tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30949372325228944702024-03-18T07:56:18.284-07:00Beyond the Black GateAlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01682401446176099294noreply@blogger.comBlogger623125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3094937232522894470.post-61002278736298144582021-07-06T12:29:00.002-07:002021-07-06T12:30:39.322-07:00Hey, what's going on in here?<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4YTEknHdgt_ahcvkbGEuco5WPVNifvDt8lDKDEd5hDouvAtk-u1tI-pJSgP4Pv0KYC-xGj3e5H0WaVCrhXzYYaoj3MxTMomPHrOm5LAmsvLBdzksiBtBE1YqWmAzU5F4Y8TvHJq77GEwA/s863/rasThavas.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="863" data-original-width="630" height="519" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4YTEknHdgt_ahcvkbGEuco5WPVNifvDt8lDKDEd5hDouvAtk-u1tI-pJSgP4Pv0KYC-xGj3e5H0WaVCrhXzYYaoj3MxTMomPHrOm5LAmsvLBdzksiBtBE1YqWmAzU5F4Y8TvHJq77GEwA/w380-h519/rasThavas.jpg" width="380" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p><br /></p><p>It seems the Mad Scientist is working on something secret in his laboratory of horrors... I wonder what it will be? Is it anything to do with <a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/171363/Warriors-of-the-Red-Planet" target="_blank">Warriors of the Red Planet</a>? Something even more nefarious? Stay posted...</p>Alhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01682401446176099294noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3094937232522894470.post-8292603335994679352021-02-28T17:20:00.001-08:002021-02-28T17:20:41.248-08:00Long time no post<p><img src="blob:https://www.blogger.com/c5b367dd-29bc-46af-9467-76fd209f8448" /> Wow it’s been a long time since I’ve given this blog some attention. I think now and then about getting back into it, but then again most of what I’ve wanted to say about old school gaming has been said. I game a lot now, almost weekly, with a group of my old high school buddies, and another group of fellow writers. We mostly work with 5E D&D these days, which is maybe just old school enough to keep us old timers engaged, while being being new enough to be exciting and adventurous. </p><p>I still have a lot of fondness for the OG stuff though, especially B/X, and often think about giving some attention to Warriors of the Red Planet. We’ll see what happens. It’s the Age of Covid, and really anything is possible. Stay safe out there, and good gaming.</p>Alhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01682401446176099294noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3094937232522894470.post-35312049330726856362017-08-17T17:54:00.001-07:002017-08-17T17:55:43.364-07:00B/X: Ability score adjustments<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix_25ECuTBA5IgHvk0OvcTU5b-mdMzimXIqJW8MX70VIFlTmw3gxrXPikXH3OYqr1guNW4RwQ0BCr8NrhAsKwqwhzb5Zd-fXG57mKrSvTgT6uNWxA5FUOPccqZ1lWM95lZJMoDDGlTtLWM/s1600/bxabilityadj.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="595" data-original-width="490" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix_25ECuTBA5IgHvk0OvcTU5b-mdMzimXIqJW8MX70VIFlTmw3gxrXPikXH3OYqr1guNW4RwQ0BCr8NrhAsKwqwhzb5Zd-fXG57mKrSvTgT6uNWxA5FUOPccqZ1lWM95lZJMoDDGlTtLWM/s640/bxabilityadj.PNG" width="523" /></a></div>
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This is kind of an interesting idiosyncrasy of B/X. Its also one of those odd rules that seemed to make it's way informally into a lot of the 1E campaigns I played bitd, though I remember everyone playing a bit fast and loose with which abilities points could be taken from, as opposed to following the strict guidelines given in B/X.<br />
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Its also a mitigating factor to the "3d6-in-order" style of character generation, which some folks seem to lament as not giving characters "high enough" ability scores. Given that only a 13 in a class's Prime Requisite is needed for an xp boost and maybe even a bonus to fighting, saves, or AC, not too many points, on average, even need to be shifted around. And it can make it easier to get those rarer 16's or 18's.Alhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01682401446176099294noreply@blogger.com366tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3094937232522894470.post-81813035576728783592017-08-14T15:27:00.001-07:002017-08-14T15:27:36.327-07:00Adventure LookupThis looks like a handy resource : <a href="http://adventurelookup.com/">AdventureLookup.com</a><br />
<br />
Looks like more than 200 1e/B/x/osr adventures in the database so far. Should come in handy next time you need an adventure specifically in a ruin in a forest for 5th level characters and featuring giants.Alhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01682401446176099294noreply@blogger.com56tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3094937232522894470.post-8584820862555229272017-08-13T11:33:00.002-07:002017-08-13T11:33:12.850-07:00Azag Mozu Megadungeon: An introduction<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggjXtIOB-5INYWhcBFIcBTzSMT6pWMjKnAV2rL4Qk6zaL95bXZK7sb0eJEwnRymbQy_0s4wm2-b8LQYloXSqkndxhzv4j8AfAtOzM5iWmY6m_jXkt0hs-VuL_gjqJDuT_vW_V5vGUvNmAz/s1600/AtheonFOrsakenHalls.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="970" data-original-width="1600" height="387" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggjXtIOB-5INYWhcBFIcBTzSMT6pWMjKnAV2rL4Qk6zaL95bXZK7sb0eJEwnRymbQy_0s4wm2-b8LQYloXSqkndxhzv4j8AfAtOzM5iWmY6m_jXkt0hs-VuL_gjqJDuT_vW_V5vGUvNmAz/s640/AtheonFOrsakenHalls.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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It's been a couple years since I worked on <a href="http://beyondtheblackgate.blogspot.com/2015/05/creating-campaign-world-pt4-megadungeon.html" target="_blank">Azag Mozu</a>, but with hectic summer schedules it can be tough to get a whole group together consistently, and it's good to have a side-campaign in your back pocket for those game days when not everyone can make it but you still want to roll some dice. So here's the introduction to the Megadungeon (it fits on two side of a single sheet of paper) to hopefully give a lot of info in a short period of time. In contrast to the somewhat baroque dark fantasy of my Forgotten Halls mega, Azag Mozu is more a mix of Mesopotamian / Assyrian / Hyperborean / Cthulu influences.<br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "Constantia","serif";">Introduction</span></b><span style="font-family: "Constantia","serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Constantia","serif";">A thousand years ago,
the gods of Atheon began dying, one by one. Once twenty-one in number, only
eight remained by the time the rest figured out what was happening. One of
their number, Mozu, the Lord of Shadows, had been murdering the rest and
assuming their power.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Constantia","serif";">The remaining Seven gods
moved swiftly against Mozu, but the renegade god had already consolidated his
power. From his great city of Abydo, he ruled supreme over the teeming masses
of those who worshipped him. Mozu offered his followers something none of the
other gods would: Immortality. The war
between Mozu and the remaining Seven would not be easily won.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Constantia","serif";">The war raged for a
century and more. During this period of savagery, two great heroes arose:
Skallos, a warrior with unmatched swordsmanship, and Rehgedis, a wizard of
incredible power and subtlety. Rehgedis drew upon the power of the Seven,
freely given, to craft the Sword of Heaven. With it, Skallos challenged Ghorzirex
the Iron Drake, chief of Mozu’s servants, at the gates of the Palace of
Shadows. The defeat of Ghorzirex galvanized the forces of the Seven, and they
sacked Abydo, razing the city to the ground, and pursuing the forces of Mozu
deep into his subterranean palace. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Constantia","serif";">Somewhere in the depths
of the earth, the Seven at last faced Mozu, and vanquished him, chaining him
for all time within a sorcerous Obsidian Prison. The left him behind, sealing
the Palace behind them, and bade their followers dispel all memory of the
location of Abydo and its dark palace.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Constantia","serif";">Time passed…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Constantia","serif";">The Tale of Sulla<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Constantia","serif";">In the massive trade
city of Xathay, no Merchant Prince was so wealthy or powerful as Sulla Haithet.
Sulla had built a massive network of shipping and caravans that trailed from
the barbarian stronghold of Tresteign in the impenetrable forests of the north,
to the mysterious city of Lashtuun-Ix in the steaming jungles of the unknowable
south. Sulla easily secured a seat upon Xathay’s ruling Council of Thirteen,
and there he sat.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Constantia","serif";">For eighty years.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Constantia","serif";">His rivals were growing
impatient. Not only did Sulla refuse to wither and die as all men must, he
looked and acted as hale and energetic as he was, at age fifty, when he first
took his seat. Many whispered of witchcrafts, of bargains made with demons, and
of dark rituals performed in the blood of innocents. Before long, the
Inquisitors of Sinma, Lord of the Sun, slapped Sulla in chains and dragged him
off to the holy city of Uthar to confess his crimes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Constantia","serif";">But no matter how painful
his trials beneath the ministrations of the Inquisitors, Sulla never wavered
that he had not consorted with witches or devils or any such thing. But he did
have a secret. Sulla soon spilled out a tale of how he had acquired, early in
his career, a map purporting to lead to long-forgotten Abydo. He gathered an
expedition consisting of the most renowned mercenaries and sorcerers he could
find, and plumbed the depths of the Azag Mozu, the Palace of Shadows. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Constantia","serif";">According to Sulla, they
fought great horrors in the depths of that dark place, but also found great
treasures that he would use to found his trading empire. And he also spoke of
the Black Gates: to pass beyond them was to receive the Gift of Mozu,
Immortality. Of course, the Inquistors scoffed at his tale, and Sulla was
dragged from his prison at sunrise one morning, and burned to death upon a
pyre.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Constantia","serif";">A Legend Persists<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Constantia","serif";">Sulla’s wild claims soon
made their way, as all rumors of treasure must, into the whispers of taverns,
and thieves’ guilds, and treasure hunters of all stripe. And what aging man,
wealthy and covetous of extending the short life given him by the gods, did not
dream of attaining immortality?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Constantia","serif";">Expeditions to the Azar
Mountains in search of the ruins of Abydo began apace, and soon tales of ruin
and success alike began to work their way back to the cities of Atheon.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Constantia","serif";">An Invitation<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Constantia","serif";">Now you, yourself, have
been extended an invitation to set out with a number of your peers on an
expedition financed by Naracen Gyle, a famed merchant of rare antiquities. Your
compatriots assure you Gyle’s sources are good, that he does in fact know the way
to lost Abydo. He even purports to have firsthand reports of what lies within
Azag Mozu, the great iron skeleton of Ghorzirex, the Weeping Shrine of the
Goddess Yllala, and the vast Lake Below. It is said that the Palace is not
entirely of this world, but a place where the Underworld overlaps and bleed
into our own world, and to sleep within the Halls of Azag Mozu is to invite
Madness. But treasure is still plentiful and ripe for the taking for any
adventurer clever enough and strong enough to defeat the guardians that still
lurk within the maze of chambers and caverns.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Constantia","serif";">Atheon<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Constantia","serif";">Atheon
is a land of deserts interspersed with fertile river valleys. Many great cities
dot the flood plains, and feature massive step pyramids, gleaming palaces, and
mazelike bazaars. It is a Theocracy, ruled by the seven high priests of the
Seven Gods of Atheon. Atheon follows a rigid caste system where nobles and
priests are at the top, craftsmen, merchants, landowners, scholars, and
soldiers are in the middle, and slaves, foreigners, mercenaries, sorcerers, and
menials make up the bottommost tier.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Constantia","serif";">To
the north is Sea of Megea and further still a land of dark forests, black
mountains, and barbarians. To the south is an unbroken chain of active
volcanoes, and beyond that a land of savage jungles and exotic cities.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Constantia","serif";">There
are no true seasons in Atheon. It is hot during the day and freezing cold at
night. Calendars in Atheon are based on their lifeblood: the flood and fall of
the rivers.</span></div>
Alhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01682401446176099294noreply@blogger.com36tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3094937232522894470.post-70484220896530275942017-04-18T06:27:00.001-07:002017-04-18T06:27:36.522-07:00Gnolls (per B/X)"Gnolls are rumored to be the result of a magical combination of a gnome and a troll by an evil magic user." <br />
- Tom Moldvay, Basic Rulebook<br />
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How did I forget about this?<br />
<br /><br />
Was the concept so horrible to envision that my mind erased it as a defensive measure?Alhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01682401446176099294noreply@blogger.com27tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3094937232522894470.post-48741174626265717292015-08-09T08:02:00.000-07:002015-08-09T08:02:07.989-07:00Lazy Blog Post - Classic B&W D&D Art<br />
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Many modern RPG releases are big and glossy, full of color, with top-notch professional art. And yet, some still leave me cold nonetheless. When I need to warm up again, I go in search of the whimsey, panache, and unforgettable, unique quality of classic black & white D&D art.Alhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01682401446176099294noreply@blogger.com136tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3094937232522894470.post-11668131316263150492015-07-13T06:51:00.003-07:002015-07-13T06:51:35.266-07:00Lord WAKAMAN brings the magic!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Sometimes the weirdest things turn up on this blog. And I don't even mean my own fever-induced rantings. Imagine my surprise when, doing a little BtBG housekeeping, I discovered that this<a href="http://beyondtheblackgate.blogspot.com/2010/07/house-rule-ritual-spell-casting.html?showComment=1436388450748#c5917591045547421392" target="_blank"> old post on Ritual Spellcasting</a> (game, not real, which is an important distinction here apparently) has become a popular place for lunatics to advertise their lunacy.<br />
<br />
September 2013:<br />
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<b><span style="background-color: #141414; color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px; text-align: justify;">" I want to say A BIG THANK YOU to Lord WAKAMAN, indeed you are the WORLD GREATEST...</span><span style="background-color: #141414; color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px; text-align: justify;">I am a new creature now with the help of his powerful spell....</span><span style="background-color: #141414; color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px; text-align: justify;">search no further for spammers who act as real spell casters, the REALEST AND MOST TRUE SPELL CASTER is LORD WAKAMAN THE WORLD GREATEST."</span></b><br />
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January, 2015:<br />
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<span style="background-color: #141414; color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px; text-align: justify;"><b>"this great spiritualist Doctor called Dr.Agbazara who has the greatest powers on earth i have seen, he help me cast a spell that brought back my husband who left me for good four years. He is really a great man that is making happy today."</b></span><br />
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July 2015:<br />
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<span style="background-color: #141414; color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px; text-align: justify;"><b>"DR Zadson of EDUDUZADSONTEMPLE@xxxxxxxxx is a man sent by God to help the lonely,oppressed,deserted and broken hearted."</b></span><br />
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Maybe I should do a post on SUMMONING THE GREAT OLD ONES and see what turns up?<br />
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In the meanwhile, if you're looking for love spells and someone who is making happy today, why not give Lord WAKAMAN a call?<br />
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<br />Alhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01682401446176099294noreply@blogger.com36tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3094937232522894470.post-86505447696547689982015-07-10T19:10:00.000-07:002015-07-10T19:10:03.846-07:00Is it wrong to try to pick up girls in a Dungeon?Oh, you guys, you think of everything.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/jdM8uZP4900" width="560"></iframe>Alhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01682401446176099294noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3094937232522894470.post-16832118787221740082015-07-06T06:30:00.000-07:002015-07-06T06:30:34.292-07:00The Big Screen Barsoom that might have been.<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Bfry_GeXst8" width="560"></iframe><br />
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Before the doomed Disney adaption of "A Princess of Mars", an earlier version was in the works by the maker of the pulp-steampunk cult film Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow. While we can never know if Conran's version would have been truer to the source material than Stanton's (it appears the decision to neuter the film's title had already been in place by this point), I can say I do prefer the look of the Barsoomian cities with their majestic canals and other-worldly splendor to the butte-sized outposts of the Disney film, and the concept art for the Atmosphere factory is just awesome (around 2:30 or so).<br />
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Ultimately though, Hollywood's biggest hurdle with John Carter has nothing to do with visual effects or casting, but with it's inability to present us with an unabashedly heroic character. John Carter came from a time before popular culture and political correctness had imposed an informal ban on heroes who are pure of heart, strong of character, and unimpaired by guilt or angst. Carter's popularity endured for more than a hundred years (!) with no need to make him a drunk, or a slacker, or in need of a "strong woman" to lead him around by the nose in spite of his lazy and irresponsible nature. Once a film-maker is brave enough to let Carter be a hero again, an ageless icon of action and honor in the face of all obstacles, the franchise will resonate with audiences the way its supposed to.Alhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01682401446176099294noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3094937232522894470.post-14161093556972550252015-05-31T12:25:00.000-07:002015-05-31T12:25:58.407-07:00Expanding the Fighting Man again - more options for your Old-School Edition Fighter.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL4KWUDXkU3BoolZRtMhb_qtrRSPx7NCvgyvelWmy4A-fsDZTWqu2rRPGwR4EPPS1r29IxXvVvu-bcQ9ZDKihrNhdRVAT6ymq0F9b_NEMOWjql-SisvjN2yneGKU9pm3VgraYuHTzvUpPs/s1600/merchant2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL4KWUDXkU3BoolZRtMhb_qtrRSPx7NCvgyvelWmy4A-fsDZTWqu2rRPGwR4EPPS1r29IxXvVvu-bcQ9ZDKihrNhdRVAT6ymq0F9b_NEMOWjql-SisvjN2yneGKU9pm3VgraYuHTzvUpPs/s400/merchant2.jpg" width="197" /></a></div>
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Waaaaay back in 2009 I posted the <a href="http://beyondtheblackgate.blogspot.com/2009/11/expanding-fighting-man.html" target="_blank">original five Fighting Man subclasses</a>. Here are three more options for your players to take their vanilla 1E, B/X, or OD&D fighters in a more focused direction.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnkdSD7T4K4JPD-ZMsyKNiz-u1Gl7gIT25kcs9xcppxBbG9Ok026R6uvbQwwxrxymocaVlLl9BbP06Rtn7WI-G9y5BO-pqVdfFWmtM03Ug6s1aYAQCy3uOBwTdMrpzYY0feLiJ5qrCiftJ/s1600/merchant3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnkdSD7T4K4JPD-ZMsyKNiz-u1Gl7gIT25kcs9xcppxBbG9Ok026R6uvbQwwxrxymocaVlLl9BbP06Rtn7WI-G9y5BO-pqVdfFWmtM03Ug6s1aYAQCy3uOBwTdMrpzYY0feLiJ5qrCiftJ/s320/merchant3.jpg" width="148" /></a></div>
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<b><u>The Merchant</u></b><br />
<b><u><br /></u></b>
Merchants are a lynch pin of an active, thriving world, moving goods from place to place at a time when many folks lived all their lives without ever seeing what lay beyond the milestone at the edge of their villages. Merchants are experts of negotiation, collectors of maps and lore, and always have an eye out for the next big opportunity. They also tend to be jacks-of-all-trades, picking up many skills and languages along the way.<br />
<b>Prerequisite Ability: </b>Cha 13+<br />
<b>Languages:</b> Merchants begin play with one bonus language and add another at each odd-numbered level thereafter (3rd, 5th, etc).<br />
<b>Uncanny Trader:</b> Merchants have a knack for getting the most out of a deal. They know how to get more coin when selling, and spend less coin when buying. This bonus is equal to 5% of the price (for sale or purchase) per level of the Merchant. For example, the 4th level Merchant makes 20% more when selling goods, and spends 20% less when buying them.<br />
<b>Traveler's Lore:</b> Merchants have a 20%, plus 5% chance per level, to read languages, decode cyphers, and interpret obscure maps.<br />
<b>Magic Dabbler:</b> A 5th level merchant can use magic as a 1st level Magic User, and gains a spellbook accordingly. 9th level Merchants cast spells as 2nd level Magic Users, and 13th level Merchant Princes cast as 3rd level Magic Users.<br />
<b>Shun Armor:</b> Putting in long hours on horseback or at sea, Merchants do not often favor the use of heavy armor unless absolutely necessary, and customers tend to balk at the sight of it. Merchants cannot use their Uncanny Trader or Magic Dabbler abilities when clad in anything heavier than leather armor.<br />
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<b><u>The Eldritch Knight</u></b><br />
<b><u><br /></u></b>
Eldritch Knights are warriors who employ the arcane arts to enhance their fighting abilities. Legends claim elves were the first to do so, but today warriors of all races may practice the art, provided they have mental mettle as well as physical.<br />
<b>Prerequisite Ability:</b> Int 13+<br />
<b>Spellcasting:</b> Eldritch Knights begin to add spells to their arsenal at 1st level, and progress every 2 levels after. So, a 3rd level Eldritch Knight casts at 2rd level, 5th at 3rd, 7th as 4th, 9th as 5th, 11th as 6th, and so on. They gain a spellbook as a Magic User does, and must use components as they do.<br />
<b>Limited Arms:</b> Learning to cast while armored takes years of training and focus. 1st level Eldritch Knights can cast in Leather, 5th level in Chain or lighter, and not until 9th level and higher can they finally cast in plate mail. Also, one of the Eldritch Knight's hands must be free to cast spells, so shields and 2-handed weapons seldom see use by them.<br />
<b>Lightning Reactions</b>: Once per day, an Eldritch Knight may use his weapon and a spell in the same round. This ability increases to twice a day at 5th level, and three times a day at 9th level.<br />
<b>Touch of Steel: </b>Eldritch Knights can deliver spells that normally require a touch (such as <i>shocking grasp</i>) with their weapons, in addition to normal damage.<br />
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<b><u>The Dervish</u></b><br />
<b><u><br /></u></b>
Dervishes are skilled warriors, usually from exotic places, who focus on speed and agility to enhance their fighting skills, rather than brute strength and steel armor. Dervishes are highly sought after as bodyguards and prize fighters. Their distinctive fighting style of whirling and leaping allows them to engage in combat unarmored, and strike multiple times with their flashing blades.<br />
<b>Prerequisite Ability:</b> Dex 13+<br />
<b>Unarmored Defense:</b> Dervishes can never wear armor (though they may use shields), instead, they wear loose-fitting, flowing clothes made of linen and cotton that confuse an enemies blade as they twirl and leap. Armored dervishes lose all their special abilities. At 1st level, an unencumbered, unarmored Dervish has an Armor Class equivalent to leather armor. At 5th, she has an armor class equivalent to chain mail, and at 9th, an armor class equivalent to plate mail.<br />
<b>Whirling Blades:</b> A dervish armed with a light weapon, such as a scimitar, hand axe, or spear, can make more attacks than their slower counterparts. A 1st level a Dervish attacks thrice every two rounds, twice a round at 5th level, and thrice per round at 9th level.<br />
<b>Unwavering Focus:</b> A Dervish reduced to 0 or fewer hit points during combat will go into a sort of trance state, allowing her to continue fighting for 1d3 rounds after.<br />
<br />Alhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01682401446176099294noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3094937232522894470.post-70777456720572147062015-05-29T19:50:00.000-07:002015-05-29T19:50:10.755-07:00Creating a Campaign World pt.4 - The Megadungeon (Azag Mozu!)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv2vOO7AOaVAl6TO0KMZgQJSU17U_-FG3pMBDBVc9KJt2OL2-btbo_ZVvb1HlZj9b0YHp_bHcNWJ3rnuwUlkXyAW02vTPI68_knqmzlXfrE_nr-utXQedPrLBgKRHsl0sEsBAoHZ6LMd7Q/s1600/AtheonFOrsakenHalls.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv2vOO7AOaVAl6TO0KMZgQJSU17U_-FG3pMBDBVc9KJt2OL2-btbo_ZVvb1HlZj9b0YHp_bHcNWJ3rnuwUlkXyAW02vTPI68_knqmzlXfrE_nr-utXQedPrLBgKRHsl0sEsBAoHZ6LMd7Q/s400/AtheonFOrsakenHalls.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Of course, every good campaign setting deserves a tentpole Megadungeon. For <a href="http://beyondtheblackgate.blogspot.com/2015/03/designing-campaign-world-part-1.html" target="_blank">Atheon</a>, I wanted my Megadungeon to tie in with the <a href="http://beyondtheblackgate.blogspot.com/2015/04/designing-campaign-world-pt-2-gods-of.html" target="_blank">mythology</a> of the <a href="http://beyondtheblackgate.blogspot.com/2015/04/creating-campaign-world-pt3-religion.html" target="_blank">setting</a>.<br />
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<b>Azag Mozu</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
On the northern edges of Atheon, at the feet of the Azar Mountains and past the ruins of Fallen Abydo, lies the Valley of Judgement, within which lies the great black heap of Azag Mozu. The origins of the place are lost to the mists of time, but it was said to have been a great black finger of stone, a thousand feet across and more than a mile high, that jutted up from the red earth like a dagger jutting from the back of a god. This is where the name <i>Azag Mozu </i>came from - "Obelisk of Death" in the Old Tongue of the Makers.<br />
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The texts on Azag Mozu still to be found in the labyrinthine libraries of Izkalal claim this Obelisk was anything but solid, referring to its insides as <i>Mara Dootha, Kala Dootha</i>, "the Thousand Halls of a Thousand Worlds". As Death touches all things and all worlds, so it is said her great <i>Azag</i> touched all things and all worlds as well.<br />
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<b>A Dark and Troubled Time</b><br />
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For a long while, the Azag Mozu was a site of pilgrimage, and the faithful of many gods, not just Mozu, going to pay tribute at this marvel of supernatural wonder. But at some point, something awakened within Azag Mozu. Something dark, something the dreamed of conquest. Fell hordes of creatures, many never seen in this world, issued forth from unseen gates. First they ravaged the once great city of Abydo, the center of trade and power between the holy lands of the southern rivers and the trackless forest realms of the north. The city was crushed, hundreds of thousands died, and it is said one hundred and thirty thousand souls were marched off as slaves to disappear into the Azag, never to be seen again.<br />
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After this, the hordes began to move further south, into the fertile flood plains of what would become Atheon. In a rare show of unity, the heads of the Eight Temples met with the heads of the three great Houses of Sorcery, and all bowed the knee to the legendary warlord Haga Nurald, then only a young man just come into his prime. The host of Atheon fought back the horde, until at last a great battle raged across the Valley of Judgement to the very foot of the Azag.<br />
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It is said during this battle forces were unleashed that have never been seen in this world before or since. Gods and their angelic knights walked the earth in plain view of Men, and fought shoulder to shoulder with them against horrors from beyond the Walls of Night. Unheard of Sorceries shook the Valley of Judgement (indeed, it is said this battle is when the priests of the Eight first began their long mistrust of wizardry), and martial heroes of unmatched prowess matched blades with unholy warriors of diabolic aspect. Haga Nurald himself slew, singlehandedly, a massive Wyrm composed of fire and shadow.<br />
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At last, the tattered remnants of the horde fled, throwing the gates of the Azag closed behind them in their terror. Then the earth gave out a great rumble as the joined might of the gathered priests and wizards threw down the Obelisk of Death into a great heap of tumbled black stone. It is said dust hung over the valley for seven seasons before settling at last.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi67YBUKiz5x2WRChQEUAHDvn9hEJCAWVVBEXJgcO4A-lyrAW4VYVRx7HxQaWIiSeQO89ohWpxGGYgUYZJReMrYbvPg-CTW1fE85vHiJe5Hth6CHStufeXOSc7cFgXZpK7-gTa4TR9i5AwQ/s1600/angelofmozu.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi67YBUKiz5x2WRChQEUAHDvn9hEJCAWVVBEXJgcO4A-lyrAW4VYVRx7HxQaWIiSeQO89ohWpxGGYgUYZJReMrYbvPg-CTW1fE85vHiJe5Hth6CHStufeXOSc7cFgXZpK7-gTa4TR9i5AwQ/s400/angelofmozu.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<b>A Modern Curiousity</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
After being shunned for centuries, Azag Mozu has now begun to draw visitors once more. Some go, as in the past, to marvel at the sight of the heap, ruined as it is, or to give praise at this visible evidence of their gods' power. Others go out of curiosity, as Atheon's long peace has lent itself to the pursuit of scholarship and sciences. Still others go for less altruistic reasons - treasure is said to lie in the deep vaults beneath the heap, in subterranean halls that somehow survived the collapse of the Mozu.<br />
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And, it is whispered among the caravans that even now ply there ways northward, no few explorers have ventured into those halls never to be seen again...<br />
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<br />
In the next part, I'll take a look at the Megadungeon itself, its environs, and the tools I'm using to build it.Alhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01682401446176099294noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3094937232522894470.post-37548326750458105002015-04-29T07:41:00.001-07:002015-04-29T07:43:21.987-07:00Warriors of the Red Planet 25% off!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg59cMCC9pc6C_I9qf18HJsHsvIOtUX_vmb08WEaTfKcR0QXF7bRO3iLsDhYBJvr-aU6aNtMD-L1CKxEUJL8JDj54rD_K3AXxDD6gCGx2oPNL6uUFB-q8x6W6B_380oh9tbg_pKJV94rXi4/s1600/wotrp2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg59cMCC9pc6C_I9qf18HJsHsvIOtUX_vmb08WEaTfKcR0QXF7bRO3iLsDhYBJvr-aU6aNtMD-L1CKxEUJL8JDj54rD_K3AXxDD6gCGx2oPNL6uUFB-q8x6W6B_380oh9tbg_pKJV94rXi4/s1600/wotrp2.jpg" height="320" width="216" /></a></div>
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If you've been waiting for a good deal to pick up your copy of Warriors of the Red Planet, Lulu is having a 25% off sale good through 4/30. Just enter the code APRILFLASH at check out.<a href="http://www.lulu.com/shop/thomas-denmark-and-al-krombach/warriors-of-the-red-planet/paperback/product-21694686.html" target="_blank">http://www.lulu.com/shop/thomas-denmark-and-al-krombach/warriors-of-the-red-planet/paperback/product-21694686.html</a>Alhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01682401446176099294noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3094937232522894470.post-2309060453285257952015-04-18T10:00:00.000-07:002015-04-18T10:00:54.858-07:00The Old-school roots of D&D 5E<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhee0ImTaymgn1NhBrBfr6iGeuMrZzs-DhxnM9s5lJ6hhoNOm7w_MG8FASv8Pfxgf8EnGGjGk8E0nWwS0XfWPlqRlNv708pzN0bNOjBztYSBvHjPIT28mJjjRUT8ozn7xxEgCnnl-t3zaPa/s1600/moldvay-basic1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhee0ImTaymgn1NhBrBfr6iGeuMrZzs-DhxnM9s5lJ6hhoNOm7w_MG8FASv8Pfxgf8EnGGjGk8E0nWwS0XfWPlqRlNv708pzN0bNOjBztYSBvHjPIT28mJjjRUT8ozn7xxEgCnnl-t3zaPa/s1600/moldvay-basic1.jpg" height="400" width="303" /></a></div>
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Apparently its no coincidence people report their play experience of 5E D&D being very reminiscent of the 1981 B/X experience. According to a series of recent posts on lead designer Mike Mearl's Facebook page, the new edition saw its genesis in Moldvay's succinct (and my favorite) iteration of the game.<br />
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According to Mearls, "<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">The Basic D&D mods answered the question in 2012 for me - what would I add to a very simple D&D ruleset to make myself happy?</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">"</span><br />
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He goes on to give us a look at what his additions were, many of which will look familiar to those who participated in the earliest playtest versions of the new edition, "<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Here are the house rules I applied to the 1981 Basic D&D rules. Ran game, modded to get what I wanted.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">"</span><br />
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He shares <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1YN--nG6VRWq6efGvXX9gH0yNk_pUYcWDBaKSGUc5roI/edit" target="_blank">those initial rules with us here</a>:<br />
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: yellow;">1981 House Rules</span></span></div>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-20e44889-cd72-188c-ba2d-0bb80e8c48f8" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: yellow;"><br /></span></b>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: yellow;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Ability Mods:</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> We use the 3e/4e convention (+1 or -1 per 2 above/below 10)</span></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: yellow;"><br /></span></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: yellow;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Saving Throws: </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">These are ability checks, DC determined by DM</span></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: yellow;"><br /></span></b>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: yellow;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Attacks:</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Ability check, plus a class based bonus</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: yellow;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Fighter: +1 every odd level</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: yellow;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Cleric/Thief: +1 at level 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: yellow;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Magic-User: No bonus</span></span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: yellow;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Thief Abilities: </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">These work a bit differently.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: yellow;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Open Locks, Find or Remove Traps, Pick Pockets, Hide in Shadows</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> are all things only thieves can do. Hide in shadows is literally that - hide in situations where other people can’t. The thief makes a check with a bonus equal to the % listed on page B8 divided by 5.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: yellow;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Move Silently, Climb Sheer Surfaces, Hear Noise</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> are all things that anyone can try. The rogue has advantage when he tries any of them.</span></span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: yellow;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Advantage:</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Roll an extra d20, take the highest result. If you get advantage more than once, take an extra die.</span></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: yellow;"><br /></span></b>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: yellow;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Disadvantage:</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Roll an extra die, but take the lowest. If you have advantage, disadvantage zaps one die per instance of disadvantage.</span></span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: yellow;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Hit Points:</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Upgrade everyone by one die type, you get maximum hit points at level 1 + half your Constitution score.</span></span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: yellow;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Hit Dice:</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> You can use your hit dice to heal. You get hit dice equal to your total HD, spend them when resting, each die gets a bonus equal to your Con modifier.</span></span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: yellow;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Dwarves: </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Increase class’s hit die by one size. Infravision 60 feet. Can use Find or Remove Traps in underground locations.</span></span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: yellow;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Elves:</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Can alternate between magic-user and any other class, have infravision 60 feet.</span></span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: yellow;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Halflings:</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Can Hide in Shadows as a thief, get a +2 bonus to AC, but use an HD one step smaller and can’t use two-handed weapons.</span></span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: yellow;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Humans:</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Gain a +1 bonus to any two stats, or +2 to one stat (maximum 18).</span></span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: yellow;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Weapons:</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> d4, d6, d8, or d12, class access based on die size</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: yellow;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Fighter: All</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: yellow;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Cleric: d6, bludgeoning d8</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: yellow;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Thief: d6</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: yellow;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Magic-User: d4</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
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It was funny to see the weapon damage by class house rule there at the bottom, as that's something that's been floating around the OSR for a while now (was that B/X Blackrazor's initially, I can't remember). I'll repeat my hope that some fan out there releases a home-made version of the D&D 5E Basic ruleset with all-Otus art. Good on Mearls for this insight, I can't think of a better heritage for a new edition!Alhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01682401446176099294noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3094937232522894470.post-17651862923557661322015-04-16T12:08:00.001-07:002015-04-16T12:08:24.527-07:00Hey, look!A new Star Wars trailer has appeared, featuring some familiar faces...<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ngElkyQ6Rhs" width="560"></iframe>Alhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01682401446176099294noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3094937232522894470.post-77431822444251235082015-04-09T15:33:00.001-07:002015-04-09T15:33:55.842-07:00Lazy Blog Post - Erol Otus!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I can think of worse things to dedicate a blog post to than the Master of Green & Purple! Erol Otus, being the primary artist behind my first RPG ever, Moldvay's Basic set, literally imprinted on my mind for all time what D&D is "supposed to look like".<br />
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Otus never even dabbled in stereotypes - his fantasy creations are like something from the mind of a Derleth or a Lovecraft, fever dreams made real in lurid shades of green, purple, orange, and yellow. And yet each horned helm, oozing monster, and writhing-robed priestess felt so right, so completely at home for their milieu.<br />
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Here's hoping some dedicated fan puts together a scratch version of the new 5E basic rules with exclusively Otus art.Alhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01682401446176099294noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3094937232522894470.post-14159292708499412282015-04-05T12:14:00.000-07:002015-04-05T12:14:24.095-07:00Creating a campaign world pt3 - Religion and Magic<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Now that I have <a href="http://beyondtheblackgate.blogspot.com/2015/04/designing-campaign-world-pt-2-gods-of.html" target="_blank">Atheon's pantheon</a> sorted out, I want to take a look at how religion plays a part in the structure of the campaign setting. I want religion to really be the driving force in the setting, and since this is a fantasy setting, I can expand this from the spiritual realm into the magical one. With this in mind, as far as the majority of Atheon's populace is concerned (or indoctrinated), magic is a divine gift, and magic that comes from any other source (such as sorcery) must be Blasphemy.<br />
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<b>Magic is Blasphemy!</b><br />
This idea of magic being "legal" for only clerics can become a cornerstone of the setting. For Atheon, I decided there was a great uprising against Wizards a century ago, during which wizards, sorcerers, and druids were hunted down and either killed or exiled. The great wizard schools were torn down and burned. To this day, wizards exist in Atheon only by keeping a low profile, or by serving a powerful patron such as a local Prince or High Priest. Low-level PC wizards will need to be cautious about when and where they display their powers, lest they be dragged to the town square and have their limbs tied to camels driven in opposite directions.<br />
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<b>The Great Old One</b><br />
I mentioned in the last post there is a Ninth God. This is Goru Dara, Master of the Impenetrable Void. The god appears as a male or female body with a head composed of a blank space or star-filled void. The god holds a black staff which is said to unravel the material fabric of any object or creature with the slightest touch. Goru Dara is the source of Warlock magic in Atheon, and the religion's rising popularity and power is what precipitated the massacre of magic-users a century ago. Today, it is rumored the religion still exists, albeit in hiding, and its practitioners even now plot their return to power...<br />
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<b>The Last Archmage</b><br />
Depending upon whom you speak with, there is one rumored/known powerful survivor of the great massacre a century ago. This is Amhuuriad, the Last Archmage. Among those who practice magic in secret today, he is known as "the Betrayed", for it is said that he aided the Eight High Priests of Atheon in the destruction of the foul temples of Goru Dara, only to have the Eight turn on him and his fellow wizards. Amhuuriad alone nearly defeated the combined might of the Eight, but in the end he was forced to flee into the trackless wastelands out beyond the river valleys. It is said the immortal Archmage lurks the fringes of Atheon to this day, working quietly to restore his art to favor, and offering wisdom to heroes in times of need.<br />
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<b>Alignment in Atheon</b><br />
You may have noticed that while each deity received a description of his or her clergy, temples, and even material form, there was no discussion of alignment. It has long been a conceit of D&D that gods have alignments, and clerics of those gods adhere to those alignments strictly, or face consequences. Instead of this, I want the priests of Atheon to choose their own alignment just like anyone else - I'm hoping this will lead to a lot more story opportunities. Perhaps there are conflicts within the church as to how refugees from a neighboring kingdom should be treated, or intrigue as high-ranking priests of a temple try to outmaneuver or even murder their more virtuous counterparts. Clerics in this setting will need to focus on their god's domain rather than alignment in order to receive their god's favor.<br />
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Next time, we'll take a look at Atheon's Megadungeon, Azag Mozu. Because you knew there would be a Megadungeon, right?<br />
<br />Alhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01682401446176099294noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3094937232522894470.post-86343546475162796982015-04-03T17:12:00.002-07:002015-04-03T17:12:25.534-07:00Designing a campaign world - pt. 2: the Gods of Atheon<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Religion, for me, can go either way in a campaign setting. In more Sword & Sorcery - flavored campaigns, I typically don't put a lot of emphasis on the gods, there are hundreds if not thousands of them in many such settings, but the trade-off of such profligate deities is a drastic lessening of their overall influence. For <a href="http://beyondtheblackgate.blogspot.com/2015/03/designing-campaign-world-part-1.html" target="_blank">Atheon</a>, I want them to play a much bigger role, part of the warp and weave of my setting's fabric.<br />
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Since I'm making the setting specifically for a (potential) future 5E campaign, I'm basing the gods on the eight domains D&D currently offers: Knowledge, Light, Life, Tempest, Nature, Trickery, War, and Death. There is a ninth god as well, but we'll discuss him later. So here's Atheon's pantheon of deities:<br />
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<b>Izkalal (Knowledge)</b> - Also known as the Master of Tomes and the Old Ibis, Izkalal appears as an old, bearded man clutching an Ibis-headed staff in one hand, and a bronze-covered tome in the other. He is the patron of learning, of libraries, and of the sciences. His priests practice fanatic austerity, and dress in simple white robes hemmed in runes of brass thread. There are no true formal temples to Izkalal, per se, though all the great libraries of Atheon possess a chapel in his honor.<br />
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<b>Nabara (Life)</b> - Also known as the All-Mother, or Mother of Mothers. She appears as a curvaceous woman of fertile age with angelic wings and bearing her holy golden sickle in one hand. She is the patron of Fertility, Food, and the flood and fall of Atheon's rivers. Her clergy is predominantly female, and wear diaphanous robes of white and silver gossamer. There is a militant wing of the clergy known as the "Arak-Nar" (or colloquially as Spear-Maidens). It is considered a great crime to harm or otherwise molest a priestess of Nabara, as the withdrawal of their favor can result in blights and starvation for entire regions. Her temples are great domes, built over natural springs when possible.<br />
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<b>Sinma (Light)</b> - Also known as Lord of the Sun, Nightslayer, and the Shining Man. He appears as a young golden-skinned man with golden wings. He holds a rod of pure light in one hand, and a golden circle in the other. Occasionally, he may appear as a golden eagle, or as a male sphinx. He is considered by some to be the brother of Nabara. His temples feature great amphitheaters open to the sky and ringed with monoliths that mark the movements of the sunrise and sunset year-round. His priests typically wear bronze scale and robes of blue and bronze, and each bears a branded symbol of the sun on his forehead.<br />
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<b>Myli (Tempest)</b> - Also known as Stormrider and Lady of Deep Waters. She appears as a green-skinned female with the lower body of a sea-serpent and holds a long-bladed spear. She is the patron of sea travel and succor from storms. Her temples are typically galleries of green or blue stone featuring a statue of Myli at one end in the center of a ceremonial pool or fountain. Her clergy wear scale mail chased in silver, and robes of pastel green and blues. They are typically shaved completely hairless, and many paint a series of runes on symbols on their flesh. Worship of Myli is, understandably, much more prevalent in the coastal regions of Atheon.<br />
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<b>Saba (Nature)</b> - Also known as the Summer King. He appears as a strong, bearded man wearing the hide of a bear. He carries a bow and a sheaf of arrows, which are said to give life or death at his whim, and he is flanked by a pair of great lions. He is said to take Nabara as his consort in Spring and Summer, and Myli in Autumn and Winter. Vines and blooms spring from the earth where he treads. His clergy has no real standard dress code, but all carry his symbol, a man's face surrounded by vines. He has no formal temples; his faithful gather a natural landmarks such as small forests, oddly shaped rock formations, and oases.<br />
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<b>Eretu (Trickery)</b> - Also known as the Laughing Prince, or Prince of Mysteries, Oathbreaker, Dreamwalker, and Lord of Grapes. He is the patron of dreams, wine and song, of revelry, of luck and of bravery. He appears as a lithe young man just out of boyhood, wearing only a loincloth and wreathed in grape vines. He carries a bag in one hand, and whatever tool he needs for his mischief may be conjured from the bag at whim. It is said all birds serve him and act as his messengers. His symbol is a crook-tipped rod of silver entwined with gold, and clergy bearing this rod are entitled to free room and board wherever they travel in Atheon. His temples are round galleries of stone, and these host an annual "Night of Masks", a popular festival in Atheon.<br />
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<b>Ephus (War)</b> - Also known as Prince of Blades, War-Crow, and Herald of Mozu. He is the patron of war, warriors, and victory in battle. His temples are marble galleries with red floors and black ceilings adorned in the bones of the faithful. Ephus appears as a powerfully built man in armor with a red cloak. He carries a spear in one hand and an axe in the other, and his face is always obscured by a full helm. His clergy celebrate battle as holy, and often serve as mercenary forces when the temple is need of funds.<br />
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<b>Mozu (Death)</b> - Also known as the Lady of Graves, Soultaker, and Mistress of Night. She appears as a beautiful woman with pitch-dark skin and white eyes, wrapped in a white shawl. She holds knife and one hand, and a scroll in the other, where it is said the fates of all men have been scribed. Her temples are typically underground galleries kept in near-complete darkness, and her clergy wear robes of black and ring their eyes and mouths in kohl.<br />
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Next time, we'll learn about the Ninth God, and the place of religion in the setting, as well as its relation to the nature and practice of magic.Alhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01682401446176099294noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3094937232522894470.post-34592969189993317062015-04-01T10:29:00.000-07:002015-04-01T10:29:33.639-07:00Cool new RPG!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheOOWC2n_Ge8rr7ajws5tDSk3MIalqiZwLvdCxQexnvoCaI0tQBhtWZJrNnu3sb98SzAOAzfO4AAQ1GCXKOuIa7shuCEepOhONgD4ZAn-nW70Kd3ITYieMB27GqgXoqzClv8zC3kT8whmK/s1600/eski1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheOOWC2n_Ge8rr7ajws5tDSk3MIalqiZwLvdCxQexnvoCaI0tQBhtWZJrNnu3sb98SzAOAzfO4AAQ1GCXKOuIa7shuCEepOhONgD4ZAn-nW70Kd3ITYieMB27GqgXoqzClv8zC3kT8whmK/s1600/eski1.jpg" height="256" width="320" /></a></div>
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Its not exactly news that Inclusiveness has been a big deal in the gaming world recently, as recent events involving Monte Cook Games, Green Ronin's "Blue Rose" setting, and Gen Con have shown.<br />
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Hot on the heels of those headline grabbers, PajamaGuy Games has announced the eminent release of <b>Gay Eskimo RPG</b>, a role playing game set in the wilds of the arctic north. In this game a player can take up the role of a brave eskimo hunter, warrior, or shaman, and fend off such hazards as polar bears, packs of bloodthirsty arctic wolves, ice elementals, and even marauding orcas. More interestingly, the game features a randomized generation tool to give the players nearly endless icy underground labyrinths to explore.<br />
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We asked <b>Gay Eskimo</b>'s designer, Terry D. of Berkeley, CA, what inspired him to create his latest masterpiece. "You, know," he said, "Being a Canadian transplant, I always thought about those great white spaces up north and wondered, 'what's all that about?', you know? Like, 'who's up there anyway?'. Imagine my surprise to find out the whole place was filled with Eskimos, and there is just no RPG on the shelves to emulate that whole experience, from a fantasy perspective."<br />
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When asked if recent events had influenced <b>Gay Eskimo RPG</b> at all, Terry said not really, but "I was impressed by the whole Gen Con thing. When Gen Con bravely stood up and announced it would be leaving Indianapolis if a certain law was passed, and then, when it was passed anyway, they said, you know what guys? We're not going anywhere. We're staying right here, so take that. That just struck me as being so brave, you know?"<br />
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We pressed Terry a little bit about the fact that, while his RPG certainly contains a lot about Eskimos, there was nothing in the game, that we could find, that had anything whatsoever to do with being gay. Why not, we asked, just call the game "<b>Eskimo"</b>, instead of "<b>Gay Eskimo"</b>?<br />
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Terry shuffled his feet a little, looked us in the eye, and said, "well that wouldn't be very inclusive, now would it?"Alhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01682401446176099294noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3094937232522894470.post-2922526529422412122015-03-30T13:52:00.002-07:002015-03-30T13:52:48.423-07:00Designing a campaign world - part 1<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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One of the most rewarding parts of TTRPGing is Worldbuilding. Designing a campaign world is truly one of the most unique things about the hobby. Its a chemistry not unlike love - when you meet that perfect person for you and the sparks fly... well you don't need me to tell you that the sum is often more than the whole of its parts.<br />
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The same thing is very true with original worlds. When allowed to grow and expand through the interaction of 2 or more like-minded individuals, you can get something with a life of its own. So how do you plant that first seed, so it can flourish and grow?<br />
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Back in the dawn of the hobby (for me at least, talking about the late 70's here), those seed/ideas came from the books I hungrily devoured. Often <a href="http://beyondtheblackgate.blogspot.com/2010/09/lost-age-daw-sf-covers.html" target="_blank">DAW "Yellow Spine" books</a> which were so cheap and fascinating at my local used bookstore.<br />
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Nowadays, however, my continued voracious appetite for cheap, plentiful pulp fantasy is enabled by my Kindle and the "evil empire" of Amazon, and additional inspiration is available a click of a button away on the now-everpresent internet.<br />
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Having read a few desert themed pulps recently, and having binge watched a series of documentaries about ancient Assyria, the Hittites, and Babylon, I thought it would be fun to make my first 5E campaign setting, I named it "Atheon", with an ancient Eastern Mediterranean flavor, blended with magic and perhaps some Dying Earth-style Sci-fantasy. Flying ships hovering over ziggurats while assassins battle tech-warlocks on the steps? Yes please!<br />
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Here's some google images I saved for inspiration:<br />
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Characters are important too, of course:<br />
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Coming up in part 2, I'll discuss one of my favorite parts of campaign settings - Religion!<br />
<br />Alhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01682401446176099294noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3094937232522894470.post-86654486131898265072015-03-26T19:19:00.002-07:002015-03-26T19:22:19.455-07:00WotRP - Exploring Your Own Red Planet<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>Its your Red Planet</b><br />
One of the most important sections of the <a href="http://www.lulu.com/shop/thomas-denmark-and-al-krombach/warriors-of-the-red-planet/paperback/product-21694686.html" target="_blank">Warriors of the Red Planet</a> is the "Playing the Game" section, starting on page 39. This is where we can delve into the heart of Sword & Planet gaming - the world you're gaming in. Rules for characters and combat are all well and good, but what often makes a campaign unique is its environment. A good table top RPG takes place predominantly in what we like to call the "Theater of the Mind", and years later, when you're bragging about the exploits of your 9th level Mentalist, its the images your GM evokes during play that make the adventures memorable.<br />
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<b>A Weird & Wild Ride</b><br />
Warriors of the Red Planet divides its attention into 3 primary locales: the Wilderness, the Underworld, and Urban Settings. In most Sword & Planet settings, the vast, untamed wilderness serves sort of the same purpose the Oceans serve in more traditional, Medieval Europe type games - its a vast emptiness, best traversed in ships (the aerial sort, in our case), with wild ports of call to stop in at, strange islands of vegetation and isolated enclaves, and beneath it all a dark Underworld of mystery and deadly hazards.<br />
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Warriors of the Red Planet encourages GMs to let the players stop and smell the roses at bit - not every interesting aspect of an adventure happens at the end of a sword. Make a big deal out the of the landmarks and oddities of the alien environment. Over there are towering spears of Violet crystal, their razor-sharp tips poking nearly a mile into the sky. Over here is the domed edifice of a lost civilization, its ancient machinery still sending throbs through the bedrock of the desolate wastelands.<br />
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<b>When the Well is Dry</b><br />
While plenty of inspiration for your Red Planet is to be found in the books of authors like Burroughs, Kline, and Moorcock, the true joy of Sword & Planet gaming is coming up with a world of your own. And for those times when the creative juice just aren't flowing the way you'd like them to, WotRP is packed with page after page of random tables to get your creative fires lit. From random encounter tables featuring more than 100 new monsters, to tables allowing you to generate names, ruins, adventure hooks, monuments, artifacts of Weird Science, flora, relics, settlements, vehicles, buildings, and the straight-up "unexplainable".<br />
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<b>My Red Planet</b><br />
For my own corner of the Red Planet, I came up with the Cerulean Rift - a mile-deep, two-hundred mile long rift in the surface of the planet. Getting there takes some doing - either hire or buy some expensive airship transportation, or risk the long and costly overland journey. The Rift itself is a microcosm of what the Red Planet used to be before its rise and fall - humid jungles, seeping swamps, and deadly cave complexes. It has its share of lost cities, wondrous ruins, and hidden treasures, and even its own fragile political structure. Built into the cliffs at one point, overlooking the rift floor, is a noble city - Thorium, capital of Nar Harak, the Red Warlord. From Thorium, adventurers can indulge in political intrigue, mount expeditions into the untamed wilderness of the rift floor, or venture into the unmapped mazes of the Underworld.Alhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01682401446176099294noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3094937232522894470.post-24785299080578042552015-03-24T14:22:00.002-07:002015-03-24T14:26:40.586-07:00Warriors of the Red Planet - Have you slain a Banth today?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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In case you don't already know, <a href="http://www.lulu.com/shop/thomas-denmark-and-al-krombach/warriors-of-the-red-planet/paperback/product-21694686.html" target="_blank">Warriors of the Red Planet is available over at Lulu</a> now to fill your craving for Sword & Planet adventure with old-school D&D-inspired rules!<br />
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Special thanks to my paintbrush-wielding partner <a href="http://originaleditionfantasy.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Thomas Denmark</a> for getting this up and out there while I was otherwise occupied with RL business.<br />
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As always, check back here and over on the "official" <a href="http://warriorsoftheredplanet.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">WotRP site</a> for additional material, art, and news.<br />
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And, please, let us know what you think about the game - there are some plans yet to be revealed for this labor of love, and It'd be great to have the gaming community's input!<br />
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PS, there's a nice little review <a href="http://alanbahr.net/2014/11/18/rpg-review-warriors-of-the-red-planet/" target="_blank">here</a>.Alhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01682401446176099294noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3094937232522894470.post-79361539537258268742015-03-20T10:53:00.000-07:002015-03-20T10:53:16.700-07:00New 5E Sorcerous Origin - The Tainted Soul<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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While I like most of the class options in the 5E PHB, I felt like the available flavors of Sorcerer were a bit unappealing, especially from an old-schooler's perspective. With that in mind, I came up with the Tainted Soul, a Sorcerer option designed to evoke the type of Sorcerer one might come across in a Conan story, or perhaps a Frazetta painting.<br />
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<u><b>Tainted Soul</b></u><br />
Something unnatural happened to you - maybe your mother was exposed to foul sorcery while you were still in the womb, maybe as a youth you snuck a peek at a forbidden tome and were forever changed, or maybe you were cursed for some great sin you committed. In any event, your soul is now tainted with the stain of dark magic; whether you use this power for good or evil is up to you.<br />
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<b>Twisted Visage</b><br />
You are physically marked by your magic - perhaps with something ugly, like a cloven hoof or night-black horns, perhaps something beguiling<b> </b>like softly glowing eyes or unearthly beauty. While this sets you apart from most mortals, it does have its advantages - apply double your Proficiency bonus to your choice of Intimidation or Persuasion.<br />
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<b>Ritual Caster</b><br />
Unlike most Sorcerers, you are not shy of dusty tomes or ritual magic. You have the ability to use Ritual magic from the Sorcerer or Wizard spell lists, and start with a ritual book containing two such spells.<br />
<b> </b><br />
<b>Hypnotic Presence</b><br />
Starting at 6th level, you can exert your superior presence to bend the will of lesser mortals. Once per short rest, one creature within 60 feet of you that can see you must succeed on a Charisma saving throw or suffer the effects of the <i>charm person</i> spell. At 10th level and above, your control is even greater, and your target must save or suffer the effects of a <i>dominate person </i>spell.<b> </b><br />
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<b>Unnatural Vigor</b><br />
Starting at 14th level, your body has become so thoroughly tainted by sorcery that it is nearly impossible to kill you. Once per long rest, when you are reduced to 0 hit points, you may use your reaction to immediately regain half of your maximum hit points, rounded up.<br />
<b> </b><br />
<b>Demonic Servant</b><br />
Starting a 18th level, you may call up a being from the netherworld to act as your servant, protector, and familiar. This servant takes the form of a demon, devil, fey, or undead of your choice of not greater than CR9. If this servant is destroyed, you must wait one week before summoning another.<b> </b>Alhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01682401446176099294noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3094937232522894470.post-37853514257757340892015-03-16T13:08:00.001-07:002015-03-16T13:08:30.041-07:00Random Table: 100 Market Stalls<br />
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Winding bazaars and markets filled with colorful stalls stocked with exotic goods are a fantasy staple. But what are today's stalls offering? Roll (d100) on the table below to find out:<br />
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<b>100 Market Stalls (d100)</b><br />
01.<b> </b>Exotic parrots with rainbow plumage<br />
02. Charms against possession and enchantment<br />
03. Narwhal-horn scrimshaw<br />
04. Purple Worm-tooth daggers<br />
05. Fine parchment, inks, & quills<br />
06. Obnoxiously loud ornamental dogs<br />
07. Old Greba's Spell Component & Herb Emporium<br />
08. Dragonfruit (a popular aphrodesiac)<br />
09. Troot's "Knock-Knee" Brandy<br />
10. Fine scarves and shawls<br />
11. Holter's Roots, Tubers, and Grubs<br />
12. Oak-handled umbrellas and sunshades<br />
13. Lens Grinder - Bronze-rimmed reading glasses<br />
14. Hot spiced meat pies<br />
15. Pet lemurs and a variety of ornamental leashes<br />
16. Firewood and charcoal<br />
17. Handmade silver-wire hairnets & necklaces<br />
18. Fried onions & mushrooms<br />
19. Candied confections<br />
20. Risque night attire<br />
21. Rare books, scrolls, & tomes<br />
22. Handcarved blackwood statuettes<br />
23. Caricature artist<br />
24. Ceramic pottery<br />
25. Love potions (1 in 20 actually works!)<br />
26. Fresh vegetables of gigantic size<br />
27. Fine leather belts, straps, gloves, & boots<br />
28. Iron cookware<br />
29. Fine sheathes for blades of all sizes<br />
30. Grilled insects on sticks<br />
31. Rolula the Fortune Teller & Card Reader<br />
32. Gungi's Ale Stall - Halfpints, pints, & litres available<br />
33. Gnarlwood flutes & whistles<br />
34. Fresh fruits from the fabled shouthern jungles<br />
35. Scribing & Messenger service<br />
36. Dulok the moneychanger and his intimidating bodyguards<br />
37. Fine portraits & landscapes<br />
38. Rare maps of locales near & far<br />
39. Smoked giant hornfish<br />
40. Fine shoes & slippers for courtiers<br />
41. Well-crafted and colorful glassware<br />
42. Freshly skinned rabbits<br />
43. Finely woven baskets and hats<br />
44. Pumpkins, Gourds, and Squash<br />
45. Berries, Grapes, and Cherries<br />
46. Saddles, tack, harness, and saddlebags<br />
47. Priest pontificating about the End Days to any who'll listen<br />
48. Nine different varieties of Bay Leaf<br />
49. Fiery spices from across the great ocean<br />
50. Needles & Pins, 99 different colors of thread<br />
51. Leather jackets<br />
52. Leather boots & shoes<br />
53. Hot peppers & sauces<br />
54. Fresh flowers, available in arrangements<br />
55. Piping hot spiced cider<br />
56. Potatoes, available in 10 or 25 lb sacks<br />
57. Nice porcelain chamber pots & ewers<br />
58. Caged geese, plump & raucous<br />
59. Pintillican's Gauranteed Fever-Cures<br />
60. Strings, cat-gut or wire for stringed instruments<br />
61. Drums & drumheads<br />
62. Fine attire for dwarfs, halflings & other folk of small stature<br />
63. Chalk & slates of all sizes<br />
64. Multi-colored rugs<br />
65. Backpacks, pouches, & sacks<br />
66. Candied chestnuts<br />
67. Fine wines by the bottle or cask<br />
68. Underclothes of Distinction<br />
69. Masonry Tools<br />
70. Ingots of various rare metals<br />
71. Finely crafted hourglasses<br />
72. Bolts of silk from the unapproachable East<br />
73. Hats of all shapes & sizes<br />
74. Rotten eggs & vegetables for sale to throw at undesirables<br />
75. Poetry by commission<br />
76. Puppets & Marionettes<br />
77. A pair of surly looking goblins offering to darn socks<br />
78. Bird feathers & plumage of all sizes & colors<br />
79. A sergeant of the Black Iron Mercenary Company soliciting recruits<br />
80. Bells, bells, and more bells. And a group of children who won't leave them alone.<br />
81. Ornate birdcages<br />
82. Massage for a gold piece<br />
83. Fine cloaks & capes<br />
84. Delicious smelling freshly baked bread<br />
85. Dried meats & fruits<br />
86. Tinterboxes & Torches<br />
87. Beritte the Curse-Tamer<br />
88. Ceramic mugs & goblets<br />
89. Weird & Wonderful porcelain masks<br />
90. Golben the Ogler<br />
91. Sugar cane and molasses<br />
92. Rare Tea of Altered Consciousness<br />
93. A mud-caked orphan girl trying to sell from a litter of kittens<br />
94. Bags of barley, wheat, and rye<br />
95. Wooden contraptions of uncertain purpose<br />
96. Hommaquill Whitebeard, Seer of Heroes<br />
97. Hot apple & gooseberry pies<br />
98. Fine rapiers with intricate basket-hilts<br />
99. Model ships and gliders<br />
00. A dubious-looking trader trying to sell (for an extravagant sum) what he claims to be a pseudodragon eggAlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01682401446176099294noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3094937232522894470.post-65804415591430256622014-11-23T10:12:00.002-08:002014-11-23T10:14:28.908-08:00BtBG Reader: The Way of Kings<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Summer's always a big reading time for me, easily a dozen books or so in 3 months, and this year had a clear standout: Brandon Sanderson's <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Way-Kings-Stormlight-Archive-Book-ebook/dp/B003P2WO5E/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=&qid=" target="_blank"><b>The Way of Kings</b></a>.<br />
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I was a little leery of picking up this book. On one hand, I thought he had brought a little needed energy to the end of Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time saga, but on the other hand, I had picked up his Mistborn book and found it too plebian and derivative to read. It was hard to ignore all the glowing reviews though, and I eventually gave in and got it (I think it was on sale for like 2$ on Kindle at the time as well, so I wasn't risking much).<br />
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I was pleasantly surprised to find the Way of Kings was anything but the cookie-cutter fantasy I feared it would be. The world-building is fantastic - a war-torn world ravaged by unnatural storms that have the side-effect of charging the magical gems that help people survive, a complex ecology of flora and fauna that evolved in such a horrible environment, and a many-layered and appetizingly mysterious history. The characters all manage to be interesting without heavy-handed plot devices.<br />
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The books itself is nice, with something you almost never see any more - interior art! It makes me want to purchase the dead-tree version just for that. The interior art, other than maps, is usually a character's sketches and descriptions of the interesting locations, critters, and plant life of the world of storms, which further brings the setting to life. The cover art is by one of my favorites, <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=michael+whelan&biw=1366&bih=662&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=4SNyVMylCuv1iQKN_oBo&sqi=2&ved=0CAYQ_AUoAQ" target="_blank">Michael Whelan</a>, who Sanderson apparently did some heavy lobbying to get.<br />
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Despite being over a thousand pages (I typically prefer my books in the 300-page range), I plowed through it in less than a week, and bought the sequel, Words of Radiance, before I was even finished, just to have in my library waiting. I can't recommend these enough, if you like your fantasy on the weirder side (Vance, Burroughs, etc), and less derivative of Tolkien (no elves, orcs, etc here!), do yourself a favor and pick this up.Alhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01682401446176099294noreply@blogger.com5