Saturday, 27 September 2014
Change is afoot
I'm in the midst of developing a new setting for a whole new group of players. It's going to be a post magical apocalypse world complete with insane magical constructs; flesh crafted hybrids of beast and man; ancient, powerful magics and tons of forgotten secrets; loads of bizarre ruins; the last surviving human fortress citadels; walled peasant villages; the evils of slavery; the glories and questionable morality of gladiatorial combat; no non-human player characters; dinosaurs(!); reptile folk; a weird blue skinned, black eyed, HR Giger armour wearing telepathic, man flesh eating, hive minded race; another weird armoured, eyeless race with strange weapons and bizarre, roving fortresses; winged carnivorous apes; the fabulous treasures of the ancients; dragons; mutants; all that good stuff. As Zak S. is fond of saying, there is D&D in every direction. Or Swords and Wizardry in this case, as if that was not the same thing.
Tuesday, 9 September 2014
Some Weird Occurrences: A Random Table
This primarily relates to my Grim North setting, particularly urban adventures in Nox Aeterna but hey...
Roll 1d20 in town for something strange:
1 The dark cowled figure whose face is the skull of a crow.
2 A drowned woman who speaks inscrutable dooms.
3 The moth like figure who flits between the dark spires and whose prophecies leave the recipient catatonic and irredeemably insane.
4 A pale, bald, fat (Kingpin fat) man with needle teeth and four arms. He wears a bloody apron and carries two cleavers and a pair of carving knives.
5 A dark haired woman who is seen to be washing your bloody clothes in a stream.
6 A man who dissolves into a hundred ravens or rooks
7 A large black dog with green eyes
8 A pot breaks. Then they all break.
9 A face is reflected in a mirror or pool. It has no eyes.
10 The shadows form a horned, fanged face. It speaks your name. It is gone.
11 You tip back your drinking vessel and snakes pour forth. Or worms. Or millipedes. As you prefer.
12 You see a person you are sure you know but they deny you three times.
13 A little girl whose eyes have been recently gouged out beckons to you but when you look back she is no longer there.
14 There is a well. It is dark beyond black. From within you can hear the echoes of gentle sobbing.
15 There is an urgent knocking at the door. There is no one there. When you close it, it starts again.
16 An old man falls in the street. He wails. If anyone touches him, he turns to ash.
17 A weasel crosses your path and stops to stare at you with malevolent eyes. If approached it becomes a snakes and vanishes into the nearest hole.
18 An old woman is selling lucky heather. She sees you, stops for a moment as if struck dumb and then approaches. She pins it on you with no charge and says "Where you are going, you will need this."
19 A beggar freaks out as you walk by. He throws his meagre takings in copper pieces at you saying "Take it, take it, just don't look at me."
20 You see cats. They're in alleys. On rooftops. In the windows of shops. They're watching you.
Roll 1d20 in town for something strange:
1 The dark cowled figure whose face is the skull of a crow.
2 A drowned woman who speaks inscrutable dooms.
3 The moth like figure who flits between the dark spires and whose prophecies leave the recipient catatonic and irredeemably insane.
4 A pale, bald, fat (Kingpin fat) man with needle teeth and four arms. He wears a bloody apron and carries two cleavers and a pair of carving knives.
5 A dark haired woman who is seen to be washing your bloody clothes in a stream.
6 A man who dissolves into a hundred ravens or rooks
7 A large black dog with green eyes
8 A pot breaks. Then they all break.
9 A face is reflected in a mirror or pool. It has no eyes.
10 The shadows form a horned, fanged face. It speaks your name. It is gone.
11 You tip back your drinking vessel and snakes pour forth. Or worms. Or millipedes. As you prefer.
12 You see a person you are sure you know but they deny you three times.
13 A little girl whose eyes have been recently gouged out beckons to you but when you look back she is no longer there.
14 There is a well. It is dark beyond black. From within you can hear the echoes of gentle sobbing.
15 There is an urgent knocking at the door. There is no one there. When you close it, it starts again.
16 An old man falls in the street. He wails. If anyone touches him, he turns to ash.
17 A weasel crosses your path and stops to stare at you with malevolent eyes. If approached it becomes a snakes and vanishes into the nearest hole.
18 An old woman is selling lucky heather. She sees you, stops for a moment as if struck dumb and then approaches. She pins it on you with no charge and says "Where you are going, you will need this."
19 A beggar freaks out as you walk by. He throws his meagre takings in copper pieces at you saying "Take it, take it, just don't look at me."
20 You see cats. They're in alleys. On rooftops. In the windows of shops. They're watching you.
The d20 Polygraph Test
I hate Sense Motive and similar skills. The ability to detect lies is not a given even for the people who do it for a living. Investigators, journalists, lawyers etc are frequently had over by liars in their day to day business.
If you're a PC in my game then I expect you to make your own judgement about whether an NPC is giving you the run around. If you make an effort to find out then you'll have more to go on. If you just want to roll your d20, well you're going to miss out and quite frankly you deserve to because it's lazy gaming in my opinion.
So, get out and about. Find out where this NPC hangs around, ask questions, buy drinks, threaten people, look stuff up, put the word out, check out what they tell you or reference it with someone else who might also know. Yes, this takes time. It might not be as much fun as smacking the heads off random goblins but how far are you prepared to trust these people. I mean, I just made them up. They're hardly going to be on the straight and narrow, surely?
Are you ever going to get a concrete answer? No. You cast Know Alignment and nothing happens because it's a stupid spell that has no effective meaning in any way other than a meta game concept of behavioural codes that does not exist outside of the DMG.
Play the game well and you will be rewarded, rely too much on the rules and you will be reviled. Don't believe me? Sense my Motive...
If you're a PC in my game then I expect you to make your own judgement about whether an NPC is giving you the run around. If you make an effort to find out then you'll have more to go on. If you just want to roll your d20, well you're going to miss out and quite frankly you deserve to because it's lazy gaming in my opinion.
So, get out and about. Find out where this NPC hangs around, ask questions, buy drinks, threaten people, look stuff up, put the word out, check out what they tell you or reference it with someone else who might also know. Yes, this takes time. It might not be as much fun as smacking the heads off random goblins but how far are you prepared to trust these people. I mean, I just made them up. They're hardly going to be on the straight and narrow, surely?
Are you ever going to get a concrete answer? No. You cast Know Alignment and nothing happens because it's a stupid spell that has no effective meaning in any way other than a meta game concept of behavioural codes that does not exist outside of the DMG.
Play the game well and you will be rewarded, rely too much on the rules and you will be reviled. Don't believe me? Sense my Motive...
Monday, 25 August 2014
Some Witches in the Grim North
Just some ideas I had about witches while on the train today and
yesterday. These will end up in the appropriate random encounter tables
for the Grim North.
The Frost Witch
White gowned a pale skinned with blue hair lips and eyes. Has a wand that turns folk to ice. Can call a snowstorm and travel through it unhindered or quicker, also appears through the panes of mirrors or reflective surfaces such as ice. Casts charm person, sleep, cone of cold, wall of ice, that sort of thing. Servants are a malignant blue skinned dwarf armed with a whip, two black worgs and a fur clad ogre.
The Owl Witch
Wears a cloak of owl feathers. Can transform into a snowy, tawny, barn or giant owl dependent on the colours of her cloak. Casts owl related spells, wall of feathers, fly (sprouts wings), avian missile, etc. Servants are all owls, they whisper secrets in her ear.
The Night Witch
Hooded and cloaked in black. She carries a noose with her at all times. Blends into and travels through shadows. Noose can attack telekinetically. Has a black cat, may enlarge and fight as a panther. Uses stick figurines to enact sympathetic magic.
The Fen Witch
Bent and ugly. Her name is Daisy. Wears green and brown. Eats frogs and eels. Has a cauldron in which she can see the present but not the past or future. Carries a staff crafted from a crooked, lightning struck branch. Is served by an intelligent serpent that can spit venom, flocks of starlings and an old brown bear.
 |
| Random encounter? Oh, go on then |
The Frost Witch
White gowned a pale skinned with blue hair lips and eyes. Has a wand that turns folk to ice. Can call a snowstorm and travel through it unhindered or quicker, also appears through the panes of mirrors or reflective surfaces such as ice. Casts charm person, sleep, cone of cold, wall of ice, that sort of thing. Servants are a malignant blue skinned dwarf armed with a whip, two black worgs and a fur clad ogre.
The Owl Witch
Wears a cloak of owl feathers. Can transform into a snowy, tawny, barn or giant owl dependent on the colours of her cloak. Casts owl related spells, wall of feathers, fly (sprouts wings), avian missile, etc. Servants are all owls, they whisper secrets in her ear.
The Night Witch
Hooded and cloaked in black. She carries a noose with her at all times. Blends into and travels through shadows. Noose can attack telekinetically. Has a black cat, may enlarge and fight as a panther. Uses stick figurines to enact sympathetic magic.
The Fen Witch
Bent and ugly. Her name is Daisy. Wears green and brown. Eats frogs and eels. Has a cauldron in which she can see the present but not the past or future. Carries a staff crafted from a crooked, lightning struck branch. Is served by an intelligent serpent that can spit venom, flocks of starlings and an old brown bear.
Thursday, 21 August 2014
Things Encountered on the Road to Nox Aeterna
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| There are things in the woods. They hate you. |
Beastmen, Satyr, they might look like steroid using goat barbarians but they're flesh eaters and you look like a Sunday roast for the whole warherd.
The Teeth of Beoric, the Green Pearl of Vaxos, the Ivory and Iron Crown, the Skeleton Puppet, finding any of these things can only lead to grief and woe.
Peasants in trouble, faeries have stolen their wagon, an ogre has eaten their children, goblins have soured their milk cow or whatever.
Nothing, they get to the city without incident. Hahaha. As if.
A wizard hunter.
Flying things, pelgrane? Harpies? Dragon? Vores? Moths? Goblins riding moths? The actual Mothman?
Visions, a snow leopard that talks, the Horned Lord and his wolves, any of the other weird faerie-ish gods, a fat man towing a wagon on which sits a huge cauldron of porridge, a black dog with green eyes, a faerie cat, nine dead men hung from the branches of an ash tree.
Witch/witches, inhabiting abandoned huts, weaving or threading beads or sewing or being openly hostile, reading fortunes for silver.
A birchman, or colony thereof 4hd AC 5 (14) dmg 1d8, immune to blunt and piercing weapons, vulnerable to fire.
A rabbit hole, a rabbit hole is like a wormhole but a fantasy one. It leads to the otherworld or at least a pocket of it. It is small but everyone can fit in it.
A dead or wounded patrician.
A gold prospector. Guess what? He's mad. I did not see that coming...
A bridge. Not just an ordinary bridge. It depends on how you cross it. Or who built it. Or who lives under it. Or who disputes your right to pass over it. Or all of these things.
Monday, 18 August 2014
Games I would like to play but probably never will
Talislanta
Love the setting, love the fourth edition rules. The character archetypes give a real flavour for the world, the mechanics are simple and effective. Every single resource printed for the game, across all editions, is available online for free here.
No elves. That solves the all elf party conundrum.
No humans either, although there are a LOT of races. That makes it a bit unrelatable for total novices.
There's a new version in the works too. Hope it takes off.
WFRP
Everyone knows Warhammer. The grim, dark world descending into the inevitable grasp of Chaos and corruption. I have the second edition rules and the magic mechanics are so apt to the setting they may be the best ever. As much as I monkey around with things for my Swords and Wizardry game, I'd run this with tropes and cliches intact. Largely because they're done well and are therefore fun.
The setting is so richly developed with all the novels and so forth there is a lot of scope for different campaign styles, as long as you don't mind your characters retiring maimed, insane or mutated beyond all recognition. Or most likely all three.
GURPS
I just love the idea you can apply it to any setting. I totally hate the Herculean labour that is character creation though.
I'm just messing with myself by even thinking like this. I'm struggling with players for a regular game of Swords and Wizardry as it is.
 |
| Not just a multicoloured elf |
Love the setting, love the fourth edition rules. The character archetypes give a real flavour for the world, the mechanics are simple and effective. Every single resource printed for the game, across all editions, is available online for free here.
No elves. That solves the all elf party conundrum.
No humans either, although there are a LOT of races. That makes it a bit unrelatable for total novices.
There's a new version in the works too. Hope it takes off.
WFRP
 |
| All Troll Slayer party anyone? |
Everyone knows Warhammer. The grim, dark world descending into the inevitable grasp of Chaos and corruption. I have the second edition rules and the magic mechanics are so apt to the setting they may be the best ever. As much as I monkey around with things for my Swords and Wizardry game, I'd run this with tropes and cliches intact. Largely because they're done well and are therefore fun.
The setting is so richly developed with all the novels and so forth there is a lot of scope for different campaign styles, as long as you don't mind your characters retiring maimed, insane or mutated beyond all recognition. Or most likely all three.
GURPS
 |
| Roll 3d6 in order? No chance. |
I just love the idea you can apply it to any setting. I totally hate the Herculean labour that is character creation though.
I'm just messing with myself by even thinking like this. I'm struggling with players for a regular game of Swords and Wizardry as it is.
Thursday, 26 June 2014
Wight is the new Black
The Wight. This is where the undead start to get interesting. Skeletons and zombies are classic foes obviously (with the latter being a pop culture obsession in the last decade,) and ghouls are good, paralysis is a great threat for the average PC. The wight however is a truly deadly opponent, that level drain is a total bitch, especially for your low level PCs who are staring death in the face with no saving throw.
The Swords and Wizardry Complete rules has this to say about Wights:
"Wights live in tombs, graveyards, and burial mounds (barrows). They are undead, and thus not affected by sleep or charm spells. Wights are immune to all non-magical weapons, with the exception of silver weapons. Any human killed or completely drained of levels by a wight becomes a wight. "
Mentzer Basic D&D says this:
"A wight is an undead spirit living in the body of a dead human or demi-human. It can only be hit by silvered or magical weapons. Wights are greatly feared, as they drain life energy when striking a victim. "
 |
| Barrow Wight by verraux on deviantart |
The Swords and Wizardry Complete rules has this to say about Wights:
"Wights live in tombs, graveyards, and burial mounds (barrows). They are undead, and thus not affected by sleep or charm spells. Wights are immune to all non-magical weapons, with the exception of silver weapons. Any human killed or completely drained of levels by a wight becomes a wight. "
Mentzer Basic D&D says this:
"A wight is an undead spirit living in the body of a dead human or demi-human. It can only be hit by silvered or magical weapons. Wights are greatly feared, as they drain life energy when striking a victim. "
Wikipedia says:
"In its original usage the word wight described a living human being.[3] More recently, the word has been used within the fantasy genre of literature to describe undead or wraith-like creatures: corpses with a part of their decayed soul still in residence, often draining life from their victims."
"In its original usage the word wight described a living human being.[3] More recently, the word has been used within the fantasy genre of literature to describe undead or wraith-like creatures: corpses with a part of their decayed soul still in residence, often draining life from their victims."
Dragon Warriors says this:
"Wights are ancient undead, greatly feared because
of their passionless evil and strange magical powers. They are the shamans and wizard-kings of a
bygone age, and dwell in the bowels of their lonely
burial-mounds. Transformed and sustained by their
own necromantic magic, Wights appear sallow and
desiccated, sunken eyes glittering with an eldritch
light."
Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay defines Wights thusly:
"Wights are the remains of mortal heroes, animated beyond death by their own evil wills, and by strong magic woven ivy those who interred them in their grave-mounds many centuries earlier. Wights are almost always arrayed in full armour but their pale faces are visible beneath the helm, the spectral remnants of their long-decayed bodies."
For my Grim North setting wights are going to be more along the lines of the undead remains of sorcerer kings, the witch lords of a bygone age. Vulnerability to magic weapons only is an issue given the rarity of such items in the setting but let's say all non silver weapons do half damage. The touch of a wight will be ennervating but with some temporary attribute draining touch something like save vs 2d6 strength loss, rather than the dreaded level drain, although any victim not slain will soon recover if brought out into sunlight. In addition they will have some spells and unique powers (in addition to its spell casting DW allows a wight a poisonous breath weapon, the ability to raise fog, and cast illusions that cause paralysis through terror, all once per day.) The wight will be armed and armoured with its burial finery so there's scope for some serious treasure, given its status when alive, with the additional possibility as afforded in WFRP that when wielded by its unded owner a wight's blade takes on some of the creature's dark, unholy power.
I'm going to have to work on the stats, although I'm leaning towards making each one unique in some way.
Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay defines Wights thusly:
"Wights are the remains of mortal heroes, animated beyond death by their own evil wills, and by strong magic woven ivy those who interred them in their grave-mounds many centuries earlier. Wights are almost always arrayed in full armour but their pale faces are visible beneath the helm, the spectral remnants of their long-decayed bodies."
 | ||
| This guy. |
For my Grim North setting wights are going to be more along the lines of the undead remains of sorcerer kings, the witch lords of a bygone age. Vulnerability to magic weapons only is an issue given the rarity of such items in the setting but let's say all non silver weapons do half damage. The touch of a wight will be ennervating but with some temporary attribute draining touch something like save vs 2d6 strength loss, rather than the dreaded level drain, although any victim not slain will soon recover if brought out into sunlight. In addition they will have some spells and unique powers (in addition to its spell casting DW allows a wight a poisonous breath weapon, the ability to raise fog, and cast illusions that cause paralysis through terror, all once per day.) The wight will be armed and armoured with its burial finery so there's scope for some serious treasure, given its status when alive, with the additional possibility as afforded in WFRP that when wielded by its unded owner a wight's blade takes on some of the creature's dark, unholy power.
I'm going to have to work on the stats, although I'm leaning towards making each one unique in some way.
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