Zombie Toast

Podcasts of Magnitude, Getting Things in Order

2012-03-11T22:30:00.000-07:00

So, I finally caught up, story-wise, to the recordings I've been making of the Order of Magnitude so I can start posting them here. So, since it's been a while I'll try and get everything in order here.

So after the events of the last Order of Magnitude post the party arrives in Xendrik and I attempt to record their adventures there using the tiny (but surprisingly effective) mic in my mp3 player. The result (before the player ran out of batteries) was the first Order of Magnitude recording...

Podcast of Magnitude 1

Be warned the first recording has little editing so there's swearing and stuff. I doubt most of you will care but for those who do be warned. After the MP3 player's batteries died the players battle the mighty Froghemoth. The battle is quite vicious but they eventually manage to drive the aberration off. However, Tayin decides to change to the form of a giant octopus and pursue the monster underwater. Unfortunately, while wounded, the froghemoth is far from dead and during the battle underwater Tayin is slain. The Order's ship is badly damaged and several of the crew are slain. Rather than continuing down the river the captain insists on turning back to Stormreach so that the boat can be repaired.

After burying their companion the Order spends a day or two in Stormreach to recover their strength and resupply. Unfortunately this is long enough for agents of the Emerald Claw to locate them and cause more trouble. One evening, upon returning to the Inn where they were staying the Order finds themselves surrounded on a deserted street by great wolves with glowing red eyes...a whole pack of the Hounds of Karnath that have given them so much trouble before. The hounds savagely attack but the order is more prepared this time...glorin quickly coats his axe-blade with silversheen and nolan does the same with his fists...the magical coating forming swirling patterns on his hands as it aligns itself with his chi points. Despite this the wolves are still formidable opponents with their fast healing power and their ability to drain life energy. But the tide of battle truly turns with the arrival of Sahath's (the new character played by Tayin's player), a Silver Flame Inquisitor. Striking the wolves with holy, undead bane silver arrows she easily blows wolf after wolf to pieces. Although blasted apart the wolves dissolve into mist and escape into a nearby sewer drain.

Sahath introduces herself, explaining that she was a member of an adventuring team who arrived in Xendrik several weeks prior. Unfortunately their expedition went sour and she was the sole member to make it back to Stormreach. The Order explains their situation and she offers her services to help fight the Claw and in exchange for a ride back to Sharn once they're done.

So at full strength, the Order arranged transportation on the Marlow instead, heading upriver to the location of the giant temple in the deep jungle. Unfortunately this trip is far from uneventful. Several days into the journey the boat is assaulted by a group of hill giants. The giants strung a huge rope net across the river to entangle the ship and begin attacking with hurled rocks and spears. Most of the Order, except Magnus who was busy belowdecks, leapt to the defense of the Marlow. Hearing the commotion above Magnus infuses his mace with the Rod of Blasting power and heads up. At the top he levels his rod at the nearest giant and...well...blasts him.

The wounded giant turns to smash duncan but then suddenly opens his mouth wide in awe and begins shouting and pointing. His companions begin shouting and appear to be shocked as well. Taking advantage of the temporary pause and confusion Jack (the only one among the group that speaks Giant) attempts to engage some of them in conversation. The giants are babbling about the "metal men" (apparently focusing on Glorin and Magnus) and something about gods and how the metal men must come see their god. With some impressive diplomacy rolls and plenty of encouragement from Magnus (who is certainly eager to appear to appear as a divine messenger) they manage to defuse the fight and agree to follow the giants into the jungle to meet their "god" although they aren't able to get much info from the giants about exactly why they're so excited.

So they're taken to the giant village where everyone greets them with great excitement and magnus and glorin are both placed upon large bamboo litters and draped with jewelry and loops of polished chain hung with random metal objects. They are taken by four giants out to a massive stone slab in the middle of a jungle clearing while other giants play massive drums in the background. They're tossed up onto the great slab, sliding to the center. They then realize something unpleasant...the stone appears to be massively magnetic and their heavy armor (or natural plating in Magnus' case) render them slow and nearly immobile. So they're starting to get desperate when the ground begins shaking with heavy footsteps and trees begin toppling. Before they can shrug off the now-massively-heavy "decorations" that have been draped on them they get a good look at the giant's "god"...a 40' tall gigantic rust monster.

That's when we get to the second Order of Magnitude recording in two parts...

Podcast of Magnitude 2 (part A)

Podcast of Magnitude 2 (part B)

So here the Order battles the giant rust monster, makes peace with the giants (with Magnus taking his place as the new "god"). This leads right to the most current Order of Magnitude recording...

Podcast of Magnitude 3

And many more are on the way.

The Keep on The Plaplands, part 3

2012-02-27T08:55:00.001-08:00

Part of the goal of the Keep on the Plaplands was to create a semi-sandbox game, much like the original Keep on the Borderlands adventure. You've got this place out on the edge of nowhere that is full of NPCs (both helpful and otherwise) and various places to explore and different ways to get mangled. So while there's many different critters, places and characters there isn't much of an overarching plot so far. Here's where I change that up a bit. The following plot is of course entirely optional and can simply be ignored by the GM, or perhaps it simply is going on in the background but the PCs themselves never quite get involved. Mainly these events are meant to give the PCs some interesting "dungeons" to explore and a reason why the normally peaceful and placid plaplands (heh, alliteration is fun) have become more dangerous of late.

The Recent Troubles

Normally most people find life out on the plains peaceful and dull (which says something about people when you consider it's a place where just about anything can fall from the sky at any time). However, lately things have been more troublesome. The local goblin clans, who normally engage in petty theft and occasional banditry, have been downright vicious and have begun assaulting scavengers and travelers out on the plains. Larger predators are becoming more common and more vicious...in fact several dangerous creatures have been reported that have never been seen out on the plains before...not just your standard evolutionary oddities but true monsters!

It just hasn't been safe which has led to more and more of the scavenger tribes retreating to the Keep to wait out whatever is riling up the wildlife which in turn leads to overcrowding and lack of money which leads to a general sense of tension and anger among the inhabitants of the Keep. Rumors begin flying about curses, bad luck and general nastiness while out on the plains itself those scavengers brave enough to try their luck face dangers much greater than ever before.

These events all started at some point before the PCs arrive on the scene. Exactly how long it's been going on will be up to the GM and will set the mood for the adventure. If it's been only a week or two then likely most of the Keep-folk just see the worries as a temporary thing and are happy to kick back and wait for it to blow over. If it's been several months though then people should be desperate and on edge...thievery in the keep may become common along with a general sense of fear and even hopelessness. However long it's been there is a single source for the problem...

Malice

Malice is a unique and bizarre element (table #666), a metal normally found only in tiny deposits in the mountains of Arrgarnarr and even there it is incredibly rare and valuable. When refined Malice is a light, shiny metal with a purplish sheen and an odd "greasy" feel. However, the metal is so rare that it is almost never kept pure, it can be alloyed seamlessly with most other metals and is often used in the construction of weapons, crowns and jewelry (rings especially). Objects made with Malice are not automatically stronger or better (although they are often enchanted) but they do have one important property...they actively attract and enhance dark thoughts and feelings. Thus the lords of Arrgarnarr will forge as many Malice-laced objects as they are able, sending them out into the world to corrupt kings and taint heroes with their darkness.

Unfortunately a chunk of raw, pure Malice has fallen from the skies above the Plaplands. This 3 pound lump (more than the mines of Arrganarr produce in a decade) of concentrated evil has caused all kinds of chaos. The chunk of Malice was first recovered by goblins who stumbled across it out on the plains just South of the Thicket. The sparks of petty evil and cruelty in their hearts immediately caught flame and they made ready to bring the Malice back to their warrens where its influence would surely turn these minor pests into a rapacious swarm that would soon threaten not only the Keep but possibly all human lands!

...if it weren't for the fact that a hobling scavenger clan noticed the goblins celebrating their find and decided to liberate it from them (after all stealing from goblins hardly counts does it?). The hoblings ambushed the goblins and made off with their prize. This was not the end however, several goblins survived the attack and managed to make their way back to their clans with stories of how the filthy hoblings stole their "beloved" treasure.

The hoblings who stole the Malice, a close-knit clan called the Gabbins and the largest united group of scavengers on the plains, fell quickly under its influence. Before they had a chance to trade or sell the wicked metal they became obsessed with it and in a matter of days they changed from a simple scavenger tribe into a full-blown evil cult! Rather than return to the Keep and risk having their new idol stolen they went to the one place on the plains that no one goes unless they can help it...the Heap. Using their natural hobling aptitude for burrowing the clan quick dug several tunnels under the Heap and opened up a few natural caverns along the way. And thus were the Chaotic Caverns created (see below).

Plot Hooks

As mentioned, there's no reason that the Hoblings and their blossoming cult have to have a major impact on the Keep and the players. They may grow or fade in power without anyone the wiser and everything would be just fine. However, if you do want to get the players involved then here's a few suggestions.

Goblin Attack: When the PCs first arrive at the Keep they are assaulted by a band of goblins (2 more goblins than there are PCs) if they have a hobling party member (if they don't then perhaps they were traveling with a hobling merchant they met on the road). The goblins try their best to attack any hoblings, shouting accusations of theft, until they are killed or driven off. If that isn't enough to raise the party's interest then guards at the keep are liable to comment on how unusual it is to see truly hostile goblins, especially this close to the Keep itself.
The Elven Hobo: This is not the first time that Malice has fallen on the plains...but the only living inhabitant old enough to remember those dark days is the Elven Hobo. Perhaps he recognizes the signs that it has happened again (although whether or not he's sane enough to care or to pass that information along is another thing altogether).
Gwynne: The leader of the Keep's soldiers is a great source for easy plot hooks. If the PCs prove themselves useful or competent she may ask them to look for scavenger tribes who have gone missing. The long absence of any members of the Gabbins clan hasn't gone unnoticed and the corrupted hoblings have killed a few other scavengers who strayed too close to their new home.
Hoblings in Priest's Clothing: Trying to gather intelligence and supplies a few Gabbins cultists have slipped into the Keep in the guise of a kindly priest and his assistants. Perhaps they notice that the PCs are a potentially powerful source for good and they hope to lure them into the wilderness where they can be easily ambushed and disposed of. Or perhaps they notice that the PCs are gullible, greedy schlubs who could easily be tricked out into the wilderness and captured for human sacrifices.
Refugee From Evil: Although the Malice has thoroughly corrupted most of the Gabbins clan there's always the chance that there might be one or two holdouts who manage to maintain their morality and who are seeking help to release their brethren from the Malice's taint.
For Hire: Normally scavenger tribes are proud of their independence and ability to survive out on the plains. But with the increased danger some may be willing to hire outside help to keep them safe while they scour the plains for valuable loot. It shouldn't take long for the PCs to realize that this is unusual for them and (after fighting off an unusual attack or two) they may realize that this concern is justified.

Dungeons of the Plaplands

The wide-open Plains of Plap hardly seems to place for dungeon delving but there are a few suitable sites scattered here and there. Long before the Keep was established a series of extensive tunnels were dug beneath the plains to allow the scavengers to easily travel far and wide without the risk of garbage falling on their heads. Unfortunately most of these tunnels were notoriously unstable (the occasional heavy impacts from above didn't help) and were eventually abandoned and the folk of the plains simply learned to deal with the hazards of their profession in other ways. While most of the tunnel network has collapsed some segments have survived or were linked to other, natural caverns.

The Forgotten Tunnels

The largest surviving segment of tunnels runs under the plains around the keep and are collectively known as the Forgotten Tunnels. The tunnels could have entrances just about anywhere. At least one is beneath the old watchtower and another can be found within the Thicket. Other possibilities might be hidden entrances in or near the Keep (perhaps the old dungeons in the basement) or near the Elven Hobo's tree. There are no maps for the Forgotten Tunnels, instead they're presented as a set of possible encounters or places of interest.

Goblins

The most prominent inhabitant of the Forgotten Tunnels is a large goblin tribe known as the Pale Fish clan. The Pale Fish goblins live mostly in the tunnels that run under the plains between the Keep and the Thicket but they can be found poking about nearly everywhere. Most goblins that you might run into on the surface or in the tunnels are the more experienced and skilled hunters/scavengers/bandits (use the Qualities provided in the QMR book), typically armed with random tools or weapons and wearing patchwork armor of pots, pans, books, bedpans, etc. The Pale Fish's central lair is home to several dozen non-combatant goblins (craftsgoblins, cooks, accountants, etc) who should be treated as Good [+2] Minions.

The Pale Fish goblins are led by a particularly cunning goblin, Mayor Mullog.

Mullog

Good [+2] Small, Good [+2] Vicious, Good [+2] Intelligent, Expert [+4] Sneaky, Expert [+4] Liar.

Poor [-2] Small, Poor [-2] Ugly, Poor [-2] Cowardly

Goblins can usually be found in groups of 4-9 wandering the tunnels for food or sneaking up to the surface to check for valuable sky-fall (or for other scavengers that they could easily steal from. The lair of the Pale Fish tribe has at least a dozen of the more skilled "warrior" goblins and at least twice that number in non-combatants. This means any attempt to simply assault the goblins in their homes will be quite dangerous. Fortunately the Pale Fish are quite cowardly and will rarely fight their opponents to the death unless they can help it and they may even be willing to talk to intruders...except for hoblings...the recent theft of Malice from the goblins still has not been forgiven.

Wandering Monsters

Away from the falling debris above a whole ecosystem of monsters has sprung up underground. Most will shy away from the noise and light of explorers but occasionally you'll run into something dangerous and hungry. When you feel the PCs have drawn unwanted attention (or things are going slow) then roll 1d6 and check out the table below. Information on most of these critters can be found in the Bewildering Beasts book.

1d6 Dread Rats (50%) or a Good [+2] Swarm of regular rats (50%).
A pack of goblins.
A mildew monster
Headless Cave Ogre (see below)
Globule
Floating Fungus

Headless Cave Ogre

Everyone knows that if a creature lives long enough underground they'll eventually discard useless attributes like eyes. Unfortunately Cave Ogres never really understood evolution and went a bit too far. These pale, ugly giants have no head on their shoulders at all, their necks just end in a gnashing maw. Despite their blindness (and deafness) these ogres still manage to hunt by a combination of vibrations and heat sensitivity.

Good [+2] Large, Expert [+4] Strong, Good [+2] Tough, Good [+2] Fierce, Expert [+4] Darksense, Good [+2] Shocking Appearance, Poor [-2] Large, Poor [-2] Dumb, Poor [-2] Blind and Deaf

Abandoned rooms

The original purpose of the tunnels was to provide shelter for scavengers so it stands to reason that explorers might come across the remnants of their old underground shelters. To see what can be found in one of these decaying store-rooms roll a d6:

Average [0] Junk. A slow-burn prop, quasi-valuable second-hand goods.
A wandering monster.
An old journal. Perhaps it has directions to some scavenger's treasure cache...perhaps it's worthless.
A Good [+2] One-Shot prop. Perhaps a piece of jewelry or a small decorated statuette.
Nothing at all.
Jackpot! Either an Average [0] Magical prop or a Good [+2] Treasure (a slow burn prop).

And the rest...

The rest of the Forgotten Tunnels is left as an exercise for any GM who wishes to flesh them out more. There's plenty of room for just about anything you'd care to throw at your players.

The Chaotic Caverns

The Heap is perhaps the largest, un-warded magical landfill in all of Ludor. A small hill made from piles of broken and cursed magical items stacked atop one another. All that nasty magic seeped into the ground and tainted the local wildlife. Everyone knows you don't want to eat anything you've caught near the Heap and the segments of the Forgotten Tunnels that run beneath the Heap are full of magic-spawned mutants. And all of this was before a group of crazed halfling cultists with a chunk of pure Malice moved in.

EDIT: Forgot the map again! Here we go. Click for a larger version of course.

A) Out On the Heap

The Gabbins clan has grown increasingly paranoid since they stole the Malice and there are always devoted hobling cultists on the lookout for interlopers who might be after their new relic. At least 3 hoblings hang about the Heap, out of sight, and they'll attempt to deal with any intruders. Their exact tactics will depend on the nature of anyone they see. If they see lone travelers or a harmless looking group the hoblings will probably try and drive them off (see below) or simply attack them. More dangerous-looking individuals will have to be dealt with more carefully. Usually one of the hoblings will approach them, warning them that there are dangerous creatures or objects about the Heap and that they should leave immediately. If this doesn't work then they'll likely try and gather reinforcements and attempt to organize an ambush.

Hobling Cultists:

These qualities represent an "average" cultist.

Good [+2] Hobling, Good [+2] Evil, Good [+2] Savage Fanaticism, Good [+2] Sneaky and Deceitful, Expert [+4] Fearless, Good [+2] Good Shot. Poor [-2] Hobling, Poor [-2] Evil.

Gear: The hoblings have merely average gear of little value. They fight with simple weapons like knives or clubs and generally carry slings as well. Many of them have begun crafting crude, animalistic masks of fur and bone that they use to frighten off travelers or during religious ceremonies.

B) Antechamber of DOOM

This was the first burrow dug by the hoblings before they connected with the older caverns and Forgotten Tunnels. Now it serves as a place where hoblings on watch can hide and rest. It has little more than a few pads for sitting and dirty dishware scattered about. In one corner is a collection of hobling sized weapons (knives, clubs and slings, of little value). There's usually at least two "backup" cultists on duty here. They'll immediately attack any intruders while attempting to alert the rest of the clan for help.

C) The Meeting Cave

This large natural cavern has been cleaned up and expanded by the Gabbins to form a crude amphitheater. It is bowl shaped with several descending "levels" that have been decorated with grotesque works of modern art cobbled together from accursed objects taken from the Heap above. It is used as a general meeting area for the cultists. During such meetings it is full of at least two dozen hobling cultists but otherwise it is usually empty.

The pit: the center of the chamber features a deep pit covered by a wooden grate. The cult sometimes uses the pit as a method of human sacrifice or punishment...for at the bottom lies a truly horrible creature. Falling down the pit is an Master [TN 13] Hazard (attempting to climb the walls is a Good [TN 9] Challenge) and at the bottom lies a round cave filled with ankle-deep water and a Fleshy Cube. The bottom of the pit may contain a passage to other parts of the Forgotten Tunnels.

Fleshy Cube: The Cube is a 10 cubic foot mass of living flesh. It lacks any obvious sensory organs, mouths or appendages. It is simply a featureless mass of hairy, greasy skin. The creature moves slowly across the ground and mostly "fights" by disabling its foes with its awful stench and then crawling over fallen prey to crush and absorb them.
Good [+2] Large, Good [+2] Darksense, Good [+2] Damage Resistance, Expert [+4] Shocking Appearance, Expert [+4] Choking Body Odor, Good [+2] Arcane Resistance (mental effects). Poor [-2] Large, Poor [-2] Intelligence, Poor [-2] Slow-Moving.

Choking Body Odor: Anyone near the Cube is subject to an attack due to the creature's terrible stench. This inflicts Failure Ranks.

The cavern contains three exits (other than the Pit) leading to areas D, E and F. The tunnel leading to area E is sealed with a barricade made from wood and rocks. The barricade is crude and can be cleared with a bit of time and effort.

D) Cultist's Quarters

This cavern has been renovated to serve as a sleeping and living chamber for the bulk of the cultists. Unless there's a meeting going on most of the cultists will be out trying to procure supplies or keeping watch but the rest (5-10) will be here. The chamber is mostly full of junk but a careful search will reveal some valuables: a collection of loose change (a Good [+2] Pile of Coins) and a couple of valuable items:

Good [+2] Potion of Lead. This thick black potion is unusually heavy and if it is consumed then the drinker's body transforms into living lead for a scene. This grants an upshift to resist injury and to attacks made with the drinker's heavy, metallic fists. However this makes the drinker extremely heavy, downshifting any rolls made to move quickly or quietly.
Good [+2] Gold Bracelet. This is a simple bracelet of gold strands imbedded with a few semi-precious stones. It is a one-shot "wealth" type prop.
Average [0] Bag of Cats. This simple sack seems to contain a small, soft lump at the bottom. However, nothing will come out if the sack if it is turned inside out or upended. In order to activate it the owner must reach in and feel around till they find something soft and fuzzy. Pulling it out will produce a perfectly normal housecat (treat it as an Average [0] Minion). This can be done 1d6+1 times before the bag needs 24 hours to recharge. Cats produced will remain indefinitely. The cats are tame and domesticated but the user has no special control over them.

E) Beast Lair

This part of the Chaotic Caverns has been sealed off by the hobling cultists. This cave is the lair of a deadly monster: a Displacing Beast. There are several other tunnels that lead from this cave to other parts of the Forgotten Tunnels or the surface but the beast serves as an effective deterrent for any explorers who might try and enter the Chaotic Caverns from this direction.

Displacing Beast: This monster resembles a large octopoid creature (although it has 12 tentacles) with the head of a savage great cat. The beast's crushing tentacles and savage fangs are only part of what makes these creatures deadly. They possess an unusual magical ability...anyone or anything struck by one of the monster's two larger tentacles will be magically teleported to a nearby location. The Beast usually uses this to disarm attackers or teleport prey into dangerous locations (or simply straight up, causing them to fall).

Good [+2] Predator, Expert [+4] Leaping, Good [+2] Rubbery Hide, Good [+2] Rapid Scuttling, Good [+2] Darksense, Expert [+4] Powerful Tentacles, Good [+2] Fangs. Good [+] Displacement*

Displacement: The Displacing Beast may teleport characters touched by their tentacles. Range is based on the Quality Rank.

The Beast's lair is full of the remains of past prey. The only object of interest is a battered sword decorated with gold and gems. When trying to use the sword as the weapon treat it as Poor [-2], but the decorations give it a value of Expert [+4] for trade.

F) The Shrine

The passage to this chamber has a trap which the Hoblings will arm if they believe that they're under attack or when most of them are away from their lair. The trap consists of a several small cages in the ceiling full of Crimson Death Bears, a species of poisonous, fuzzy caterpillar. Those who think to search for a trap can find the tripwire trigger with a Good [TN 9] Challenge. If the trap is triggered it dumps caterpillars on anyone near the tripwire, an Expert [TN 11] Hazard. Those injured by the caterpillars suffer Damage Ranks due to the venom and their skin becomes puffy and red, inflicting a temporary Weakness of Poor [-2] Painful Swelling (impairing things like appearance and flexibility.

The shrine itself is relatively new. The Gabbin's cult has been cobbled together over the course of a few days from half-remembered myths and quasi-apocalyptic dreams inspired by the Malice's corruption. This chamber holds the cult's half-finished tome of evil (a rambling work full of contradictory edicts and crossed out segments). During ceremonial events the Malice is held here but otherwise it is in the possession of the cult leader. Holy objects like the cult's tome, sacrificial knives and goblets and so on (Average [0] Silverware) are left on a crude stone altar with a gruesome stone statue leering above. The statue is actually a gargoyle, tamed by the cult leader, who will attack should the objects it guard be disturbed. Otherwise it will happily stay completely still (if left undisturbed) or converse in dull, monotone detail (if anyone thinks to address it). See the Bewildering Beast book for gargoyle stats.

G) Grin's Chamber

Although the insidious effects of this much raw Malice have dramatically corrupted the entire Gabbins clan there are those who are affected much more than other. The hobling called "Grin" is an excellent example. Grin walks around in tattered leather armor festooned with wicked-looking knives and stained with the blood of her victims. Her nickname comes from her habit of grinding her teeth down to points and the disturbing slasher smile she wears at all times. Delighted by Grin's obvious psychosis the cult leader has enlisted her as a bodyguard. Since Grin doesn't play well with others she's been given her own chamber near her master.

Grin: Good [+2] Hobling, Good [+2] Evil, Expert [+4] Scary Little Lady, Expert [+4] Knife Fighting, Good [+2] Snake-Like Reflexes, Good [+2] Fanatic Loyalty, Good [+2] Sneaking About, Poor [-2] Crazy, Poor [-2] Hobling, Poor [-2] Evil

Props: Grin has an impressive collection of knives, but one in particular is special: It's a small machette with the words "The Defoliator" engraved on the blade. The knife is treated as Average [0] normally but if used against plants treat it as an Expert [+4] prop. Grin also has a Good [+2] Potion of Might, granting a temporary upshift to all strength-based rolls.

H) Gordo's Chamber

This final chamber is the home of the leader of the Gabbins clan, Gordo Gabbins, and the founder of the hobling's cult. Gordo isn't entirely sure what the new religion's dogma is but he's sure he'll figure it out soon. Until then he and his followers are happy to engage in generalized evil and mayhem. The hobling is thoroughly under the spell of Malice and he is so obsessed that he will never willingly let it leave his sight. He's so completely corrupted that he has already gained the favor of one of Azanut's lesser servant dieties: Yofofof. This chamber, better furnished than most others, is where Gordo sleeps, eats and discusses plans with his cronies (or thin air). Gordo has +4 Favor with Yofofof due to recent sacrificial offerings.

Gordo Gabbins: Good [+2] Hobling, Good [+2] Evil, Expert [+4] Commanding Presence, Good [+2] Ordination: Yofofof, Good [+2] Summon Horrible Thing*, Average [0] Clouding Minds*, Good [+2] Unholy Warrior, Poor [-2] Hobling, Poor [-2] Evil, Poor [-2] Not Too Clever

Summon Horrible Thing: This miracle allows the caster to call upon a Horrible Thing from the Plane That's Full of Horrible Things. This can involve a simple attack (a tentacle lashes out from a shadow to strike) or by Overcasting Gordo can summon a Lesser Horrible Thing (see below).
Props: Gordo keeps the Malice, a roughly spherical lump of metal, bound to a stick to form an ugly sort of scepter. This is a Good [+2] Crude Mace that also gives an upshift to his evil miracles. He also has a Good [+2] Wand of Lightning (a plot point item) and an Expert [+4] Potion of Healing. In a chest under his bed he keeps an Expert [+4] Pile of Loot (slow burn).

Lesser Horrible Thing: Expert [+4] Evil, Master [+6] Shocking Appearance, Good [+2] Strong, Good [+2] Damage Resistance (except lightning), Poor [-2] Evil

More Toast

2012-02-23T17:35:00.000-08:00

Just finished up a colored version of my zombie toast horde picture. I'll probably turn this into a new blog logo (blogo?) at some point. As always you can click for the full-sized image.

The Order of Magnitude XXIX: Coming Home To Roost

2012-02-18T10:33:00.000-08:00

So, what's a DM to do when his players are about to embark on a major journey, taking them to another continent for what will likely be several months of adventuring and will likely return with vast wealth, powerful magic items and several new levels...but he's got several plot threads still dangling and enemies made by the PCs who simply won't be that impressive after an adventure in a dangerous, untamed continent?

Well, the obvious answer is to have all those enemies gang up and assault the party before they have a chance to leave town.

When we last left the Order they were racing the secure passage to Xendrik with pocket-fulls of House Cannith gold. Elaydrin's description leaves little doubt that the woman leading the Emerald Claw forces is the wizardress Malvora and the last time they tangled with her she escaped on an airship, the Jade Fury. That means if they have any hope of reaching Xendrik before the Claw has already been and gone then they'll have to invest in an airship of their own. They manage to track down an adventurous captain and a ship, The Beginner's Luck, and pour enough cash in his lap to convince him to get ready to sail immediately.

Unfortunately, during the randomly generated downtime adventures several of the PCs had managed to make a few randomly generated enemies. Some had already been dealt with (Jack had to exterminate a trio of wraiths that showed up chasing some cursed gold he picked up) but not all. Nolan sold the story of his disastrous stint as a bodyguard to the Korranberg Chronicle while Shara had a whirlwind affair with the scion of a noble house and ended up spurning him, leaving him seeking retribution. Thus it was that when the Beginner's Luck was pulling away from the docking tower a whole flock of halflings mounted on giant eagles swoops down, readying crossbows to cut down Shara. At almost the same moment a shadowy vortex opens on the deck and a ghostly figure appears, announcing that he represents the Guild of Bleeding Twilight and that he has been hired to ensure the death of Nolan. From the vortex a giant, lobster-shelled abomination heaves its way into the world.

And of course, Malvora knew that Elaydren would send someone after them so she dispatched a small squad of Emerald claw warriors mounted on Skaevlings (giant, undead bats) and a the vampiric wolf that the Order failed to dispatch in their last battle.

So, the Order proceeds to engage the different attackers while making sure that they don't kill their freshly hired airship crew. Tayin transforms into a dragon-hawk and, along with her eagle companion and a summoned griffin, engages the halflings in the air. Meanwhile Magnus manages to dispel the portal (but not before two of the creatures, chuuls, get through) and Jack uses his magic and Nurse to deal with the abominations. That left the rest of the Order free to take on the Emerald Claw. Unfortunately the Hound proved just as deadly as it had before, quickly overrunning Pax and knocking him to the ground (and knocking a couple of levels off as well) while the bat-mounted warriors swooped low and used their mount's screech abilities to stun the ship's crew. Nolan managed a leap to grab one midair and killed the bat, bringing both down to the deck, and Glorin and Shara use their bows to engage the remaining airborne attackers.

Fortunately the summoned chuul were quickly dealt with and Tayin managed to kill enough halflings that they retreated. The Claw fought to the death however (which didn't take long once Tayin was able to provide airborne assistance and Nurse begin firing alchemical bombs). The one holdout was the Hound who was still tearing into Pax and Glorin with a vengeance. The Order proceeded to gang up on the undead, demonic wolf and eventually forced it to retreat in gaseous form.

With the attacker's defeated the Order sets out on their long journey across the ocean to Xendrik. Along the way they have a brief altercation with a pair of Rocs, who they manage to drive off, and Magnus begins working on some silversheen in case they run into more hounds (The Hound's DR against silver was one of the primary reasons for their difficulty). However, just when land was in sight the ship runs afoul of a storm cloud...quite literally in that it disgorges several Storm Elementals that immediately attack. The Order fights bravely and manages to disperse several of the elementals (although Glorin is knocked overboard and ends up clinging to the railing) but the rest home in on the ship's elemental ring and damage it. The Beginner's Luck begins to fall from the sky (fortunately airships fall slowly) and lands in Stormreach's harbor with a mighty splash (especially for poor Glorin).

All of the Order and most of the crew survive but the airship is crippled and is no use to their mission anymore. They pay the captain the rest of what they owe and immediately get ready to explore the place and locate a river boat to transport them deeper into Xendrik to find the ancient giant ruins that they and the Claw seek. This is about when we catch up to the first Order of Magnitude recording right here:

http://z-toast.blogspot.com/2011/08/order-of-magnitude-sound.html

Musings on Prophecy

2012-02-15T00:21:00.000-08:00

There's a lot that can go wrong with magic systems for different games. Balancing flexibility, flavor and power can lead to all sorts of problems which can leave spellcasters either stomping other characters flat or sitting in the back of the room waiting until they can do something remotely helpful. Probably one of the hardest factors to balance is divination magic.

It's a pretty essential component, after all I don't think there's a single historical or mythical form of magic that doesn't have some form of prophecy or fortune-telling. The ability to see what others cannot practically defines some forms of magic, after all that's exactly what the omni-present suffix "-mancy" actually means, it refers to a method of divination. It's just morphed into a way to say "Magic of X type". I blame necromancy, it started as just a nice way to talk to dead people and it became responsible for a whole generation of linguistic drift. Tsk. Tsk.

Anyway, so what was I saying? Divination is pretty much essential for any magic system but it's probably the hardest to actually define and balance. It's easy to work out the potential power of a fireball or lightning bolt but there's practically no way to calculate the potential of being able to peek even a short time into the future. The biggest problem is of course that in order to for the power to actually work in the first place the GM has to have some idea what the future holds and I think we all know that when dealing with a group of heavily armed homeless psychotics (i.e. PCs) that's practically impossible.

Some systems try and compensate for this by making divination magic unreliable or exceedingly vague and cryptic. It's even worse when the effects of fortune-telling is left entirely in the hands of the GM as a means to provide "info-dumps" or quest hooks for players. That would be fine but usually the player in question still has to pay some points/skills/etc for what is essentially a shortcut for the GM. These solutions end up either being entirely insufficient (allow diviners to play merry hell with game balance and the plot itself) or are so effective that they ensure that no one is wants to deal with the headaches involved in divination magic and it gets ignored.

Well, I was reading Full Frontal Nerdity the other day and one of the pages mentioned the idea of "save points" in RPGs. Obviously having anything like a save point is more or less completely out of the spirit of most RPGs...but the idea has some value as a method for divination...

Imagine this. The players bust through a dungeon door and the party barbarian gets filled with poison darts as they trigger the trap on the other side. The rest of the party is horrified to realize that on the other side is a small horde of angry golems which proceed to tear through them. As the last party member falls, beaten to death with their own pelvis, the scene fades out as the cleric recovers from his divination trance and says "guys...I think we should just go through the other door".

Essentially, casting a divination spell allows the group to make a "save point". Then they continue to do what they like, taking any actions they normally would. Once the spell's duration expires (or the group is wiped out) then they must choose whether or not the evens "really happened" or was it just part of the diviner's vision, allowing them to effectively rewind the clock and try again or make different choices.

How long the save point lasts is of course entirely dependent on the power of the spell being used. A relatively weak divination would allow a "rewind" of only a few minutes while more powerful ones might last hours or even days. However, I think it would be far more effective if the duration was measured in real-time rather than game time. A weak divination gives you a 15 minute timer, a stronger one might give you in game hour while an epic spell might let you undo the events of an entire session. This works well because it focuses the effects of the spell on interesting (and chaotic) events even if they might be separated by long stretches of traveling or down-time.

The main benefit of this system is that it would ensure that the effects of divination work well with their intended purpose. The GM doesn't have to try and figure out how the future will go, the future is based on the player's actions just like it always is. And since the events are still determined by random dice rolls the farther the diviner peers into the future the more muddy things become because the "second run" will involve entirely new dice rolls and new results which could lead to dramatically different outcomes.

Of course, this is a good, easy and reliable way to handle divination magic...but is it balanced? Hell no, this may be the most powerful form of divination ever put forward! So here's some suggestions on how I would balance things. The most obvious is of course long casting times, high level (or mp cost) or expensive ingredients but here's some more interesting thoughts:

*Divinations cannot provide specific information. For instance a diviner will (after "rewinding") know that a door is trapped, and trapped with a deadly poison gas...but won't be able to say exactly where the gas came from or where the trigger is. Thus they could assure the party trapsmith that there is a trap but the rogue would still need to make their rolls to find and disarm the hazard like normal. Likewise if a diviner reads an eldritch tome they'll learn that it's a book on demons but they would not be able to recall the actual contents of the book. In cases where this may become important the GM should be vague on specifics until it has been decided whether or not the experience is "real".

*Divinations are one-use only. You can't attempt to create more than one "save" for the same set of events and if you attempt to cast a divination as part of a divination (double-dipping) you go mad from the revelations.

*By peering into the future you are helping to set it in stone. You can make choices to try and make things go different from the vision...but you cannot use any meta-game currency (action points, fate points, etc) to try and alter the events. That means if you had a vision of your party getting beaten up and killed you can no longer use fate points to prevent that fate from happening....

*The GM can of course alter events as well...the visions are visions of the future as they may be, not as they must be. So they players may learn that the exact identity or number of foes or dangers may have changed after rewinding.

Just my random thoughts...I don't know if I'll ever make use of them but they're interesting.

Nerd Food

2012-02-14T07:32:00.000-08:00

Figured I'd share some nerdy cookies made by me and NJ....

and some brownies...

I know they're just 6-siders. Brownie d20's are hard

That is all, you may return to your business

Re-Return to the Keep on The Plaplands pt 2

2012-02-12T10:32:00.000-08:00

EDIT: Well, I'm dumb. I completely forgot to include the map that all these places are actually keyed to. Here's a crude one that should suffice for now. When I get around to completing things I'll make sure to include a cleaned up version.

click for a larger size

So, this is the second part of the Keep on the Plaplands adventure, dealing with the Plains surrounding the keep.

The most significant feature of the Plains is that things will simply fall from the sky. This means that PCs can run into just about anything out here. The Keep is on the edge of the Plains where sky-fall is less common and usually less dramatic. The further characters travel into the Plains (heading South-West) the more common falling objects will become.

In most cases I suggest having sky-fall either be planned events or make them the result of spending Fortune Points (That's Odd becomes a lot more flexible in a place where just about anything can fall from above) or appropriate Divine Favor. Targeting your players with exceptionally deadly or inconvenient falling objects is a good reason to give your PCs Fortune Points (as Fickle Finger of Fate), especially if you want really extreme sky-fall weather (Knife Storm!). If you want to keep your Sky-fall unpredictable here's a suggestion. Every time someone rolls a set of double 1's something is going to fall from the sky. Further into the plains these events become much more common...first every set of Odd Doubles (double 1's, double 3's, double 5's) triggers a fall then any roll of doubles at all.

As far as what is going to fall from the sky...well there's no good random table for that. It could be just about anything. I suggest making a quick list of 10-20 random things that you think might be interesting before you start the game and every time a sky-fall is triggered just head down the list. Otherwise why not try picking a page out of a dictionary or a Random Noun Generator.

For encounters that don't simply fall from the sky here's a simple random encounter table. The plains are pretty empty so typically just roll once a day:

Roll 2d6:
2: Gwynne Tanbound is leading a group of 1d6 Keep soldiers on a patrol/training exercise.
3: The PCs come across the broken remains of a scavenger's cart. There are signs of a struggle.
4: A group of scavengers wander about, looking for any useful-looking salvage.
5-7: Nothing of note.
8: 2d6 of Raff's Riders scour the Plains for likely targets. 1 in 6 chance that Raff is with them.
9: A group of 3d6 goblins wielding mismatched weapons and armor.
10: The party stumbles across the nest of a giant trapdoor spider (see below).
11: The party catches the eye of a Plap Miniature Roc (see below).
12: Roll twice and combine both encounters.

Giant Trapdoor Spiders: These creatures are one of the nastier surprises that travelers in the Plaplands may encounter. They're about the size of a pony and possess the strength and speed to easily snatch someone off their feet and into their burrow before they can even call for help.

Good [+2] Predator, Good [+2] Strong, Good [+2] Fangs, Expert [+4] Ambush Attack, Expert [+4] Concealing Themselves, Good [+2] Venom. The spider's venom inflicts Failure Ranks but victims must take the damage to Qualities based on speed or coordination first as the venom attacks their nervous system.

Plapland Miniature Roc: These birds are much smaller cousins of the full-sized roc, about the size of a large horse. Since they are not quite large enough to snatch their prey from their feet and carry them off they have adapted to their environment. The Plapland Roc will search for any large object (the Plains are usually full of suitable detritus), snatch it up and drop it from above on their intended prey then swooping down to finish them off or collect more "ammunition".

Good [+2] Large, Good [+2] Predator, Expert [+4] Flight, Good [+2] Beak and Talons, Good [+2] Strong, Expert [+4] Keen Sight, Expert [+4] Dropping Things, Poor [-2] Large, Poor [-2] Intellect.

Places In The Plains

The Plains of Plap fill a large bowl-shaped depression in the landscape resembling an extremely large and very ancient crater. The border of the Plains is defined by a ridge of small, rugged hills. The Keep is nestled among the hills near the Southern border of the League of Groth, on the eastern edge of the Plains. Plap is a huge region and the map only provides a small section clustered around the Keep itself so if the players are feeling adventurous and want to wander further afield GMs should feel free to create new landmarks and encounters as they need.

For the most part the plains are a peaceful place. There's the occasional dangerous bit of wildlife or bandits hoping to steal choice bits of sky-fall from scavengers but in a place where random objects rain from the sky natural selection tends to favor small, fast-moving critters over large, deadly predators. However, that's been changing over the past few weeks. Nasty things have been stirring across the plains and even the normally placid inhabitants are becoming more dangerous.

1) The Runoff

The Runoff is a small river that flows past the Keep and into the Plains from the North and eventually emptying into Crater Lake and the surrounding marshland. The Runoff is a fairly unremarkable river...the water is fresh and the current is normally calm enough to navigate easily with a raft or canoe although it is usually too wide and deep to swim safely. A few people in the Keep own rafts that they keep moored on the shores of the river, but for the most part the river is simply a source of fresh water.

-Possible Encounters-

Spitting Crocodiles: Large, scaly lizards who have developed a talent for sucking up large quantities of water and spraying jets of it to stun or confuse their prey...also great for knocking humans off of rafts and into the water.

Good [+2] Large, Good [+2] Predator, Expert [+4] Looking Like A Log, Expert [+4] Water Jet, Good [+2] Scaly, Good [+2] River-Dweller.
Water Jet: The Croc can spray a jet of water an impressive distance and with great force. This is an attack that inflicts Failure Ranks and generally forces the victim to overcome a Challenge or be knocked off their feet. The crocodile must spend a round sucking in more water to attack this way again.

Living Dam: These creatures are exceptionally rare and no one is quite sure where they come from. Theories include wands or magical staves being incorporated into dams or the existence of hyper-intelligent beaver wizards. The Living Dam appears like an ordinary beaver dam until someone attempts to dismantle or destroy it at which point it will spring to life and attack whoever dares to disturb it. The Living Dam is essentially an unusual Wood Elemental (Bewildering Beasts, pg 10).

Good [+2] Large, Expert [+4] Body of Twigs and Branches, Good [+2] Wading, Expert [+4] Standing Firm, Good [+2] Strong, Poor [-2] Dumb, Poor [-2] Large

Dread Catfish: The most feared creature in the river, bar none. These behemoths normally bury themselves under the mud at the river bottom and are content to suck muck into their faces and filter out anything remotely edible. Eventually they get hungry for something more substantial and at any moment they may leave their muddy burrows and search for fresher meat.

Good [+2] Scavenger, Expert [+4] Dread Animal, Expert [+4] Large, Good [+2] Swimming, Good [+2] Hiding In Mud, Good [+2] Swallow Whole, Poor [-2] Large, Poor [-2] Dread

2) The Ruined Watchtower

When the Keep was first founded the soldiers there took their duty a bit more seriously than they do now. The watchtower was built to allow a grand view of the plains so that vigilant sentinels could watch for danger from the sky. However, it didn't take the soldiers of the Keep long to realize that staring out over a seemingly endless grassy plain is really boring. So the watchtower was abandoned and it eventually fell to ruin (along with the bridge over the Runoff) after years of neglect and random sky-fall. Now the watchtower is little more than a pile of rubble. However, underneath the layer of rubble is an entrance to the old scavenger tunnels that run underneath the plains (see Plapland Dungeons).

-Plot Hooks-

The son of Rivas Darkheart, Mirt Darkheart, is more dedicated than his fathers to the old ways and has some talent for magic. Thus he has taken to sneaking over the river (he has a raft hidden not too far from the keep) to practice with some books stolen from the family collection at the old watchtower. So far the boy hasn't managed anything truly nasty...but those poking around the keep might run into a collection half-a-dozen Reanimated Rabbits (treat them as Minions: Good [+2] Undead Bunnies) and Mirk's hidden collection of books. Mirk himself is only rarely out here and would much rather run or feign ignorance than try and fight anyway.

Mirk Darkheart: Good [+2] Cunning, Average [0] Necromancy*, Good [+2] Occult Lore, Good [+2] Feigning Innocence, Poor [-2] Awkward Puberty. Mirk also has his grandfather's old sacrificing knife...a Good [+2] Magic Dagger.

Buried beneath the rulle is a battered but still serviceable sword. This blade is a Good [+2] Spirit-Possessed Sword. The sword belonged to Duncan Jerson, a Keep soldier with an unusual sense of duty and passion. When the other soldiers abandoned the watchtower he stayed behind, only returning to the Keep to stock up on supplies. Duncan kept his vigil until he died in the tower collapse. His bones have long since been carried away by scavengers and his armor and clothes have moldered but his spirit remains imbued in the sword he carried. Anyone carrying the blade will soon begin to feel the influence of Duncan's spirit. Attempts to lie, shirk duty or betray must overcome the Sword's TN in a Challenge and every night the sword makes a mental "attack" inflicting Failure Ranks with it's Quality. If this attack causes the bearer to Zero Out then they become obsessed with the sword and with resuming Duncan's old duty...camping out by the watchtower's ruins and keeping an eye on the plains. The sword's curse may be lifted through appropriate miracles or if the watchtower is rebuilt and staffed once more (other methods are left to the GM's imagination) which leaves the sword as a Good [+2] Fine Blade prop.

3) Crater Lake

At the end of the Runoff is a large, shallow lake surrounded by marshland. The lake fills a huge crater at least a century old created by some forgotten, massive impact. The marshland here is not nearly as thick or deadly as the bogs of Kadink but it is still a mucky, unpleasant and bug-filled ordeal. Treat travel through the Marsh as a Poor [5] Hazard that inflicts Failure Ranks. A roll of double 1's means that the characters have gotten lost, been caught in quicksand or otherwise fallen into random trouble.

-Plot Hooks/Encounters-

The marsh is home to a tribe of humanoid newts. They're irritable, unfriendly creatures and are generally very unpleasant to any other beings that intrude on their swamp. There's only one thing they like about the outside world and that is hot, cooked meals. Unfortunately they've never quite mastered the technique themselves and being too close to open flame is uncomfortable with their moist, squishy skin. So they occasionally will kidnap humans and drag them back to their lair and force them to cook for them. They've recently snatched a middle-aged scavenger, Jer Tamlin, from the shores of the Runoff. The rest of the Tamlin clan has made their way to the Keep and they may be offering a reward for anyone who might be able to get Jer back.

Average Newt-Man Hunter: Good [+2] Amphibious, Good [+2] Hunters, Good [+2] Slippery, Expert [+4] Knows The Swamp. The Newt-folk typically carry wooden spears and dart guns. Occasionally they'll make use of Good [+2] Poison.

The swamp is home to at least one specimen of Lesser Swamp Dragon. The beast resembles a gigantic salamander with fleshy frill of gills around its neck. These creatures, while quite large and dangerous, are not nearly as deadly or intelligent as most other dragon creatures. The Newt-men of the marsh have an uneasy truce with the dragon, making it offerings of treasure and fish in order to leave them be. If the Newt-men are really riled up they may call upon the dragon to aid them against their enemies.

Expert [+4] Large, Good [+2] Predator, Good [+2] Stubborn, Expert [+4] Keen Senses, Good [+2] Swamp Spew* (spray of stinking slime), Expert [+4] Swimming, Good [+2] Long-Lived, Good [+2] Tough, Slimy Hide, Good [+2] Plant Command*, Poor [-2] Large, Poor [-2] Vanity
The dragon's "horde" is concealed beneath the muck in the swamp (Expert [TN 11] Challenge to locate) and consists of an Expert [+4] Assortment of Coins, Good [+2] Jeweled Necklace, an Average [0] Uncut Gemstone and a Good [+2] Waterproof Cloak.

At the bottom of Crater Lake is a huge, rusted iron sphere the size of a small house. This is the object which formed the original crater. The sphere has a single hatch on one side. The sphere's contents, and methods to open it, are left to the GM for future adventure ideas.

4) Raff's Camp

Most of the men and women on the plains spend their time scouring the grasslands for anything that looks remotely valuable or useful. This is long, exhausting work that rarely turns a major profit so there are those who eventually realized that it's faster to wait until others have discovered the valuables out on the plains and then take their finds for themselves. Under the leadership of Gwynne Tanbound the soldiers of the Keep do a decent job of keeping this sort of riff-raff under control. However one band continues to elude capture and still roams the Plains raiding and looting as they like: Raff's Riders.

Raff and his bandits, mounted on specially bred war ostriches (they tried to domesticate Plap Striders but that ended in disaster), are the terrors of the plains. Although they raid and steal from just about anyone they come across they prefer not to kill their victims...after all they need their victims to find more valuables for them to steal.
The Riders make camp in the hills that ring the plain near the keep, but they move constantly to avoid detection by Keep soldiers. This infuriates the captain of the guard, Gwynne, and the mere mention of Raff's name is enough to send her into a cold rage. There's a standing reward for Raff's capture, an Expert [+4] Bounty if he's captured alive, Good [+2] for proof of his death or for information leading to his capture.

Average Rider: Good [+2] Scary, Good [+2] Riding, Good [+2] Warrior, Average [0] Tough and Rugged. They carry short spears or crossbows but mainly prefer to use nets and lassos to avoid casualties. Their ostriches are Good [+2] Mounts.
Raff: Expert [+4] Intimidating, Good [+2] Schemer, Expert [+4] Animal Trainer, Good [+2] Rider, Good [+2] Agile, Poor [-2] Lack of Combat Training. Raff's scarred face and gruff demeanor hides the fact that he isn't actually much of a warrior at all. He is quite clever however and has managed to hide this fact from both his enemies and allies. In a fight he'll mostly rely on Blacktalon, his mount. He carries an Average [0] Pouch of Coins, a Good [+2] Gold Ring and an Average [0] Potion of Healing and Good [+2] Devil-Brew, a potion that when drunk by an animal gives the creature the Nether Creature Quality at Good [+2] Rank for a scene. The potion's effects on humans are unknown and likely to be...unpredictable.
Blacktalon: Good [+2] Grazer, Good [+2] Beaks and Talons, Expert [+4] Running, Good [+2] Vicious, Poor [-2] Dumb and Ornery.

5) The Elven Hobo

Sticking out of the grasslands like a sore thumb and visible for miles around is a single, gigantic tree. It's branches are full of fallen detritus and nestled among the roots is a small hut of woven grass. The people of the Plaplands stay far, far away from the tree and crazed elven hermit who makes his home here. No one knows his real name and will simply refer to him as the Elven Hobo. The elf has lived here for generations and is perhaps the oldest living inhabitant of the Plains. He's also quite mad and completely unpredictable. He may invite travelers over for a drink and then try and stab them in the back or he might attempt to drive them off with thrown stones the moment he sees them. Occasionally he'll approach likely looking travelers and ask favors of them, offering grand rewards. Usually both these "quests" and their potential rewards are just products of his deranged imagination. For this reason the elf is mostly left alone to tend the beehives that he keeps in the branches of his giant tree.

The Hobo: Expert [+4] Elf, Good [+2] Hermit, Expert [+4] Forbidden and Obscure Lore, Master [+6] Herbalist, Good [+2] Completely Crazy, Good [+2] Surprise Attacks. The Hobo has several doses of Expert [+4] Herbal Venom (inflicting Wound Ranks) which he may slip into food or coat a dagger with. He also knows a technique for making Good [+2] Healing Potions. Sometimes he'll mix the two up.
Lucinda: This is the Hobo's pet Jeopard that typically snoozes in the branches of the tree. She'll eagerly leap to her master's defense if he's threatened. She has the Qualities of the standard Jeopard.

6) The Thicket

This area of the Plains is exceptionally overgrown and covered in light overgrowth. The place is generally avoided by the scavengers as it is difficult to for horses or carts to navigate...and giant trapdoor spiders are significantly more common here than elsewhere. The Thicket contains an entrance to the old scavenger tunnels below the plains and it is where the goblins typically travel to and from the surface.

Tek Wei Fighting Bush: These colorful but aggressive shrubbery are extremely territorial and are easy to recognize by the wide swath of bare ground around the bush. They violently exterminate any other plants within their reach (about 10"), especially other fighting bushes, and will attack any creatures larger than a bumblebee that intrudes. The bushes originated from Tek Wei but a few specimens make their way to other lands where the native foliage has no natural defenses against them.

Good [+2] Plant, Expert [+4] Thorny Tendrils, Good [+2] Strong, Expert [+4] Beautiful Flowers, Good [+2] Shooting Needles. Poor [-2] Intellect, Poor [-2] Rooted.

Horror-In-Sheep's-Clothing: The Plaplands are home to their fair share of harmless, grazing animals, little more than sandwiches on hooves. However, sometimes this harmless facade hides something much worse. The Horror appears to be a normal sheep typically grazing happily from a bush or munching on grass. Anyone who approaches learns the terrible truth. The "sheep" is merely a fuzzy "lure" on the end of a massive tentacle that extends from below ground. Once prey is close enough the Horror usually lifts the "sheep" off the ground, extends several smaller tentacles from under its wool and the sheep's entire back splits open to reveal a massive fanged maw. The horror itself hides underground and larger specimens may actually have several sheep lures. Many of them develop a taste for humanoids and will find small bits of jewelry or interesting sky-fall and stick them into their wool to lure humans close.

Good [+2] Predator, Expert [+4] Large, Good [+2] Cunning, Expert [+4] Gnashing Fangs, Good [+2] Tough Hide, Expert [+4] Disguise, Expert [+4] Shocking Appearance, Expert [+4] Ambush.

7) The Really Big Skull

Those reading a map of the Plaplands for the first time might assume that this landmark is simply a sign of dangerous territory and will be very surprised to find what is literally a gigantic skull half-buried in the ground here. Scholars debated what sort of creature this massive, apparently humanoid, skull originated from until they actually got around to examining it and found that it was actually constructed from some kind of tough plaster or stucco material. This led to considerable academic embarrassment and they quickly abandoned the research.
   The skull has become the lair of Zalgo, a cliff manticore (Bewildering Beasts, pg 19) who spends most of his time lounging on top of the skull or snoozing within the brain cavity. Like all of his kind Zalgo is intelligent but evil and hungers for the flesh of intelligent creatures. Scavengers usually know to avoid his lair and the goblins who dwell in the old tunnels underneath the plains give him most of their salvaged or stolen treasure to avoid becoming a meal (this doesn't always work). Zalgo is quite willing to make a meal out of travelers but he is also quite cowardly and if faced with significant injury he'll quickly flee or attempt to talk his way out of the situation.
   Within the skull Zalgo hides his personal treasures: An Expert [+4] Pile of Gold, a Good [+2] Ruby, Average [0] Quartz Necklace, an Expert [+4] Massive Tapestry and a Good [+2] Dwarf-Forged Warhammer.

8) The Heap

The skies of Plap can produce just about anything which means most of the objects that fall from the sky are completely worthless. But rarely objects of exceptional value or even great power fall from above. However, the opposite is also true: sometimes scavengers come across objects that are not only useless but downright harmful! Cursed swords that stick to your hands, glowing red rocks that make you grow extra limbs or jewelry that tries to murder you when you put it on. For a long time the inhabitants of the plains would simply throw these objects away at the first opportunity. However, this would just lead to some other scavenger coming along and falling victim to it. After 12 scavenger families in a row fell victim to the same cursed dancing shoes the different scavenger clans finally settled on an informal agreement and designated a dumping ground for these dangerous finds: the Heap.
   Now, generations later, the Heap is still the place where scavengers will ditch their unpleasant surprises and it has grown into an impressive pile. Just about anything you don't want can be found buried here and those who know the Plains give the Heap a wide berth unless they've got something to dump. For this reason it has become the site for the entrance to the Chaotic Caverns carved out below the plains. More details on the Caverns and their inhabitants will be in the next post.

Rereturn to the Keep on the Plaplands

2012-02-06T08:03:00.000-08:00

A few months back I posted about a forum rpg I was planning to run (which unfortunately did not get far, but that is the fate of play-by-post gaming more often than not). However, I liked the idea and since there's a shortage of PDQ adventures out on the net I figured I'd go ahead and turn it into a full-fledged adventure write-up. I'll start with the Keep itself and then in a later post I'll do the lands around the keep and finally the dungeons in the area. Once it's all done I'll combine it into a PDF version.

For a recap of the ideas behind the adventure check out the old post here.

The adventure will be written for the PDQ system Questers of the Middle Realms, my personal favorite iteration of the PDQ system. That said it would be almost no trouble to convert this to another version of PDQ, either "generic" or something like Zorcerer of Zo or Swashbucklers of the Seven Skies. The game is meant mostly for starting characters but there's no reason that experienced adventurers couldn't have fun wading through the relatively minor dangers to be found out on the plains.

The Keep

The Keep is a small, unremarkable fort far from civilization. Four hefty walls of mismatched stonework with a squat watchtower on three of it's four corners (they never got the funding to complete the fourth). The walls are causally patrolled by guardsmen in rusty chainmail and sturdy steel helmets. There are two gates on the north and south sides of the keep. Both are kept closed most of the time and those seeking entry to the keep need to provide the gatekeeper with their name and business. None of the guards take their duty very seriously...nothing truly dangerous has shown up in the area for decades. They're mostly here to break up fights between scavengers, deal with petty theft and chase the occasional goblin out of someone's cellar.

A bit over a dozen homes as well as a handful of businesses are nestled within the keep. The scavenger "tribes" mostly wander the plain and stay at the inn when they're in town and the guards make their home in the barracks of the inner keep. Travelers will quickly notice that every single building has a strong, sturdy looking roof. Although the Keep is only on the edge of the plains no-one wants an iron washbasin or nude, armless statue smashing through the ceiling during dinner.

Extra Notes:

-The Guards should usually be treated as Minions (Good [+2] Lazy Soldiers).

-The walls of the keep have a couple of ballistae in dire need of repair (attempts to fire one suffer a downshift but on a successful hit double the number of Damage Ranks inflicted).

The Fallen Fortune

The largest building in the Keep other than the inner fort is this large tavern and inn. The place is run by a burly human, Abe Morley, who keeps the beer flowing and makes sure everyone pays their due. The food is (unfortunately) prepared by Mister Green, an orcish cook. Due to Mister Green's strong sense of taste he prefers to serve particularly bland meals, boiled chicken, unseasoned potatoes and applesauce on white bread are favorites. Green also serves as the bouncer and few people complain more than once about their meal.

Extra Notes:

-A week's stay at the inn is an Average [0] expense. Food and lodging for one night is merely a Poor [-2] expense.

The Jeweler:

Tucked away in one corner of the Keep is a small, well-built jewel shop run by Rhes Silverbeard a dwarven merchant and his human wife, Dorothea Silverbeard. She somehow managed to convince Rhes that they had to get married several years in the past. Rhes is still somewhat confused by the situation but he finds it easier to go along with it and be grateful for the extra help around the shop. Rhes will appraise and purchase the more valuable objects that fall out on the plains but he is mostly interested only precious gems or metals. As the wealthiest resident he also serves as an unofficial banker, offering loans and allowing others to keep their valuables stored with him for a small price.

Extra Notes:

-Rhes employes two mercenary guards far more alert and competent than the standard Keep soldiers (Good [+2] Loyal, Good [+2] Warriors, Good [+2] Perceptive) and during the night his huge guard-dog sleeps in the store to keep an eye out for intruders (Expert [+4] Big Dog, Good [+2] Tough, Expert [+4] Sense of Smell, Poor [-2] Animal Instincts).

-The dwarf's small vault (with an Expert [TN 11] Lock) contains a Master [+6] Fortune in cash and small gemstones. The vault may also contain valuables stored here by some other travelers or businessman (a good possible plot hook).

The Temple of Lonuse

The only real holy ground in the Keep is this small church. The place is crammed full of knick-knacks, tattered clothing and cracked tableware. The temple is dedicated to Lonuse, the god of Second-Hand Goods. The place is watched over by the elderly and cheerful Dana Samwell. She is always happy to offer spiritual advice and may grant some miracles to those who purchase some of her junk (although there's always the possibility of something exceptionally valuable hidden among the dross).

Extra Notes:

-Dana Samwell, human priestess: Good [+2] Cheerful, Good [+2] Ordination: Lonuse, Good [+2] Persuasive, Average [0] Divinations*, Good [+2] Lonuse's Healing Goodwill*, Poor [-2] Bleeding Heart. She has +4 Favor from Lonuse.

-Donating a good chunk of second-hand equipment or goods is a good way to earn Favor from Lonuse.

The Smithy

The keep's only blacksmith, a human named Arlie Mill, is generally kept pretty busy shoeing horses, repairing helmets and performing maintenance for travelers and locals. However, in his free time he indulges in his personal hobby: polearms. Arlie collects, restores and constructs polearms of just about any shape, size or description. The walls of the smithy (and Arlie's home) are covered in a truly startling variety of long-hafted weaponry: spears, halberds, ranseurs, glaives, bardiches, guisarmes, glaive-guisarmes, glaive-axe-bec-de-fauchards and other highly experimental weaponry. Attempts to sell Arlie a new or interesting polearm receive an upshift.

Extra Notes:

-Arlie's collection of spears are all Average [0] props (some of the more impractical designs might even be Poor [-2]) but the prize of his collection is a Good [+2] Enchanted Halberd which he keeps above his mantle at home. Convincing him to part with it would be a Master [TN 13] transaction.

Rivas' General Store

Near the center of town, this store stocks rope, tools, traveling supplies, farming and camping gear and just about any miscellaneous thing you might require. The owner, Rivas, doesn't tend to stock weaponry or other "adventuring" gear but he's got plenty of food and general supplies. Rivas is a human who hails from Arrgarnarr and has the general shifty, unpleasant look of people from that region. Despite this he's managed to settle into life at the keep quite well and his neighbors are open-minded about his cultural background and no-one minds so long as he keeps the ominous chanting down.

Extra Notes

-Rivas Darkheart human shopkeeper: Average [0] Wicked, Good [+2] Tradesman, Average [0] Dread Occult Lore, Good [+2] Smarmy Charm.

-Rivas and his son live on the second floor of their shop. In the basement is a shrine to Azanut and the other Nether Powers. Anyone investigating the leather-bound books and eldritch sigils can find an Average [TN 7] ritual to summon an Imp from the Nether realms.

Salazar's Trading Post

Karin Salazar runs a trading post directly across the street from Rivas' General Store and the two have developed a vicious competitive streak. While she also carries a large supply of "general" goods Salazar also buys valuable goods brought in by the scavengers out on the plains so there's always a chance for just about anything to end up here. Salazar also keeps a stock of "grey market" items: lockpicks, mild poisons, unlicensed potions and so on. Her exact inventory is up to the GM but she's unlikely to advertise her under-the-counter goods to outsiders.

The Inner Keep

The heart of the Keep is a relatively small fortified manor. The inner keep contains barracks for the multinational soldiers who man the keep and the armory where spare weapons and armor are left to molder. Underneath the inner keep is a cobweb-filled dungeon that hasn't been used for years and the meager treasury containing the Keep's yearly budget. The upper floors of the manor are home to the captain of the guard, a knight named Gwynne Tanbound, the keep's administrative staff and the governor of the whole place: Actius Goa.

Most of the day-to-day tasks are handled by clerks or by Captain Tanbound, a hard-nosed individual far more concerned with fulfilling her duties than Actius is. Governor Actius spends most of his time with research and study, he considers the keep little more than a quite place to store his books and considers a little bit of paperwork a small price to pay.

Extra Notes:

-Gwynne Tanbound human knight: Expert [+4] Swordplay, Expert [+4] Honorable, Good [+2] Commander, Good [+2] Knight of the Argent Cube, Good [+2] Homeland: Orthedia, Expert [+4] Riding. Gwynne has a Good [+2] Blessed Blade and a suit of Expert [+4] Platemail which she wears on duty. Anyone who deals with the strict and disciplined woman will quickly realize she's far too competent and driven for her post out here in the Plaplands (her superiors felt she was a little too enthusiastic and sent her out here to mellow out for a few years) and she is quite tired of her post herself.

-Actius Goa human scholar: Expert [+4] Obscure Lore, Good [+2] Magical Theory, Expert [+4] Studious, Good [+2] Perceptive. Actius also owns an Expert [+4] Personal Library. Far more laid-back and casual than his captain of the guard Actius is mostly concerned with keeping things calm and quite and helps to temper Gwynne's eagerness to mount up and sally forth the moment there's any news of monsters or danger.

-The keep's treasury is well-guarded by two soldiers at all times as well as an Expert [TN 11] Massive Locked Door. Even if would-be thieves manage to break in there's a Good [TN 9] Light-Web enchantment which fills the room with thin beams of reddish light. Touching a beam triggers an alarm spell and causes the room to fill with Expert [+4] Sleeping Gas. The chests in the treasury contain two Expert [+4] Sacks of Money and 10 Good [+2] Silver Bars.

Keep Plot Hooks

Here are some short, interesting plot-hooks that PCs might stumble upon or assigned due to damage-induced-plot-hooks.

-When the PCs come into Rivas' General Store they find the counter empty with only a small gong labeled "strike for service". Striking the gong a few times will elicit shouting from downstairs and the sound of stomping up the stairway. Rivas will arrive, out of breath and apologetic and also wearing a large, pentagram covered, headdress of blackened wire and goat-horn. Once he realizes he's still wearing it he'll quickly chuck it under the counter and change the subject.

-Abe Morely at the Fallen Fortune has heard about other inns and taverns with basements full of rats and rather than driving business away this infestation seems to attract droves of adventurers who eagerly wipe out the rodents for chump change and then turn around and spend that money (and more) at the bar. A bit too eager to get in on this Abe released a few crates of large rodents into the cellar. After a few weeks the squeaking, gnawing damage and rat filth were too much so he decided to get rid of them, releasing a giant spider into the basement to deal with the infestation. Unfortunately the spider had an egg sac and soon his cellar was full of webs and eight-legged horrors. Well, one thing led to another and now there's a bear down there and no-one can get to the booze and he could really use some help.

-Gwynne Tanbound is extremely eager to cleanse the area around the Keep of any dangers or monsters and will generally offer bounties for the extermination of any such threats. She's also got a mile-wide competitive streak and if any knights or warriors of note show up in town she'll do her best to talk them into "sparring matches" or "friendly jousts".

-The dungeons of the inner keep are long, long abandoned, mostly because of an extremely annoying haunting that developed a few weeks ago. A headless specter drifts from cell to cell. Attempts to put the ghost to rest have so far been complicated by the fact that the thing can't speak without a head and no-one has any idea what in the world it wants.

RPG Chopshop VIII: Savage Aberrant 2

2012-02-02T09:15:00.000-08:00

A while back I was trying to convert Aberrant to Savage Worlds. Originally I figured it would be pretty fast and simple, but I ended up making it a fairly big project. So here's the full-sized Savage Aberrant conversion (well a full 25 pages or so).

Savage Aberrant

gallery of rejection 4

2012-01-25T19:50:00.000-08:00

My second attempt at Piazo's RPG superstar came to an end yesterday as I didn't make through the initial harrowing process. No hard feelings, the contest has 1000+ entrants and making it into the top 32 is a pretty long shot even if you're a game design genius. Anyway, as before I'll share my entry this year:

Boots of Trailblazing

Aura: Faint Transmutation; CL 5th
Slot feet; Price 15,000 gp; Weight 3 lbs.
Description
These heavy, travel-worn boots warp terrain around the wearer creating a smoother, flatter path for travel. Beneath the soles of the boots muddy ground dries and firms, dead wood and branches decompose and living plants shrivel or squirm out of the way.

This trail forms immediately in front of the wearer's feet and extends 10 feet to both sides. The trailblazing affects any areas of undergrowth, rubble or bog making them one level less difficult (for example, heavy undergrowth is treated as light and light undergrowth is removed). This effect is permanent until reversed by outside forces such as plant growth or natural erosion but it is impossible to blaze the same trail over again (so you cannot walk over Heavy undergrowth twice to remove it completely). The trailblazing effect does not provide any protection against magically created growth or barriers such as entangle or wall of thorns and will not alter man-made terrain features.

When traveling overland the wearer treats all Trackless terrain as though they were traveling along a trail. Since the trail is permanent any companions benefit from this as well so long as the wearer takes the lead.
Construction Requirements Craft Wondrous Item, Diminish Plants, Stone Shape; Cost 7,500 gp

The Order of Magnitude XXVIII: Abusing Templates for fun and prophets

2012-01-20T08:48:00.000-08:00

Now the Order was just about ready to tackle the final adventure in the series, "The Grasp of the Emerald Claw" but before they jumped back on the plot wagon Glorin had one last thing to take care of...the Elven Hobo.

Way back when the crew arrived in Sharn Glorin essentially made up a personal goal...tracking down an individual known only as the Elven Hobo. Somehow the dwarf was obsessed with this possibly fictional homeless elf. His exact reasoning was unclear and changed constantly with each retelling (one night the elven hobo owed him money or a favor...other times he was a mass murderer who must be brought to justice) and equally unclear was what exactly Glorin planned to do once he found the Hobo. Well, just because I'm the sort who loves to mess with players I not only continually drop hints around that the Elven Hobo has been nearby or passed through just before the PCs arrived and I offered a 10,000 xp bounty should Glorin ever find the elusive elf.

Well, now seemed as good a time as any to give him a real chance. The goblin map-merchant just so happened to have a lead on the Hobo that Glorin managed to squeeze out of him. Together the Order traveled down to the lower levels of Sharn, crawling out on a windswept ledge that ran around the perimeter of the city. There they found a crude "nest" of twigs, rags and mud simply stuck to the side of the tower like some giant bird's nest. Glorin rushes inside with the rest of the Order behind him (except for Jack who was staying behind on the nearest bridge). When Glorin breaks in he finds nothing at first except some crudely painted symbols, daubed on the walls with guano. It's not until the symbols begin to glow and smoke that the dwarf realizes something is wrong. Glorin is hit with a simultaneous Symbol of Pain and Explosive Runes spell (fortunately Jack had cast spider climb on him earlier or he would certainly have been flung from the towar) while a third sigil (in the form of an elaborate dragonmark) unwinds from the wall and animates as a flying, animated dragonmark. The Order battles with the magical construct on the windy ledge when Jack feels a tap on his shoulder.

He turns around to find himself face-to-face with a bald man, clearly elvish but with the points sliced from his ears. The elf grins, showing a ragged mouthful of jagged and stained teeth and delivers a mysterious message "Jack...it is not yet time for Glorin and the rest to find me...but soon. Very soon. Until then...goooodbyee" and with that he simply steps off the bridge and falls into the mists below.

Once Glorin and the rest of the Order defeated the animated dragonmark they returned to the bridge and Jack filled them in. Glorin was furious but the team still earned that 10,000 xp bounty so no-one complained too much.

Then it was time to get back to the real plot. Magnus's research with house Cannith had revealed two important pieces of information so far:

*First: The schema that they had discovered (2 so far) were definitely ancient, from the Age of Giants, and they were definitely involved in the creation of Warforged. The first schema, recovered beneath Sharn in the old Cannith lab, detailed the basic processes of creation and animation. The second schema, the one found in the Whitehearth lab, was more advanced and provided information on modifying the basic principles to non-humanoid shapes and specialized structures. In fact, Magnus even learned that it was these schema that were the basis of Cannith's warforged research...and that they were apparently part of a larger "set" that was discovered in Xendrik.

*Second: With his dedication to the research Magnus eventually earned the trust of Merrix D'Cannith himself and soon discovered that Merrix had a functioning creation forge in the heart of Cannith Tower where he slowly created new warforged in defiance of the Treaty of Thronehold. Merrix wanted to preserve the construct race against extinction. Even with their indefinite lifespan the race would die out if new members were ever created. With the schema Merrix hoped to perfect the creation process and allow warforged to step forward and take their rightful places with the other sentient races as equals. Magnus was totally up for that.

After half a year of progress the Cannith labs had successfully duplicated the two schema and Elaydrin sent a summons to the Order so that they could retrieve their schema from her home...and discuss another job offer.

So, that night the group sets off for Elaydrin's home in upper Sharn (after successfully pulling off the retrieval of the Whitehearth Schema Elaydrin's position in Cannith had risen considerably). However, when they arrive they find the door has been smashed in and bodies are strewn about the entryway. They rush into the room to find Elaydrin pinned down by a squad of 3 armored zombies and a huge black hound. Elaydrin is holding some kind of stone tablet above her which is projecting a multi-colored shell of light that seems to be protecting her...but her guards are dead and there's no one else to help defend her if her shield fails.

The Order leaps into action, engaging the zombies....their unusual skill and their clear cunning shows that they are advanced, Karnathi zombies and they give the Order a good fight. However the real danger is the dog...a Hound of Karnath. The hound tears into the Order, sending Nolan to the ground the first round and inflicting several Negative Levels. Pax wades in but he too is sent flying and after a couple of rounds is only one more hit away from dying from level drain. By the time the three zombie warriors have fallen half the Order is fighting the Hound and the beast is hardly injured at all...it's hide is barely injured by their weapons and what damage it suffers it quickly heals with every energy-draining attack. Eventually the hound flees into the night and vanishes but it leaves the Order ragged.

Elaydrin regains her footing and surveys the ruins of her home before flying into a sudden panic. She hurriedly explains the situation to the Order: her home was attacked by a larger group...a pale woman all in black with an Emerald Claw sigil, the zombies, hound and a huge warforged with an axe for an arm. They killed her servants and looted her home...taking both schema that she was keeping as well as a set of notes. The notes detailed the location of the ancient Giant temple where the schema were originally found...and which still contains one of the schema as well as the original creation pattern which would allow all the schema to work together to form a greater magical pattern.

Elaydrin was intending to offer the Order a job to head to Xendrik and retrieve this schema from the Giant ruins. However, now the Claw has the information they need to find the ruins as well and even worse, Cannith's intelligence indicates that the fourth schema piece was in their hands. Now with this theft they have 3 and they only need to get the 4th in Xendrik to complete the set. Neither Elaydrin nor Magnus are sure what the completed pattern would do but it's certainly not something they would want the Claw to get their hands on.

So Elaydrin quickly makes copies of the notes from memory, offering the Order an impressive fortune to immediately purchase passage to Xendrik and retrieve the final schema before the Claw can. The Order eagerly accepts and the race is on...

things from the internet

2012-01-14T12:54:00.000-08:00

I firmly believe having a minimal readership should never prevent you from sharing the love with other cool sites on the internet. So here are some cool, nerdy things.

Awesome Dice It's a blog about....well about dice obviously. They've got their own dice store and some interesting posts about dice, dice-making and even a technique for making chocolate dice (something I've wanted to find for quite a while).

World Works I really like playing with minis and terrain but it's ungodly expensive to buy or make the "real" stuff. World Works has some insanely high quality plans for paper-craft terrain, minis and buildings. Their stuff is probably the highest quality I've seen and while putting papercraft terrain together is hardly instantaneous it's a heck of a lot easier than normal terrain modeling. And if, like me, you work on a computer and headset all day it gives you a good, mindless task to do with your hands. Another great papercraft site is http://onemonk.com/

Also some good webcomics I discovered just the other day:

Battlepug!

don't worry, it's an evil giant seal

It's just as great as it looks.

Rusty and Co.

A very fun D&D-themed comic, which includes a recipe for your very own badger-gun.

click for full size...or you know go to the website and read the comic.

Gallery of Rejection: Self-Rejection edition

2012-01-11T21:35:00.000-08:00

So just a few days ago was the end of the first stage of Piazo's RPG Superstar contest. I submitted an entry there and so later this month I'll learn whether or not I'll be one of the lucky 32 entrants to move on to the next round or whether or not the Gallery of Rejection will have a new entry.

But before that happened I figured I'd throw out the ideas that I rejected. The contest requires that you design (in 300 words or less) an interesting and useful Wondrous Item suitable for Piazo's Pathfinder system (i.e. D&D 3.75 for those of you who somehow have not come across it). In addition to creativity and utility the item is also judged by how well it follows the magic item creation guidelines and accurate pricing.

You get only one entry each year and it's got to stand on it's own (so no creator hyping or explanation) so obviously there's a lot of pressure to make sure that your item is the very best you can come up with. Which makes it pretty odd that the item that actually got submitted was one I came up with in the shower the night before the contest ends. Obviously since the contest is still ongoing I'm not going to go into that idea just yet.

But here are the item concepts that didn't make the cut. These are not complete magic items...rather they're prototypes that never quite got off the drawing board. There's two reasons I'm sharing them. One because I think it's interesting and I haven't made enough posts recently. The other is the fact that by posting these ideas I'm disqualifying them from future Superstar contest entries. This means that in the future I'll be forced to come up with a fresh idea rather than mulling over a bunch of previous ideas that I've already rejected.

1) Alchemical Scabbard

This is a heavy scabbard decorated with shining copper and alchemical symbols. The scabbard's magic is activated by pouring alchemical substances into the mouth of the scabbard. It can accept either alchemist's fire, acid or liquid ice. When the substance in question is poured into the mouth of the scabbard it will vanish with an audible gurgle. Attempting to mix multiple alchemical substances or filling it with any alchemical substances other than the three listed above causes a cloud of foul-smelling smoke and a nasty sputtering sound. Filling it with any other liquids simply makes a mess.

When the scabbard has been filled with 100 gp worth of the appropriate liquid then it will become active and the symbols will emit a dull glow. When a weapon is placed inside (the scabbard resizes itself to fit any sword) an active scabbard then it will become infused with elemental energy and add +1d6 damage of the appropriate element to the weapon (which does not stack with bonuses like Flaming or Frost) for 5 hours. If the weapon is not magical then it also gains a +1 enhancement bonus but the elemental energies ravage it and it gains the broken condition at the end of the duration.

Why I rejected it: Not sure. It just never struck me as "great" in any way. The mechanic was clunky and didn't really jive with any existing mechanic and I didn't see it as being too popular with players considering the expense (by the time the players can afford to toss out several alchemical items they can probably afford to just use a spell to enchant their weapon). These were probably fixable problems but I was short on time and this one just didn't inspire me.

2) Spare Heart

This is a small, mummified rabbit's heart wrapped in a web of black iron wire and worn as a necklace. The device will activate itself if the wearer is damaged by a successful critical hit or sneak attack or if they are reduced to 0 hit points or below by any damage source. The heart only activates if the wearer survives the attack. Once activated the heart bursts

First, when activated the heart casts the spell Cure Serious Wounds on the wearer, healing 3d8+5 damage immediately. Secondly, the heart creates a detailed illusion of gruesome wounds and dramatic damage. The form of the illusion is appropriate to the attack that triggers the heart: a sword slash will produce a deep cut and a spray of blood while a fireball will produce the stench of charred flesh and burns covering the wearer's body. The wearer may "play dead" as an immediate action, making a Disguise roll at +10 to appear mortally wounded by the attack (the illusion will even mute the wearer's pulse and breathing). Alternatively they may make a Bluff roll (also with a +10 bonus) as an immediate action to appear alive but critically wounded. This Bluff roll can also be used as a Feint against the attacking opponent.

Why I rejected it: I think the idea is cool and interesting...but when I think about how this item will work in play I think it'd be really annoying. As a player if you run into an NPC villian with one of these it'll probably just be used as a cheap ploy to get out of a losing fight (and if there's one thing I've learned it's that players don't tend to appreciate it when a bad guy they think they've beaten vanishes). If it's used by the players it'll be too uncontrollable and unpredictable...good for a life-saver in some situations but most players would probably just prefer a protective amulet that's always useful over this one shot device.

3) Bottled Storm

A large bottle of black glass plugged with a thick cork. Very faint sounds of rainfall and the distant rumble of thunder can be heard from inside. Unplugging the bottle releases the torrential rainstorm held inside. The effect of the storm depends on how long the bottle remains uncorked (see below). Replacing the cork requires a DC 18 Strength check to overcome the intense force of wind and rain that pour out.
1^st round: Intense gusts of wind and pounding rain spew from the opening in the bottle and continue for three rounds, in addition to the effects of the following rounds. The wind and rain fill a 60’ cone emanating from the mouth of the bottle (every round anyone holding the bottle can choose to change the direction as a free action once per round). The storm produces gale force wind and heavy rain in that area.
2^nd round: A bolt of lightning emanates from the mouth of the bottle (10d6 damage, DC 14).
3^rd round: An intense blast of thunder duplicating a Shout spell emanates from the mouth of the bottle.
4^th round: The wind and rain calm, producing no significant effect and dropping the DC to cork the bottle to 12
5^th round: The storm pours out and rises into the sky. This creates an area of thunderstorm weather conditions in a 3 mile radius, lasting 8d12 hours.
If the bottle is not recorked by the 5^th round then any magical properties are permanently lost when the storm is released.

Why I rejected it: I really, really liked this item. It had a unique mechanic, it was potentially very useful in a wide variety of situations and it was cool. That said I honestly had no idea how this item should be priced and that was just as much a part of the contest as the item idea itself. Not to mention the item's odd mechanics produced a ton of "what-if" situations and potentially abusive techniques and the item was already pushing the 300 word limit.

Happy New Year

2012-01-01T00:57:00.000-08:00

Just finished watching Time Bandits. If you haven't seen it or (like me) saw it so long ago that you can't actually remember anything about it then you should make watching it a new year's resolution. It is a damn fun movie and it's great to watch. Especially Evil's quotes:

" If I were creating a world I wouldn't mess about with butterflies and daffodils. I would have started with lasers, eight o'clock, day one!"

So, hopefully everyone had a good 2011 and is looking forward to '12. I don't have much in the way of resolutions beyond my continuing goals to finish projects like Battle Royale and DICE.

Improving the World's Largest Dungeon: Random Encounters

2011-12-30T08:02:00.001-08:00

One thing I haven't addressed so far in my improvement of the WLD are the random encounter tables. This is probably because I don't tend to use random encounter tables myself. However in an environment like the WLD I can definitely see the value...especially once your group has slaughtered their way through most of the scripted encounters in a region.

So lets see how they do...

First let's take a look at the "Random Encounter Conditions" table. This is used to get a general feel for the situation each encounter takes place in and can determine the initial attitude of the Encounter. Overall, I'd rate this table as "acceptable". You'll probably find yourself ignoring it a good deal of the time but it could still be a good way to mix up the encounters and ensure that they're more interesting than "some goblins come down the hall"

That said I notice that many of the entries on this table are fairly redundant. For instance 5 of the 20 boil down to "the encounter is hostile" and there are several other entries that are either identical or so close as to not make a difference. Many of them are also very circumstantial and would have to be re-rolled or ignored in many situations. So here's a simplified "encounter condition table". As a general rule if the creature encountered is really evil and/or violent (such as demonic outsiders, undead or evil cultists) then subtract 1 from the roll (minimum of 1). If the encounter would normally be benevolent (such as celestials) then add +1 to the roll, maximum of 12.

Roll a d12

1- Hostile. The encounter will attack the party or otherwise attempt to subdue or drive them off, depending on alignment.
2- Hostile. The encounter is completely savage. They will attack immediately and fight to the death regardless of alignment. They are completely non-responsive to attempts at communication.
3- Hostile. The encounter is afraid or cautious and will attempt to escape. They will fight if cornered.
4- Unfriendly. The encounter is wounded or otherwise disadvantaged in some way (1d6 x10% off of their hp, possibly missing prepared spells or limited use powers).
5- Unfriendly. The encounter has something else to do. Perhaps they're chasing someone or something, returning to their home or otherwise engaged.
6- Neutral. The encounter is unresponsive. They may be wandering aimlessly or simply catatonic or magically bound or paralyzed. Usually extreme force, pain or violence will cause them to attack but they may be confused.
7- Neutral. The encounter is not sure what to make of the party and will wait for them to make the first move.
8-Neutral. Dead. The PCs find evidence or corpses showing that the encounter was killed, destroyed or triggered (in the case of traps).
9- Neutral. The encounter having an encounter of its own. Roll on the random encounter table twice and determine how the two encounters are interacting with each other based on the result.
10- Friendly. The encounter needs the party's help or at least believes they do.
11- Friendly. The encounter would prefer to interact peacefully, although they may still attempt to trick or manipulate the party depending on alignment. Creatures of animal or less intelligence will simply ignore the party.
12- Helpful. The encounter will try and help the PC in some way. Creatures of animal intelligence or less will ignore the party but may inadvertently do something that helps them.

So, lets get to the random encounter tables themselves!

Region A

Okay, well Region A has only a single encounter chart so that makes things easy. The first thing I notice is that it asks you to roll on the table once per hour which seems like it's going to get tedious extremely fast. On top of that I notice that 6 of the 20 possible outcomes is "nothing" (more if you count random sounds and . It seems like it would be easier to roll less often but with a greater likelihood of something happening. I'd say that rolling once every 4 hours seems fine. Honestly though, I'd suggest that you go with something more abstract. Perhaps roll on the table every 2 hours of real-world (rather than game) time. Obviously if a random encounter would be nonsensical (or inconvenient) at that exact moment then it can be delayed.

The table has a few other problems as well. First and foremost the results are too specific. If you stick to the table you'll probably run into many pairs of troglodytes playing cards in all sorts of improbable locations. Also, when creating this table the writers seem to have forgotten about the entire point of the Encounter Condition table. The reason the encounter condition table is a good idea is that it significantly multiplies the number of possible outcomes without creating a single huge table. A 20 entry encounter condition and 20 entry encounter table provide 400 different possibilities without having to figure out how to roll a d400. However this encounter table throws it out the window, pretty much each encounter has very specific conditions to start with. This is going to lead to some very repetitive "random" encounters. So here's a shorter, more generic random table designed to synergize better with the Encounter Condition table. Obviously "event" or trap encounters can ignore the table.

Roll 1d12

Some terrible noise echoes down the hallway or a mighty gust of wind. Echoes 5, 50% chance of Drafty.
A lone humanoid. roll 1d3: 1-Kobold, 2-Orc, 3-Troglodyte.
A flock of flying, fiendish animals, 1d6+1 of them. Roll 1d6: 1-Darkmantle, 2-Stirge, 3-Dire Bat, 4-Eagle, 5-Vargouille, 6-bat swarm.
A swarm. Roll 1d3: 1-Spider, 2-bat, 3-rat.
A humaniod patrol. Roll 1d3: 1- 2d6 1st level kobold warriors, 2- 1d8 1st level Orc warriors, 3- 1d6 Troglodytes.
It's a Trap! Roll 1d4. 1- Razor-Wire, 2- Basic Arrow Trap, 3-Deeper Pit Trap, 4-Wall Blade Trap.
Someone important: Choose a named NPC the party has not yet encountered wandering the halls alone.
Pack of fiendish beasties, 2d4 of them. Roll 1d6: 1-Dire Rat, 2-Wolf, 3-Medium Centipede, 4-Riding Dog, 5-Baboon, 6-Small Spider.
A lone fiendish monster. Roll 1d6: 1-Dire Badger, 2-Black Bear, 3-Monitor Lizard, 4-Boar, 5-Large Viper, 6-Lion.
Minor Tremor. The ground shakes (DC 15 Reflex save or fall), dust swirls (concealment for 1d10 rounds).
Lone scout from Region B...a 2nd level goblin rogue or a 1st level Bugbear ranger.
Nothing at all.

So that looks good. Now on to region B.

Region B

Now Region B is a bigger fish than A, at least when it comes to random encounters. The place is divided into several subsections and each has its own encounter chart. Ultimately though they all share the same problems as region A...they're rolled too often, produce many uninteresting results and its results are too specific. So here are my improved versions. Like Region A I would suggest rolling once every 4 hours or once per two-hours of real-world time (excepting the abandoned halls, see below).

B1-48

The abandoned halls Encounter table has a 50% chance of nothing which makes sense but it makes for an uninteresting table. Instead we'll just roll less often. So roll once per 8 hours or once per game session (or 4 real-world hours if you're into marathon-length gaming).

Roll 1d8

A foul gas pours from a crack at someone's feet. Roll 1d3. 1-Stinking Cloud, 2-Fog Cloud 3-Ungol Dust vapor
Wanderer from Region A, roll on that encounter table instead.
A humanoid scout, A 1st level Bugbear Rogue or a 3rd level Hobgoblin Ranger.
A lone wolf. A single Worg (40%), Dire Wolf (40%) or Blink Dog (20%).
Ancient trap. Roll 1d4: 1-Portcullis Trap (cold iron), 2-Bestow Curse Trap, 3-Wall Scythe Trap, 4-Searing Light Trap (5th lvl).
Former prisoner still lurking about. Roll 1d4: 1-Imp, 2-Quasit, 3-1d6 lemures, 4-1d4 dretches.
Slimy horror. Roll 1d4. 1-Patch of brown mold, 2-Puddle of green slime, 3-patch of yellow mold, 4-Grey Ooze
Nothing.

B49-B68
In the bugbear settlement itself I strongly recommend avoiding "random" encounters. You should definitely have bugbears wandering the halls or keeping watch but it'll stretch believability to run into random magic, wandering beasts or similar hazards when smack dab in an encampment. For other parts here's a revamped encounter chart.

Roll 1d10

Bugbear patrol. 2d3 Bugbears.
Crude bugbear trap. Roll 1d4: 1-Camouflaged Pit Trap (20 ft), 2-Bricks from Ceiling, 3-Javelin Trap, 4-Poison Dart trap
2 bugbear scouts (1st level rangers)
Goblin scout. A single 3rd level goblin rogue (75% from the Empire, 25% from the rebels).
Important NPC. Pick a named NPC, they're here with an appropriate escort.
Ancient Trap...a Glyph of Warding (Blast, 5th level).
Blockage. The party encounters a barrier. Either a section of collapsed rock or an abandoned barricade.
Goblin invaders! A 2nd level hobgoblin fighter leads 2d6 1st level goblin warriors.
An alarm in the form of a Shrieker Fungus.
Nothing.

B69-90

Just like the bugbears I'd make sure to avoid making encounters in the empire random....and really that's actually this entire area with the exception of B89 and B90. And I've already suggested that B90 be changed to a "civilian" area for the goblins and it would be pretty ridiculous to just have a table for B90. So my suggestion is to ditch this encounter table entirely.

B92

So, the Maze is kind of unique when it comes to random encounters...since those are in fact the only encounters. As I suggested in the last post it's best to treat the whole area as an abstract puzzle rather than having the PCs simply march through. To recap: Traveling through the Maze involves 30 minutes and a DC 20 survival roll. On a success the PCs have navigated from one end of the maze to the other. On a failure they've lost their way and must spend 30 more minutes and another Survival roll to get through. Roll for an encounter every 30 minutes. Of course if the PCs are checking carefully for traps then they're going slow (taking an hour between each check instead of 30 minutes).

However, I never actually looked over the random encounter tables themselves...and it features some truly bad editing...for instance options 6-9 involve finding a trap...but there's no traps listed at all. So here's a new, improved set of encounters. There's also the Maze-specific encounter condition table.

Roll 1d10 for the encounter then 1d10 for the encounter condition

Annoying Traps. Roll 1d3: 1-Portcullis Trap (Cold Iron), 2-Stone Block Trap, 3-Wall of Thorns. Either way the trap blocks the passage, increasing the Survival DC by 5 unless bypassed.
Deadly Trap. Roll 1d4: 1-Fussilade of Darts, 2-Lightning Bolt (5th level), 3-Glyph of Warding (5th level), 4-Spiked Pit Trap (40 ft).
Fearsome Trap. Roll 1d4: 1-Fear, 2-Confusion, 3-Phantasmal Killer, 4-Sepia Snake Sigil.
1d6 Vargoulle.
1d3 Shadows
Maze of Illusion. The character navigating (the one making the survival checks) must make a DC 17 Will save or become tricked by illusions, increasing the DC of the next survival check by 10.
A lone Wight.
A lost humanoid of your choice.
A group of goblin rebels navigating the maze. 2d6 1st level goblin warriors.
Nothing.

A zone of complete Silence.
A cloud of vile stench. Stagnant Air
Patches of Brown Mold dot the walls.
Deep Darkness.
The area is coated in slime. Hazardous Footing 15.
Eldritch evil fills the air. Fear 12.
Horrific echoes fill the hall. Distracting Noises 3.
Thick layers of moss and slime. Bog.
Intense cold fills the air. Extreme Cold
An ill wind blows...Drafty.

Also, while I'm at it I should try and justify this place's existence. It's a neat area from a challenge/strategy standpoint but it doesn't really have much reason to actually ever be built. Supposedly it's meant to help the celestials in case their prisoners escape...but it's tucked away here on the far side of the WLD and while it is the only way out of the B93 area it still doesn't do the job nearly as well as several solid walls and large heavy doors would. So lets reconsider its purpose. With my re-vamp of the WLD's origin story I claim that the demons/undead/aberrations here were not brought here and imprisoned by the celestials. Rather they are drawn here or actually born from the horrific abomination sealed in the dungeon's heart. The center of the maze here is one area where the concentrated evil wells up and has the potential to spawn demons or create undead. The celestials capped it but the "bleed off" is enough to still spawn lesser horrors. If the place was sealed and walled in it would soon be full to bursting so instead they created a sprawling maze to confuse and delay any new spawn (as well as traps to kill off the weakest and alert the guards) with guards stationed at the mouths of the Maze to slay any who make it through. Obviously such things were long, long ago but the well of evil is still waiting there in the heart of the maze. Fortunately the celestial's seal still holds...for now.

Anyway...enough of that. Back to the tables.

B93-108

Again it just doesn't make sense to have random encounters when wandering through what is essentially someone's home. So really this area shouldn't have random encounters (or more accurately every random encounter should simply be some rebel goblins wandering between rooms or on guard duty).

B109-119

This place on the other hand is perfectly fine for random encounters:

Roll 1d10

Zombie beast. Roll 1d4 1-Owlbear, 2-Dire Wolf, 3-Minotaur, 4-Dire Ape.
Undead warriors, the reanimated corpses of paladins who died battling here. 1d3 ghouls armed with longswords, shields and chain shirts.
Frightful illusion. Treat this encounter as a Shadow Conjuration spell, pick a random creature from the Summon Monster III list.
Rolling fog moves through the area. Treat it as a Fog Cloud spell that moves slowly (1 foot/round) down the hall.
1d4 Howlers.
Unlucky wanderer. Roll on the encounter table for Region F (remember my new map).
Traps. Roll 1d3: 1-Cameoflaged Pit Trap (50 ft), 2-Acid Arrow Trap, 3-Wall Scythe Trap (silver)
Lone goblinoid.
1d3 Wights.
Nothing

And that concludes the random encounters for Regions A and B. As I complete more Regions I'll make sure to address their random encounters as well.

The Order of Magnitude XXVII: Downtime

2011-12-27T23:41:00.000-08:00

So the order had just finished a major job, leaving crushed enemies and smoking wreckage across 3 or so countries in their wake. Magnus is fully engaged with research with House Cannith working to examine the two ancient schema pieces they've examined so far. This will take quite a while and it'll lead to the longest downtime for the Order so far (and with Magnus occupied possibly the quietest).

So other than a few minor personal projects (Nolan hunting through Sharn for great restaurants and exotic recipes and Jack trying to convince Magnus to help construct an Alchemy golem using a Manual they found in the Whitehearth facility) the Order had little plans for the glut of time they were left with and considering the last time they had time to kill they ended up causing labor riots...I needed to find something for them!

So after flipping through the eberron Player's guide I found an option which allows characters to purchase "shares" in an expedition to Xendrik and other exotic locales. In exchange for an initial investment they may roll on a table for a random reward (potentially ending up losing cash on the deal). So with a few modifications I create an alternative system. Instead of purchasing shares in an expedition these would be "mini-adventures" which each character can engage in initially (with the "purchase cost" representing the price of supplies, transportation and information). In addition to the standard table (which is for the most part identical to the one in the player's guide) I included a "risky venture" option requiring a greater investment but with the possibility of greater rewards. I'll include both tables at the end of the post. Each "roll" on the table took about a month of time.

So pretty much everyone in the Order (except Magnus who is otherwise busy) decides to invest in their individual sidequests:

Jack Struck gold, going for the "risky" adventure every time and always managing to make a profit in the form of cash, valuable spell components and ancient artifacts. In fact, after 4 or so months Jack has made enough profit to completely fund the creation of "Nurse" his alchemical golem (modified to medium size rather than large and disguised with a heavy robe to resemble a silent warforged).

Glorin had a tendency to collect cursed antiquities or trudging through diseased swamps. Fortunately his excellent saving throws hold him in good stead and he manages to avoid any serious issues. However he makes little profit until he finally gets a big break. A ship he is sailing on is commandeered by several Brelish soldiers and non-other than King Boranel's brother. They're pursuing a rogue sorcerer and when they finally catch up the sorcerer manages to disable the his pursuers but Glorin manages to overcome his spells and slay him. For saving the king's brother he's rewarded with a hefty cash reward and an honorary membership to the Redcloaks (including his own fancy cloak).

Nolan has mixed luck. He unfortunately has several "bad maps" and at one incident where a noble he was working for was killed by a bullette. Overall he broke even.

Everyone else had almost universally terrible luck. In fact all together the team had so many "bad map" results that we had to make it a plot point...a scummy goblin merchant who set up shop in the Adventurer's district and starting selling faked (or "used") treasure maps. The Order decides that they should pay him a visit and ensure that they get a refund...and that he takes up a new occupation. They show up to find him packing his bags in the company of two heavily armed bugbear bodyguards. After attempting to squirm his way out of a refund he sics the bugbears on the team but an intimidate roll from Glorin and Nolan makes them hesitate...then Nolan asks just how much they're being paid. After offering them twice as much to take a break they're left alone with the merchant...when the true terror strikes.

A high-pitched, reedy voice from outside announces the arrival of Jin Tamlin, bandit extraordinare! and his faithful sidekick, Gimble! Both the Order and the goblin merchant begin panicking.

You see they've run into Jin before and while he was deadly the true danger lies in just how freaking annoying the little bastard was. Jin is a halfling fighter/Master Thrower with a speciality in darts. In fact due to an obscene amount of weapon focus, feats and throwing tricks the little monster was practically a machine-gun...able to toss over a dozen total darts in a single round and accurate enough to penetrate even Glorin and Nolan's defenses. This is combined with the support of Gimble...his gnomish sidekick and "announcer"...a Bard with the perform (bragging) skill to help enhance Jin (usually while hiding behind illusions and invisibility himself). Together they create a perfect storm of deadliness and annoyance.

This time Jin shows up on a flying carpet outside the window while Gimble shouts from the bridge outside, egging him on. The room is soon full of broken glass and flying darts. The Order takes some minor wounds as they dive for cover near the doorway. After a bit of discussion they decide to charge outside. Unfortunately they find Jin hovering overhead and Gimble has multiplied himself with a mirror image. The following battle can be expressed best through Gimble's annoying, high-pitched and repetitive dialogue:

"Come on then you fools! You stand under the eye of Jin Tamlin...master extraordinare!"

"Ho-ho! Tremble with fear and wet your knickers! Look upon the darts of Jin ye fatty and despair!"

*brandishing an apparently empty hand* "Foolish...idiots! Now you shall feel the sting of my invisible blade!"

Unfortunately for Jin, Tayin had a clever idea and whipped out a wand of dispel magic (formerly belonging to peski) and managed with a lucky roll to dispel his flying carpet. The carpet plummets somewhere into the depths of Lower Sharn (probably making an excellent piece find for some poor schlub). Jin is saved by his ring of feather falling and a grappling hook.

Now, before I relate this next part I should mention that as the night goes on it becomes easier and easier to persuade me to do very, very silly things. You see one of Gimble's pieces of equipment is a Bag of Tricks and he got lucky one turn and rolled "rhino". Unfortunately his rhino was no match for Glorin and was in the process of being quickly dispatched. Now...Peski's player had just finished his newest character a (a Shifter barbarian named Pax) and was itching to be introduced into play. His impatience was quickly overcoming any desire for a "reasonable" introduction. So things got...weird.

The rhino began to bulge oddly in the middle and then, in a shower of gore that nearly made the druid faint it burst apart revealing a huge barbarian wielding a greatsword. Pax screams "GIMBLE!" and charges at the gnomish bard.

What follows is blood and screaming and more furry animals being thrown about (this time without barbarians inside). The fight ends with Jin Tamlin dead (eliciting a spontaneous cheer from all nearby buildings...Jin had a reputation) but Gimble escaped, swearing revenge. The goblin merchant gladly hands over a refund, and then some, to the brave men and women who had slain Jin.

Pax introduces himself to the Order and (lacking any knowledge of how he got to Sharn and anywhere to stay) he hangs out with them for a little while...eventually proving his worth and becoming a full team member. We never clearly decided on just how he got inside a magically summoned rhino but I think it involved an accident with a wand of wonder, some sovereign glue and a plate of spaghetti.

That just about covers the Order's downtime. When we return the plot will get back on track. Like I promised here's a copy of the tables I used for random solo-sidequests:

Each venture takes a month’s time and requires an investment of 1000 gp (simple) or 2,000 gp (risky). Each venture earns the player a roll.

1d100 (simple)

1-15: 1,200 gp and a dakhanni antiquity (worth 500 gp) but the idol is cursed and spending it requires a DC 17 will save (bestow curse CL 7) or begin transforming into a goblin until the idol is returned.

16-30: Bad weather and hostile valenar elves force you to return early. 400 gp and one dakhanni antiquity

31-36: You uncover a lost goblin temple but most of your spoils end up stolen. 600 gp, contracts a disease or a spellblight

37: Your lightning rail collides with something on the track, you survive and are given 2 complementary round trip tickets to any destination of your choice.

38-39: Hired to protect a noble on safari, who gets eaten by a bullette. 400 gp but can bring it to 1000 if they sell the story to the Korranberg chronicle.

40-55: 1,100 gp plus 2d10 dragoneye acorns.

56-78: 1,400 gp plus 2d6 pearls (12d12 gp value).

79-80: No clue. You have no memory of the expedition and are found wandering dazedly from the wilderness but your pockets are full of gold. 1,800 gp and a giant antiquity.

81-90: 2,200 gp.

91-95: 2,300 gp and an orcish friendship necklace (+2 to cha rolls with gatekeeper orcs).

96-98: 2,700 gp and you may call in a favor from the Kech Volar for a week’s service from an honor guard (3 4^th level hobgoblin fighters, 2 2^nd level bugbear barbarians).

99-100: 1,500 gp and a minor wondrous item.

1d100 (risky)

1-15: 2,500 gp and a ceremonial moderate magical weapon. The ghosts of it’s past wielders will seek and attempt to slay you (spawns 1d4 wraiths which try and kill you).

16-30: Bad treasure map. Nothing of worth.

31-36: The ancient ruin has already been looted. One goblin artifact.

37: Lost in the swamp, you contract 1d3 diseases.

38-39: No treasure but you become romantically involved with a noblewoman after foiling assassins sent after her. She breaks your heart after a few weeks and leaves you with 1,500 gp. You’re hounded by journalists (can earn 3,000 gold through interviews) but giving in will cause 4 assassins to be sent after you (5^th level gnome rogues).

40-55: 2,500 gp plus 2d8 Irian crystals

56-78: 3,000 gp plus 2d6 syberis dragonshards but there is a curse or spellblight that attaches.

79-80: 4,000 gp plus Potion of non-detection and an oil of greater magic weapon (+5).

81-90: 3,500 gp and you can memorize an artifact spell or gets a giant artifact.

91-95: 5,000 gp and a favor from a dragonmarked house (a one-shot use of the favored in house feat)

96-98: 6,000 gp and a title/knighthood/etc.

99-100: 3,000 gp and a moderate wondrous item.

I Thought of it First V: Random Super-Hero Ideas

2011-12-22T08:01:00.000-08:00

Just some random concepts that sprung up in my head.

The first was considering exactly what would make a good Superman video game. He's a super-hero I've always enjoyed (my favorite incarnation being his bro-mantic pairing with batman in the Batman/Superman comic series) although I'm not a hardcore comic adept by any means. Some people may find him boring (bah I say, they probably don't like paladins either) but that's never been an issue for me. But with a character like him I could see him being a challenge for a writer. That certainly hasn't stopped many, many writers from making a great story with the Man of Steel. Unfortunately when it comes to video games it's a different story. In fact I don't know if there's a single super-man based game that could be considered universally "good", especially when it comes to capturing his vast array of powers accurately.

Obviously older games can be excused due to limited graphics, technology, etc. But modern gaming certainly should be up for the challenge. However, current super-hero or epic action (DMC or God of War) use RPG elements, buying up new abilities with whatever in-game currency is available. Obviously this doesn't work with Superman, a game where you start with only a few powers and "buy them up" would be an insult to the character.

So here's an alternate idea. As superman you have access to all your powers right from the start but you're limited by your Focus. Focus being how much you're concentrating on one particular aspect of your powers at once. Focus can be split up among different powers freely and reassigned at will. So just by switching to your character menu you can shift focus from one power aspect to another.

So for instance you might divide Supe's powers up in the following ways:

Might: Pretty self-explanatory. Putting more Focus in Might gives you the ability to lift heavier objects, strike for more damage, etc. It also affects your invulnerability. Superman obviously is never at risk of being knocked out or killed (excepting special circumstances or powerful enemies) but if your Might isn't boosted then you can more easily be knocked back or stunned.
Speed: Investing focus in super-speed gives you much, much faster movement and increased attack rate. Important to note that this only increases the character's actual speed (see below). This also includes flight, completely "nulling" speed Focus may limit you purely to gliding or leaping.
Senses: Enhanced super-senses will give kind of a grab-bag of abilities. Partially it'll probably grant some "map-modding" abilities like showing enemies on your mini-map, and "radar" effects to show the location of danger, victimized civilians, etc. Primarily though it grants bullet-time, slowing the rate at which events occur. This does not increase your movement ability but it does provide more time to think about the situation and react. Obviously combining it with focus in Speed allows for some amazing things.

Now, you've got other powers that don't scale up or down (heat-vision is a good example), although the slow-down effect of something like Senses will certainly synergize well. Other abilities might be picked up as "stunts" throughout gameplay (for example super-breath as a stunt of Might, becoming more powerful the higher your Might Focus) or through specialized button comboes relying on player skill. Focus may or may not increase throughout play (the game could follow Superman through stages in his career from smallville to metropolis to cosmic level play).

Now the following isn't exactly my idea...I just remember reading it somewhere (honestly I don't remember where...if there's anyone who knows what the heck I'm talking about feel free to mention it in the comments) and thinking it was a terrific idea. Challenges in a super-man game should be more like a complex, multi-solution puzzle rather than a straight up brawler. Say for instance you've got a giant mech trundling down main-street and firing missiles and lasers all around. Your goal is not only to defeat the bot and save civilians in danger but to ensure that you do so in the least amount of time or the minimum number of "moves". The three main powers would grant a variety of different ways to tackle the challenge in potentially hundreds of different ways.

And of course there should be a World of Cardboard bonus level where you can simply cut loose and demolish the scenery at will.

The second part of this is an idea I had a while back. You know the show Deadliest Warrior? Well if you don't it's a show which compares different warriors throughout history in a "who would win" battle. It can be quite fun so long as you don't think too hard about it because some of their assumptions are amazingly terrible.

Well, my thought is why not try this with super-heroes? Comics have been doing this for years with various super-hero misunderstandings and "vs" titles. Of course the answers are rarely consistent from comic to comic and always depend on the writer and the situation. But you could certainly carefully examine the abilities and limitations of each character in a "neutral territory" situation and work out once and for all who would actually (on average of course) win in a fight.

Of course unless the show was actually produced by one of the big-two comic publishers the licensing rights would be obscene. And while the really interesting version would allow cross-overs (such as Thor Vs The Flash) it would be pretty tough to get permission from the publisher to let their character lose the fight. Still, a show like this could become immensely popular if for no other reason than the permanent flame-wars every episode would spark off.

Improving the World's Largest Dungeon: Region B, The Rest

2011-12-19T09:20:00.000-08:00

So clearly the first part of Region B was...disappointing to say the least. But I still think that the region as a whole has potential and I'm hoping the quality improves now that we've moved past the nuttiest area. We'll see won't we?

B49

So right off the bat we've got another cartography mistake. Supposedly B49 is a hidden room, connected by a secret door to room B51, which is in no way connected and B49 is in no way hidden. That said, you could easily leave it as-is, although it isn't hidden the lock is DC 35 which would be well beyond the skill of just about anyone in the dungeon, even a rogue PC is probably not going to have a tough time until they're higher level.

The chamber is extremely valuable however, doubling the speed at which PCs can rest and regain spells. In keeping with such an important place I'd give it some interesting features, maybe drop a puzzle or cypher or some other interesting element here...because you can bet the PCs will make this place a base of operations.

B50

There hardly seems to be any point to requiring a Search check to find the secret door considering the description pretty clearly points out the door's location. But hey, they've got an Echoes condition that is actually addressed in the description. That's good.

I would strongly suggest using the strongboxes as a good way to reward the PCs with some extra magic items. The room suggests some 1st level potions, but I'd say a low-charge wand, some magic ammo and some decent wondrous items.

B51

So this is Argliss's original secret lair. First thing, when describing the room make sure to note that the ring is on top of the book on the table. One of the key traps for the room is the fact that disturbing the ring triggers a fire trap, which consumes the book.

Now, make sure not to do what the adventure says with the ring. The ring is apparently a cursed ring that prevents lies, invisibility and prevents the wearer from acting in any way opposed to LG tendencies...DO NOT GIVE THIS TO THE PLAYERS. The big risk isn't danger of the "cursed" object, it's the fact that this is perhaps the most powerful tool they'll ever find in the dungeon. With this ring they'll be able to interrogate any enemy or convert even the most wicked foe to the cause of good (or at least prevent them from doing any evil). Of course it doesn't make sense anyway. After all, if the celestials could create this why aren't rings like this on all of the prisoners in the dungeon?

Also, ignore the identification of Argliss from the journal. There's no reason why the PCs should assume he's a Barghest (or even necessarily know what one is). There are many, many different types of shapechangers and all the PCs should be able to gather is that Argliss clearly somehow manages the trick.

EDIT: Just noticed when doing work on the Bugbear area that B50 is the only way to get access to rooms B52-58...part of the bugbear's primary stomping ground. So logically the bugbears would know about this place...which of course would make it a horrible hiding place for Argliss (even if you consider that they might not have been able to get through the several locked doors).

B52

Ignore the "bonus feats" for the dire wolf, there's no good reason for them. Also ignore the Fearless condition, the designers seem to love giving every animal the Fearless condition for no real reason. One wonders how exactly the dire wolf got into this room in the first place. Since this hallway is pretty much the only direct path from the bugbear's territory to the rest of region B there should be at least one bugbear stationed here on watch, the wolf can be a companion.

B53

The writers of this region seem to have very specific tastes: pedestals, wells and statues. Oh, and also very obvious traps. Very obvious, poorly designed traps. For instance we've got a trap here that fills the room with water...but does not close or lock the door. Needless to say this is a miserable failure of a room. The room also never addresses the value (or lack thereof) of the gemstones in the sack. The players will certainly want to know!

I'd say keep the basic elements but mix things up. We've got a well here, an incredibly clear, deep well...so deep that the PC's torchlight doesn't reach the bottom but does throw up some sparkles from the depths. PCs might risk drowning to dive into the depths here (say 200-250 ft) to find treasure or trash (I'd say be nice...give them a few mundane gems and perhaps a wondrous item like a gem of elemental summoning?)

B54

In this area there's one major missing element. The bugbears are simply concentrated in a few rooms...there's no bugbears wandering the hallways or sitting around. It should be pretty clear the moment that the PCs enter the area that it's place where a large number of critters live. Moving around here should not simply be a matter of going from room to room kicking down doors...it should be more like walking around a small village or neighborhood.

Ignore the Fearless encounter condition. Also an editing mistake. The bulk of the room's description claims sharpfang has 25 hp, but his stat block has 31 hp. Go with the stat-block, it's closer to the average value for his level.

B55

Oh dear...another pedestal. Oh and look, they think they're being clever. This one isn't trapped! Honestly I say just delete this room entirely. It is going to be pretty much impossible to find at this level (DC 40 search check to locate). Of course there's no explanation for why this fairly simple and mundane magic item is hidden behind what is possibly the most well-concealed secret door in the entire dungeon. If for some reason you do decide it needs to exist the first thing you should do is drop the DC to 30 (the normal DC for a well-hidden secret door) and put something more useful inside such as a magic weapon or shield.

B56

This is a good example of the issue I mentioned in B54. Assuming the PCs didn't head into B54 they could simply stumble right into the bugbear's workshop with no one the wiser. Someone should be either in this room (even if it's a couple of goblin slaves or prisoners sharpening arrowheads) or out in the hallways.

The cartography here is a bit odd. On the map there's a clear gap that looks like a very narrow hallway between B56 and B57. Since the text pretty clearly states that the only entrance between the the two is the secret door. Speaking of the secret door, I'd say either make it a normal door or have it propped open. It doesn't make much sense for the bugbears to close themselves into this back area when they're working and it's not like the PCs aren't going to figure it out once they hear the noises from next door.

Initially I assumed that the Echoes condition was due to the sound of the bugbears working in the next room, but following the rules would actually cause the sound to make it harder to hear the bugbears in the next room. It's not otherwise addressed, so simply ignore the Echoes condition.

B59

Ok, now this is confusing. So rooms B54-B58 are the bugbear's war-room, armory, supply chamber (and b53 is a logical source of fresh water). B59 is the bugbear's sleeping chamber....which is in no way connected to the rest of the chambers. To get to B59 and take a nap the bugbears working in the armory would need to head out through room B52 (which originally contained a hostile dire wolf), through B50 (passing through 2 secret doors, one of which is jammed), past B45-46 and through another secret door before they reach their territory again...so clearly we've got some craptastic cartography going on here. In fact...taking a look at the bugbear's territory it's clear that the general design is simply terrible. I'll address specifics later on but this just doesn't work as-is.

But as far as B59 goes it clearly needs a more direct connection to the other parts of Bugbear territory. I'd suggest placing the door on the eastern wall of the hallway outside of the door to B58.

B60

The map really needs to indicate where traps are. Unless they're specifically attached to a room feature like a door (or a pedestal...ugh) there's rarely much indication of where exactly the trap and trigger are. Presumably the stone block trap here is located immediately inside the doorway, but it's certainly not clear.

Also "based on the contents, it is safe to assume that this is a store room..." but it never actually indicates what the hell these contents are. I'd suggest including some basic supplies/gear (rope, food, water, torches, etc). Considering this is where the bugbear's sleep and is the home of both their greatest warrior and healer it would be insane not to have at least a token guard of a couple of bugbears stationed here to alert everyone should the place be attacked. If you think your party might be amenable to a diplomatic situation I would have either Aughkin or the Healer out here rather than sitting in their rooms so that they can keep violence from breaking out if the players don't immediately start swinging.

B62

Aughkin is a decent encounter but ignore all their modifications. The writers of this adventure love to throw around free bonuses. Apparently being a 5th level bugbear fighter isn't enough...on top of that he'll get the benefits of barbarian rage, improved grappling, and he's fearless. If you want to make him tougher give him a level of barbarian so that the CR is at least accurate.

B63-4

Although the ideas here aren't utterly ridiculous, the location is. The bugbears shouldn't be setting traps that rely on the goblins wandering around freely in their territory...they should be preventing this from happening at all. If a goblin can get to B63 there's nothing to stop a large force from simply surrounding B66 or stumbling across the hidden entrance to their leaders. These rooms might simply not be used (they have no doors or other security) but if you like the goblin traps then I'd suggest putting them elsewhere in the dungeon.

B65

Despite the fact that this claims to be a storage room and the room description claims it is full of gear and polearms there's no indication of what is actually in here. I'd say remove the whole "storage room" aspect (who stores corpses alongside their equipment?) and just make this a place where the bugbears have stuck a pile of goblin corpses, perhaps they were in a hurry and that's why the corpses still have a lot of valuables.

B66-68

These areas are a good indication of one big problem the bugbears have. They are right next to their goblin enemies. I mean, right next door, right down the hall. There's no barricade, no guards, no nothing to stop the goblins from simply marching down the hall to one of the major bugbear camps. Now the lair of Aughkin and the Healer are concealed behind a secret door but B66 is where the bulk of the tribe seems to be staying and it's only defense is a locked door. Strategically this is a joke.

Even worse is 67 and 68. The idea is that these rooms are the bugbear's last line of defense...if the goblins manage to overrun their position then they'll retreat to these areas and make a last stand. However this retreat would actually require that the bugbears retreat towards the goblins. Rather than falling back they would somehow have to fight their way through the goblin forces to reach these rooms. Obviously this is suicidely dumb. The only purpose of room 67 seems to be to make it hard for PCs to enter this part of the Region from Region A and channel them either to the heavily trapped first section or directly to the goblin "empire".

My suggestion would be to simply make rooms 67 and 68 sites of previous battles between the bugbear and goblins. The goblins managed to trap the bugbears in this room and slaughtered them. (there are no traps). As of right now this area is something of a no-mans-land for the goblin and bugbear forces and neither side has recovered their dead.

Alternatively if you like the traps (this is another room where it would have been quite nice to at least generally mark the location of the traps) then perhaps this was a trap set by the bugbears, luring the goblins into the chamber and slipping out (perhaps looping through region A).

B69

As addressed above it's kind of ridiculous how easy it is to simply walk between goblin and bugbear territory. There should be a barricade at the very least, probably for both sides with a no-man's-land hallway between. The goblin's barricade is probably right where B69 is marked on the map, with the bugbear's being further up the hall, somewhere north of the entrance to B67.

The encounter has the Cover condition which might make sense if there was a barricade here in the first place, but there's no mention of such. I'd remove it anyway because an immovable barricade won't necessarily provide cover to everything.

Also remember to look Here for my suggestions on how best to ignore their goblin modifications. Ignore the suggested tactics and extra feats and use the corrected stats I provided. The goblins should have the barricade set up maybe 10 feet from the 3-way intersection. The floor 20 feet in front of the barricade is covered in caltrops and the barricade itself is made of spears, wood and stone. The barricade provides cover, has Hardness 6 and 60 hp per 5-foot section. It can be climbed over with a DC 10 climb check (but spikes inflict 1d4 damage to anyone climbing it). It can be jumped with a DC 16 check, but anyone "landing" directly on the barricade falls to one side or the other (prone) and takes 2d6 damage from the spikes. The goblins will remain at the barricade if they spot the PCs, but they'll send one back as a messenger to B70 for reinforcements. If the PCs are hostile they'll initially rely on javelins or slings to drive them off. If the PCs charge the barricade the goblins will retreat to the intersection and split into two forces, allowing the PCs to come forward and be caught between them.

B70

Ignore the "soft cover" condition.

B71

Ignore the Concealment (there's no source of concealment in the room), Echoes and Fearless conditions.

Haglar's stats are problematic. First and foremost they give him improved disarm without him meeting any of the prerequisites, and they chose for some reason to give him Alertness but to invest only a single skill point in both spot and listen, making it pretty much pointless. Also an "elite warrior" who relies on a whip rather than his sword certainly doesn't deserve the name. Here's a better feat selection: Weapon Focus (Scimitar), Weapon Specialization (Scimitar), Improved Initiative, Quick Draw and either give him Iron Will or keep Alertness, but shift his skill points from his other skills to boost his Spot/Listen. Also make sure to make his scimitar +1 and not his dumb whip (so his scimitar his +9 to hit, 1d6+5 damage. Ignore the suggestion of fighting 2-handed).

B72-B73

This is a terrible place for a prison considering it's got a door that leads straight to region A. That means if the prisoner escapes then all they have to do is run that way and they've totally escaped from the empire. If you want the prison to make sense then seal this exit.

B74

Remember to ignore the Fearless encounter condition and the suggested tactics. Also replace Hammerfist's Greatclub with a Maul (identical to a greataxe but bashing rather than slashing).

B76

I don't care how well locked it is (all it takes is a knock spell) It's insanely poor security to have the king's bedchambers open directly into an unguarded hallway straight to region A. Instead conceal the entrance to this passage (in Region A) with a secret door, DC 20 to locate.

B83-84

Ignore the Fearless condition and remember to ignore the tactics.

B85

Ignore the negative energy effect (and especially ignore hammerfist's un-explained immunity). Also ignore his free, area of effect intimidate. And on top of that keep in mind that most of the suggested tactics either make no sense, have no rules (breaking hands and fingers) or are just stupid (using coup de grace attacks during the middle of combat).

B86-88

Ignore the Fearless condition and the goblin's tactics.

It's amusing to note that although the goblins supposedly learned their discipline and tactics from the hobgoblins pretty much none of the hobgoblins encountered shows any hint of discipline or military thinking.

B89

This whole area is pretty dull. First and foremost the instructions given are practically gibberish. It tells you to drop a few "command, cause fear, and suggestion" spells but no indication of where, why or what the purpose of the spells are (the suggestion especially) and tells you to give a "allip-like" moan. Overall I wouldn't worry about this region too much...after all the odds of the PCs actually cracking the bizarrely specific techniques needed to open any of the tombs is pretty low.

That said the place is hardly interesting and you might want to replace it with living areas for goblin "civilians" (commoners rather than warriors). I know the dungeon isn't exactly going for verisimilitude but there's got to be at least a few non-combatants to keep the empire going and this is a perfect place to stick them.

B90

Some terrible traps here. Not overpowered, just terribly used. First and foremost, if you've got traps in the hallway then put the note for them in the hallway and when the "hallway leading to this room" is actually three hallways at least 90 feet long that all intersect directly outside the door it would be great if you could provide some hints as to where those will be. I say get rid of the traps altogether. If you really like traps then stick one in B90, placed by bugbears to skewer goblins coming to try and reestablish the barracks here. The encounter conditions can be ignored (considering there's no one actually here they hardly matter).

B91

Some hilariously bad room description "This....room smells of charcoal and smoke. The blackened walls and burned furniture indicate only one culprit-fire." Because there's so many other potential sources of smoke. The explanation behind this room is pretty crazed as well...apparently the bugbears set the room on fire...then left an urn here that they trapped on the assumption that goblins will believe an important bugbear was killed...so they'll grab the urn? Whatever. It's all nuts, but maybe the bugbears are actually pretty dumb. So go with it if you like, otherwise perhaps this was a site where the goblin "god" used his fireballs to wipe out a crew of bugbears as a show of strength, then the goblins left traps here to kill bugbears trying to reclaim the area.

B92

Amusingly the first sentence of this section tells you that there are no random encounters in or near the Maze...then the encounter condition ends with a random encounter table. But that said a series of random encounters and conditions isn't a half-bad way to run a complicated maze. However the problem is that although it plays fast and loose with traps and encounters the maze itself is very specifically laid out and can only be navigated square-by-square and hall-by-hall. In fact, it's extremely easy to navigate overall...with the right path choices you could easily move from B88 to B93-95 (pretty much the only places the maze connects) in less than 10 minutes, never mind the half-hour you're meant to roll encounters. Even if you do head deep into the maze I doubt very much that any PCs will spend more than an hour in the Maze.

Here's a good abstract way to handle it. Once the PCs enter the Maze they become lost in the shifting rooms and twists and turns. Attempting to get through the maze requires a half-hour and a DC 20 Survival roll. Failure means they have to spend a second half-hour wandering the Maze. Success means they've successfully traveled from one end of the maze to the other.

B93

"Heathen Goblin Rebels" is a great name for a heavy metal band.

While I mentioned that spears are terrible equipment for the highly trained, "elite" goblin empire you might consider keeping them for these goblins to emphasize their relatively primitive tactics and lack of resources.

B94

The room descriptions throughout this whole region have a real problem with both assuming the PCs actions and knowledge. It's generally bad writing but it's safe to say most DMs know well enough to simply ignore those descriptions that would be completely meaningless to their PCs. Still, bad writing.

B95
Speaking of bad writing...apparently B94 has a secret door which is the only entrance to the rebel goblin's home. So despite the fact that they've got very large series of chambers sealed behind both a locked door and a secret door they decide to hang out in B95, which is not even locked, let alone concealed. Without even a guard at the doorway. Perhaps I can come up with some kind of justification...this room is ridiculously large in the first place, so big it's got almost no reason to exist. Perhaps though it was a meeting place for the celestials. Thus the floor has a massive mosaic tile containing the only full and complete map of the Region (you might even considering giving some map info on region A and C as well), perhaps even including the celestial-built traps and secret rooms. This is the only advantage the rebels have so they make sure to do their planning in this room so they can consult the map (they lack any writing materials to make copies).

Also, ignore the fearless condition. Apparently pretty much all goblins are completely immune to fear. Who knew?

B96

I'm assuming the writers meant for the unmarked door to the north of B96 to be an identical storeroom. I'd suggest that the "alarm rushes" (wait...where did goblins who've lived in the dungeon for centuries get rushes? replace it with mouse-skulls or rat bones or something) fill the hallway as well...otherwise there's not much point.

B97

Again, ignore the Fearless status. Also decide for yourself whether or not the goblins will immediately attack or not, because the description here is contradictory. I'd suggest that they immediately attack...they can't afford to talk things out when strangers wander into their home.

B98

Keep in mind that a goblin longspear will be size Small, although you might allow that to function as a Medium sized spear. Why not make it magical at this point too? The PCs could really use a good magic item...perhaps a +1 Flaming?

B99

This should be Unhallowed, the goblin rebels are still Evil aligned.

B100

More terrible descriptive. "...a lone goblin...he doesn't appear to notice you but maybe he does". Seriously? Otherwise the room is fine.

B101

There's no reason these goblins should get +2 to Will saves, so ignore that as well as the Fearless condition.

B102

So wait...the room generates supernatural Fear...so why do the goblins not realize why their worgs don't like it here? (oh wait, of course because they're all apparently fearless). In fact, you know what's better...this room has both the Fear and Fearless condition. The worg's are being driven mad by a fear effect that they're immune to. Wonderful!

So, obviously that's stupid. Instead these are captured Worgs, taken during a raid on the Empire goblins and the goblins are hoping to "tame" them. These worgs have been kept near-starving hoping to convince them to serve the rebel goblins.

B107

So rather than staying behind the secret doors and locked chambers with the rest of his people apparently Guk chooses to stay here...meaning he can be reached easily by anyone who makes it through the Maze and he's completely cut off from reinforcements should he be in danger. I'd say relocate him to the room directly across from B101 which is otherwise completely empty.

B108

This room is only inhabited because of bad cartography. The description claims that the goblins are here to guard from possible attack from the north and occasionally hunting monsters that inhabit the northern tunnels...but there is no connection to the northern tunnels. Do not treat them as Enraged or give them an initiative bonus.

B111 (Balance)

Most of this region is pretty good as far as balance goes. There are some tough encounters but they're mostly avoidable or solvable through means other than brute force. This room however is terribly dangerous. Even if we assume that all the PCs are level 5 by now it's pretty insane.

First the encounter conditions. Although they're certainly justified you'll notice that the PCs will have to resist fear (DC 14)...but it's also cursed making the DC 19, all undead have +6 turn resistance, while all clerics are at -4 to turning rolls...and just in case the PCs wanted to run it's got Hazardous Footing. And on top of that apparently provides concealment. I'd say drop Fear (it's justified but too powerful), Cursed, Desecration and Hazardous Footing. And of course drop Concealment because there's no explanation of the source.

Now...secondly the critters. First if you don't listen to my advice on the encounter conditions it's more ridiculous. For example the ghouls have an Aura of Fear which, with the Curse effect is DC...actually they never give a DC for the aura of fear or any information on it at all. So ignore it (it's hardly a balanced reversal).

In fact the stats for these guys are all crap. First they're apparently corrupted paladins and they have the abilities of paladins...but reversed...and of unclear level. They've got 2 extra HD so one would assume they're 2nd level...but they've got spellcasting abilities which paladins don't get till 6th. They've also got SR 14 and +4 natural armor...but they're only CR 3. They're also equipped with Unholy Longswords and Unholy Chain Shirst (despite the fact that there is no such thing). And of course just to be a jerk their powerful magic items (+3 equivalent) turn to dust when they die.

So this is a massively terrible room. First, ditch the paladin levels, second ditch the super equipment. If you want you can give them regular +1 longswords that remain when they die. Also ditch the AC bonus and Sr. That means they're perfectly ordinary ghouls but in armor (AC 18) and carrying longswords. This should be more than enough of a challenge. If your party is especially tough then throw in a Ghast leader.

Since this is apparently the site where a powerful demon was killed by the paladins it should be marked more significantly...perhaps a large twisted skeleton or perhaps an outline of the monster's corpse seared into the stone floor.

B112

So...this prison door was designed to open the moment someone read the symbol on it...that's just so stupid...and on top of that they apparently decided to put a suit of magical armor in the same room as one of their prisoners.

Instead just make this chamber broken open already. Perhaps in the battle one of the paladin warriors was thrown bodily through the door by the demon they fought. His body was simply too demolished to rise as a ghoul. However his suit of armor (not unholy because the PCs don't need to be teased with useless magic items) is still intact. +1 Ghost touch splint mail.

B113

Again we have the term "allip-like moan" which is a terrible piece of description. Also apparently the writers have become so used to assigning the Fearless condition to everyone in the Region that they've begun assigning it to beings that are already immune to fear. The celestials also continue their tradition of locking their prisoners up with powerful magic weapons for no apparent reason. Since it's just another piece of trash "fake treasure" I'd say just ditch the +1 unholy mace.

B114

"The Hell on Every Earth"...what does that even mean? Ignore the concealment effect since there's no clear source of concealment, and again we've got a fearless undead. don't give him a bonus to bull rush...in fact don't bull rush. Just have the ghast attack and attempt to paralyze his target since that's actually an effective tactic.

Take a careful look at the Ghast's stats because they've added a lot of extra stuff (additional HD, a dex drain and fast healing). Depending on your PC's levels you might want to ditch a few of it's add-ons. It's stat block claims it's CR 3 (obviously not) but presumably the EL represents the correct CR of 6.

B115

One wonders at this point why the celestials didn't just kille their prisoners. Also whether or not the writer of this section knows what "severed" means.

Ignore the concealment (it's already got deep darkness).

B116

So...somehow these goblins made it through the Maze and snuck right past their mortal enemies and wandered into this dangerous, unclaimed territory full of undead out of boredom. Unless you plan on making these goblins master ninjas (which I wouldn't necessarily discourage) then I'd suggest revising their backstory. A better explanation is that these goblins are Empire-aligned and were patrolling this area hoping to find a way to reach the rebels without passing through the Maze. Needless to say they're in over their head.

B120

Supposedly the bugbears use this area as a trap-field to slaughter goblins...despite the fact that the bugbears are literally located on the opposite side of the dungeon and neither the goblins nor the bugbears could reach this area without passing through the room of death and a closed portcullis that can only be opened from the opposite side. Obviously insane.

Instead this chamber is full of corpses (and the symbols on the walls are unholy script) of goblins and bugbears dragged here by the ghoul paladins or other monstrous inhabitants of this region. Their flesh has been gnawed from their bones and if the PCs approach they'll be attacked by a collection of goblinoid skeletons (lets say 6 goblins, 4 hobgoblins and 3 bugbears).

B121

Perhaps the bugbears here are a trapped patrol that somehow survived this far...but as I pointed out that's pretty insane to start with. Instead lets put something here that I've never seen before...and undead demon. One of the demonic beings that was imprisoned down here was destroyed but it's unholy spirit continues to animate it's bones (perhaps it is the corpse of the beast slain by the paladins).

How about a skeletal Hezrou, that should be suitably impressive.

B123

Ignore the Visions, Noises and Echoes since their source is never explained. I'd suggest that the bottom of the pit be a prison, now exposed, that originally held a powerful demon. Now of course it's free.

B126

Ignore the hold monster trap, since it's pointless.

B130

Somehow a group of 6 goblins is supposed to have made it all this way alive? How's that meant to work?

Obviously that's crazy...but perhaps some goblins did try and make it only to be turned to undead after being slaughtered. A collection of goblin zombies perhaps? Or small-sized ghouls.

B131

So wait...the celestials trap a collection of minor demons and decide...just for kicks...to make the room 60 feet high and put near the roof a collection of heavily trapped containers on a set of shelves containing minor magic items. That...makes no sense at all.

So instead the vargoulles here are the result of a group of previous adventurers who made it here only to get trapped and killed by the cold and negative energy. Their corpses litter the floor (now headless) their weapons are mostly shattered from attempting to smash the door. The magic items are scattered among their remains (and are not trapped).

B132

So not only have these goblins and hobgoblins made it past the locked portcullis and the ghouls, they've also set their secret base right next door to a bugbear murder-room? Logic train zooms off the tracks, hundreds killed.

This location is a storehouse of weapons and equipment brought here by the paladins as part of their last stand against the demon they battled. If you want an encounter then I suggest some undead wolves.

B133-136

As previously stated the whole idea of there being a goblin shrine here is ridiculous. Instead I'd say that room 134 is a shrine set up by the paladins and 133 is a crypt where they planned to inter their dead should any survive. Both areas are Hallowed 5 and have Positive Energy conditions.

135-136 are small barracks and guard stations and are now inhabited by the animated remains of those paladins who survived the battle. They attempted to make it back to their shrine but succumbed to their wounds or other monsters of the dungeon before they could. However, unlike their brethern they were not completely tainted by evil and instead wait here hoping to fulfill their duty.

They have the stats of mummy's but wield longswords. They stand guard outside of the shrine (unable to enter themselves and complete their duty to bury their dead) and will not attack unless attacked or unless someone attempts to enter the shrine. If the PCs display a symbol of the paladin's order or a LG symbol then they will allow them to pass. Enshrining the remains of the corrupted paladins from B111 will put them to rest and cause them to dissolve to dust.

Amazing...

2011-12-17T00:50:00.000-08:00

I don't know if any of these guys play RPGs, but if they do then you know they have the best damn minis.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-2bsXC-uhXQ&feature=player_embedded

The effects are simply incredible and it's great to see that not only has the art of physical special effects not been lost, but it's doing just fine at keeping up with CGI. In fact I can honestly say this exceeds pretty much any CG art I've seen and I'm sure it provides a richer experience for the actors.

While I'm on the subject of model-making, calvin and hobbes fans should also check this out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pq8iyhMFLYE&feature=share

The Order of Magnitude XXVI: Hostage Negotiation

2011-12-15T08:04:00.000-08:00

So the order is standing victorious above the robotic corpses of two warforged dragons (excepting Peski who is unfortunately still in one of them). Athame has vanished and there's no sign of any new challengers so they quickly investigate the chamber. They discover the dissected "corpse" of Number 11 strapped to a table and disassembled. While Nolan and Tayin (the more morally inclined of the Order) work on extracting Peski's corpse so that he can be brought back to Breland for a proper burial Magnus and the rest of the Order focus on opening up the crystal "chest" that Athame had been examined.

Seeing as it is unlocked Magnus flips the lid open and is blasted backwards (and knocked out) by a powerful warding glyph. Ignoring the smoking warforged his companions examine the contents of the chest. They find not one but two adamantine schema, both identical. It seems that the Whitehearth artificers were thoughtful enough to create a copy. After reviving Magnus with some oil of mending he examines the two tablets and confirms that both are functionally identical, although it's easy to tell that one is also far, far older.

With that they conclude that their work here is done. After Jack performs a bit of mending and patching (as he is the only one with access to healing that can work in the Mournlands: a combo of False Life and a custom-made reversed version of Vampiric Touch). Gathering the schema, their fallen companion and a few choice pieces of adamantine scrap from the worshops they head back to the entrance. They are in for a nasty surprise.

Waiting for them at the entrance are about half a dozen skeletons in the uniform of the Emerald Claw as well as a woman sporting a black-and-bone motif. Flanking her are two hulking, 9-foot tall skeletons covered in bloody slime. One of them has Keldor gripped in its claws and and the woman has a knife to the dwarf's neck. She introduces herself as Malvora of Vol and demands that the Order hand over the schema they found in exchange for Keldor's life.

Fortunately for Keldor, Nolan and Glorin aren't willing to risk his life in Magnus's proposed "fireball everything" strategy. Realizing that they've got two copies of the schema they decide that they can afford to go through with the hostage exchange (there's no indication that the Claw is even aware that there is a copy). Nolan carries one of the schema while one of the Karnathi skeletons brings Keldor.

Fortunately the exchange goes smoothly...but the egotism of the Claw gets the better of them. After Nolan hands over his Schema and prepares to head back to the rest of the Order with Keldor the dwarf starts laughing and pulls out a hidden crossbow and aims it at Nolan as his features warp and his form lengthens...transforming into the visage of the vampire they battled in Rose Quarry. At this point the "I told you so's" started coming from Jack, who had always been suspicious of Keldor.

Perhaps he simply assumed that the Order, wounded and outnumbered, wouldn't be willing to press the issue to combat (or that the Claw would easily dispatch them if they tried). Well, he was not counting on the Order's fury when played for a fool (and I was not counting on them being so intact after the battle with the warforged dragons).

Nolan and Glorin immediately engage the vampire before he can retreat back to his companions while Shara and Tayin pelt Malvora with arrows and spells respectively. Magnus uses one of his hold undead scrolls on the vampire, hoping to replicate his previous success against Lucan, unfortunately there is no effect. Jack takes a gamble at this point...not only was he suspicious of Keldor's identity but he had an intuition after the first battle that they were not actually fighting a vampire at all (just goes to show that you should be careful pulling tricks when playing with your significant other, NJ saw right through me). So he uses his last remaining Phantasmal Killer spell (damn sorcerers) against the vampire. Although he fails to kill the Claw leader outright the spell definitely causes a reaction as he screeches in fear and leaps backwards from the horrific vision...clearly proving himself not undead.

With the jigg up the skeleton hustles back to malvora with the schema, only to be taken down a moment later by a wand-shot from Magnus. While Glorin and Nolan chop and maul the giant skeletons the not-vampire Claw leader casts a fog spell to try and cover his escape and sow confusion. After a few more frantic rounds of flailing around in fog and darkness the battle is over and the Order evaluates the situation...

Unfortunately Malvora snatched the schema and used a Dimension Door spell to escape while the heroes battled her skeleton minions. Unfortunately her boss was not so lucky...the fog was not enough to stop Glorin and Nolan from catching him and beating the tar out of him. After his death his body reverted to its true form...a doppleganger. Rushing after Malvora the Order made it outside just in time to see her boarding a brand new version of the Jade Fury...the airship began to lift off as they made it outside but they were forced to retreat due to heavy fire from the ship's crew and they could do nothing but watch as it rose into the air.

Despite this setback they still had the schema they came for and they began their trek back across the Mournlands. Fortunately on the way back they managed to avoid most of the hazards of the place, although in one case they had to put down a pack of ghoulish wolves. However, with the mist border in sight they had to deal with a massive earthquake, running to avoid a small landslide and evading massive cracks in the ground that vented plumes of fog into the air. They broke through the mist just in time to see their ride preparing to leave without them and hopped aboard the elemental land-cart for the trip back.

Checking in with a message station upon their return to Daargun they learned that Elaydrin was on her way to meet them. Upon her arrival they handed over the schema and she rewarded them with a casket of coins as well as several other valuable, and clearly personal objects: an emerald broach, a magically powered music box decked with gold and silver and a pair of elven-wrought platinum rings. Together they caught a ship heading back to Sharn and she began to speak with Magnus about his research into the schema that was already in the Order's possession. By the time they landed back in Sharn Elaydrin managed to negotiate for House Cannith to temporarily take the Order's Schema (the one they found under Sharn) for research on the condition that Magnus be allowed to take part...as well as a hefty fee.

And so things got a bit quieter for the Order for the next several months as Magnus and teams of Cannith researchers (including the occasional assistance of Merrix D'Cannith himself) begin to try and unravel the schema's mysteries.

Improving The World's Largest Dungeon: Region B, the terrible part

2011-12-13T08:41:00.000-08:00

This is the room-by-room evaluation of the first section of Region B (1-48). While I tried to maintain some objectivity and professionalism when handling Region A this one got the better of me. The whole place is just entirely awful in this "wants-to-be-Gygaxian-but-isn't-creative" way. It's full of entirely random trapped rooms, "tests" of character that don't make sense and it just generally ignores the entire backstory of the WLD in favor of utter randomness. I'll do my best to rip it apart and build something better.

B1:
As I suggested earlier I'd suggest making the pit spikes and swinging axe-blade silver or cold iron.

B3
This is a good place to put some magic items. Scrolls are a good option but it's not a bad place to drop a minor wand or even a ring or wondrous item.

B5

The first description actually refers to the area outside of the room marked B5. Also there's no excuse to use the word "circumambulate" in casual description.

Now...B5 is a good example of a very dumb trap given the history of the dungeon. Supposedly the trap is designed to test the intelligence of prisoners. First and foremost there's no "test of intellect" involved in the traps. The first is a simple trapped doorway and the third is a golden idol resting upon a pedestal that is (shockingly) trapped with a pressure plate if the idol is picked up. The second trap is the only one moderately complex. But there's no real "clue" or "puzzle" involved. Simply check for traps and bam...you find the trap.

What's more there's no reason for the existence of this room at all. The description claims that this chamber is designed to test the intellect of prisoners. First and foremost...why? But even assuming there's a reason the trap will only work if the "prisoner" is simply wandering the dungeon freely. Shouldn't the prisoners be, you know, imprisoned? Second the final trap (poison darts) would be useless against the creatures the prison was designed to contain (demons, devils and undead). Finally, why would these creatures try and grab the idol anyway? What reason would an escaped demon have for trying to grab a bit of art, even valuable art? Who are they going to sell it to?

It doesn't help that the traps here are pretty deadly to PCs and they get nothing at all for it. My suggestion is to simply delete this room. Perhaps the large "block" in the center of this circular hallway contains several minor demons who have been petrified and fused with the walls. If you want to keep the room I'd suggest making the room a celestial armory with a few useful minor magical items on a wide pedestal. Replace the third trap with a Holy Smite effect spell-trap. Also, more importantly the PCs get to keep the loot.

B6
So this room is supposedly a giant mirror chamber with 4 doors but the room marked B6 on the map actually has a large open hallway leading to 3 additional doors. It is also a huge room when you consider the only way out is to find a small crack in the floor in one corner. Really the whole thing is extremely dull...The PCs become trapped in the room...until they find the way out. That's really the only way for this to end. There's no actual danger beyond the PCs getting frustrated or bored.

I say there's no trap at all. This is simply a large chamber with many mirrors set in the walls. The celestials often led their prisoners through this chamber so they could see how horrible and twisted they are when compared to the glory of the celestials. The mirrors are magical and dispel any magical disguise or shapechanging effects. Argliss knows of this room and avoids it if he can.

B7
There's not even an attempt to explain the purpose of this room. It's just a big room with some wobbly stones which floods if you step off the stones. Why does this room exist? See B8 for suggestions.

B8
This is another room without a purpose. Presumably it's some sort of punishment for greed...but again it seems to assume that the victims (presumably the prisoners in the dungeon) are simply wandering around and upon spotting anything valuable they will attempt to snatch it up. It also forgets the dungeon's intended prisoners are immune to poison. I say simply delete B7 and B8 from the dungeon entirely. They serve no redeeming purpose. If you'd like to keep them in then here's my suggestion. B7 is a simple, standard room but the far door leading to B8 is covered in goblin scrawls. Those who speak goblin can tell they are warning signs of danger. If they choose to go ahead to B8 they find the room dug up with several rotted goblin remains scattered about. It seems like the goblins were trying to mine their way through the walls and perhaps out of the dungeon. However they hit a gas pocket which has filled the room and has effects identical to Burnt Othar Fumes. Ignore the secret door mentioned here.

B9
For some reason the critters in here are Fearless? Ignore this. It also has both Deep Darkness and Concealment. There's no explanation for this but it's at least addressed in the room description. However your level 3-4 characters are already fighting 2 dire-wolves in a room that causes them to possibly lose several rounds of action in a row (due to stagnant air). Most non-fighters will probably be useless here. I say get rid of at least one of those two encounter conditions. Supposedly the Stagnant Air is "conditional" but there's no sign of what triggers it.

B10
I know that the critters in the dungeon supposedly don't need food or drink...but these guys have been trapped for 2 weeks? and the dire wolves too? seriously? That's pretty ridiculous.

This room supposedly has the Ambush and Cover encounter conditions (both conditional...but there's nothing that makes either make sense). Ignore them. The wand of light here is a good example of just how stingy the dungeon is with magic items. Make it at least a wand of Daylight. But really it would be better if it were a more useful spell. Magic missile, Acid arrow, magic weapon, etc.

B11
This region sure loves to close doors on you. I've already suggested you ignore most of those and I'm going to do it again here. Heck, by this time it would be pretty criminal if the PCs didn't notice a pattern and start taking steps to prevent it. This is another painfully boring "puzzle trap". There's no cleverness or thought involved. It's just a skill check. That's it. You get trapped in a room, make a skill check, you're not trapped anymore. This is bad, bad design. Ignore it. Instead this room is perpetually cold and icy, cold iron chains run into the floor binding demonic prisoners beneath the ice. The PCs might be able to break several links to make raw materials but this weakens the prison. In a matter of days or weeks the ice here will melt away revealing a small group of demons now free to wreak havoc.

B12
We have a great example here of how not to write a room description: "The floor of the room drops off..into an unknown emptiness below" immediately followed by "The floor writhes as dozens of snakes twist among the darkened metal spikes."

So first and foremost...where did the snakes come from? It's not like a snake trap is going to bother a demon at all. And why is this room so freaking complex? I say ditch the bridge, ditch all the balancing and various skill checks required. We've just got a huge broken pit trap here that the PCs have to figure out how to get around or across. I'd say don't use snakes but if you want something extra dangerous lurking around at the bottom of the pit then perhaps some minor undead from the goblins who have fallen down here (skeletons are good or perhaps something like a Shadow)

B13

The more I read this the more I'm convinced that no one actually bothered to look at this map when this region was designed. The first description provided for this room doesn't make any sense. It describes 4 doors of various shapes and materials when the room has only a single doorway (plus the secret doorway, unmarked on the map, from B8 which I removed). It's apparently the description for the small chamber that forms the intersection between B12-14.

B13 itself is a room so pointless that the designers couldn't even come up with a BS explanation for it. There's no explanation for the Stagnant Air condition here but presumably it comes from the well. The well itself apparently has an Alarm spell which shows a complete lack of understanding for both the rules of the game as well as both time and space. First and foremost of course is the fact that there's an alarm spell here apparently meant to catch bugs and rats (neither of which would actually set off an alarm spell) which, once activated could alert the goblins in B70. The standard alarm spell alerts those within 180 feet at most which would (even in a straight line) not even be halfway to room B70. And if it was able to reach that far it would presumably alert many, many more dungeon inhabitants. Now I suppose it's possible this is some kind of special alarm that triggers the sound at a different location from the trigger (although this is ignoring the fact that the goblins don't even have an arcane spellcaster to cast the spell in the first place) but if that's the case it's pretty important to tell us in the description so that it's clear whether or not the PCs hear the alarm when they trigger it.

However even if we assume that there's some logic to the alarm then there's still none to the reaction to it. The description claims that after the alarm is triggered goblins from B70 arrive in 4d4 rounds. The thing is B70 is nowhere near B13. Taking the most efficient path is still 1600+ feet and involves passing through several doors (including a secret door). Even if they could run in just a straight line we'd be looking at about 18 rounds to arrive. Since they certainly can't (it's a very twisty path) then it should take at least 30 or more. Somehow they're supposed to arrive in an average of 10 rounds. If you happen to roll the minimum amount of time that means the goblins were actually traveling at around 50 mph or more.

So, needless to say that's dumb. My suggestion is just to have a deep crack in the ground here (caused by the earthquake) which has filled with water from an underground spring. There's signs someone set up a crude bucket-and-rope well but there's no other signs of habitation. The water is toxic (arsenic) unless purified (A DC 20 Knowledge (nature) check is required to realize the water is poisonous). There is no alarm magic.

B14

Again we get a little description here on the small square room between these chambers. Wouldn't it have been easier (and less confusing) to just provide the description separately rather than reprinting it for each room?

Of course again we've got a self-sealing room. The only "test" these rooms seem to be designed to perform is how many times will someone walk into obviously trapped rooms before they simply sit down and do nothing. Just like B6 this room isn't a puzzle at all, it's just a DC. I don't even think I understand exactly how the shapes are moving (or how one is supposedly "jammed") do the carvings actually move across the stone? Are they on different layers of spinning stone circles set atop one another. Are they like rubik's blocks? And how are the PCs meant to manipulate them at all if they are whirling at a "phenomenal rate"?

These rooms are becoming so pointless it's actually difficult to improve them because there's simply nothing good to work with. This room contains literally nothing worthwhile or interesting. It would be better off empty. Here's my attempt:

The room contains a large cylinder that resembles a prayer wheel with a wide variety of runic patterns. It radiates strong abjuration magic and attempts to magically identify it reveal that it was designed as an elaborate kind of "locking" mechanism. Different combinations of symbols would lock and unlock different doorways within the complex. This analysis is correct but the earthquake has badly damaged the device and it is non-functional. No combination of symbols appears to produce any result. However, every time the PCs mess with it there is a 1% chance that the wheel manages to close and lock the door to this room (as if with the Arcane Lock spell).

B15

Apparently the door here is jammed (keep in mind this is the door the goblins would have to go through to get to B13) which is a good example of why it's important to stick this info in the area before the door. Also apparently there is "little of note" in this room other than some remains from a previous battle except it's also apparently filled with loud noises and random visual illusions (Echoes and Distracting Visions). Ignore these encounter conditions.

B16

As I mentioned in the last post I'm switching some of the content from B16 and B45. Also worth noting that the map notations have been switched. The area on the map marked B16 is actually B17 and vice versa.

B45 is, impressively, actually a fairly decently put together room. You've got a golden idol (trapped of course) with a pair of perfectly reasonable encounter conditions (also quite helpful ones. A place that accelerates healing is going to be very helpeful). My biggest concern is that a party of LG PCs might abuse the nature of the trap here to set up a killing field they can lure enemies into...but then again I suppose that's not a bad way to reward creative thinking. I say leave this as-is. It's sad that it seems like of the few rooms that gets that treatment.

B17

The descriptive text for this room is terrible, but I'm not going to bother sprucing that up. At least the consequences of the encounter condition are mentioned here.

B18

This is an extremely random and pointless room, but at least there's nothing actively wrong about it. Until you realize that it's just designed as a waste of time, resources and hp and it's not subtle about it at all. This is a room that'll just piss off the PCs. My suggestion would be to improve the quality of the spells in the scroll or at least make the contents plot-relevant. Maybe it has a partial list of prisoners originally confined to this region or a map or something helpful! A map would work best I think, something obviously ancient and marked with sigils in Infernal (demonic names) but annotations in celestial. By this time the WLD has probably taken several weeks of sessions to get this far, the PCs deserve at least a taste of the larger plot.

B19

At the very least I've got to say it's good that the last few rooms have sensible and properly addressed encounter conditions. This isn't really a compliment since this is something that should have been true for the entire dungeon. The room is just as random as B18 though, there's absolutely no reason for it's existence. I'd say replace the scroll with the rotting corpse of a demon held in iron chains. It's almost totally bare bones that have been covered in rot. The demon's heart is still intact in it's chest and radiates magic (and evil). It can be used as a grenade-like weapon, creating an Extended stinking cloud spell-effect. However attempting to remove it will trigger a spray of poison spores (as Ungol Dust) unless it is carefully removed (detect and disable DCs 20/16).

B20

"...almost floating on the water, resting on a stone, is a gem is set into the wall..." That sentence is an offense against descriptive language. They've somehow managed to write a description that includes 3 completely contradictory elements. We're also told that the water is crystal clear but apparently light doesn't penetrate (even though it's only 4 feet deep).
Linguistic tragedies aside this is another pointlessly trapped room. It's also exceptionally dangerous considering the likely level of the PCs (3-4...meaning that the trap's average of 45 damage is going to be more than most character's HP). I'd say remove the trap but the biggest issue is giving this room an actual reason to exist....and honestly it's hard to think of one. This area of the dungeon is just so damn dull and pointless it's draining my creativity.
How about a ritual purification room. The water comes from a natural spring and flows along carvings in the stone and pools on the floor of the room. Stone steps here are completely stable and there's no problem with secure footing. There is no trap (although there are crystals that shed light here). Instead the water has two effects...first it is holy water. Secondly if a magical item is placed in the water it is targeted by both Dispel Magic and Remove Curse (CL 10). If the magic is Evil in nature then the effective caster level increases by 5. This chamber was used as a secure place to store captured items of evil magic until they could be destroyed...items submerged and dispelled will not regain their powers until removed.

B21

More terrible room description. Apparently the PCs can identify bugbear hand-writing on sight, even though they may very well have encountered none so far. The goblins also apparently love graffitti so much they were willing to commit suicide to scrawl on these columns. And while it's quite possible that the PCs either read Celestial or have access to Comprehend Languages there's absolutely no description of what is written on the columns.

My suggestion is first to ditch the graffitti. It's pointless and is utterly confusing given the trap. As far as the purpose of the original carving I'd say it's a great place to include some info on the dungeon. It could also be a really interesting source of unusual treasure in the form of "scrolls" carved into the stone. Stick a few potent divine scrolls here (healing spells especially like Cure Serious Wounds or Cure Disease, Neutralize Poison, Restoration, etc) and the PCs have a place where they can access some potent miracles. Of course the room is still unstable (not trapped) and if the players attempt to break the columns apart to transport them elsewhere then the ceiling will still collapse.

B22

I wish they would provide some information on the why of these rooms of darkness but whatever. Ignore their statement that the wolves cannot be affected by the the animal empathy ability of rangers/druids. There are so few animals in the dungeon that those guys will need all the opportunity to shine they can and there's no justification for ignoring their ability.

The encounter itself is extremely dangerous. Unless you've got a large party or they've already hit 4th level then I'd say make it only 2 dire wolves.

B23

This room actually gets approval. It seems pretty good (other than the fact that they forget to mention that the axe is glowing in the room description). Feel free to make the sword magical or alter the weapons to better suit your party's preferred weaponry.

B24

The description here is nonsensical...but that doesn't matter since I'm assuming that there are no northern exits from this region.

B25

This room is very odd. It's got a secret door with a very specific trigger...but the back of the room is simply an open hallway. There's simply no reason for the secret door at all simply because the room is already completely open via a different entrance. This also causes problems...since the room is easily accessible and the door to b26 is unlocked there's simply no reason for the goblinoids to have left the place alone. They would especially have taken the very valuable map of the region or triggered the flame trap in b26 and burnt everything to ashes. Seal both entrances to the room with either locked or secret doors. Also, I'm all for giving the PCs a map of region B but if you want to make it interesting you can print out a map, tatter it up a bit and tear out some interesting sections to make it incomplete.

Ignore the contact poison. It's a trap that would provide no protection against the dungeon's original inhabitants and there's no reason for the goblinoids to trap the room. If you want a trap then I say something like a Glyph of Warding or Wall Scythe trap.

B26

The trap in the room here is incredibly dumb and again seems to rely on the idea that the prisoners of this place will automatically grab for anything shiny they see (of course adventurers will do just that but that's not the purpose of the dungeon). I'd suggest a more logical trap that simply triggers if the PCs move more than 5 feet into the room without speaking the appropriate password (a helpful lantern archon might be able to tell them) or locating and disarming the trap.

B27

Again we've got a room that makes no sense at all. This room is the only passage between this area and the rest of region B...so it can't logically be a prison area...but the gemstone and spell inscribed on the walls imply that it's more than just an entryway to the rest of the region...but the door isn't locked or anything so it's not just a storeroom (and the "valuables" are hardly that impressive...a gem and a 3rd level spell written on a wall). It just seems like another pointless trap where attempts to get the obvious treasure will trigger punishment. Which again makes no sense given the concept of the dungeon.

Lets say originally this chamber was intended as a "chokepoint" meant to make it difficult for potential escaped prisoners to move easily towards Region A. Give the place the Hallowed and Positive Energy encounter conditions. It also has a Protection From Evil effect that fills the room. However the rampant plant-growth is an unintended side effect of the positive energy. Replace the trap with a pair of hidden Assasin Vines.

B28

This room is an example of horrible cartographer...there's no way to get to B28 from B27 without passing through B29 but they felt that apparently this one needed to be handled first. Other than that the room is fairly uninteresting but serviceable. Assuming you plan to keep Bartleby as part of the story this place is as good as any for finding him. By the way if you plan on making Bartleby a challenging encounter or a significant threat I'd suggest increasing his level to 7...a 5th level rogue by himself is going to be a hell of an anticlimatic fight against a group of level 3+ PCs.

B29

This room is just plain stupid. It might work in a place like the Tomb of Horrors or Undermountain...a room created by a deranged or evil wizard with no purpose other than being an elaborate douchebag. This place is a prison created by friggin' angels as a prison for demons. If you want to make this make sense then you might explain the room as some kind of "wand armory" with the majority of them depleted over the years or damaged and decayed (get rid of the trap). Alternatively simply make it a room covered in art created by the celestials and use the bestow curse trap as a punishment on those that attempt to deface it.

B30

There's no explanation for the Cover encounter condition, so ignore it. Also ignore the statement that the Vargouille's get an unexplained +10 to spot and listen (apparently PCs who attempt anything other than a stand-up fight get punished). It's dumb (even dumber if you consider the room was supposed to be full of cover).

B31

This room is...confusing to say the least. At first it seems like another dumb punishment trap. But reading the description of the room seems to indicate it might be some kind of decoration or tribute? Also apparently it's easier for druids and rangers to pull the staff out...okaaaay. There's no history or explanation at all to tell us why any of this is the case. Lets say that this is the tomb of a mortal druid who aided the celestials in the dungeon's history. They've created his tomb here which appears to be raw, natural stone and earth with flowers and grass growing here despite the lack of light. The staff was the druid's personal possession (explaining why it's so weak compared to a celestial's possessions). Some of the druid's life story is written in Druidic glyphs Stone-Shaped onto the walls. The "dart swarm" trap is actually plant-based as thorns and spears of wood fly from the ground to strike those who might try and defile the tomb. Good-aligned rangers and druids will not trigger the tap and may take the staff without consequence.

B32

A decent encounter but it should clearly be a "hollow" stone, not a "hallowed" stone.

B33

Also decent.

B34

The "Hallowed 2" Encounter condition should certainly be changed to "Unhallowed" considering the evil alignment of the hobgoblins. It also makes the whole concept of the goblins switching worship to a perfectly mundane statue even more ridiculous considering there's already this (much more impressive and actually supernaturally active) statue being revered.

B35

The celestial must have some kind of obsession with pedestals. This room is yet another "pointless trapped pedestal" chamber...except it's even more pointless because there's nothing in the room other than a pedestal and trap. There is a layer of invisible script that apparently has a riddle. Of course the writers of this section were apparently unable to come up with anything creative or interesting and choose instead to simply reduce it to an intelligence check. The result? Apparently you learn how to open the secret door to room B55...of course it doesn't provide the location for room B55 so how exactly will they know it when they find it? Also there's no method or trick to opening B55...it's not locked in anyway. The only trick is to actually find it. So this room is triply pointless.

My suggestion? Keep the serpentine design on the floor and ditch the pedestal and the riddle. Instead the design was the focus for a protection and binding circle...however the floor is clearly scorched and burned and several tiles have been ripped from the floor destroying the circle's integrity. Perhaps an examination of the circle and some knowledge (arcana and/or planes) might reveal the True Name of some mid-to-high level demon encountered in a later dungeon.

B36

This room is just bad. First and foremost it's the exact same as so many other rooms we've already run into. It also made me realize something...this room and pretty much all the other "door closes when you enter room" have room descriptions that take control away from the player. The room descriptions declare that the players enter and the door closes. That's terrible adventure writing because it assumes the actions that players will take (which is exceptionally bad in this area because players would almost certainly avoid simply walking into rooms after the first time a chamber closes on them). This one is even worse because not only does it assume you automatically enter the room...it assumes you automatically head for the obviously trapped big-sack-o-gold and trigger the room's trap.

The room is also incredibly poorly thought out on many levels. As I said too many times already this chamber makes no sense in the dungeon's context (celestials have no reason to make it, demons would have no interest in a sack of gold and the actual trap itself is just a waste of time). On top of that...why have the goblinoids infesting this region not tried for the big sack of gold? They've certainly been to this region and so presumably at some point they would have tried to get ahold of the money which would result in either them falling victim and never escaping (meaning there would be corpses in the room) or they would have managed to free themselves (in which case they would certainly have taken the sack with them). Also the sack is apparently only full of holy water...so were the gold coins fake? Were they an illusion? It never says one way or another.

B37

Ignore the Wisdom damage talked about here. Howlers can only inflict damage if you're exposed for at least an hour. Also ignore the "improved" quills these howlers apparently have. A DC20 Heal check isn't exactly easy for a 3rd level character to hit in the first place...there's no reason to up the DC to 24 or increase their damage. It's already a perfectly decent challenge.

B38

Make sure to make it clear that the Ethereal Maurader in this room is not just a "strange looking lizard with a triangular head"...it's a 7 foot long, 200 lb monstrosity that looks like this:

B39

Ignore what it says about ruining tools. Why is this apparently the only lock so far that could ruin tools? It's also my principle to ignore conditions like Distracting Visions unless the room actually provides some explanation, or at least a description of what form they take. Otherwise this room can be basically left as is.

B40

This area has a bizarre description...one where you are instructed apparently not to read it. Why not just write a description that can be read then? At least they do address the "echoes" although there's not really an explanation for the source (perhaps it's the Howlers in the next room...but they certainly wouldn't produce a "dull, roaring sound").

B41

Wait...how do the howlers get in and out of this area if there's a "wide-mouthed pit trap" in the hallway? Especially a pit trap that does not automatically reset. There's apparently no thought put into any of this. It also has some of the most unnecessary bit of "history" for a single, non-magical ring. Otherwise it can be left as-is...but I'd suggest either a separate doorway for the howlers to enter or leave or getting rid of the pit trap in B40.

B42

This is another stupid, pointless room...why build a huge room...with a well...that drops blocks on anyone trying to retract the bucket? And despite the fact that the blocks apparently drop on everyone (including the person retracting the bucket) how does the well itself avoid being damaged? Oh and the trap doesn't reset itself automatically...so why (despite the fact that it's obviously been triggered already) is it still functional? On top of that the description claims that this is a great place to store things...when in fact it's the worst place to store anything because it's the only place that has a random chance of anything stored there disappearing. This whole room is terrible.

I'd say just have this room be full of rubble from a cave in...no indication of it's original function (and no well) but someone has stashed some healing potions under some rubble if they search hard enough (DC 20).

B43

I can't imagine the supposed design that went into this room. The celestials apparently built a gigantic trap here...a mechanism that causes the entire northern wall to begin to slide south while extruding giant, poison spikes (again...poison is useless against the dungeon's prisoners). Then the wall keeps moving until...it stabs everyone for about 1d8+4 damage...then retracts. Not only is this a needlessly elaborate and complex trap, it's probably the wussiest crushing wall trap I've ever seen. I mean c'mon! if you're going to trap the PCs in a crushing wall then at least make it dangerous! Talk about anti-climax. Also the trap is easy as hell to avoid. It triggers when you open the door inside the room and locks the door you entered the chamber from...so why not just step into the adjoining room and wait until the trap is done? Of course the trap will supposedly not reset itself (it's got a manual reset)...but then how did it reset itself after the elves (or goblins or any other curious dungeon inhabitants) get through? Obviously not a lot of thought went into this place.

That said, I don't suggest that you actually smush your PCs here, especially when you consider there's absolutely nothing in the next room except a couple of skeletons (unless you choose to add some valuables yourself). Perhaps the small room was originally the prison of some kind of dangerous demon...a demon dangerous enough that a massive, crushing machine was a reasonable line of defense. However the elaborate machine failed...the prison's doorway is blasted apart and the sliding walls have been torn asunder and wrecked beyond repair.

B44

This room is Massive about 90'x90'. And the only feature is a few canine corpses and a trap 6' from the door. The rest of the room has no description or features whatsoever. Hell, why aren't any goblins making use of this huge open space for living or storage? Surely they're pretty cramped so why not expand here?

Well, since I mentioned I've moved the object of the goblin's worship to B45, this will be the chamber where the elite goblins who guard the shrine remain. The Holy Guard from B136 are here instead of B136. The hallways between B44 and B45 are heavily decorated with trophies and religious paintings on the stone. About 4 of the Holy Guard are in this chamber at all times (this is also a secondary armory and a gathering place when the goblins come to praise their god) and about 4 others are on patrol in the hallways around B44 and 45.

B45

This is the room where the goblins worship their new deity. 4 columns are all decorated with tanned hides and skins (both beasts and bugbear) tatooed with various savage art. The center of the room is dominated by a massive golden statue of a vaguely bestial humanoid. Despite the animalistic features it has an undeniably regal bearing. It is constructed of pure white marble and one hand holds a large spear and over the statue's head is a large tribal mask. Any non-good aligned characters who come close (past the columns) are stricken by the effects of the Fear spell (DC 16, CL 10). Around the perimeter formed by the columns are piles of offerings: coins, interesting stones, rotting meat and the broken weapons and fangs of bugbears.

Searching the base of the south-east column (DC 20) reveals a movable stone block. Beneath is a slightly smaller version of the statue's mask and spear (a masterwork spear) as well as few strips of fur-trimmed cloth that is used for Argliss' divine disguise. There are also 5 incense-scented smokesticks that he uses to make his entrances more spectacular.

The statue also has the same script as the one in B16 and the +1 Axiomatic Spear.

B46

So close to the goblin god it wouldn't make sense for this to be a bugbear stronghold. Instead this is one of the military outposts for the holy guard. Feel free to keep the map intact but replace the bugbears with Holy Guards. Ignore the Echoes as it's senseless.

B47

Well, well a place that actually addresses the Echoes and Distracting Noises effect. The fact that it's apparently a focal point for noises throughout the dungeon provides a chance for you to have some interesting chances for foreshadowing.

However beyond that the room's pretty nuts...a rusty sword hanging from a rope that paralyzes someone who takes it...? Why? What is the point? It's not even dangerous, merely slightly annoying. I suggest remove that...perhaps instead this room was created as an actual listening post...hundreds of brass tubes are imbedded in the walls that channel the noises. Of course damage to the dungeon's structure and the magic that enchanted the tubes is causing all sorts of warping and instability.

B48

A place called the "riddle room", I shudder to think how this will turn out...

...yep it's terrible. So the riddle is...crap. I'm not going to bother summing up exactly the terrible design behind this room. Suffice it to say that it's horrible. If you've got the dungeon you can read it for yourself. Topping it off is that the reward you get at the end...a permanent, non-removable +2 breastplate. Which means for any character who doesn't want a breastplate (i.e. wizards, rogues, druids, bards, sorcerers, monks, or anyone who just prefers light or heavy armor) they get screwed until they can access a Break Enchantment spell. This...this is just awful and a fitting way to end this terrible, terrible subsection. To whoever designed this room...you suck.

My suggestion is ditch the riddle, ditch the tiles, ditch the tapestries. In fact this room is so terrible you should just get rid of it. Fill it in, put a worg stable here for the holy guard or perhaps a trashpit.

Anyway, that ends the first subsection of Region B. Hopefully the rest of the region is less annoying and lives up to some of it's potential.

Things I Think About Things: Deus Ex

2011-12-07T09:51:00.000-08:00

Just finished up the most recent installment of Deus Ex, Human Revolution. Since one of the most-viewed posts I've made was a general overview of the Silent Hill series I figured I'd do something similar for the Deus Ex trilogy (well...whatever you call an original, a sequel and a prequel.)

And to keep on the general topic of RPGs I'll give my recommendation on the best RPG system to handle each game in the series.

Now the original Deus Ex is generally held to be a one of the best games out there and you certainly won't hear any argument on that subject from me. It's one of my favorite games which is even more impressive when you consider that I'm normally fairly turned off by pure sci-fi games. Of course from a technical perspective the game isn't amazing (even by the standards of 11 years ago) but the level of detail, quality gameplay and engrossing story more than make up for any visual shortfalls.

JC may look like the love-child of Neo and a piece of origami but we love him anyway.

The best part of the original Deus Ex is that the focus on choice. The game allows you to customize your character in a huge number of ways through different combinations of skills, equipment and modifications. On top of that the level design allowed you to tackle each challenge and situation in a variety of different ways. It is perhaps the most replayable games I've ever owned and just about every time I do reinstall and replay it I almost always find some new plot element that I missed the first time or an interesting new way to handle a challenge. It's a pretty even bet that someone reading this is going to reinstall the game and give it another run through. The game's multiple endings are another interesting choice, far more intellectually challenging than the simple "good/evil" endings that seem so popular these days.

So how would I play it?
Deus Ex has a fairly strong focus on realism and a wide variety of skills and potential abilities (at least for video games). To me, this says GURPS. Characters could be built like standard, skilled individuals and augmentations (either mechanical or nano-tech) could easily be represented by advantages (or combinations of advantages). Augmented characters will of course have some inherent disadvantages (for nano-augs we're talking minor appearance alterations and vulnerability to EMP, for mech-augs the alteration to appearance will be much worse, as will the vulnerability. There's also a very strong possibility of a negative social stigma). Since augmentations are powered by bio-energy the augmented characters will no doubt need an energy reserve advantage combined with limitations on their augmentation-based advantages to require energy points from that reserve.

------------------------

After Deus Ex we get its sequel Invisible War. Invisible War was an above-average game whose main weakness was its inability to live up to the original and inevitable comparison between the two. First and foremost gameplay was much simpler and the storyline as a whole was much shorter and less complex. Obviously, this could be seen as an improvement to some but it was the original game's complexity and depth that made it stand out from the crowd. I certainly wouldn't say it's fair to call the game dumbed-down...but it was definitely a shallower experience.

One of the most bizarre and blatant manifestations of this was in the ammunition. All weapons you pick up use the exact same type of ammo. It's perfectly interchangeable due to it's nano-motile structure that lets it alter itself to suit different weapons. This might make some sense if you're switching loads between a revolver and a rifle...but the same ammo goes in a pistol...in a toxic dart-thrower...in a rifle...in a rocket launcher and in a flamethrower and energy rifle! Why is there any war or poverty? Ammo is cheap and it apparently has the flexibility to change it's structure into various metals to complex chemicals and even explosives or energy sources! How has this stuff not solved every problem in the world...I'm getting silly now, but you see my point.

The plot wasn't exactly amazing either when compared to the multi-layered intricacy of the original. To a degree this was inevitable. After all the original game was all about unweaving a web of tangled conspiracies...you can't exactly put that genie back in the bottle and the 20 year time gap is hardly long enough to allow any major changes. We know going into the game that there will be shadowy organizations, betrayals and lies so it's hardly shocking when it happens and it seems like it's impossible for the sequel to recreate the amazing twists and turns of the original. Sadly it doesn't seem to try to hard. But like I said, it's a fun game and it still retains a good deal of strategic depth when it comes to handling challenges. If the original Deus Ex was a mystery novel then this one is the action movie adaptation. You know it'll be fun, exciting and pretty...but the fans of the original will always say the book was better (it totally was!).

How do I play it? Invisible War may have been born from a conspiracy RPG but it's got the heart of an action game and it doesn't like to mess around too much with nuts and bolts when it's got things to do! To me, this says Savage Worlds. The augmented would probably be best represented as a different race. Instead of a free Edge they get the Arcane Background edge for free (an augmentation based AB probably would resemble the Super Power AB) and the "default" tech that is built in (light and radio for instance). This is balanced by a distinctive appearance (glowing eyes) and a vulnerability to EMP (probably causes a loss of power points and possibly shakes augmented characters). In addition augmented characters face no restrictions on the purchase of Attributes. They are not limited to a single upgrade a Rank and they can increase them above 1d12. Most augmentations can easily be built using the SW power system.

----------

Now finally we come to the latest installment, Human Revolution. The game's meant to be a prequel, although any nitpicking fan of the original will tell you that the technology on display is, for the most part, far more advanced than the stuff that appears in the original Deus Ex and sometimes even what you see in Invisible War. And of course it's pretty. Damn pretty. But is it fun?

Well, the short answer is "yes, but..." which leads to the long answer. A lot like Invisible War this game suffers in comparison to the original. In some ways it's a lot closer since it retains a very strong focus on tackling opponents and challenges in various ways and generously rewards players who think outside the box. It's a fun game that seems initially to have a good balance of skill, action and even social conflict.

The game has beautifully made and very interesting settings. Arriving in Singapore made me wonder why video games don't use thunderstorms more often as a setting element...they're very cool.

However it has two big flaws that prevent it from being great. The first is a complete lack of subtlety, which isn't great for a conspiracy game. For example, one of the very first documents you can read in the game is about a "Patient X" whose DNA shows a remarkable ability to adapt to augmentation without rejection. Considering this is in the office of your ex-girlfriend who is also the head researcher at the augmentation corporation you work for and is making cryptic comments about something she's been keeping from...well it's pretty damn obvious that you're Patient X (especially considering that X's age and gender are also listed and match yours). And since the previous two games focused on a genetic legacy that was capable of accepting augmentation without rejection you can pretty easily figure out that Paul and JC Denton (and later Alex D) will be made possible by your DNA. And that's one of the central "secrets" of the game revealed literally within the first five minutes. Oh, and your name is Adam...reeeaaally sneaky.

Another, slightly more spoilerish, example is later in the game when you're exploring a news station that you will later learn is an illuminati front. If you read the emails in some workstations they explicitly spell out their wicked plans in bullet points! All the cameras in the game are produced by a company called "BigBro". On top of that you've got one of the main villians of the game who has the most affected evil-genius lisp ever...he might as well be stroking a white cat.

The game can't stop reminding you that you're playing a video game too. You'll have vents that connect two rooms and nothing else (because apparently the level designers aren't clear on the actual function of air vents) and office buildings heavily stocked with weapons and ammunition for no apparent reason. One of the silliest examples is a warehouse you run into later in the game which has a large pair of sliding doors with a window at eye level so you can see out...then another window at knee height whose only purpose is to see out if you're crouching (which you will do a lot). In another case I smash through a weak wall and take down a pair of thugs hiding in the room...only to realize that the room is completely cut off. The only exit (other than the hole I just made) is a 3-4 story fall down an open elevator shaft without any ladder...so how the hell did the thugs get there?

The game's biggest problem is a lack of meaningful choices. Like Invisible War there are no skills in this game, just augmentation. Unlike Invisible War you are not at all limited in your augments which ironically means you have less choice. In the first two games installing an a specific augment meant that you were forced to sacrifice two other potential augments. In Human Revolution you can potentially upgrade every single augment if you have enough Praxis...and you will. The game hands out XP and cash like candy and by the end of the game I had enough upgrades to literally purchase every single useful augmentation and then some.

When playing Deus Ex the decision on whether you would focus on combat, hacking stealth or whatever was important because it determined how you could play the game. Combat Brute JC would play a very different game than cyber-spy JC...and that was good and made the game very replayable. However by midgame Adam Jensen can basically do everything. Sure you could gun down the enemy or you could sneak through a vent or you could do both and get even more xp then hack everyone's PCs once they're all dead. The choice to be sneaky or obvious isn't as meaningful when you are completely free to do one or the other or both at the same time.

Also the endings, every single one of them, are dumb as hell. But I won't go into that.

But...all that said it's still a lot of fun and I still enjoyed it. I'll probably still purchase any future deus ex games and if you see Human Revolution on sale (I got it half off on steam last week) then I say definitely go for it...just try to avoid comparing it to the original because it will suffer.

How do I play it? Well...this is a bit harder. Like I said the only difference between different "versions" of Adam Jensen is the order in which you select your augs. By mid-to-late game all players are probably going to start looking the same. Savage Worlds would still be a good choice though. Mech-augs would get additional augmentations or power points in exchange for harsher penalties (more extreme appearance alterations and neuropozyne dependence).

But if you want to be really crazy you could hack Exalted into an interesting cyberpunk system...most of the augmentations could easily be represented by some of the various charms...there's even a social augmentation that allows you to control the minds of others.

NaGaDeMo failed...but here's some art!

2011-12-06T09:12:00.000-08:00

So, clearly didn't successfully complete DICE. Ah well, it'll still get done I just won't stress over it quit as much. I've ordered a laptop to make writing things like that easier and less restrictive. It came this weekend and it' very nice but somehow the company I purchased from failed to include an AC adapter. So now I've got to wait until they can ship that to me (white people problems, I know.)

Anyway. Last month I did manage to produce a fair sized update for Beyond Reality so check that out if you're interested. Also did a bit of additional art. Not all of it is completed and colored yet but here's a piece of fanart I did for the very cool rogue-like game Dungeons of Dredmor. And a weird space-angel-cat thing. Click the pic for full size.

The Order of Magnitude XXV: The Epic Battle That Wasn't

2011-11-30T00:07:00.000-08:00

The crew hang about, listening in on the conversation between the warforged in the next room, whose is called Athame, and apparently the lord of blades himself. They manage to peek through a crack in the door to see what appears to be a full sized magical projection of a warforged (covered in spikes...must be the LoB) speaking to the robed warforged they spotted earlier. Their conversation is mostly on Athame's discoveries within the Whitehearth facility. They're clearly after the schema within the crystal chest but apparently Athame has been distracted by the "toys" the Cannith artificers were developing and has been delaying his retrieval of the schema.

They can also see the center of this room is dominated by some kind of huge glowing green crystal with several large cables running from it to other ends of the room.

**Minis tip**
A hummingbird feeder with the right shape (easily available from thrift stores) and a mini glowstick from walmart makes a great "ominous glowing crystal" centerpiece for a battlemap for under 3 bucks.

It's at this point the Order decides to make it's appearance. They bust the large doorways wide open and Peski aims a wand of Dispel Magic at the Lord of Blades' projection and snuffs it out. They spread out to face down Athame...who laughs at them. He sends a bolt of lightning at the crystal which travels down one of the cords and into a large, sealed alcove in one end of the room...which bursts open revealing a massive adamantine-plated warforged dragon!

**Mini-tip #2**
Want robo-dragons? Look for Metal Ages dragons on ebay. I got a collection of 4 for under 20 bucks. They seem more expensive now but they're still cheap compared to minis of a similar size and quality. In general check out toys for minis...they tend to serve very well. The metal ages dragons also come with cool eggs that I used as the dragon's mini-creation forges.

This is by far the biggest and most deadly looking enemy the Order has faced. They press on gamely though but then Athame tosses another lightning bolt and releases a second dragon! Peski notices that each dragon is still attached to the crystal by a series of long cables and so he directs a shatter spell at it...destroying the crystal...and releasing a large storm elemental. The next turn he is taken out by a critical hit by one of the dragons. Athame laughs some more before vanishing in a puff of smoke. The party now faces two huge metal-beasts and a rogue lightning bolt elemental. This is their greatest challenge ever and their healer has already been killed (which is the first PC casualty since I began playing with this group). They are freaking out.

Until it is Jack's turn...and Jack decides to try out his latest spell. Phantasmal Killer. Normally phantasmal killer isn't a great spell....it allows two saving throws and most enemies are going to be good at at least one of them (fortitude and will) and anything immune to mind-effecting spells is going to ignore it which is a pretty big list. It's hardly overpowered.

But...here's the thing. The warforged dragons are just like warforged...they're living constructs. But they don't have class levels, just racial HD...which means that they have a constructs saving throws (which are all bad) combined with the ability to be affected by mind-affecting spells.

Jack targets the first dragon. It rolls below a 5 on both it's saves and dies instantly. My amazing super-encounter is falling apart...

Next round jack targets the second. It rolls pitifully as well, whimpers, curls into a ball and dies. Oh god...oh god...this is horrible. I may have to literally murder the actual players at this point.

Everyone cheers Jack on as he turns towards the last remaining enemy....guess what? Elementals can be targeted by phantasmal killer too...of course this one has a great Fortitude save it won't....A 1!? HOW CAN IT ROLL A 1!!?

I lack the willpower to murder anyone at this point...I am defeated...I curl into a ball and whimper while stroking the dragon toys I bought 6 months in advance when planning this encounter....I am a broken game master.

Puttering Along

2011-11-27T23:49:00.000-08:00

Not much activity this month. Been working on DICE of course but along with that I've been occupied with helping NJ out with some medical issues and of course thanksgiving...which really only involved baking a wondrous cheese-bread-hybrid and going to a friend's house to watch stand-up. Deus Ex has got its claws on me as well. Damn you black-friday Steam sales!

Sadly I haven't been able to play much actual RPGs this month or the month before. I've done a couple of sessions of character creation and playtesting for Battle Royale but unfortunately actual gaming has been pretty dry. Next month looks pretty dry too as the friend who hosts our games is moving to a new place and working on the weekends. Very sad but I shall be strong.

As far as NaGaDeMo goes I've got 3 or so days left and still plenty of DICE left to write. Whether or not I make the deadline I definitely intend to complete this thing soon. Lots of interesting ideas have bubbled up and I'm struggling not only to get things down on "paper" but also to keep from altering things too much right from the get-go.

Ah well. November and December aren't my best months. They're looking to be slow RPG-wise and full of distractions and unfortunately I live too far from my family to visit with them. But mostly it's just so damn gray. Weather here is hatefully gray during this time of year and the rain is annoying and drizzly. So I guess that's more motivation to stay inside and write.

What do you do when you have too much time, money and fireworks?

2011-11-22T12:18:00.000-08:00

This:

Just a random, but amusing, video I ran into today and felt like sharing.

NaGaDeMo: DICE part 2!

2011-11-21T23:59:00.000-08:00

Still plugging away on DICE. We'll see if I can get it completed by the end of the month...

Either way, it's a fun project and I definitely intend to complete it. Developing a system more-or-less from scratch gives you some interesting insights into the workings of your own brain. It's weird to realize how much time your brain spends working on an issue without letting you know. You may spend an hour or so agonizing over a particularly difficult rules-concept and then decide to come back to it some other time. Hours later an idea pops into your head more or less fully formed with a little note from your subconscious: "hey, here's that thing you wanted."

So far here's a few of the ideas that are hitting the walls until they stick:

Dice (i.e. your characters) are composed of four main parts:

Your Core Dice...that is your (Level) d (Sides). So a 5th level d12 has a Core Dice set of 5d12.
You've got a Paradigm which is essentially a short description of your Dice's character concept: Savage Barbarian, Pirate, Mercenary, Illusionist, Hacker, etc. The Paradigm gives a bonus to rolls that fall under it (so the Barbarian gets bonuses to survival in the wild, hunting, etc while the Hacker would get bonuses to programming, computer knowledge, breaking security and so on).
You also have Skills which are player-created abilities that determine your training. The lower the die class the more Skills you have, but you can purchase them later. d4s are an exception, having only a small selection of Skills but they are "Esoteric Skills", allowing them to accomplish a wide variety of feats with ease.
Then you've got Tricks which are the Feats/Edges/whatevers of DICE. They're special moves or abilities that are triggered by spending Meta-Dice. For example, one Trick for d12s is Freak Out! which grants a scene-long bonus to offensive maneuvers but penalizes defensive ones.

Other random ideas in no particular order:

Damage: There will be two core damage systems in DICE: "Classic" will feature traditional Hit Point mechanics. Every Dice will receive a number of hit points each level based on their die-type. This can be rolled, averaged or maximum as the GM chooses. Alternatively you've got a Wound system. Dice who suffer more damage from an attack than their die-type (so more than 12 for a d12, more than 6 for a d6) will suffer a Wound. Each Wound inflicts a cumulative penalty to rolls and once your Wounds exceed your Level then you're out of play.

Maneuvers: Special maneuvers (knock-downs, trips, blinding, etc) can be attempted by sacrificing Core Dice in an attack. So say you've got a 3rd level d10 who normally rolls 3d10 to attack an opponent. If he wants to attempt a disarm maneuver he's got to sacrifice 2 of those dice, leaving him with 1d10 but if he succeeds he'll disarm his opponent on top of any damage. A similar system will allow for magical "debuffs".

Multiple Actions: There is no set limit to the number of actions you can take but it must be possible to "group" them all into a single declaration and you receive a penalty based on the number of distinct actions. For example you may not simply punch someone in the face then kick down a door...but you could pick someone up and throw them through the door.

Opponents: As seen in the DICE outline I posted a while back monsters are classified by die-types as well. Here's a brief overview:

d4s are the small, annoying monsters that make up low-level encounters. Giant Rats, automated hover-drones, kobolds, goblins, annoying children. Etc.
d6s are the "commoners". Your bartender, your town watch, your average orc. They're all probably d6s.
d8s are the tough guys. They're either burly monsters like minotaurs or attack bots or they're well-trained enemies like elite mercenaries or highly skilled guardsmen. Undead that can be described as "shambling" probably fall into this category too.
d10s are your massive hulks: golems, battlemechs, giants, elementals, etc. If the words "hulking" "ginormous" or "slabs" apply then it probably is a d10.
d12s are mythical beasts: chimera, gorgons, squid-headed humanoids, etc. Not only deadly but probably brimming with magical power as well.Ghosts, vampires, liches and other highly mystical undead fall into this category as well.
d20s are the major opponents: dragons, demons and devas (okay...angels...I just really wanted to keep alliterating there). Magical and physical powerhouses.
d100s are gods and avatars. Probably far off the map for most DICE games but by golly if they're statted someone is going to take it as a challenge and try and kill 'em.
d3s are the Dice Which Should Not Be. Not demons or devils but some hideous, unspeakable other. They'll screw with the combat system (normal rolls are 1d20 + Core Dice...d3s roll 1d20 x Core Dice) making even low-level d3s horrific challenges.

Obviously all of this is still pretty raw but it's beginning to take shape (and I'm only 2/3rds of the way through the month). I'm hoping to run a quicky session this coming weekend and if I can pull it off I'll make sure to record it.

The Order of Magnitude XXIV: Mad Science Magic

2011-11-20T23:41:00.000-08:00

So the Order is still poking around the Whitehearth facility. They locate one chamber which has a set of large full-length mirrors. Investigating reveals that they are some kind of illusion-based library designed to record and play back scenes or dictations. However the "library" has been damaged by the wild magic of the Mournlands and the Order's attempt to activate it causes the mirrors to shatter and creates a Living Spell formed from a Color Spray and Confusion spell. Fortunately most of the Order manages to avoid being driven mad by the Living Spell and they find a connected chamber that seems to hold a scrying device designed to watch over different chambers within the facility. It's controlled by a sphere studded with holes for the various keycharms. Currently a red Keycharm is stuck in the control orb...the metal handle has melted and fused the thing in place. Magnus is unable to remove it but he does manage to fix up the device itself with a couple of repair spells. Semi-functional the device projects the image of a large room covered in workbenches. At one end is a large box or chest made from clear crystal and standing over it is a warforged in heavily decorated robes making arcane passes over the chest's surface. This glimpse lasts just a moment before the scrying device malfunctions again and the red keycharm lodged in it bursts like a firecracker.

The Order continues to investigate finding more corpses (including the alchemy lab that they raided during the flashback...they decide to give the room of cursed objects a wide berth this time) and spare keycharms. They also find what appears to be a testing chamber for combat spells and magical weapons. Unfortunately (for me at least) they choose not to fiddle with any of the levers that would have released undead trolls (former targets for the testing) or a living fireball spell.

Finally they come to the final rotator chamber and they remember the proper combination of keycharms to avoid triggering the pit trap this time around. They head into the huge room where Number 11 went out of control during the flashback and find some major changes. Of course all the Cannith magewrights are dead but it looks like someone has been messing around here anyway. The vat of molten metal has been filled with boiling, molten glass and the tubes that piped the liquid metal now face skywards and are ringed with new runes (mostly burned to slag). It's possible to see here that the ceiling can open up into a skylight and that the opening is ringed with a layer of solidified glass much like Rose Quarry. Apparently this was the device that destroyed that town. Fortunately it seems like it was a one-shot deal since it's clearly heavily damaged although it is still half full of glass kept molten by the elemental furnace it rests on.

The huge egg-shaped metal objects are still there but two appear to have been broken apart with great force. Another one of them appears mostly intact but it seemed to have sprung a leak and is apparently empty. The final one is still intact and filled with some sort of opaque green goo. The team decides to leave these things be and instead heads towards the extremely large doorway at the far end of the room, a door big enough to move whole wagons through. They approach and hear what sounds like voices from within. Moving stealthily they get closer to try and listen in. There are two voices: one is raspy and harsh the other is deep and resonant. Both have the clearly metallic cadence of warforged.

The first voice: "They have been moving through the facility...but I assure you I am in no danger."

The second: "Nevertheless, you are too valuable to our cause to risk. If you are threatened then retreat...we will find some other way to retrieve the schema. That is an order."

The third: "As you wish...my Lord of Blades."

This is the point where Magnus almost wets himself with joy...which is pretty damn impressive for a creature without a digestive system.

NaGaDeMo: DICE

2011-11-12T20:45:00.000-08:00

So my November RPG design idea already exists: http://nathanrussell.net/naga-demon/. So I'll definitely be taking part. Still doing some work on DICE. So far I've got a basic outline complete.

Intro

-defining terms

-what you need

-Ideas for play.

Chapter 1: Rolling Up Your Dice

-How Many Sides Do You Have?

-Dice Color (hero archetypes/personality)

-What Can Your Dice Do?

-Skills and Tricks

Chapter 2: Trappings

-Gear (rated in dice as well, based on specialization)

-Wealth

-Magical Gear

Chapter 3: How To Play

-Types of Tasks

-Brute

-Skilled

-Esoteric

-Task Examples

-Combat

-Attacking and Defending

-Damage

-Wounds and Defeat

-Situational Modifiers

Chapter 4: Critters and Challenges

-d4s: The little yappy ones

-d6s: common threats

-d8s: beasts and brutes

-d10s: mystic monsters

-d12s: the big ones

-d20s: epic threats

-d100s: godly challenges

-d3's: from beyond.

-traps and environmental hazards.

Chapter 5: Advancement

-Experience and leveling up

-Multi-Dicing

-Other rewards

New Savage Powers...of Dredmor

2011-11-09T17:52:00.000-08:00

Been working on using Savage Worlds to run Dungeons of Dredmor. Most of the game's abilities convert just fine to existing Savage Worlds skills and Edges but the magic system requires a bit more work. Mostly in term of Powers. So I decided to spend a bit of time converting Dredmor powers to Savage Worlds and post the results here. I figure these are good, interesting powers for any Savage Worlds fantasy campaign so they're worth public display.

Arcane Background (Astrology)

The power of the heavens! Astrologers use a bizarre mix of science, spirituality and calendars to attain heavenly powers. Astrology works just like AB (Miracles) for the purpose of purchasing Edges.

Arcane Skill: Astronomy (Spirit)

Starting Power Points: 10

Powers: 2 plus Light

Backlash: If an Astronomer rolls a 1 on their Astronomy die then they have screwed up their horoscopic predictions and their Astronomy skill is dropped by one level until they succeed at a spellcasting roll.

Astrologers have access to the following standard powers (with trappings of light, holiness or fortune): Banish, Bless, Bolt, Boost Traits, Deflection, Dispel, Smite, Stun

In addition there are a few new powers taken directly from Dredmor:

Radiant Aura

*Rank: Novice

*Power Points: 2

*Range: Touch

*Duration: 3 (1/rnd)

The target is surrounded by a halo of radiance. This grants +1 bonus to hand-to-hand damage rolls (holy energy) and a +1 to Toughness against the attacks of undead or necromantic Powers. On a raise these bonuses are doubled. This power also produces a corona of light, illuminating the area in a Large Burst around the character.

Solar Glyph

*Rank: Novice

*Power Points: 2

*Range: Smarts

*Duration: See Below

This spell creates a glowing symbol on a floor, wall, doorway or any other stationary, solid surface at least a yard wide. The glyph will trigger if disturbed (stepping on, poking, or moved) and burst in a flash of brilliant energy against the character who triggered the glyph so long as they are within 1". The blast of light is blinding and targets must make an Agility roll at -2 or become Shaken and suffer a -2 to Parry until their next action. Demons and undead also suffer 2d4 damage from the heavenly energies within the glyph. The glyph remains in place until triggered by someone but it is not possible to have more glyphs currently active than half your Spirit and no more than one glyph per 1" area. Although it does not shine brightly the glyph glows fairly obviously in darkness.

Syzygy

*Rank: Seasoned

*Power Points: 6

*Range: Smarts

*Duration: 3 (2/rnd)

The spheres align and the target becomes amazing! This power increases all Attributes (Agility, Smarts, Spirit, Strength and Vigor) by one die type (or two on a raise).

Celestial Aegis

*Rank: Seasoned

*Power Points: 5

*Range: Smarts

*Duration: 3 (1/rnd)

This power surrounds the target in a suit of armor woven from aetherial energy. This grants +2 Armor, a +2 to all Spirit rolls and +2 to all rolls made to resist powers. On a Raise these benefits are doubled.

The Stars Aligned

*Rank: Heroic

*Power Points: 3-9

*Range: See below

*Duration: Instant

The caster is the center of a confluence of terrifying celestial energies. This takes the form of a Medium burst centered on the caster which inflicts 2d6 damage in the form of aethereal and holy energy. In addition anyone Shaken or Wounded by the damage is blinded until they manage to recover from being Shaken. Against demons and the undead this damage increases to 2d8. For three additional power points the damage increases to 3d6 (or 3d8) or the area increases to a Large Burst. For both it costs 6 additional power points.

Heavenly Weapon

*Rank: Heroic

*Power Points: 5

*Range: Touch

*Duration: 3 (1/rnd)

You imbue a single weapon with the power of the stars. The weapon gains a +2 damage bonus and AP 2. These bonuses are doubled with a Raise on the casting roll. In addition when wielding the weapon your Wild Die for Fighting, Throwing or Shooting with the weapon becomes a d10.

Arcane Background (Tinkering)

Arcane Skill: Tinkering (Smarts) or appropriate skill

Starting Power Points: 10

Powers: 1

This background functions pretty much identically to weird science. Common examples of Tinkering weaponry are Clockwork Power Limbs (Boost Strength), Clockwork Chainaxes (Smite), Clockwork Bolt Throwers (Bolt) as well as original creations such as flamethrowers (Burst) or magnetic deflectors (Deflection or Armor) or smoke machines (obscure). In general Tinkering is limited to devices that can produce raw, physical effects (clockwork, explosives, etc) or those that can produce chemical effects (poisons, acid, etc). Actual magical potions and the like are limited to Alchemy.

Devices created through Tinkering each have their own supply of power points which recharge individually. Activating most of these devices requires a Tinkering roll but those designed to be used as weapons (such as Bolt Throwers) simply involve the appropriate skill roll (such as Shooting). On a skill roll of 1 the device malfunctions and breaks down which requires a Craft roll and 2d6 hours to fix.

One-shot items such as traps, grenades or special ammunition work best when created using the Gadgeteering Edge.

Arcane Background (Alchemy)

Arcane Skill: Alchemy (Smarts)

Starting Power Points: 10

Starting Powers: 3

Alchemy "Powers" take the form of alchemical formula that the caster knows how to reproduce effectively. Creating an alchemical potion requires 1 hour's time and access to at least a portable alchemy lab (a well stocked lab grants a +2 bonus, a full workshop grants a +4 bonus to the Alchemy skill). Alchemical concoctions are triggered when consumed or when they a target is exposed to them (for offensive mixtures). This means that most ranged powers must be thrown (throwing skill, range of 3/6/12)

Alchemists can also purchase the Gadgeteering Edge. Their version allows the creation of wands or other "charged" magical items.

The following is a list of generic Powers alchemists can access:

Armor, Blast, Bolt, Boost\Lower Trait, Confusion, Dispel, Environmental Protection, Fly, Greater Healing, Healing, Invisibility, Light, Obscure, Quickness, Shape Change, Smite, Speed, Stun, Succor, Teleport, Warrior's Gift

Many of Dredmor's potions are pretty easily duplicated: Potion of Steeling (Armor), Potion of Healing (duh), Acid Flask (Bolt), Potion of Invisibility (also duh), Potion of Purity (dispel), Spatial Instability Potion (Teleport). Some (potions of mana and potions of replenishment) don't have a creatable version. Here's the basic stats for the remaining, more unique potions.

Potion of Clear Vision

*Rank: Novice

*Power Points: 2

*Range: Drinker

*Duration: 3 (1/rnd)

This potion increases the Notice skill of the target by one die type (two on a raise) and grants them the Low-Light Vision ability (allowing them to ignore light penalties for all but Pitch Darkness).

Potion of Radiance

Functions just like the Astrological power Radiant Aura.

Potion of Midas

*Rank: Novice

*Power Points: 2-3

*Range: Thrown

*Duration: Instant

When splashed against a target this potion converts a portion of their flesh into gold. This inflicts 2d6 damage (or 3d6 for 3 power points) and produces an amount of gold equivalent to the damage inflicted multiplied by the creature's size +1 (negative size halves the amount produced for each -1).

Potion of Lively Regeneration

*Rank: Heroic

*Power Points:10

*Range: Drinker

*Duration: 1 (3/round)

This potion grants the effects of Fast Regeneration. The target of the spell may make a natural healing roll every round to recover Wounds. On a Raise the target also receives a +2 to any soak rolls during the spell's duration.

Potion of Dire Empowerment

*Rank: Novice

*Power Points: 2

*Range: Drinker

*Duration: 3 (1/rnd)

The drinker's Strength score is increased by one die-type and their Toughness increases by +2 against necromantic damage. These bonuses are doubled on a Raise.

Infernal Potion

*Rank: Novice

*Power Points:4

*Range: Drinker

*Duration: 3 (1/rnd)

The drinker receives the equivalent of +4 Armor against fire based attacks (+6 on a Raise) and they are surrounded by a flaming aura which grants +1 fire-based damage on all of the drinker's attacks (+2 on a raise).

Hyperborean and Voltiac potions have identical effects but are based on cold or electrical damage respectively.

Arcane Background (Psionics)

Arcane Skill: Psionics (Spirit)
Starting Power Points: 10
Starting Powers: 3

Psionics function pretty much identically to the standard version. They have an advantage over magic in that they require no gestures, words or other frippery to perform their Powers but they do have a smaller selection of available powers. On a roll of a 1 on their arcane skill they are Shaken.

Psionic powers have trappings involving telekinesis or mentalism: Bolt (hurled objects), Boost Trait (biofeedback), Confusion, Deflection, Fear, Fly, Havoc, Healing (with crystals), Legerdemain, Pummel, Puppet, Slumber, Stun, Telekinesis, Teleport.

The Dredmor specific skills almost all translate pretty directly to existing powers although the power level does change (Crystal Healing is a Novice ability while Narcosomatic Induction (Slumber) and Psychokinetic Shove (Pummel or Havoc) are both Seasoned). There are two new powers:

Pyrokinesis

*Rank: Novice

*Power Points:2

*Range: Smarts x 2

*Duration: instant

The target spontaneously combusts, suffering 1d10 fire damage and automatically catching on fire.

Nerve Staple

*Rank: Veteran

*Power Points:6

*Range:Smarts x2

*Duration: 3 (1/rnd)

The caster must make an opposed roll using their Psionics skill against the target's Spirit. If the caster succeeds the target is Shaken and their Agility, Smarts and Spirit are all lowered by one die type. If the caster succeeds with a Raise then their Attributes drop by 2 die types. This cannot lower them below a d4.

Arcane Background (Magic)

Arcane Skill: Spellcasting (Smarts)
Starting Power Points: 10
Starting Powers: 3

Magic works pretty much like normal, but there's a good load of Dredmor specific spells to stat out. This AB also gives access to pretty much all Powers.

The following spells work well as existing powers:
Animate Blade Being (Bolt, flings suicidal silver-ware golems are your foes or a damaging Barrier for stationary blade-beings)
Unliving Wall (Barrier)
Thor's Fulminaric bolt (Blast)
Power of Magic Steel (Smite)
Unholy Warcry (Fear)
Dragon's Breath (Burst)
Obvious Fireball (Blast)
Gog's Tactical Pyre (damaging Barrier)
Deathly Hex (Bolt)
Nightmare Curse (Slumber)
Knit Flesh (Healing and/or Greater Healing)
Zombyfycation (Zombie)
Froda's Jump Discontinuity/Xeuclid's Translation (Teleport)
Beklam's Diminishing Calculus (Lower Trait)

Now, as for the rest...lets go!

Animate Mustache

*Rank:Novice

*Power Points: 3+

*Range:Smarts

*Duration:3 (1/rnd)

You conjure a mustache golem using whiskers summoned from the Elemental Plane of Facial Hair. This is an Extra who is completely loyal to the caster which acts on the same initiative as the caster and receives an immediate action as soon as it is summoned. On a raise the golem has the Hardy advantage. Casters of Seasoned or higher rank can spend an additional 2 Power Points to summon extra golems at once (2 total at seasoned for 5 PP, 3 at veteran for 7 PP and so on).

The golem is about the size of a cinder block but moves quickly and possesses long prehensile whiskers that it uses to constrict its victims. It has the following stats:

Attributes: Agility 1d10, Smarts d8, Spirit d8, Strength d8, Vigor d10
Skills: Climbing d6, Fighting d8, Notice d6
Pace: 6, Parry: 6, Toughness: 5
Special abilities:

Strand: Str
Construct: +2 to recover from being Shaken, Immune to poison/disease. No additional damage from called shots.
Fearless: Immune to fear and intimidation
Size -2
Small: Attackers suffer a -2 penalty to hit the golem.
Choke: If a mustache hits with a raise they automatically grapple the target and (if they breath) begin choking them. Each round the victim remains grappled they suffer a Fatigue level.

Invive Thaumite Swarm

*Rank: Seasoned

*Power Points: 3

*Range: Smarts x 2

*Duration: 3 (1/rnd)

The target's flesh is infested with a swarm of microscopic thaumites which burrow and chew viciously inflicting 1d10 damage every round. If the target is killed but the caster continues to maintain the spell the swarm surrounds the corpse in an invisible cloud which will infest anyone who moves through it.

Grant Machine Mortality

*Rank: Heroic

*Power Points: 6

*Range:Smarts

*Duration:3 (1/rnd)

This spell summons a horrifying machine from the Plane That's Full of Horrifying Machines. The robot serves loyally for the duration of the spell and will act on the same initiative as the caster (acting immediately the turn it is summoned). If the caster scores a Raise on the casting roll then the robot has the Hardy advantage. It is an Extra.

The Machine has the following stats:

Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d6, Spirit d8, Strength d12+3, Vigor d10
Skills: Fighting d10, Intimidation d10, Notice d8
Pace: 8, Parry: 7, Toughness: 14 (4)
Special Abilities

Shiny Blades: Str +1d10
Armor +4: Steel Plating
Construct: +2 to recover from Shaken, no additional damage from called shot, immune to poison/disease.
Fearless: Immune to fear and intimidation.
Improved Sweep: The robot may attack everyone adjacent as a single action.
Size +3: The robot is about 9' tall.

Digging Ray

*Rank:Veteran

*Power Points: 10

*Range: Smarts

*Duration: 10/round

This spell creates a beam of stone-dissolving energy which is primarily used to disintegrate walls and similar impediments. It inflicts 3d10 damage against objects or creatures composed of stone (attempting to strike a creature requires a Shooting roll at -2) and it can be maintained to continue dissolving material. If focused on a single spot the damage is sufficient to bore a hole about 1 yard wide in 6 feet of solid rock per turn up to Smarts range. The hole can be expanded but slows the progress proportionally (so opening a 2 yard wide hole happens at the rate of 3 feet per round).

Meatshield

*Rank: Novice

*Power Points: 3

*Range: Self

*Duration: 3 (1/round)

Bulging lumps of meat grow to help cushion blows and ward off damage while also increasing your general burliness. This increases Strength and Vigor by one die type (two on a raise). Of course you're absolutely hideous while under the spell's effects and suffer a -4 to Charisma.

Fleshborer

*Rank: Novice

*Power Points: 3

*Range:Smarts x 2

*Duration: 1 (1/rnd)

This gruesome spell rends the target's flesh continously. The caster must make an opposed roll against the victim's Vigor using their casting skill. On a success the spell inflicts 2d4 damage per round as long as the caster keeps it going. On a raise the damage increases to 2d6.

Corpus Burst

*Rank:Seasoned

*Power Points: 2-6

*Range:Smarts x3

*Duration: Instant

This spell makes corpses explode. It can target any inanimate bodies of once-living creatures. The corpse bursts explosively inflicting 2d6 damage plus the Size of the creature (corpses that are only partially intact may count as smaller) in a Medium Burst. It is possible to target up to three corpses at once by spending 2 Power Points per corpse.

Miasmatic Putrefaction

*Rank:Veteran

*Power Points: 4-6

*Range:Smarts x3

*Duration: 3 (1/rnd)

This spell creates a thick cloud of horrific corruption and poison. The cloud takes the form of a Medium Burst and inflicts 2d6 damage on anyone within the cloud or who enters it. The cloud is stationary (unless blown around by strong winds or similar forces) and damages anyone who starts their turn in the cloud or who enters it. The cloud is also semi-opaque and is treated as a region of Dim lighting (-1 penalty). For 6 power points the size of the cloud can be upgraded to a Large Burst.

Curse of the Golden Ratio

This spell functions identically to the effects of the Midas potion (see Alchemy) except that it works as a ranged attack (using the caster's arcane skill roll) with a range of 12/24/48.

Zenzizenzizenzic

*Rank:Heroic

*Power Points: 5

*Range:Self

*Duration:3 (1/rnd)

It's a spell to increase the power of your spells! This spell increases the caster's Spellcasting skill by one die type (or two on a raise) and reduces the cost of all spells cast during it's duration by 1 Power Point (to a minimum of 1). Repeated castings stack.

The Recursive Curse

*Rank: Heroic

*Power Points: 8

*Range: Smarts x2

*Duration:3 (2/rnd)

The caster must succeed at an opposed roll against the target's Spirit. If he wins the target suffers a -1 penalty to all Trait rolls. At the start of the next turn the target must make a Spirit roll (at -2 if the caster succeeded with a Raise) or the penalty worsens by 1. This continues as long as the spell's duration lasts.

Mark of Chthon

*Rank: Seasoned

*Power Points:4

*Range: Touch

*Duration:3 (1/rnd)

This spell marks the target with the symbol of a dark god increasing their Strength and Vigor by 2 die types. On a raise they also gain the Hardy advantage. However once the spell ends the target takes 2d6 damage (after losing the spell's benefits) as the mark burns his soul with necromantic energy.

Pact of Fleeting Life

*Rank: Seasoned

*Power Points:4

*Range: Touch

*Duration: 5 (1/rnd)

When the spell is cast the target (who must be willing) suffers 2d6 damage due to necromantic energy. The target of the spell inflicts 2 additional points of damage due to necromantic energy (+4 on a raise) and whenever they successfully inflict a Wound on a creature they may make a Natural Healing roll (at +2 for each wound inflicted beyond the first) to recover their own Wounds.

Eldritch Inhabitation

*Rank: Veteran

*Power Points: 4-6

*Range: 12/24/48

*Duration: See below

The caster launches a bolt of writhing darkness which inflicts 2d6 damage (or 3d6 for 6 power points) on a successful hit. If the target is Shaken or Wounded by the attack they are infested with a being from beyond which will attempt to tear its way back to its home dimension in 1d4 rounds (this occurs even if the original target has died). The entity creates a Medium Burst of squirming eldritch evil which inflicts 2d8 (or 3d8 if 6 power points were used) damage on everything within the Burst.

Tenebrous Rift

*Rank: Heroic

*Power Points: 10

*Range: Smarts x2

*Duration: 1d6+2 rounds (this can Ace)

This spell causes a minor apocalyptic event, ripping a hole in the fabric of space and allowing horrible Things to reach through. The spell affects a Medium Burst centered as the caster chooses within range. The caster's Arcane skill roll is opposed by the Agility of all within the area. Success means the targets are entangled (suffering -2 to pace and all skills linked to Agility and Strength). On a raise the target cannot move at all or use any Agility or Strength based skills.

Breaking free requires an Agility or Strength roll (others may try and help at a -2 penalty to their Strength) but anyone who starts their turn within the area must make another Agility roll to avoid being entangled once more (or becoming more entangled if they are already caught). In addition the hideous mass of tentacles inflicts 3d6 damage to all within the area every turn. It also grows...each round the area of the Rift expands by 1". Don't worry, the chances of the rift lasting long enough to consume your city/continent/planet are minimal.

Skatha's Roots

*Rank:Seasoned

*Power Points:3-5

*Range:Smarts

*Duration:Special

This spell summons roots and vines that entangle and crush the target. The caster's arcane skill roll is opposed by the target's Agility. On a success the target is entangled and suffers a -2 penalty to Pace and skills linked to Agility and Strength. The roots also crush the target for 1d6 damage per round until the target breaks free. On a raise the target is completely immobilized and cannot use Agility or Strength based skills at all. They also suffer 2d6 damage per turn until they break free.

Breaking free of the roots requires a Strength or Agility roll (they can also be torn off by someone else rolling Strength at -2). For 3 power points this spell affects a single target. For 5 it affects all targets within a Medium Burst.

Arctic Vortex

*Rank: Heroic

*Power Points:3-6

*Range:Smarts x2

*Duration:1 (2/rnd)

The caster summons arctic winds that fill a Medium Burst. The winds are bitterly cold and savage, inflicting 2d6 cold damage to all in the area. Anyone Shaken or Wounded by the damage is caught up in the winds and hurled 2d6" in a random direction and becomes prone. Striking a solid object or wall inflicts 1d10 damage.

The vortex remains in place so long as the caster keeps paying the upkeep, inflicting damage on anyone who starts their turn in the area and anyone who enters the area. The caster may take an action during their turn to move the area up to 1/2 their Spirit in inches.

Hand of Belimawr

*Rank: Veteran

*Power Points: 4

*Range: Self

*Duration:3 (1/rnd)

The caster is surrounded by a fiery aura. This has two effects. First it grants the effect of Armor +4 against fire-based attacks (+6 on a raise). Second it causes all the caster's hand-to-hand attacks to inflict an additional 1d6 points of fire-based damage (this increases to 1d10 on a raise).

Rune of Exploding

*Rank:Seasoned

*Power Points: 4

*Range: Smarts

*Duration: See Below

This spell creates a glowing symbol on a floor, wall, doorway or any other stationary, solid surface at least a yard wide. The rune will trigger if disturbed (stepping on, poking, or moved) and burst in an explosion of fire. This fills a Small Burst centered on the rune and inflicts 2d6 points of fire-based damage to all in the area.

The rune glows like a hot ember so it is quite obvious in dark lighting. It is not possible to have more runes active than half your Spirit and none may be closer than 1 hex (1") to each other.

Summon Wyrmling

*Rank:Veteran

*Power Points: 6

*Range:Smarts

*Duration:3 (1/rnd)

This spell summons a small dragonling to serve the caster for its duration. The dragon appears in a puff of flame (filling a Small Burst and inflicting 1d8 damage) and may act immediately and acts each round on the caster's initiative. The wyrmling is an Extra (with the Hardy advantage if the caster manages a Raise on their arcane skill roll).

The wyrmling has the following stats:

Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d6 (A), Spirit d10, Strength 1d12, Vigor 1d10
Skills: Fighting d8, Intimidation d10, Notice d8
Pace: 6, Parry 7, Toughness 12 (4)
Special Abilities:

Armor +4: tough scales
Claws/Bite: Str+d8
Size +1
Fiery Breath: A Cone effect inflicting 2d10 damage. Agility rolls at -2 allow victims to avoid the blast.
Immunity (fire): The wyrmling is unaffected by fire-based damage.

Infernal Torus

*Rank:Heroic

*Power Points: 8

*Range:See below

*Duration:Instant

You release a burst of fire...then another...and another! This spell creates a blast of flame centered on the caster filling a Small Burst and inflicting 2d6 fire based damage to anyone other than the caster in that area. Then a second burst of flame immediately afterwards. This one fills a Medium Burst and inflicts 3d6 damage. Then a third. This one fills a Large burst and inflicts 4d6 damage.

RPG In November

2011-11-06T09:18:00.000-08:00

For a lot of people November is National Novel Writing Month. It's a cool project and one I've attempted to participate in a few times. However it quickly became obvious that if there's a novel in me it's going to take a heck of a lot longer than a month to coax it out. However, in solidarity with all of those souls tapping on their keyboards this month I'm going to set my own creativity goal: to complete an RPG In November (NaRoPlGaWrMo was too hideous an acronym).

So before the end of November I'm going to finish the DICE rpg system or else...I won't finish it! I'll make it my goal to complete the system then post it here for anyone who cares to give it a shot.

The Order of Magnitude XXIII: Back to the Future

2011-11-03T00:03:00.000-07:00

So, back in their own time the Order takes a bit of time to digest the info they've gotten. They're pretty sure that the Schema they were sent to find will be in the weapon-development laboratory of Whitehearth and now they know the keys they'll need and the proper sequence to trigger them! Unfortunately they only have a single keycharm given to them by Elaydren, they know they'll need at least 3 others to properly complete their mission.

So, following Magnus's map and landmarks remembered from the vision they make their way towards the Whitehearth facility when they run into an unexpected encounter:

They are hailed weakly by what appears to be a badly wounded dwarf wandering the Mournlands, he collapses to the ground just as the Order approaches. They use some goodberry wine (which functions in the Mournland) to heal some of the unfortunate dwarf's wounds and he introduces himself and explains his situation. His name is Keldor Smoothstone and he's been a bit down-on-his luck. He ended up in Daargun after his adventuring group disbanded and he incurred some heavy gambling debts. He joined up with a band of hobgoblins who make forays into the Mournlands for loot and valuables. He was badly wounded by a horrific beast that attacked the salvagers and they abandoned him. He's been wandering desperately ever since and begs the Order to let him stay with them.

They agree, although they explain that their mission is private and they may not be able to explain what they're doing to him. He agrees, just wanting to have someone watch his back until he can get out of the Mournlands.

The group heads towards Whitehearth where they find it's illusionary concealment is malfunctioning, switching between scenes of wilderness, forest, desert and snowfield which makes it easy to pick out the right hillside. They find the adamantine hatch that they recall from their vision and fortunately the one keycharm that they have fits and allows them access. They head into the rotator chamber which is clearly functional (although the everbright crystals set in the walls are unsteady and dim). There are 8 passages accessible from this room, only half of which could be accessed with a blue keycharm (the southeast passage is the one they know they'll want but it requires a green charm).

The first chamber they check turns out to be a magically operated laundry chamber. Interesting but not helpful. Keldor is getting increasingly nervous with this place. He confesses he's uncomfortable with large amounts of magic and the flickering lighting is causing him to fear being trapped by a malfunctioning doorway.

The next chamber turns out to be some mess hall (mostly empty beyond a few corpses untouched by decay). Nolan discovers a magical cabinet that seems to flavor, warm or chill different types of food placed within it. He falls in love, but his pleas to take the cabinet with them back through the mournlands fall on deaf ears. A search of the corpses reveals several Blue Keycharms (distributed among the party so they all have a copy) and a pair of brown-colored keycharms.

Returning back to the revolving chamber they decide to continue investigating the blue-keyed rooms. The next one they take a look at turns out to be an office of a higher-ranking Cannith agent. The documents in the room are purely logistical and painfully dull...although Nolan notes with interest the large amounts of adamantine recently transported to the facility and sent to the research wing.

The next chamber opens into a long hallway and they decide to send Shara down to investigate while the rest of the Order waits near the doorway. She sneaks down and finds several doors at the end of the hallway. Peeking through one of the open doorways she sees it was originally some kind of dorm chamber for Cannith staff...however something horrible has happened. The corpses laying in beds and seated in chairs throughout the room have somehow begun to merge...strands of still-moist flesh and tissue stretching and congealing between the bodies like some kind of hideous fungal bloom made of meat. Gnawing at these strands of flesh are several large canines that seem to be dire wolves covered in patchy fur and huge tumorous lumps. The largest has a disturbingly humanoid face rather than a dog's muzzle.

Shara is shocked by the sight and starts to sneak away but flubs her roll and the keen senses of the wolves pick her up. She shouts an alarm and turns to run back to the others...only to see two other wolves pad from another doorway at the end of the hall...cutting off her retreat. She's surrounded by gigantic, deformed wolves and far, far away from her allies.

Fortunately the bizzare man-faced wolf growls at the rest and they oddly stand down. Then even more oddly that wolf begins to speak! The wolf is Rrorsa, one of the animals kept here as a test subject by Cannith. She can only speak simply and haltingly but explains that her pack begin to change after the humans died (herself especially, gaining intellect and the ability to speak). She allows the rest of the Order to approach and shares what little she knows about the facility with them. Rrorsa then proposes a deal...She'd love to be able to leave the facility but many of her packmates are still trapped in their cages in one of the testing chambers of the facility, guarded by a hideous beast. If the Order can reunite them then Rrorsa is willing to give them a few of her possessions: a magical pearl and a green Keycharm.

The Order convinces Rrorsa that they can be trusted and heads off to find the rest of her pack. Before they go they find a chamber Rrorsa hadn't been able to open (locked with a Brown charm) which proved to be the personal chambers of a high-ranking Cannith guard. They loot some nice swords and a suit of chainmail and a red keycharm.

The Order follows Rrorsa's directions to the testing wing of the facility where they quickly locate the kennels where Rrorsa's packmates are kept (fortunately the magic that produces fresh food and water and cleans their waste is still active). Before they can free the wolves they're assaulted by Alpha and Beta a pair of flesh-golems in the shape of large canines. Fortunately the Order manages to put down both golems before suffering any major injuries. Jack patches everyone up as best he can, using a custom health-transference spell (reversed vampiric touch) to heal his companions.

The trapped wolves are freed and reunited with Rrorsa who thanks the Order for their help. Before she and her pack leave for the surface they mention that someone else has been through the area recently...someone who looks like Magnus but smells different.

At this point Keldor tells the Order that he simply can't stand the place any longer and offers to stay in the caves and keep an eye on the entrance until they're done. This is agreed and the Order presses onwards...

I Thought Of It First IV: MMO Halloween

2011-10-31T16:56:00.000-07:00

Random thought I had today as we're preparing for the potential onslaught of trick-or-treaters while also discussing some Halloween events run by MMOs and it occurred to me that the two could be combined.

Imagine this. An MMO such as WoW partners up with a major candy company, the ones that produce big-bags-o-candy for Halloween. Now, in these bags you've got the individually wrapped little candies but you can also put small printed codes. Go online, log in and enter the code and you get a random reward determined by the code. It could be a small amount of in-game cash, a small bit of XP or maybe a randomly generated item (ranging from trash to uber-rare toys). That way the kid who comes to your door is not only getting his yearly sugar injection but if he plays WoW (or some other MMO), which statistically he probably does) then he'll get a little something extra.

Of course, one side-effect you'll probably see is adult gamers hitting up the stores around Halloween to take advantage of the promotion by buying up big sacks of candy. I wonder what candy companies would do about that? Probably just count the money and laugh maniacally.

Pumpkins

2011-10-31T13:20:00.000-07:00

click for full size

Some pumpkin carving I did the other day. The one on the left is Eddie from NJ's comic and the one on the right is obviously zombie toast (stencil was drawn by her and carved by me).

Also, should anyone be interested I've started actually posting some art on my deviantart account.