mountains are said to rise -- some taunting even the clouds. But who is to say what lies beyond?
Who are you?
I will be running a megadungeon using several sources, but primarily the ACKS. The dungeon will be partly of my own design and partly composed of borrowed modules. We all love a good dungeon crawl, but the evolving political component of ACKS is what we found most compelling. As a subterranean campaign, it will be highly likely that characters will build their fortresses far below the surface. This will be a tale of downwards progress.
Picture link.
Updates soon.
Where are the gods? Elvish sorcerers meditate in ziggurats above a sand scarred desert. Only the desert rivals the elves' callousness. Dwarves dig grand tomb-cities like ants to stabilize their death cult "queen." Humans are the few, they are as weariless as they are desperate. The tribes of men must constantly war with each other and with the desert to compete for scarce resources. And stranger things still lie in the swamplands. The spirits are said to be restless there. But the spoils of dead kings are said to be there too, cursed though they be. But past the fetid wetlands great mountains are said to rise -- some taunting even the clouds. But who is to say what lies beyond?
Who are you?
I will be running a megadungeon using several sources, but primarily the ACKS. The dungeon will be partly of my own design and partly composed of borrowed modules. We all love a good dungeon crawl, but the evolving political component of ACKS is what we found most compelling. As a subterranean campaign, it will be highly likely that characters will build their fortresses far below the surface. This will be a tale of downwards progress.
Picture link.
Updates soon.
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Kid Movies
There are two children's films which peaked my interest in fantasy at a young age. My father read me portions of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit, and decided too, to show me the animated 1977 film, also and aptly titled The Hobbit. Today I can only recall fragments of the movie. But one scene is particularly vivid to me, at least visually -- when the party of hobbit and dwarves were imprisoned by the elves. I remember that the artists/ writers chose to portray the elves as blue-skinned xenophobes. Or at least this is the impression I am left with all these years later. I don't think I ever saw the film twice.
Certainly Tolkien's elves are inhuman, they are such exemplary beings that others marvel at their aura's of splendor. Throughout The Lord of The Rings, Legolas' supernal perception aided the fellowship again and again. LoTR elves are the most superior of Middle Earth's races, or at least were before the age of men. But the film's elves were cruel, malevolent, and their scowls set them as unsightly. Perhaps the film writers or artists sought to adapt the elves to a more abrasive portrayal, one more fully represented by an almost fully dwarven party.
Picture Link
The other film I can only recall fragments of, but has bound me to fantasy nonetheless is The Last Unicorn, animated in 1982. All I can really remember from this film is a scene that I found fully haunting at the time. Before the climax, in a decrepit castle the film's protagonist's are confronted by a sentient skeleton who spoke eloquently but craved wine with absolute depravity. One of the characters remarked something to the effect of, *"but a skeleton doesn't have a tongue to taste." To which the skeleton mentioned something to the effect of, "Just to know that wine runs down my bones brings comfort in memory."* I just remember feeling that this was just such an odd and somehow macabre interaction. I don't want to see these films again because I don't want my perceptions of them to change. I remember them fondly, and hope always to do so.
Picture Link
* Paraphrased.
Monday, April 30, 2012
Roll20 Live Stream
Read the first part here.
As I'm writing this article, I'm also watching the open live stream of Roll20 on Twitch.tv. But I'm not the only multi-tasker. Riley (GM) is running a 4e DnD session through Roll20 while he and his players answer the questions of onlookers in the twitch-chat. The ability to drop in images or hexed/tiled maps with such an assortment of malleable features really impresses me. There are health trackers, "auras," movable avatars, and a pen to scrawl on screen; all options to expedite the game pace. But as the Roll20 kickstarter suggests, the features never make the game feel like anything other than the pen and paper game it should be. The controls seem intuitive and quick to learn. Most of the text commands seem to be simple simulated die rolls. Music too is easy to implement and adjust as needed. Even if Roll20 doesn't make any major changes, it looks to be a rather impressive product.
As I'm writing this article, I'm also watching the open live stream of Roll20 on Twitch.tv. But I'm not the only multi-tasker. Riley (GM) is running a 4e DnD session through Roll20 while he and his players answer the questions of onlookers in the twitch-chat. The ability to drop in images or hexed/tiled maps with such an assortment of malleable features really impresses me. There are health trackers, "auras," movable avatars, and a pen to scrawl on screen; all options to expedite the game pace. But as the Roll20 kickstarter suggests, the features never make the game feel like anything other than the pen and paper game it should be. The controls seem intuitive and quick to learn. Most of the text commands seem to be simple simulated die rolls. Music too is easy to implement and adjust as needed. Even if Roll20 doesn't make any major changes, it looks to be a rather impressive product.
Sunday, April 29, 2012
Roll20
There's no friendship like a bond wrought through the fate of a die fall I suppose. Those who find themselves reading this blog can probably claim the same. Unfortunately real life is often more complicated than table-driven fantasy games. Geographical distancing was once an end-all to the campaign. But now technology has all but nullified the distance concern.
Roll20 is a 'tabletop simulator' with an essential video chat component. It is nearing it's final hours on Kickstarter, but has already far exceeded it's initial pledge goal. It's 'story > mechanics' philosophy led me to believe this would be a very worthwhile project, and the promotional videos only further cemented my supposition. Roll20 aims to provide the tools a DM needs, without sacrificing the TELLING aspect of the game with superfluous technological burdens. Better yet, the goal is to release Roll20 to the public for free.
Video chatting is the key, I think. The 'face to face' component is the most fun way to gauge the other players' reactions to what you say. This is why tabletop games have the potential to feel so much more organic than video games; unscripted people react unpredictably. Tabletop gaming is not so much about what is said, but rather how it is said. DnD is about coinciding a group with different motives onto a singular cooperative path. I'm certainly rather optimistic about the project, but my wait for Beta testing will be a difficult one.
Roll20 is a 'tabletop simulator' with an essential video chat component. It is nearing it's final hours on Kickstarter, but has already far exceeded it's initial pledge goal. It's 'story > mechanics' philosophy led me to believe this would be a very worthwhile project, and the promotional videos only further cemented my supposition. Roll20 aims to provide the tools a DM needs, without sacrificing the TELLING aspect of the game with superfluous technological burdens. Better yet, the goal is to release Roll20 to the public for free.
Video chatting is the key, I think. The 'face to face' component is the most fun way to gauge the other players' reactions to what you say. This is why tabletop games have the potential to feel so much more organic than video games; unscripted people react unpredictably. Tabletop gaming is not so much about what is said, but rather how it is said. DnD is about coinciding a group with different motives onto a singular cooperative path. I'm certainly rather optimistic about the project, but my wait for Beta testing will be a difficult one.
Saturday, April 28, 2012
Web Comic: The Clandestinauts
When I play a magic user in any RPG, the character usually turns out to be a conniving and somewhat insane individual even if this was initially never my intent. "Ganglion the Grim" from web-comic The Clandestinauts, perfectly exemplifies this archetype. Perhaps Ganglion is mad from power, or perhaps his madness manifests through his warlock's pact. All I know is that Ganglion's pettiness and dishonesty would be amusing assets to any adventuring party (well, assets when they aren't a danger at least).
But Ganglion's true power lies not in his eldritch knowledge. Ganglion's subtleties, his trickeries, prove to be just as potent as his raw magical potential. Playing a magic user in DnD is all about opportunism. With often a very limited albeit potent magical arsenal, spell casters must know when to step up, and when to step back. The magic user in a furious demon-banishing mien is a stark divergence from the magic user cowering in a dark place while his armored comrades cut down evildoers. In a good session of DnD, both of these aspects will manifest in a given magic user.
DnD has never been about being Gandalf for me, but about the impractical journey of attaining such an impossible state. Ganglion already seems too far gone to madness to ever attain a Gandalf or even Saruman state. But The Clandestinauts is still a work in progress, so one never knows. Ganglion and other magic users tend to be very complex characters. Operating the energies of magic catapults the user from the mundane whether they want to be or not. But with such a status, said characters are often torn between magical aspirations and the profane goals of their adventuring party.
But the warrior needs a magicians spells as much as the magician needs the warriors shield. Thus it is possible to be that conniving and vile warlock in DnD, so long as you provide your party sufficient support. But this is not an easy task, magic users should be careful how they behave in front of their comrades, lest these same comrades allow the magician to end up on tips of spear or sword. Menace is the only cloak a magic user must wear. It is a tool best directed at foes, but it must be directed at friends too. A magic user who offers counsel to a nervous party has succeeded indeed. The magic user must convince his party that he knows best what lies ahead, and that he alone must guide them. Ganglion has certainly not achieved this -- but here's to hoping he does.
But Ganglion's true power lies not in his eldritch knowledge. Ganglion's subtleties, his trickeries, prove to be just as potent as his raw magical potential. Playing a magic user in DnD is all about opportunism. With often a very limited albeit potent magical arsenal, spell casters must know when to step up, and when to step back. The magic user in a furious demon-banishing mien is a stark divergence from the magic user cowering in a dark place while his armored comrades cut down evildoers. In a good session of DnD, both of these aspects will manifest in a given magic user.
DnD has never been about being Gandalf for me, but about the impractical journey of attaining such an impossible state. Ganglion already seems too far gone to madness to ever attain a Gandalf or even Saruman state. But The Clandestinauts is still a work in progress, so one never knows. Ganglion and other magic users tend to be very complex characters. Operating the energies of magic catapults the user from the mundane whether they want to be or not. But with such a status, said characters are often torn between magical aspirations and the profane goals of their adventuring party.
But the warrior needs a magicians spells as much as the magician needs the warriors shield. Thus it is possible to be that conniving and vile warlock in DnD, so long as you provide your party sufficient support. But this is not an easy task, magic users should be careful how they behave in front of their comrades, lest these same comrades allow the magician to end up on tips of spear or sword. Menace is the only cloak a magic user must wear. It is a tool best directed at foes, but it must be directed at friends too. A magic user who offers counsel to a nervous party has succeeded indeed. The magic user must convince his party that he knows best what lies ahead, and that he alone must guide them. Ganglion has certainly not achieved this -- but here's to hoping he does.
Thursday, April 26, 2012
Don't Forget Your Rope
No one in my RPG group travels to a dungeon without rope. It is an unwritten rule to travel light and to travel with rope. At a Pax East Q&A, 5e designers decided that "fireball" was the best spell, at least as far as flavor and satisfaction. They both acknowledged, as a damage dealing spell it is fundamentally risky due to its unpredictability. Whereas "charm" spells -- if successful prove more effective than damage spells because their effect is absolute, not conditional. For example, 15 fireball damage is potentially less useful than a successful "sleep" effect. Both damage and "sleep" provide incapacitation. But a status effect such as sleep doesn't care about HP -- only saves. Thus, as the designers reasoned, fireball is mechanically inferior, albeit a preeminently satisfying spell. The crowd literally applauded the designers' choice of fireball as the best spell.
People always talk about how powerful high level wizards are in certain editions of Dungeons and Dragons. The high level caster certainly has some very powerful spells, but at low levels, before wands, scrolls, and staves, prepared spells are chosen based on survival needs -- not flavor or flashiness. My friends joke about how few spells they are allowed to cast at the 1-3 level range, reveling in the challenge of contributing to the party in any useful way without magic. My friends who play successful low level DnD wizards tend to be particularly creative chaps, who manage to scrounge the rules of every available role-playing benefit. Rope has proven to be the tool most capable of preventing TPK (total party kills).
Rope is mundane. Rope is not even a spell. It is an utterly affordable item. It is accessible by any class. And as a DM, I have found rope to be the most disruptive instrument against my plans. Rope has provided the exits I never expected. Rope has saved the lives of those I'd assumed would be damned. Rope has altered the entire course of adventures. DO NOT forget rope on your adventures. That is all.
-J.B. Geany
People always talk about how powerful high level wizards are in certain editions of Dungeons and Dragons. The high level caster certainly has some very powerful spells, but at low levels, before wands, scrolls, and staves, prepared spells are chosen based on survival needs -- not flavor or flashiness. My friends joke about how few spells they are allowed to cast at the 1-3 level range, reveling in the challenge of contributing to the party in any useful way without magic. My friends who play successful low level DnD wizards tend to be particularly creative chaps, who manage to scrounge the rules of every available role-playing benefit. Rope has proven to be the tool most capable of preventing TPK (total party kills).
Rope is mundane. Rope is not even a spell. It is an utterly affordable item. It is accessible by any class. And as a DM, I have found rope to be the most disruptive instrument against my plans. Rope has provided the exits I never expected. Rope has saved the lives of those I'd assumed would be damned. Rope has altered the entire course of adventures. DO NOT forget rope on your adventures. That is all.
-J.B. Geany
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Friendly Cult Radio: MUSICFAIL
Last.fm stresses me out more than it should. And while I don't usually use Last.fm for its recommendations, I've found it to be an excellent tool for researching new music. I've considered getting rid of my account plenty of times, but now I'm glad I never did. I accidentally deleted 30 gigabytes of music from my computer the other day (admittedly I labelled my folders pretty poorly).
I'm in the process now of determining how to retrieve the files. I know a couple computer wizards so I'm fairly confident I'll get back at least some of what I lost. If I can't get all my files back, Last.fm will help me know what essentials are missing. As upset as I am -- it's not all bad. I think it's good to go through a music molting process once in a while.
I had a lot of music, that frankly, didn't interest me anymore. I'm sure we all cling to certain albums on our computers because we think by deleting these old albums we are deleting a portion of ourselves (even if we cringe at certain songs from those very albums). Now that I lost so much music, I can assess which music truly matters to me. I'll only recover the music I want to listen to now, not the music that was once important.
I'm lucky that the music on my phone survived. A few of these albums have been on steady rotation the past few weeks, and now that the rest of my files are gone I'll probably be hearing a lot more of them. There's been quite a bit of Talk Talk, Tears for Fears, and Darkthrone in my ears. But album of the week goes to Mayhem's, Deathcrush. I was reading Tolkien's LotR when Deathcrush's "Witching Hour" and then "Necrolust" played during (spoiler) the Battle of Hornburg. I wholeheartedly recommend the experience because Deathcrush is an absolute frenzied and murky war march. These sounds are dreadfully thick, black as ash, and as vile as Uruk-hai.
- J.B. Geany
- J.B. Geany
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Burning Wheel
Dungeons and Dragons is excellent for labyrinthine treasure-crawls and engaging class-based fantasy battles. But there are serious reasons you should consider Luke Crane's Burning Wheel Gold for your fantasy campaign instead. Both games are fulfilling but approach fantasy radically different. BWG (Burning Wheel Gold) follows a fascinating logic. There are no "classes" or "levels." Characters are woven directly into the world through a "life path" system which solidifies the character's inclusivity in the world as opposed to implying a certain exemplary or disparate status. To improve a skill, the skill must be attempted in-game. Thus players can improve their characters exactly how they see fit by performing the actions they wish to improve.
Every player character stands somewhere within an integral social structure within an assumed medieval-esque culture. Character's from different walks of life will react to each other and to situations in different and interesting ways that encourage role-play opportunities (think The Canterbury Tales). The game presents a d6 system that can be as simple or as complex as the situation warrants. But fluidity and cinematic logic take precedence over realism. This game is more abstract than many editions of Dungeons and Dragons, which I find refreshing as someone who likes to story tell as though from a novel rather than a board game (I rarely use grids or miniatures and focus the majority of my attention on narrative pace). But there is a significant "crunch-factor" as well for those who prefer detailed combat. Conflict is handled with mechanical intuitiveness whether in ranged combat, brutal melee, or an argument.
The races really shine in this game. Crane indicates in the character creation section ("The Character Burner") that the races are not balanced. Crane suggests that the "races reflect the literature" (or something to that effect. I've paraphrased). I believe he means to imply that more interesting stories might be told the less common ground the player's share. Difference drives development. This is a game about progress and growth, not necessarily power. Emotional magics are race specific and really impressed me the most out of anything in this game. These magics serve to define the races and encourage players to role-play their character's in a way that fully embraces or defies the archetype. The Monster Burner (a separate book) contains my favorite race however, the Great Spiders.
The Monster Burner is a Burning Wheel supplement which allows gamers to create exactly the kind of fantasy game they want to play. The Monster Burner provides the essential tools to build custom races and monsters in Burning Wheel. This is an excellent idea, because the available PC races in a game often defines the tone of the game more significantly than anything else besides maybe magic. I am currently reading the Monster Burner and the Magic Burner will be next. But even without the supplements, Burning Wheel Gold is a very ambitious and impressive product.
- J.B. Geany
Monday, April 23, 2012
Dawn of Worlds
Gamers are an enigmatic sort. As such, gamers frequently find it necessary to adapt to peculiar behaviors in order to more readily seek out the like minded. Irregular sleep patterns are a particularly prevalent oddity. At Pax we spent a lot of time awake. But after the convention center closed at 2AM we were left with Dawn of Worlds.
Dawn of Worlds isn't so much a "game" as it is a highly entertaining RPG tool. There is no GM because every participant fulfills the role of a god, taking turns to shape the world. DoW presents rules that cover a rather impressive breadth of possibility within a relatively condensed space. The PDF is twelve pages long, a length particularly well suited to newcomers or one-shot pickup RPG nights. This is possible due to the game's adherence to both simplicity and open-ended interpretation. I plan to use DoW with my players so that we can communally build a game world together. I've played DoW several times and it gets more entertaining with each attempt.
The game depends on a communal idea forging process. While it is possible to create nearly anything you can imagine, said creation is subject to the whims of every other god at the table. In other words, it's not a good idea to grow too attached to your ideas. Someone else is likely to adapt or utterly warp whatever you have wrought. The game can be played subtly or overtly. Corrupting a rival's faction, raining fire from the sky, or sending a glorious and terrifying avatar to war are all possibilities well within the game's parameters. Playing God has never been so much fun.
- J.B. Geany
P.S.
* Thank you to Josh who found this phenomenal game tool in the first place.
P.P.S.
** Thank you to Tycho for offering a bipedal amphibian race for our game at Pax.
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