My second "convention"

Well, we don't really have conventions down here, but as I once said here, I like how it sounds. :)

I had prepared a Labyrinth Lord adventure and was really excited about DMing again for people that are not my regular players. But things not always go as you plan.

I should have been there earlier, because upon arriving there were already five tables, four of them (D&D 3.5e, Transformers, Marvel Heroes and Dresden Files) were full with 5 or 6 players each, and one with only two players. Since it looked there weren't any more people coming, I decided to join this last table.

The setting was Tron: Uprising using tweaked Mutants & Masterminds rules. Being familiar with the setting only through the movies Tron and Tron Legacy (TIL there were also comics and series), I must say I enjoyed it very much. It was an infiltration mission: hack someones's identity disc, get into a spaceship, retrieve some information from it and sabotage some tanks it was carrying as a cover-up. We finished early because we chickened out and skipped the fight with the boss. Why fight if we already have the information we came for?

I proposed then a short LL game, but two guys wanted to try The Day After Ragnarok so, never having played it, I tagged along. A group of 4 mercenaries, working for MI6, sail to an island, in Japanese occupied SE Asia, to retrieve the blueprints of some WMD from an abandoned base. The side of the island we arrived was littered with shipwrecks so I suggested to circle it. "Since I've been running this adventure no one ever suggested that!", laughed the DM. Upon turning the eastern cape we saw a Japanese destroyer anchored and quickly turned back, anchored between the shipwrecks and went ashore. We found a crazy old Nazi scientist which we interrogated and learned where the base was. He tried to drug us with some food, then escaped, he was then shot, captured and killed. We found the abandoned base deep in the jungle: barracks, labs and office buildings, an airfield and a huge hangar laid there deserted. We approached the hangar and were met with gunfire from the inside. Retreated to the tree line chased by Japanese troops and a German mechwarrior. We managed to escape back to the boat and away from the island.

The bad: I couldn't DM and get my LL Society points.

The good: I had the chance to play two games I haven't played before.

Seasons Greetings

Thanks +Wayne Snyder, fellow adventurer from Thursday's hangout DCC game!

The Hairy Wizard Formerly Known As Ian The Minstrel

Yes, I couldn't come up with a suitable name, so that's it. He's the survivor of my DCC funnel for the "Return to the Crypt of the Lizard King" adventure, which you can read about here and here on +Edgar Johnson blog. 

He's a chaotic cultist devoted to the Metal Gods of Ur-Hadad, which you can read about here, on +Adam Muszkiewicz blog, who is now DMing the "Slaves of the Silicon God" adventure. 

He wears a purple robe embroidered with golden tentacles, wears the Helm of the Lizard King and is very hairy, thanks to the mercurial effect of 1'' of all body hair growth every time he casts Sleep. Lately he's been experimenting the effects of powdered space tentacle. Will he get a ticket for CUI (casting under influence)?

We're in the city of Ur-Hadad, after exploring a ruined temple in the jungle, that was inhabited by some curiously intelligent ape-men. Let's see what the Metal Gods and +Edgar Johnson has prepared in the near future, when we explore the  "Mysterious Temple of the Serpent God"...

Thanks to +Bear Philippe for the picture.

STR 5, AGI 14, STA 10, PER 10, INT 18, LCK 7

EDIT: He became Formerly Ian after all the corruption he suffered through different adventures: hairy, eyes of different color, legs of different length, wobbly legs, sores and more.

EDIT2: He became Formerly Formerly Ian after magically healing all corruption and reverting to his original form.

EDIT3: He appeared on the back of the second issue of the Metal Gods of Ur-Hadad zine drawn by +Wayne Snyder. It was also in a tshirt and stickers.

Shakespeare Insult Kit Roller

"Thou !"

EDIT: Download the html here!"

Shakespeare Insult Kit

Will certainly use this with my DCC wizard. :)

To create a Shakespearean insult roll 3d50 and combine one word from each of the three columns below, prefaced with "Thou":

	Column 1	Column 2	Column 3
1	artless	base-court	apple-john
2	bawdy	bat-fowling	baggage
3	beslubbering	beef-witted	barnacle
4	bootless	beetle-headed	bladder
5	churlish	boil-brained	boar-pig
6	cockered	clapper-clawed	bugbear
7	clouted	clay-brained	bum-bailey
8	craven	common-kissing	canker-blossom
9	currish	crook-pated	clack-dish
10	dankish	dismal-dreaming	clotpole
11	dissembling	dizzy-eyed	coxcomb
12	droning	doghearted	codpiece
13	errant	dread-bolted	death-token
14	fawning	earth-vexing	dewberry
15	fobbing	elf-skinned	flap-dragon
16	froward	fat-kidneyed	flax-wench
17	frothy	fen-sucked	flirt-gill
18	clocking	flap-mouthed	foot-licker
19	goatish	fly-bitten	fustilarian
20	gorbellied	folly-fallen	giglet
21	impertinent	fool-born	gudgeon
22	infectious	full-gorged	haggard
23	jarring	guts-griping	harpy
24	loggerheaded	half-faced	hedge-pig
25	lumpish	hasty-witted	horn-beast
26	mammering	hedge-born	hugger-mugger
27	mangled	hell-hated	joithead
28	mewling	idle-headed	lewdster
29	paunchy	ill-breeding	lout
30	pribbling	ill-nurtured	maggot-pie
31	puking	knotty-pated	malt-worm
32	puny	milk-livered	mammet
33	quailing	motley-minded	measie
34	rank	onion-eyed	minnow
35	reeky	plume-plucked	miscreant
36	roguish	pottle-deep	moldwarp
37	ruttish	pox-marked	mumble-news
38	saucy	reeling-ripe	nut-hook
39	spleeny	rough-hewn	pigeon-egg
40	spongy	rude-growing	pignut
41	surly	rump-fed	puttock
42	tottering	shard-borne	pumpion
43	unmuzzled	sheep-biting	ratsbane
44	vain	spur-galled	scut
45	venomed	swag-bellied	skainsmate
46	villainous	tardy-gaited	strumpet
47	warped	tickle-brained	varlot
48	wayward	toad-spotted	vassal
49	weedy	unchin-snouted	whey-face
50	yeasty	weather-bitten	wagtail

From http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_mayxidtQo51rcikrto1_1280.jpg

Thanks Joey Lindsey on G+ for digging this up.

EDIT: Download it here!

Metal Gods of Ur-Hadad - Session 3

Metal Gods of Ur-Hadad is a campaign played every Thursday on G+ Hangouts by Edgar Johnson and Adam Muszkiewicz using Dungeon Crawl Classics. We played our third sessions and finished exploring the Crypt of the Lizard King.

From my four original 0-level characters, a corn farmer, a dwarven miner, an urchin and a minstrel, only the minstrel survived and advanced to be a 1st level wizard.. The urchin died on the first session killed fighting against some bandits, the corn farmer died on the second session killed by a trap, and the dwarven miner died on the last session.

Helm of The Lizard King

Type: Helmet; AL C; Powers: (see below).

• If someone puts on this helm, it will bond closely and permanently to the person's head. The helm may be removed by magical means, but no mundane means short of decapitation will do so. 

• Wearer gains a 3 point bonus to for any task involving influence, leadership, or persuasion. 

• Grants the wearer the ability to find his or her way while afloat on water, and to detect currents and hazards like rocks, reefs, whirlpools or storms. 

• Unless the wearer is of chaotic alignment, he or she will lose 1 hit point per day unless the helm is removed. 

He was killed after trying the Helm of the Lizard King on since he was of lawful alignment and had only 1 hp left. Death by treasure! That was a first one. :)

And that's how my chaotic minstrel now become wizard inherited all the belongings of the dead 0-level characters, including the Helm, he's now wearing.

Session 3 - http://revdoctoredj.blogspot.com/2012/11/session-3-recap-metal-gods-of-ur-hadad.html

Castle Amber - FLAILSNAILS

A long due session recap. On October 20th I played in the gran finale of Castle Amber game by Shawn Sanford. 

The party:

Sol Irthosian, Fighter level 6

Kellan, Illusionist level 8

Zingaro, Cleric level 3

Grogar Nox, Fighter level 1

Sir the Fist, Cleric/Fighter/Magic User levels 5/5/5

Grimpaw, Cleric level 3

Malice, Assassin level 5

After killing the blue dragon and a wyvern last session, the group continued exploring the tomb in search of Stephen Amber. Gimli kicked a door open only to find a 14' tall stone giant not happy at all to be interrupted in such a way. Kellan used his Wand of Wonders and to our fortune the giant was slowed. Everyone closed to attack it and rapidly it fell under the blows of the groups. 

He had a chest that Gimli opened with a crowbar and inside we found 5000 gp, a magical sword, an ivory scroll case and two vials. Sir the Fist rushed to read the content of the scroll case, but alas it was cursed and he turned into fly inside an amber stone. Luckily one of the clerics had a Remove Curse memorized and he was back to normal. Grogar went for the long sword and felt something when he held it. It was a sentient sword! It was a +1/+2 vs. spell users sword, but also could detect traps and invisibility at will. Meanwhile Grimpaw couldn't decide which vial taste first, and so he checked the vials for marks or tags, the he smelled them, checked their colors and consistencies, but still was undecided. Sir helped him by grabbing one and drink it. One was a Potion of Clairaudience and the other a Potion of Invisibility.

Then we found a manticore in another room and Kellan used again his Wand of Wonders, this time engulfing the whole room in darkness. Then Sir the Fist threw a Fireball into the darkened room. One of the clerics dispelled the darkness with a Light spell and everyone threw missiles at the manticore that retaliated with its dangerous spikes. After killing it we found its treasure, about 3000 gp, all melted. We cut it into nuggets and distributed it among us.

There were two doors in that room. One led to a room with fiery walls and an ember-covered floor, that we decided not to explore. The other has a small beach beyond the door and was full of water. Sir the Fist and Sol (or Grogar?) flew in the carpet and spotted a huge Great White. Someone suggested to start chumming the waters with the manticore and so we did. That lured the shark close enough to fire missiles at it while shooting at it with guns from above. We also chummed the water more with manticore poisonous spikes inside the entrails. The shark ate them and died.

Across the room another door led to a room occupied by a 5-headed hydra! Several intents to attack it from the carpet went wrong. Kellan suggested to go invisible. He cast Greater Invisibilty on Gimli and Sir flew it to the hydra. While Gimli battled single-handed the hydra, Sir flew Grimpaw, then Sol, and the Sir himself descended. The hydra was soon dead.

From there a single door led to the tomb of Stephen Amber. A tapestry hung behind the coffin and Sol prompted us to burn it. We did so and a robed man with a golden crown appeared. We had saved the king!
Everything vanished in a mist and we were all back to the castle, where the king tanked us all and produced from his robes valued gifts for everyone.

Gimli got a ring worth 10000 gp and Malice the Elf Assassin with his gift was able to pay his debt to the dwarf. 

Metal Gods of Ur-Hadad - Sessions 1 & 2

Metal Gods of Ur-Hadad is a campaign played every Thursday on G+ Hangouts by Edgar Johnson and Adam Muszkiewicz using Dungeon Crawl Classics. We played two sessions and so far it's been a blast!

This is my first time playing DCC and beginning with four 0-level characters is really fun, since the variety lets you do things that couldn't be done with only one character. It's a simple game system and the game fast-paced. I begun with a corn farmer, a dwarven miner, an urchin and a minstrel. The urchin died on the first session and the corn farmer on the second.

Session 1: http://revdoctoredj.blogspot.com/2012/10/metal-gods-of-ur-hadad-session-1.html

Session 2: http://revdoctoredj.blogspot.com/2012/11/metal-gods-of-ur-hadadcrypt-of-lizard.html

Era RPG Game Intro @ DriveThruRPG

In April 2012 my friend Gerardo Tasistro created UY RPG Publications, and now is launching a preview of its first creation, the Era RPG:

Click to download

"This booklet will introduce you to the basic mechanics and game play for Era in the Imperium setting.  Imperium is set in the world of Raakad.  A mixture of Greek and Roman cultures, crisscrossed by nomadic tribes, mystical forest creatures, elves, dwarves and foul orcs."

Now available for downloading at DriveThruRPG!

Hidden Temple of the Five - FLAILSNALS

Last week along with +Gerardo Tasistro, we took up +James Aulds offer to enter the "Hidden Temple of the Five" for a quick one shot. James wanted to test it before showing it to his group.

A mudslide on the side of a hill known as "The Pit Hill" which revealed a flight of steps going down into the depths. Morgan the Barbarian, Antii the Specialist and his follower Lutka the Fighter explored the place. I came with this map but seriuoslyI doubt it is accurate:

This was James' feedback after the session (my comments between brackets):

"general dunegeneering common sense, spiking doors, probing with poles (100xp)

using brazier boats and not becoming giant catfish food (100xp) [It was a cool idea I guess, and we were lucky in our rolls too.]

[Regarding the brazier boats Gerardo said later on a post: "I did not take my armor off while crossing an underground river on a bronze disk for a boat. I mean, my character was an INT 7 barbarian so OK, maybe I was playing character, but to be honest it didn't spring in my mind to warn the other player."]

defeating sake para elemental (375xp) [It rose from mouldy rice and water!]

gemstones (8) in 4 pairs (total 315 gp) [We found this in the garbage after killing the sake elemental.]

• red pair (80gp)
• green pair (70gp)
• yellow pair (120gp)
• small blue pair (45 gp)

trying to talk to/taunt a ghoul (10xp) [It emerged from one of five leather covered pits and after trying that, we fled. Luckly because there were five of them!]

fleeing bettles (25xp) [They were under the sand guarding six stone statues, and appeared when Antii went to try to put the gems back into the statues' eyes. He tried several times and when he failed. James said: "You know, they might not be magical gems..." :)]

burning the mold room (150xp)

totals 430xp for each player and 215 xp for the henchmen

yall were not really in much danger at anytime with your levels since i did it for a 1st level group but thank you for popping it open

the towns folk are raising a group to try to kill the five armed ghoul now, they will most likely meet the goblins that are being sent in after yall tomorrow night, and a catfish and some irritated beetles"

We had a great time and would definitely like to play with the guys again.

Familiar bags

This magic item is based on this article by Erik Tenkar. Art by Teo Tayobobayo.

The Familiar Bags, are a set of three tiny leather saddlebags with bronze buckles, the size of a small pouch, that can be strapped to the back of the spell caster's familiar. Each bag can hold 2 cubic feet or 10 pounds of material. In that way the caster can can store spell components, vials, potions or even coins and gems. 

A set of Familiar Bags weights 3 pounds and costs 1250 gold pieces.

No sympathy for the devil

Having drawn the Flames* from a Deck of Many Things at the Wampus Country campaign, Gimli went to the Stump-Witch to get some insight on the subject.

Stump-Witch: "I can see you've a devil's eye upon you, Gimli of Geoff. I can divine the devil's identity - although not a true name of power, of course - for a price. Will you exchange a favor for a favor, brave earth-kin?"

Gimli: "Sure, wise old lady. I swear on my clan's honor I'll fulfill your request if you provide me the identity of this devil and how can I defend myself from it."

Stump-Witch: "Listen closely, bearded one. The devil you have offended is quite implacable - you have had a hand in the destruction of his scaly lover, and, hearing of this, has placed a bounty upon your head. Many creatures of the various hells know your name and your scent, Gimli of Geoff. How best to defend yourself? I cannot say - perhaps you could seek out this devil and slay him, of course... but in the meantime, a show of force might dissuade those diabolic bounty-hunters, leaving you with but one devil's hatred. Surely that is a gain? Go with your elf-blooded companion [Sir the Fist of Uther] and sail upon dark and forgotten seas. There will you find the loose end of a string - the other end of which is held by he who would slay you. Hew close to kin to increase your chance of survival in the coming weeks, earth-blood."

"As my information was meager, so too my request. Gimli of Geoff, I charge you thus: find ye a good church or abbey, young and struggling, and aid it in some measurable way, even if it costs you personally. The path you tread in the coming nights is dark, and you must light torches along the way."

Gimli: "You've got a deal lady", and spits his hand and extends it to the witch.

The Stump-Witch has quite a grip - and a bit of a smirk.


Later in the HMS Apollyon, at a bar in Sterntown, Gimli came across a Sea Witch, with kelp for hair and a ragged shawl. He consulted her about the devil issue. The witch took a bag, shook it and dropped some fish bones on the table. After staring at the bones for a while she screamed "Seek the great Leviathan!", before running out of the place.

He looked forward to kill the bug-eyed Baatezu lord named Mhalchris, just to prove this devil that nobody messes with this dwarf, but the way the events unfolded prevented such encounter.

We'll see how this develops in the FLAILSNAILS universes...

* Flames (QC) Enmity between you and a devil.

Awesome FLAILSNAILS games (long post)

Pathfinder 

(Sept. 28th; GM: Reece Carter)

Kellan the illusionist, Garreth the fighter, Sir the cleric/fighter/magic-user and Verreck the wizard, we were exploring a cavern complex searching for Jolie Squarefoot's hydra. For some reason a barbarian king of the North wanted the lich's pet dead. For Gimli it all begun with him trapped up to shoulder level by ice at the bottom of a pit. Kellan used his magical kettle to pour hot water on and around the dwarf to melt the ice.

Once free Gimli climbed up a Rope of Climbing and the party continued exploring. The group came to a huge cavern full of dead bodies that came after us. Kellan used his Wand of Wonders, and almost all the cavern was engulfed with darkness. We quickly retreated and crossed the pit to make a stand. Various missiles and a rolling Flaming Sphere spell were enough to kill the undead. All of them bore in their tattered and burnt leather armors the symbol of the lich, a 7-point star.

Back in the big cavern the darkness was almost gone and we found an exit, and an altar with hydra heads. when the darkness disappeared, it revealed the rests of an hydra chained to a pillar in the middle of the cavern. I don't know if it animated when the altar was disturbed or when someone got too near. The thing is that it begun biting and shooting ice rays. Kellan used again his wand with various results, being the best a giant frog double force gust of wind that dropped a stalactite on the hydra, impaling it. Garreth, Sir and Gimli (who drank a Potion of Speed) closed to attack, while Verreck cast spells summoned a giant frog. Even if some heads grew back we managed to defeat the undead beast, and return to the barbarian king to claim our reward.

Wampus Country

(Oct. 5th; GM: Erik Jensen)

"During a break in the action between delves to Crumbledown, two of the usual suspects - the Rat-Bastards Ornibus and Abel - entertain several visitors to Wampus Country by means of a picturesque picnic on a hillside. Very quickly, Abel asks if the newcomers want to see what he has in his pocket - a deck of many things .

Elsjinn, egged on by Sir the Fist, draws a single card, the Comet , and she feels her potential short-term destiny shift. Not to be outdone, Sir the Fist draws two cards - the Gem followed by the Moon . Jewelry tumbles out of nothingness, which he quickly collects (save the bits stolen by Elsjinn and her chipmunk); further, Sir the Fist has a wish to make - and soon, before it expires.

[Gimli did indeed pull from the deck the Flames and earned the enmity of the devil. Gimli later talked to the Stump-Witch about that, but that's on another post.]

While chuckling over their good fortune regarding the deck , the picnickers are startled by a monstrous roar, and a forty-foot rooster lumbers over the horizon, headed for the sleepy frontier town of Thistlemarch (which the Rat-Bastards call home at the moment). Concerned that the giant chanticleer might destroy the town, the adventurers spring into action, attempting to steer the beast by frightening it, and warning the townsfolk.

In the end, Elsjinn uses her ability to speak with animals to convince the rooster to steer clear of the town and return to the picnic, where it is fed stalks of corn and some magically-enhanced grasshoppers. Yet that feast is insufficient, for the rooster has many wives who also require sustenance. Calling up on the powers of the Serpent God Sethet, Reverend Jones also speaks with animals and warns the rooster that Ornibus' brother-snakes may be en route. Panicked, the rooster runs back to its home farm - with the adventurers in hot pursuit.

Back at the farm - belonging to Ernie Pyewackett, the guy who trains goats - the view is dominated by a half-dozen thirty-foot hens. Our heroes witness I giant hungry hen swallow a horse in a single peck. Abel uses hypnosis to calm the hens while Ornibus commands the rooster to sleep; Gimli checks on the frightened farmer and assists him in gathering flammables for a potential terminal barbecue.

Meanwhile, Sir the Fist investigates the intact chicken-coop, and finds that the seed corn in the trough has been magically altered, perhaps by someone pouring a potion of some sort overtop of it. Obviously, in such a situation, the right thing for a cleric of the God of Magic to do is to eat the rest of the corn as quickly as possible in hopes of becoming a giant.

Growing to a good thirty-five foot height, the now-naked Sir the Fist suggests using the black lotus powder in his kit to put all the chickens to sleep; through the use of some euphoric mushrooms to gather the hens together, and a potion of flying so Gimli can bomb them from above, this is accomplished, and all the giant chickens are subdued.

There is, however, one problem. Thanks to his detect magic spell, Sir the Fist can see that there is still a transformative process going on inside the chickens - just as there is within himself. He uproots a tree and crushes the heads of the hens, lest they grow larger or wake; simultaneously, Elsjinn steps into the rooster's beak and drives a weapon into its brainpan. The flesh beneath the feathers is roiling and bubbling even though the rooster is dead, and in mere moments the rooster explodes in a poultrytechnic display which scatters raw chicken meat across the barnyard; thankfully, Elsjinn tumbles to safety.

The hens, of course, are due to blow, so the adventurers hide in and behind the barn, and soon six giant chickens explode in sequence like a string of Chinese firecrackers; it takes several minutes for all the chicken chunks to come to earth, but when the thunderous sound of wet slapping noises ends, our heroes are hale and hearty. Or are they? It quickly dawns on Sir the Fist that he will be the next to explode in due time...

The adventurers high-tail it to the Stump-Witch, who has previously assisted Ornibus with curse removal (see also: The Platypus Incident). Sir the Fist trades a book of necromancy from the HMS Apollyon to the Stump-Witch in exchange for the cure, and he shrinks back down to normal size without exploding. He then utters the wish he gained from the deck and summons to his side a flying carpet."

Gimli took 10 iron rations of "barbecue chicken pemmican" for free from Mr. Pyewackett, and also bought a guard-goats. They were on a 50% discount for those who saved his life, just 15 gp! They have stats as a guard dog. Read more about the guard goats here.

Castle Amber (X2)

(Oct. 6th; GM: Shawn Sanford )

Sol, Noggin Threeteeth, Gustav the Beligerant, Sir the Fist, Grimepaw, Kellan and Gimli had all but one artifact, a mirror, needed to find the tomb of the lost Amber. They needed to take out a magic user and his 100' tall flesh golem and the village magistrates would give it to the group. A magic powder must be sniffed by the golem in order to be defeated. Five doses of this were given to the group. With his flying carpet and  spyglass Sir the Fist quickly spotted the creature, and along with Noggin they flew to intercept it. The rest followed on horse at a safe distance.

In his first pass Sir the Fist managed to hit the golem square in the face, and it collapsed to the ground. From a basket that was hanging from the golem's back emerged the magic user who threw some Magic Missiles to the attackers. Meanwhile Sol and Gimli charged at the wizard, who promptly fell dead. Back in the village the last artifact was given to the group along with a 10.000 gp reward..

The ring touched the mirror and melted into it, the potion was poured on the blade of the sword which absorbed it, and finally the sword hit the mirror, and both artifacts exploded into pieces. An amber mist surrounded the party and when it dissipated, they were in front of a roughly square construction of amber wit no other entrances that a huge pair of doors inlaid with the crest of a phoenix and a crown.

Grimclaw cast Prayer, while Sol and Gimli pushed the doors inwards and in the middle of a very large room, and a blueish reptilian figure could be seen laying atop a pile of silver and gems. The first bolt of lightning  hit Gustav the Beligerant right in the chest almost killing him. Noggin tried to hide in the shadows. Gimli gave him a Potion of Extra Healing before closing into melee. Kellan cast Mirror Image on himself. Sol and Sir charged. The combined attacks of the group were no match to the wyrm, whose head was chopped by Gimli, honoring his nickname: "The Dragonslayer".

Continuing the exploration of the tomb the group found several rooms matching the Elements of Nature: a room with fiery walls and embers on the floor, a room with stone walls and mud on the floor and a vast room  with a trail of clouds. In this last one, Sir and Noggin flew in on the carpet to explore. The were soon attacked by a wyvern that managed to hit Noggin with its sting. The poor thief failed his save vs. poison and begun slowly to die, convulsing. Sir was also hit, but managed to resist the effects. He evaded more attacks and flew near the entrance where the rest threw missiles and spells at the flying creature killing it. After joining the group, Kellan gave Noggin to drink an Elixir of Life, stealing the thief from the grasp of Death.

HMS Apollyon 

(Oct. 7th.; Gustie LaRieu)

"The above brave flailsnails took a dubious commission from the Monastic ancient technology hoarding marines of the HMS Apollyon, to "deal" with a troublesome Batezu lord named Mhalchris. After trying to sneak into the back of the monster's domain to deliver a letter, and being singed by a set of exploding runes - the band decided to meet with the bug eyed devil and his court of bug eyed diabolical friends. Refusing the Devil's drinks the party discovered that a threatened "storming" of Sterntown was only an alternative to fulfilling the terms of a contract Mhalchris made with one of the passenger class families. The only way to meet the contract was to bring the last surviving member of the Haldivar family. The scion proved to be a small bug eyed child, rotting away guarded by an elderly servant and several large constructs that cracked with electricity. Despite the boy's good manners the band discover he was a terrible bloodthirsty twit and his caretaker open to bribery. They took the boy back to Mhalcris and were only somewhat surprised that the child was his own grandson and that the Devil wanted him out of family loyalty to protect the boy from the enemies that had wiped out the rest of his family."

Gimli got this Black Onyx Band, which is in act a Ring of Protection from Earth (20 Charges). The ring keeps Earth Elementals and such from attacking up. Expend one charge to drive an Earth Elemental off as if with a fear spell (they get a save). Spend charges of 1 per HD of elemental to dominate and control an Earth Elemental for 1 year (it also gets a save).

Nikola-T

Nikola-T is my character in the Anomalous Subsurface Environment (ASE-1) campaign run by David Williams via G+ hangout. 

Nikola is a scientist, a new class from the Henchmen Abuse blog that you can see here, that has chosen Wired Reflexes (+1 Dex) as his first Scientist Power and Enhancement. He lives in the city-state of Denethix, that is ruled by  Feretha (a somewhat indifferent, and quite reclusive, insane wizard tyrant). It's a relatively good place to live anyway.

He forms part of the occasional salvage parties that scour the land, trying to reclaim ancient artifacts and books. Also, of caravans that sometimes travel to the coast to gather salt, which is a scarce and expensive commodity.

He belongs to the Cult of Science, that believes Science as a literal god, one who performs miracles through formal physical processes. That is why he has his clothes dyed white, the color of the cult. As protection he wears a flak jacket also dyed white and carries a knife.

STR 12, DEX 13, CON 12, INT 12, WIS 12, CHA 9

READ AN RPG BOOK IN PUBLIC WEEK

Roll For Initiative / The Evil GM contest

Yes, it's another contest and the prize is none other than a copy of the AD&D 1e reprints done by WOTC!

Rules:
- First Edition Core Rules style only.
- A Halloween theme'd adventure.
- Minimum of 25 rooms with boxed text.
- Pictures optional.
- Full text of monsters.
- At least a hand drawn map, keyed with numbers.
- In word or PDF format

Due date:
Nov 1st, 2012 -- 11:59PM EST*

*Note: Contest subject to cancellation due to lack of entries. All entries become properity of RFI and WGP, LLC.

More details here.

EDIT: I think that for this contest, I will expand my Shrine of the Rodent God with a second level...

My Submission to The Secret DM Gygax Contest

A slightly modified version of the "Shrine of the Rodent God", my OPDC 2009 entry, is my submission to The Secret DM's Gygax Contest. There's a chance of winning a complete set of 1st Edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons® Reprints so, if you didn't entered the contest, wish me luck!

You can download it here.

LotFP - Thelian Islands Campaign wrap up

Well, I thought that after the end of the Caste Zagyg campaign, we'll still be playing this one but, since Joe's face to face campaign (which he's been running for about 15 months) has wrapped up, so has ours.

Although there were only a few sessions, it was a great time and, I make Joe's words mine, everyone enjoyed it, learned a lot and, most of all, had fun. I hope to game again with you guys soon. Joe, Chris, Frotz and Sarah you rock.

Game on!

Castle Zagyg - The End

"This Friday [September 21st], my Castle Zagyg crew finished up the dungeon I had been running every other Friday night, and all involved in the final ending were rewarded with a T-shirt that reads "I beat Castle Zagyg and all I got was this goddamned T-shirt" as a gift from Zagyg himself. It gives plus 1 to AC when worn under any armor, stacks with anything, and as befits a gift from Zagyg, the writing on the T-shirt glows through any armor and is clearly visible to all."

Thanks Joe!

Castle Zagyg - sessions 11 & 12

Sessions #11 (September 7th) and #12 (September 14th)

The various members of the adventurous party between the two sessions:

"Nathaniel" (human thief)*
Gogax (halfling thief)
Thidrek (sleestak)
Maragon (human fighter?)**
Norfolk (halfling thief)
Darf (dwarven fighter)
Nick the Pike (human fighter)
Hairy and Stinky (Darf's Bugbear henchmen)
Kellan (human illusionist)

Kip (human fighter, Kellan's follower)

Gimli of Geoff (dwarven fighter)
Morgan (human barbarian, Gimli's follower)***

* couldn't remember the chracter's name
** later chaged his name to Biff (Joe kept mingling between Maragon and Morgan)
*** later changed his name to Conan (Joe kept mingling between Morgan and Maragon)

Previously on Castle Zagyg (in Joe's words): 

"Your castle is getting flooded with refugees from both the elven forest and human cities and towns nearby. Apparently they have been invaded by dragon armies, and many people fled to the castle that was so powerful that apparently they withstood a dragon army assault lead by 6 dragons.

They also tell you that the dragon army is in the march this way again, but they're not worried since you all held them off last time with such ease. They have full faith in Gimli and his crew."

Into the Fortress

We took the same route than last time through the dungeons below until the dwarven chapel and then all the way up into a large dining room. There, ghosts wandered about and offered real food & drinks to the party. Most were wary about them until some dared to try it. Not all the effects were good, Conan got turned into a bumblebee, Gogax's skin turned green and Norfolk stank like fish and grew boar tusks.

Continuing exploring the level found that bandits have made their hideout here. We killed two dogs and a guard, and captured another guard that, tied and gagged, we used to open all doors. He was known as "The Gimp". More bandits were found and killed, until only the leader and his plump mistress remained.

We then found a large room full of piles of refuse, which we decided to search for hidden treasure. Kellan turned his Robe of Scintillating Colors mesmerizing the giant rats and black centipedes that moved to attack us as soon as be begun disturbing the piles. Once killed the vermin we continued searching and found invisible spriggans in the fireplace, which were also killed. Among other things we found  a magic pipe that could be the key to control the castle.

Paraphrasing Chris Hales post on G+ about the second session:

"On the second foray into the castle we found and killed:  some [more] spriggans, a ghost, a couple of skeletons and their skeletal children. Sadly we lost Conan (Gimli's barbarian follower) to the ghost, and a dozen goblins and a couple of War Dogs  due to various traps. Also one of the fighters, recruited among the refugees, lost all his hair due to a spriggan trick.

We found a lot of coin and several magic items: a trapped keg that releases poison gas, a ring of protection, a broom of flying that only works on the 3 levels of the fortress), an ever burning exquisite quality cigar, some "insanity apples" (save vs Poison or eater goes insane for 48 hours and then dies).

On the funny side, Nathaniel's thief decided to use one of the bathrooms we found. He triggered a poison gas trap that left him blinded for an hour. It might have been permanent but for the ready water-source he used to flush out his eyes. [Gimli fell into a double pit trap.]

In the final room we cleared, Kellan used his Robe of Scintillating Colors to stun the remaining goblins and Nathaniel's thief. While they were incapacitated, the valuables they hoarded during the clearing of the level were taken from them and fairly distributed among the party."

Back from the castle, Conan was given a proper burial, burning him in a funeral pyre with all his possessions.

The end draws near

Before leaving for another foray into the fortress, the town blacksmith, also a dwarf, gave Gimli an armor made of red dragon scales. It gives the same protection as a platemal (+1) and provides extra protection against fire damage (+5 on saves).

Paraphrasing another Chris Hales post on G+:

"Castle Zagyg is wrapping up soon. The next session may be the last for that setting.

An army of Dragonmen [draconians] & Dragons is marching towards Castle Zagyg. It arrives in 30 hours, although the PCs do not know when they will arrive.

[Meanwhile] some additional Castle Zagyg defense/contingency plans [are being made].

We've already got the cave entrances closed off. Behind those entrances are passages filled with as many traps as the refugees have managed to construct in the week or so they've been down there working.

There are functioning defensive siege weapons on the walls, as well as a functioning ballista on one of the inner walls. Additionally there is a magically powered siege weapon in the inner courtyard capable of firing anything, smaller than 3 feet diameter, up to hundreds of yards over the walls. Each of these weapons have stores of ammo from previous preparations. 

Kellan has been cultivating 3 varieties of mushrooms at Castle Zagyg for quite a while, several caves, long cleared, are filled with the different types. Entry in to these caves, without proper preparations could be hazardous. Since we can, Kellan will send refugees outside the walls to scatter spores of two types of mushrooms every night we can after the refugees begin arriving. The hope is that these will germinate and create clouds of spores as they are trampled by the approaching army.

The varieties that will be spread were never given specific names by +Joe Dimech, but both were acquired in Castle Zagyg. The first, which I call the Sleep Shrooms, are yellow and upon ingestion of the flesh or inhalation of the spores cause "deep sleep for 7-12 hours". The second [type], which I call Pacification Mushrooms, maintain an aura of spores about themselves and upon inhalation of those spores calm the target to a non-violent state.

Additionally there are "Shrieker Mushrooms" which emit an amazingly loud shriek when a creature moves in to their range (I do not know what the range is). These can be spread as well, but I would suggest less liberally. They could act as alarms to warn us of approach from the forested areas or by invisible or stealthy enemies, like their scouts.

The Ghosts [from the Fortress, who] we were able to convince to join the defense of the castle, might make excellent assassins to dispatch enemies, should they succumb to the sleep/pacification spores.

Perhaps this is a minor point, but we should collect whatever gold/silver/cash we can from the refugees so we can afford to buy whatever magic items the Zagyg merchants have for sale. There are items they've had previously that I would have liked to have now, that we just couldn't afford. We should be able to send them to scavenge whatever money they can from the nearby town. Fighting the merchants seems a bad idea as they are very tough and numerous.

It isn't ideal, but the refugees can plan to escape through the Mars Gate if the Castle is lost. Castle Zagyg supposedly has various doors to other worlds, we've only found one, which leads to a John Carter of Mars-type world. Heavily barricading the cave entrance leading to this area should be a priority to avoid access to the gate from being lost.

We should talk to Cobbler Eggler, if only to make sure he gets out alive. Although he only makes shoes, we should check him to see if he has anything interesting for sale. 

We should talk to the Merchants every time we suspect they may have something for sale. Roll random items is fun, and often very helpful."

The defense plans look solid to Gimli and he wholly agrees on collecting whatever valuables the refugees have to buy from the Merchants and/or EGGler. Also, Kellan could make illusions of treasure around the statues in front of the chapel, so that any dragon approaching would be attacked by them.

Gimli will organize groups of refugees to make any repairs that the walls/ramparts/towers may need .

"That's it for now. This is going to be rough..."

LotFP - Thelian Islands Campaign

On August 31th we gathered for our #6 LotFP game on G+ hangout.

Having one last day before the fleet that would raid Blood Island was prepared to sail, Antii decided to try his luck once again, this time in a fancy place. He spent plenty of silver on women, lodging, food and beer. He also told all his tales once again trying to impress the ladies. By the end of the night he not only managed to get laid, but the girl became his follower!

First, I named her Lutka which is the Finnish word for trollop (since that's what the NPC was), and then rolled pretty decent abilities (Cha 17, Con 14, Dex 11, Int 12, Str 7, Wis 12). I just couldn't resist placing the 17 on Charisma, and made her a redhead. So I guess now I have my own Flame Princess! ;)

The next day we started the 32-day sea trip to Blood Island. The first ten days passes uneventfully, until a giant squid crossed our path. A week later we encountered a merchant ship from our own clan, with whom we traded some goods and news. Three days later we got scared to death when a giant sea turtle rocked the ship! We were lucky it didn't continue to attack. Four days after that, we encountered more friendly creatures, half horse and half fish, that curiously stared at us. Hrok threw some apples at them, which they gladly ate. The next day hundreds of sea creatures, named locathah, mounted on giant eels passed us by, and then six days later, without encountering any other creatures, we arrived to the island.

It's a rocky island spotted here and there with thick forests. There's a village and a dock, everything in ruins and no one to be seen. Kelbar, who leads the expedition and came to find his father's body and sword, says the villagers fled because the constant attacks of sea zombies and clawed men. We anchored the ship and went ashore in two boats. One group would go to explore a nearby quarry and we would go to the village. The ship would wait for us til the next day and then go back.

The village has a keep in the center and four large buildings around it, a couple of barracks, a warehouse and a common area, all in bad shape. Everything was surrounded by a horseshoe-shaped earth rampart, that ended in a pair of also ruined towers.. We explored one of the barracks and found nothing, so we moved to the other barrack and discovered a trap door under all the debris. Chain mail suits, swords and shields were hidden down there. We went back to the first one and looked in the same place, finding another trapdoor and a couple of kegs of lantern in the room below. We found nothing of value in the common area or the warehouse, so we moved to the towers. While approaching one of them, three sea zombies emerged from the sea and attacked us. We killed them but in the fight Kelbar fell. All the noise attracted four more that were inside one of the towers, so we fired some missiles at them and ran to the keep, where we climbed a ruined wall. From above we managed to kill them before they engaged into melee. In the keep we found a serviceable catapult that was loaded into the magic boat and folded again.

Then, we decided to find the other group that went to the quarry. A river and a densely forested area had to be crossed before reaching the place. We used the magic boat as a bridge to cross the stream and ventured into the woods. In a clear area we came across a couple of sheep, which we found odd. And we were right to suspect, because they turned into worgs and attacked! After killing the foul creatures we found some ruins; a set of five 12' tall marble statues with inscriptions in an ancient script of our language. We didn't know yet but they were of the Old Gods. Inspecting one of them (a screaming warrior with a sword) we found it descended into the ground and into a subterranean complex. Each statue lowered into a different 60'x60'  room and there were two other round rooms, one full of rooms for Hrok's delight and the other with 6 paintings different scenes about a column totem, a battle, a demon spitting lightning at the totem, war against the hobgoblins, some ships at sea, the totem in the hands of the hobgoblins and the Old Gods ooking at the ships. We decided to spend the night underground and make it to the coast at first light.

The next day we rushed through the woods and were surprised by three troblins. Hrok summoned a giant ice toad and we managed to kill two while one fell asleep, and we put the creatures to the flame. Annar fell but Signy managed to heal him enough to find our way back to the coast and to the ship. The other didn't showed on time so we left. Although Hrok asked not to mention the complex we found, Antii couldn't keep his mouth shut and bragged about how he made it with Lutka on every room!

Our journey back was no less exciting. On the second day we came by a horde of more that 100 koalinth (marine hobgoblins) but nothing happened. A couple of days later some friendly sea lions crossed our path and Hrok killed one of them, which the sailor found a bad omen. Almost a week after that we saw a carnivorous whale. We decided to go after it and kill it, and so we did. We cut and salted some of it and tied the rest to the rail. Unfortunately, the next day a dragon turtle attacked us and we only managed to escape by cutting the whale carcass loose. After that, several days later, we saw sea gargoyles and sahuagines who kept their distance. When we were about to reach our destination, we found some tritons on sea horses who left after Hrok threw some apples at them.

Ambition and Avarice

Ambition & Avarice is Greg Christopher's latest creation and it's available for download at RPGNow.com (click on the image to get it free!). After reading it, I made a short list of the things I liked and didn't liked, along with a couple of questions/observations and posted it on G+. I added Greg's answers to this post.

Liked: layout, art, rest dice, race advantages, classes (mundane, magical, expertise, identify), dungeon throws, character points, min. STR required for some armors, armor penalty to sneak, you dared with grapple rules, detailed hazards and survival, spell names.

Didn't like: civilized vs. uncivilized races, the "ignores the armor class bonus of any non-metal armor" in some swords*, lack of random encounter distance.

Questions:

- Do you lose your attack when you're doing an aimed attack and your target dies?

GC: You would lose your attack with the aimed shot, yes.

- Did you considered using material components for spells?

GC: And I absolutely hate material spell components just because they are such a chore for the mage players. But that is personal preference, I can see the logic of having them.

*I would've liked it if blunt weapons also had similar traits (ie: maces & hammers against rigid metal armor).

GC: That is interesting to consider with the blunt weapons. I hadn't considered that before. Hrm.... 

Great job! :)

The Ooze Pits of Jonas Gralk

Wheee! I won The Ooze Pits of Jonas Gralk  from Purple Sorcerer Games (click on the image to get it from RPGnow) in Tenkar's Tavern "DCC RPG Corruption Contest" with this entry.

Thanks again to Erik for putting up another cool contest!

Once I have it and read it, I'm going to GM it in a Google+ Hangout. Yes, I know I said the same when I won Attack of the Frawgs, and still haven't GMed it. But I will, promise!

DCC RPG Contest

August DCC RPG Contest @ Tenkar's Tavern - Get Some Corruption and Maybe Win a Prize!

Roll 1d6 to know which of the senses is corrupted:

1-Sight: Your eyes double in size and the optic nerve grows like snail antennas.
2-Smell: You grow an elephant nose but can't breathe through it.
3-Hearing: You grow necomimi.
4-Touch: A hand grows from each of your finger tips.
5-Taste: You get Gene Simmons tongue.
6-All of the above.

LotFP - Thelian Islands Campaign

On August 24th we got together again on G+ for our #5 game. It was a game in which the dices didn't favored me, but I had a lot of fun anyway.

We got back to the village in  our new longboat, baptized "The Fanged Glacier". Everyone was shocked to see us in such a wonderful ship, and Signy said it was "a gift from the Polar Bear", which caused the envy of her, now, former mentor. 

Antii, with after some beers and trying to attract some followers, told what they've found, and how they've fought the ghouls, skeletons and rats, making him the main character of the tale. He also talked about the luminous fungi and the spinning statue. With a +4 bonus I had to roll under my Charisma score (11), but rolled an 18, so no followers for Antii. I guess he went over the top with his tale. Annar and Signy, on the contrary, managed to have attracted a follower each, a young boy and a girl respectively.

The next day everyone said goodbye to their loved ones before leaving the island. Antii's dad gave him his "lucky coin", a worn out gold coin like the ones the group had found the previous days. With a leather chord he tied it around his neck. Many of the survivors from the merchant ship, attacked by the hobgoblin raiders, joined the party as crew for the longboat. Supplies and goods for sale were loaded on the ship, and we set sail to Bear Island, 800 miles away to the SW.

The Fanged Glacier

The first ten day of the voyage were uneventful, until we sighted a merchant ship. We approached and exchanged some good and information before continuing. Four days later we were attacked by four giant eels. We managed to kill three of them (Antii missed every swing at the creatures) and drove away the remaining badly wounded, losing only two crewmen. Two of the dead eels were brought on board, cut into pieces and salted. Before reaching our destination we came across some tritons, who kept their distance, and also dolphins and a giant manta-ray.

After 30 days at sea Antii and Annar went to find a place with good booze and bad women, while Signy went to try speak with the authorities of the city, and Hrok sought someone to sell his mushrooms. Everyone also sold his share of the salted eels for 75 sp + 1d20 sp (I rolled a 19!). At the tavern, having plenty of beer, Antii bragged about he repelled the hobgoblin raid and the giant eels.

- "OK", said JoetheDM, "roll 1d20, only on a 19 or 20 you fail to get laid."

- "Oh no! I rolled a 20!", I said to my dismay.

(laughs)

- "Well, if you roll low you vomit on the girl, if you roll high you fall asleep fail to get a boner."

- "I rolled low..."

(more laughs)

Meanwhile, Signy was received by the shamans of the Bear Clan in the best part of the city, where she warned them of the hobgoblin plans to attack the trade routes, and Hrok, who had found that he needed to go to some caves to sell his mushrooms, drank all he could without being bothered. Signy introduced  her acolyte to the shamans and an initiation ritual was performed.

Signy (right) and her acolyte after the ritual.

The group has now several places to go: continue West to Cowl Island, explore Bear Island, joins a raid against the hobgoblins, or go to the contested Blood Island with its thick forests and a fabled pyramid. To Blood Island it'll be. Antii bought a suit of chain mail and a sword, just in case.

"The Caves of Chaos" - FLAILSNAILS game on G+

The party:

Walt Thisslefoot - Halfling thief
Padre Bob - Dwarf cleric
Finloss - Half-elf fighter/thief

The group was part of a caravan that arrived at night to the Keep. When asked to be let in, it was told that the doors were closed and no one was allowed inside. The group insisted and finally offered a warehouse to spend the night, but no wandering around was allowed. Some kind of illness have befallen on the people of the Keep, they were told. When they offered their help, they were taken to see the Castellan of the Keep. He told them that some witch that lived in some caves up North, had put a curse upon the Keep. Now with almost half of the garrison ill, he couldn't go after her. If the group was willing to help, he would offer a generous reward, plus a 50% discount for a month in everything the group purchased from the keep. He also offered to take what we needed from the armory. After a bit of discussion, the party agreed and left to rest and prepare.

The next day the party set off to find these cave, which they did without getting lost or coming across any trouble on the way. After waiting some moments at the mouth of the canyon, they decided to explore the first visible cavern entrance at ground level to the South. Walt and Finloss moved as quietly as possible, followed at some distance by Padre Bob. They entered the cave unhindered and proceeded South until an intersection, then turned right (as suggested by Padre Bob to keep right). They turned right again at a T-intersection and surprised 6 goblins in a room. They decided to get some information about the witch without fighting, but the goblins drew their crude swords and one of them started banging the NW corner of the room calling for someone. Padre Bob entered the room and tried to stop the goblin, but they attacked. Two went after Walt, two after Padre Bob and one charged at Finloss. At that moment the NW corner of the wall opened and an ogre emerged.

Finloss taking advantage of his spear impaled the goblin and then kicked the dead body from his weapon, then moved to help the dwarf, who had managed to kill one goblin. Walt was hit but also killed one. The remaining goblins retreated (the dwarf smashing one dead) to the walls giving room to the brute, who smashed Padre Bob with his club. Finloss backstabbed the ogre with his magic spear, said the command word "DOWNBOY!", and the creature fell to the ground pinned under the tip of the weapon. Walt took advantage of that, and wounded the fallen ogre. Padre Bob healed himself.

Before the brute could get up, Finloss drew his magic sabre and slashed at its throat, killing the ogre and almost severing his head. Seeing his backup dead, one goblin surrendered and the other tried to flee. Finloss threw his spear at it, wounding but not killing it. The half-elf panicked as the skewered goblin was running away with his magic spear. Padre Bob threw his war hammer at the goblin, killing it. "Have you lost something elf?", mocked the dwarf.

We tied the remaining goblin up, and Walt intimidated him to tell all he knew about the witch. He vaguely spoke about some "dark robed ones to the west", but tried to buy his freedom by offering the goblin's treasure hidden at the bottom of a barrel of water. We also searched the ogre and found more coins on his bag (some of them were counterfeit; gold painted lead coins), and also a keg of brandy the dwarf claimed.  We then explored the ogres' cave, that led to the canyon outside, the opening hidden by some bushes. Buried under some bones we found 6 magic arrows (arrows +1), a small glass jar with a clear liquid (Potion of Invisibility) and a scroll case (2 clerical scrolls).

The party left with the treasure, planted the ogre's head on a spear at the entrance, freed the goblin (probably Padre Bob killed it latr) and went back to the Keep.