Monday, March 19, 2018

Small Details: 10 Strange Bottles


This is the first time I've posted using my phone. Hoping it works. Here are 10 strange bottles that might be found while adventuring.

1. A simple a clay bottle that has unseen cracks around the outside. When liquid is poured into it within a day all the contents will have leaked out.

2. Thick glass tinted blue makes up this fat bottomed bottle. The cork is attached by a wire. There is a trace of liquid at the bottom. A left over potion of flying. It'll cause the imbiber to shoot up in the air 10' then fall. GM should determine if damage should be rewarded.

3. A broken bottle lays on the ground. If a magic-user puts his hand near it the bottle will reform. It looks to have been carved from a single piece of crystal. If the mage becomes separated from the bottle, it'll shatter at nightfall.

4. A bottle hovers in mid air. It looks to be made of crude glass with something inside. The bottle isn't magic but it is a trap. The bottle sits on a wood pole with dozens of spikes and rusted blades waiting to render flesh. This pole was turned invisible. Anyone who tries to grab the bottle will be impaled. At that time, the pole appears. The bottle has rain water inside.

5. A wine bottle looks intact. It sits in a small basket. The seal is broken but the cork is in place. The seal is of a local winery. It is half full. Oh, and it's laced with centipede poison.

6. A two tiered bottle. It is tinted green glass. There is a light colored liquid in the top and a dark liquid in the bottom. In the middle is a button. If the button is pushed, the liquids mix and a bright light shines in all directions. It remains cool to the touch. This lasts for one hour then goes dark. The bottle is valuable on it's own.

7. The bottle appears to sweat blood. Red droplets form on the surface, trickle down the sides and pool around the bottom.

8. A crude clay bottle with a moon seal on the front is nestled into a crevice. This bottle comes from the fey. If the gift is excepted, the PC gets a visit from the fey while he sleeps demanding a favor.

9. A bone bottle, yellowed with age. It has an inscription running in a single line at the base.

10. Rare red glass bottle. It's stopper is a cut ruby. An alchemy tool used to create enhanced potions.

Hope you find use for these bottles.

Tuesday, March 13, 2018

Adventures! Micro and Not So Micro


The other day I decided to do a video. Why not? I got a cool video editing program, but no video to edit. So I made one. And thanks to +Shane Ward I've got some kick ass music.

I'd tell you more, but that's why I made the video.


Friday, March 2, 2018

ML#22 Simon's Wheel



I'm going to pitch something that might be a frightening prospect. Something that might go against your grain as a GM. I'm talking about a place where good things happen.

What!?!?

I know. Right?

Game worlds are built around the bad places. The bad people. The bad things that happened. I get it. Makes for a better game. If everything were cupcakes and cotton candy, who would give two chucks to muck?

Here's my proposal. How about a good place mixed in. A little balancing. A good place that does good things for good people who are doing good. I'll even throw in my reoccurring woman who makes food for folks, gratis. Wonder where I came up with that one.

There are a couple of reasons to include a location like this. First, it's a pallet cleanser. A lot of game worlds are filled with darkness and evil, they need rests, or pauses, within the fighting and misery. A place to tell stories, to reflect, to sturdy oneself for the next leg of the journey. The contrast makes the darkness darker and provides a cost and loss to consider. It makes the fight real.

Well, as real as it gets when rolling dice.

My inspiration for the location is a blatant rip off from an episode of Robin of Sherwood. I make no apologies. I love that show and I steal from it all the damn time.

I hope you can find a place for it in your game. Have fun with it.

Oh, you probably wanted to know what the second reason was for a such a place...you will total mess with the players' minds! Think of it, the GM provides a place to correct wrongs without negative consequences. They'll stay up all night waiting for something bad to happen and provide you mounds of horrible ideas that could happen you hadn't thought of.

Yeah, you're welcome. You can grab a PDF copy of Simon's Wheel at my Patreon page.