DCC with Doug Kovacs

On Thursday 12th I showed up, after some missed sessions, to our Metal Gods of Ur-Hadad game. To my surprise, the session was to be directed by +Doug Kovacs!

After some technical problems on my side, I finally joined the hangout and enjoyed an awesome and crazy session. Thanks Doug! As always, I took notes for future reference when I write the session recap.

Only now I had time to write it, and I was almost done with the session recap, when I remembered something. There was really no session ending, since Doug was something like "...well guys, this is all I've got now...", and stuff like that, and then everyone thanked him heartily and then we all left.

So there I was, looking at what I've just written, about to hit the "Publish" button, when I realized, "Shit, were we play testing something and I'm about fuck things up? I need to ask someone!"

Luck check made, I found +Edgar Johnson online, who was getting ready to go to his daughter's band concert. He kindly gave me a minute and, when asked, confirmed my fears. The orginal post got deleted right away and I wrote this one instead.

Thanks to the Metal Gods!

Gaming update

This is what I've played since my penultimate post:

DCC

On September 26th, October 3rd, 10th (missed this one) and 17th, the Metal Gods of Ur-Hadad crew carried the Super Secret Playtest sessions of the now published Blood for the Serpent King adventure by +Edgar Johnson.

On October 24th we celebrated the Metal Gods of Ur-Hadad's First Anniversary with a funnel adventure!

On November 7th , +Adam Muszkiewicz  started In The Shadow Of The Silicon God with the survivors of the Anniversary game. During the Festival of Ajman Adan, the Patron of Pins and Needles, the Grand Vizier of Ur-Hadad comes under attack and only the adventurers can protect His Eminence from death! But who are the mysterious cultists and what are their plans for the First City?

ACKS

On November 30th +Jason Hobbs set up a game, Zelkor's Ferry, in which we begun exploring the ruins of Rappan Athuk. Never played ACKS before and I enjoyed it a lot. Even though I have a Bard with the worst name ever, thanks to the random name generator from WotC site: Davfalcon Falconfligth. Anyway, hope we can play again and continue delving deeper into its dungeons.

Cards Against Humanity

On December 6th we hosted a small gathering of friends at home. Our kid was staying with the granpas, so we were not to worry about making some noise. We had downloaded and printed in advance the fan translation in Spanish (AR) of the free version of the game. All of us have had previous experience in different RPGs and tabletop games, but none of us had played CAH before. Those who were more skeptical about how fun it would be, ended up making the most points! We didn't play exactly by the rules: everyone took cards from the deck after each round or dropped a card that was too specific for Argentine (politicians or entertainment figures). All in all everyone had a blast and the game lasted up to 4am. :)

More DCC!

After missing a couple of sessions, on December 8th I had the chance to play again in RPGPundit's game (+Kasimir Urbanski). I also had the chance to meet new players, Philip and his sons, Sebastian and Benjamin. I've never had the opportunity to see father and sons together in a RPG session, and I found it was awesome that they shared the hobby. I wish I could do the same with mine in the future.

And one day it finally arrived...

It's been a while since my last post I know.

Anyway, back in September I ordered "The Dungeon Alphabet" and I expected to receive it way before my birthday, which is in November. 

But weeks passed and there were no news about the book. I even got in contact with Goodman Games to know when it had been shipped and calculate when it might arrive to Uruguay. I must say that Keith LeBaw, from Goodman Games, was always willing to answer my several mails on the matter. 

At some point he offered if I wanted a refund or to have another copy sent. I chose the latter since the book has been on my wishlist for a long time. And when all hope was lost, it arrived and I found the reason why it took so long to reach these latitudes. 

Yes, to UGANDA in Africa instead to URUGUAY in South America. Hello, they're different countries in different continents. Geez, I'm not in the "here be dragons..." part of the map. Somebody at the USPS needs to learn some geography...

If the second copy has already been shipped I plan to sell it and donate what I get to charity.

RPGpundit's DCC game

What you're about to read happens in the only world that survived the End of the Universe, which was rescued by the only existing God, now gone mad.

The elves are hipsters that live locked in their domed metal cities. They have technology, which they know how to use it, but don't know how to fix or create it anymore. Outside of the elven cities, a zombie Apocalypse almost wiped the human race. Dwarves are said to have been expelled from their mountain strongholds by the Green Races (goblins, orcs and such). Haven't seen any halflings yet, and the swamp giants are nothing but straw-gnawing rednecks that barter with our community.

Three of not-so-hipster elves from the Rose Dome, who called themselves adventurers, came to our hamlet looking for some ruins. They said were looking for a musical cube that roamed the swamp and killed some giants with lightning. Who can believe such a nonsense? Anyway, Theck the sludge cludger (I rather call him manure technician) took these elves to my shack, while I was reading the runes to "The Other" Kenneth, an elven barista also from the Rose Dome who wanted to be an adventurer but was stranded in our miserable community. 

So there there were Bill and his brother Ted, with "Proper" Kenneth and his hawlcon (some kind of breed between hawk and falcon) to whom I, Moloch the fortune teller, cast my runes and read their future. I just told them a lot of piffle and they gladly gave me a couple of purple opals. Since Theck and I knew about the place, we offered to guide them there. "The Other" Kenneth also jumped in at the chance of being part of a real adventure.

It was night when we arrived at the complex. Three badly damaged metal buildings partially sunk in the swamp. A faded sign in the perimeter fence read "Camp Hee Haw". We checked the largest building, which used to be some kind of cantina, and found a crystal box (a red button appears when opened), duct tape and a roll of silver material (folding tent). We also found a hatch in the floor that was opened after some effort and drained all the water in the room. Something was written in the floor around the hatch and Theck started to clean the area, when we heard a distant cacophony.

Bill cast Sequester on the area, while Ted Summoned some chickens and "Proper" Kenneth hid outside. Soon a huge semi-transparent cube with colored lights and disco music (E.L.O. and other stuff) appeared. Bill cast a Cantrip of some lights in the form of a dancing human which seemed to confuse the cube. Meanwhile Ted sent his chickens to lure the cube into an area thick with swamp gas. The cube took the bait and followed the chickens. Ted fired his laser gun and ignited the gas, which exploded and obliterated the cube.

By now Theck have cleared the mud around the hatch and the sign read: "Camp Hee Haw - Shelter Toxic Waste". We tied one of the surviving chickens to the end of a rope and lowered into the darkness. Something tugged at the rope and we pulled hard, bringing a half eaten chicken and some kind of horrible mutated elf. Theck hit it with the flat of his shovel and "The Other" Kenneth lunged forward with a short sword he'd borrowed from Bill. The creature, injured, let the chicken go and jumped down the hatch.

---

Will continue the session recap in another post. 

Thanks to +Kasimir Urbanski for inviting me to the game. I enjoyed it a lot!

Impulse buying

My RPG wish list has gone down one item, because I've just bought The Dungeon Alphabet (Expanded Third Printing) from Goodman Games. I'm going to have to wait 2 or 3 weeks until it reaches Uruguay, but it's worth the waiting. It was cheaper to have send it directly via USPS, than first to a P.O. box in Miami and then here by a courier.

I guess it was because of the adrenaline still kicking after an awesome DCC session (we're through Jewels of the Carnifex), in which my level 2 wizard, Formerly Ian, spellburned his Strength and Stamina down to 1, and his Agility down to 2. It was a near death situation where he burned 5 points to cast a Sleep, then 10 more points for another Sleep (both with meager results), and finally 1 point to cast Invoke Patron, asking the Metal Gods to smite the enemy leader (some kind of undead demi-god). Like all the corruption he already has was not enough: no hair whatsoever (it grows back naturally and 1 inch with each Sleep spell cast), yellow eyes, shriveled and folded back ears, cloven hooves instead of feet, his Patron God mark in his forehead (Judas Priest cross), and a self-inflicted carving on his right cheek (Derek Riggs logo).

This last spell had him metal spikes grown all over his body and gave each member of the party a +5 bonus on their next action. We didn't die so far, so we might have a chance to make it alive after all.

Let's see if I make another purchase after the next session!

Dealing with disapproval

After the Divine Order of the Purple Tentacle defeated a tentacled monstrosity, summoned by the Bloody Successors on their onslaught to the neighborhood, Nimue knew what she had to do. During the battle, she called upon the favor of the Elder One and failed. Now she will have to appease them. So, before leaving, she ordered her urchin followers to cut a couple of tentacles.

Kormaki, cleric of the Metal God of Thunder and fellow member of the Order, had the Captain of the Gate somewhat healed. The poor bastard lost his sanity when the creature attacked, and spend the battle crouching and whimpering on the doorsteps of a nearby house. She decided he'd make a good offering and sent an urchin on some errands.

That night, dressed in her best silks, and followed by a couple of her urchins who carried between them a coffer of black wood and inlaid with silver, she went to find the Captain. She found him at "The Rare Cauldron" tavern drinking with other officers of House Wazi. While she crossed the main room, the urchins went upstairs, left the coffer in a previously rented room and waited in the corridor. 

Everyone stopped drinking, eating, laughing and speaking as she graciously approached the Captain's table. She leaned over to him, whispered something in his ear and turned away. Such was the power of her mellow voice, that he stood and followed her, without finishing his drink, saluting his comrades or donning his rogatywka.

Once upstairs in the gloomy room, and after a couple of honeyed words, the Captain found himself laying naked on the bed, and before he could ask anything, a gentle touch from Nimue left him paralyzed. What promised to be an exciting night, was soon to become a nightmare. With her back to him, she let her silks fall to the floor as she opened the lid of the ebony coffer and begun muttering a litany. 

When she straddled naked over him, he saw, to his horror, that her arms have been transformed into tentacles which she sensually wriggled all over him. Sheer waves of pleasure swept over him, as she contorted and repeatedly called, in a strange language, for He who awaits asleep in the depths...

ya Nimue mnahn' Cthulhunyth stell'bsna ee ngfhayak hlirgh orr'e

Candlelight flickered and extinguished as an unfelt gust passed over it. The Captain silently screamed in terror, as he felt his soul sucked into a void of utter darkness by hundreds of hungry tiny tendrils, taking away the deceitful moment of elation. Tears of joy ran down Nimue's cheeks as she realized that her offering has been accepted.

Tonight we honored the DCC spirit

Tonight we had the most brutal DCC session since we started playing the Metal Gods of Ur-Hadad campaign. After almost having not one, but two, TPKs in the same combat, four of the six characters walked out alive. Absalom the Elf, Aram the Cleric, Morfans the Dwarf and Formerly Ian the Wizard emerged from the Undercity of Ur-Hadad with the bodies of Jerkal the Wizard and Claive the Fighter, after fighting the Toothmen shaman and his guards.

Things started rolling downhill when Jerkal misfired a sleep spell, sending all his allies but Formerly Ian asleep. The standing wizard managed to wake up Claive and send several Toothmen, including their shaman, asleep, only to be brought down by the guard leader. Claive charged the brute, waking everyone up with a mighty deed. Aram healed Formerly Ian, who in his turn also misfired a sleep spell, sending all his allies asleep but Morfans. The dwarf managed to woke everyone up with the same mighty deed while charging the guard leader. The toothman attacked Formerly Ian bringing him down, again. 

By now the shaman was awake and cast a huge fireball on the party. Only Aram and Morfans saved. Now Aram, after healing Absalom, had the difficult task to chose, between Jerkal, Claive and Formerly Ian, which one will he save next. Meanwhile Morfans charged madly at the shaman almost killing him. Formerly Ian saw the light, while Jerkal and Claive met their maker. The survivors, fueled by the death of their companions, renewed their attacks on the toothmen, killing the shaman and the guard leader. The last two toothmen in their last stand managed to bring Formerly Ian down for the third time, after being hacked to pieces.

By killing the shaman toothman the group saved Vayne from the collar-bomb.

Claive, we'll always remember your attack sprees with the Spear of the Lizard King. Jerkal, we'll always remember your Flaming Glands. You'll both be missed.

The ritual

One by one the seven men arrived to the house. They were received by an grim looking warforged that gave them a key. They were ordered to get into a side room, remove every possessions from themselves, which could be locked into one of the seven chests available, and to return wearing only a black hooded robe. Not one of them dared to contradict Sybian, the pole-armed automaton.

Each was led through a set of double doors into a bigger room. A bed covered in black silk sheets stood enclosed by a circle of also black candles, all lit, but their light was not enough to reveal the whole room. Ten feet from the candles were seven mahogany and leather seats forming a circle. A stool with a silver goblet containing an unknown beverage stood next to each seat.

One by one, in silence, they took their places. All kept their hoods up. No one spoke. No one dared to to look around or taste what was in the goblets. When the seven men were seated, they heard the doors being closed... and locked. The air, sweetened by the candle's smoke, filled with expectation.

"Welcome...", said from the surrounding darkness the same mellow voice that asked them to come today. Nimue, clad in a translucent silky gown that left nothing to imagination, entered the circle of light and lay graciously on the bed. "Please drink...", she said with a vague gesture and they, with their eyes fixed on her, obeyed. She knelt and started to hum while contorting her almost perfect body. The light of the candles flickered as her gown fell, her humming and sinuous movements gaining tempo.

Then everything went dark.

Chairs screeched and fell. Stools tumbled. Goblets clattered through the floor. Cries, gasps, pleas, screams could be heard as the purple tentacle beer made effect and the ritual reached its climax. All the hidden fears, obscure desires and lowest urges crept from the deepest and darkest corners of the seven souls. The humming went on as the unnameables rose from murky blackness to claim the offerings.

Each time one of the seven were taken, a wave of absolute pleasure invaded Nimue's body raising the pitch of her humming. Surge after surge of delight and joy rippled through her body until all yelling, bawls and bellows subsided, and she lay gasping, sweaty and exhausted on the bed.

Then everything went silent.

Won a minor magic item

How? I won The Preakness 138 contest set up by +Erik Jensen! Had to name the first two horses across the line, winner/closest gets a minor magic item based on those horses' names. The contenders were: Orb, Goldencents, Titletown Five, Departing, Mylute, Oxbow, Will Take Charge, Govenor Charlie and Itsmyluckyday. I chose Oxbow because of the owners' colors (black and yellow) were the same of my favourite local soccer team, and Itsmyluckyday because I just felt lucky.

Being Gimli my main FLAILSNAILS character:

"Gimli stumbles across what seems to be a length of ribbon snagged on a tree; although wary for a trap of some sort, he plucks the adornment from the branch, and instinctively knows its magical worth.

The Oxbow Lucky-Day is a 16" length of supple, tanned ox-hide, just over an inch wide, decoratively forked at each end. When worn in the hair and tied in a bow, the Oxbow Lucky-Day provides its charm - the wearer's first saving throw each day is at +1. Should the wearer ever mistreat a bovine while wearing or carrying the magic strip of leather, the Oxbow Lucky-Day will dissolve into dust. (For the record, stabbing a minotaur would technically count as 'mistreating a bovine' for these purposes)."

Gimli will tie his bushy red beard with the new-found charm, just above where he tucks it into his belt.

Thanks Erik!

Dungeons of Dread Illustration Bookltes Online as Free Downloads!

"Welcome to Dungeons of Dread, the archival collection of adventure modules S1 through S4. All four of these scenarios are durable fan favorite's that have stood the test of time, albeit for very different reasons…."

Nicely done WotC!

What Kind of D&D Character Would You Be?

I Am A: True Neutral Human Wizard (5th Level)

Ability Scores:
Strength-11
Dexterity-12
Constitution-11
Intelligence-12
Wisdom-15
Charisma-12

Alignment:
True Neutral A true neutral character does what seems to be a good idea. He doesn't feel strongly one way or the other when it comes to good vs. evil or law vs. chaos. Most true neutral characters exhibit a lack of conviction or bias rather than a commitment to neutrality. Such a character thinks of good as better than evil after all, he would rather have good neighbors and rulers than evil ones. Still, he's not personally committed to upholding good in any abstract or universal way. Some true neutral characters, on the other hand, commit themselves philosophically to neutrality. They see good, evil, law, and chaos as prejudices and dangerous extremes. They advocate the middle way of neutrality as the best, most balanced road in the long run. True neutral is the best alignment you can be because it means you act naturally, without prejudice or compulsion. However, true neutral can be a dangerous alignment when it represents apathy, indifference, and a lack of conviction.

Race:
Humans are the most adaptable of the common races. Short generations and a penchant for migration and conquest have made them physically diverse as well. Humans are often unorthodox in their dress, sporting unusual hairstyles, fanciful clothes, tattoos, and the like.

Class:
Wizards are arcane spellcasters who depend on intensive study to create their magic. To wizards, magic is not a talent but a difficult, rewarding art. When they are prepared for battle, wizards can use their spells to devastating effect. When caught by surprise, they are vulnerable. The wizard's strength is her spells, everything else is secondary. She learns new spells as she experiments and grows in experience, and she can also learn them from other wizards. In addition, over time a wizard learns to manipulate her spells so they go farther, work better, or are improved in some other way. A wizard can call a familiar- a small, magical, animal companion that serves her. With a high Intelligence, wizards are capable of casting very high levels of spells.

Find out What Kind of Dungeons and Dragons Character Would You Be?, courtesy of Easydamus (e-mail)