Villains, S&W Style

We all need villains or at least someone to go up against the players.  This is a low level group of well organized highwaymen.  They are not outright evil and they do have some morals about who they steal from and those they hurt.  I often like providing rivals shades of gray to make them more rounded and interesting.  Having a notorious group of robbers who will not harm women and children provides a quality maybe not expected.  The stats provided and equipment are straight out of the Swords & Wizardry rulebook. 

Borsko Brothers

These five brothers are the sons of Kord the Brigand, one of the most infamous outlaws in the kingdom recently captured and executed without trial.  The local nobility did not want to give sympathizers a chance to free the charismatic criminal.  The five brothers Malcolm, Shifter, Willem, Ash and Nickolas have taken up their father's mantle.  The brothers are solemn, strong and intelligent.  They are serious about their business and plan their heists in great detail.  They have escape plans prepared if something goes wrong and plans should one or more get captured.  Because of their cautiousness and extensive planning, their plans usually succeed.  The brothers have killed, but will avoid it if possible.  They will not attack women or children unless attacked themselves.  They conduct themselves professionally trying to put their victims at easy.  Or in the case of an armored patrol, they will attack quick and hard to demoralize the guards.

Malcolm

2nd level Fighter

S: 13, I: 14, W: 9, D: 9, C: 10, Ch: 10

HP: 10, AC: 4 (15), Dam: 1d6+2, SV: 13

Equipment: +1 chainmail, +1 spear

Malcolm, the oldest, has developed a small, but effective group of informants.  He gets the latest information on caravans departing or arriving.  He also has a handful of city guards on his payroll.  Malcolm pays them well to keep them faithful.  He lives by his father's credo no being greedy that is better to sip from the people pockets so they never go empty instead of taking it all at once and pay your men first.  When jobs are discussed among the brothers and if there is an argument Malcolm is deciding vote.

Shifter

4th level Thief

S: 13, I: 12, W: 10, D: 14, C: 8, Ch: 6

HP: 10, AC: 3 (16), Dam: 1d4+3, SV: 12

Equipment: +2 leather armor, +1 ring of protection, +2 dagger, Boots of Elvenkind

Shifter is the most experienced of the group having been in the thieves' guild for a few years before going independent with his brothers.  Although the guild was not pleased he had kept them content by feeding some of the information on possible jobs the brothers do not have the resources to do.  Shifter has a few enemies within the guild, namely a man called Red Wind, his former partner who resents Shifter's leaving.  Shifter is excellent at entering and leaving a place without being noticed.  Shifter is not well liked because of his abrasive personality, picking out every small negative detail or creating one when none are available.  Even his brothers threaten his with violence after so long.

Willem

3rd level Fighter

S: 13, I: 12, W: 9, D: 8, C: 13, Ch: 8

HP: 21, AC: 4 (15) or 2 (17) w/shield, Dam: 1d8+2 w/sword or 1d6 w/bow, SV: 12

Equipment: +2 Chainmail, +1 Shield, +1 Longsword, Bow, 20 Arrows

The quietest brother.  Like the others, he is intelligent, but will only speak if there is a flaw in a plan.  Willem is the brother they send if killing needs done.  He approaches every job with a cold detachment that sometimes bothers the other brothers.  He doesn't care for the money or luxuries they earn, only to keep his sword sharp and his armor in top condition. 

Ash

2nd level Thief

S: 13, I: 11, W: 10, D: 15, C: 12, Ch: 13

HP: 6, AC: 5 (14), Dam: 1d6, SV: 14

Equipment: +1 Leather Armor, Short Sword

Ash is the brother with the most personality and is often the one who scouts a place.  He is very likable, often buys people drinks.  His weakness is the women.  He can distracted by a wink or a sway of a woman's hips.  Malcolm has taken him to task about this a few times and even have set him up to show him the dangers of his obsession.  Ash is serious because his brothers are always serious, but likes to have a good laugh when they are not around. 

Nickolas

3rd level Fighter

S: 16, I: 7, W: 9, D: 11, C: 14, Ch: 11

HP: 21, AC: 0 (19) w/axe or 3 (16), Dam: 1d8+4, SV: 12

Equipment: +2 Chainmail, +3 Battle Axe*

*This is the Battle Axe of the Betrayer, the +3 bonus is for to hit, damage and to armor class.  It is a cursed item and it slowly works on the wielder's mind making him paranoid especially those closest to him.  So far Nickolas has been able to resist the axe's powers, but he is beginning to believe Malcolm is plotting to kill him.

Nickolas is the brute of the brothers.  The youngest and largest.  He does not look like the others and becomes angry when someone mentions this.  He was trained to use the axe by his father's best friend and fought one season with the mercenary company, The Blood Wolves.  He still has many friends in the Blood Wolves and will hire them when a job needs extra muscle.  He is unaware of what the axe is doing to him.

GURPS, 4th Edition, and Playtesting for Goodman Games

Friday and Saturday I traveled to Erie to take part in the convention, or more accurately, days of gaming.  Rob and I went up together on Friday to play a game of GURPS.  In the description it said it was an introduction to GURPS to players who hadn't tried the system.  Since it was the only game running that night and a rare opportunity that Rob and I get to play together (instead of one of us being a GM) we went.  We weren't about to let our 20 years of playing GURPS get in the way.

 

We were the only ones to show for the games.  The GM was Jim I guy I'd met during the other days of gaming in Erie.  We fessed up at the beginning that we weren't newbs and told him we'd been playing since the 2nd edition of GURPS.  His response was "I hope this doesn't suck then."  "Not to worry," I said.  "We're here to roll dice and have fun.  And I hope Rob does something embarrassing so I can blog about it."  He didn't.  Jim brought us in each two GURPS books to have!  The remarkable part is I didn't have either of them, I got Rogues and the other was Monsters.  So thank you Jim.

The game itself was a simple play by number adventure that had been in the books as an example for years.  Rob and entered a house started stealing things.  That is until we ran into Max the sleeping guard with the large scimitar.  We ended up killing him which cost us reward points in the end.  It was a short night, but I got some other goodies also.  I found random hit location dice, trap dice and random dungeon dice. 

Saturday I rushed to Erie to get to the Swords & Wizardry game at 9am.  I skipped breakfast because I was running late.  I got there and the GM never showed.  Determined not to let that spoil my day I hooked up with a 4th edition game at the next table.  I played a swordmage, I think.  It was fun just to play.  I'm still not a fan of the 4th edition, but the GM did a great job and the other two guys in the party were good.  I planned on playing a Savage World, Hellfrost game, but the 4th edition ran over an hour and the Hellfrost filled up. 

Once that game was done I was starved so I thought I'd go find something to eat.  Then I saw Rob setting up for one of his games.  He told me to join because they were going to play the Goodman game retro game now instead of at 7pm.  I wanted to play that so I starved more.  We had a full table for this one.  Al from Beyond the Black Gate joined us.  I won't go into too many details about the game because I am sure Rob will give full details of it.  My impression of the game...it was a mixed bag for me.  There were some things I liked and some I didn't care for.  Since I am not sure how many details I can give I won't say too much, but we had a great time.  Started out with 10 guys and ran out with 3.

The good thing about running the game early is I got to go home at 7pm instead of 12am.  So I could finally eat.  I hope your weekends went well and the gaming was as good as mine. 

Top Monsters

What monsters do you favor when developing an adventure?  Maybe there is a monster that you like the idea of, but never come up against or used as much as you have liked.  I know there is a list for me that is a mixture of both, ones I like and ones I like the idea.

Cyclops - One of my favorite creatures since I was kid watching Ray Harryhausen do his magic.  I always thought the cyclops was an underutilized monster.  Recently, in the Kingmaker Adventure Path by Pazio the boss for the 3rd in the path, The Varnhold Vanishing had a cyclopean lich.  Yeah, it is cool.

Doppelgangers - Another underutilized mid level ranged creature that I think can add a ton to an adventure and the overall campaign.  My god the havoc they can spread.  Taking the form of this or that person.  They are walking virus of paranoia.

Devourer - This one would be more in the line of a monster I like the idea of, but I have never put it in an adventure and never came across one.  But the concept of this undead definitely has it making the list.

Owlbear - This one is the first monster I remember from playing in the very early days.  I dunno there is something about the simplicity of the odd mixture of the two creatures that I like.  Plus it was my first.  You never forget your first, unless you drink too much.

And Goblins - The simplicity and flexibility of goblins makes them a favorite over the orcs.  They can be fierce little obstacles that can throw hundreds of bodies at a problem or in my world there are large groups who adapt to living next to other races and the ultimate scavengers of culture.  They make good companions and comic relief. 

What are you top five monsters?  Hell, I might try to figure out that poll thing-a-ma-bob and add it on the side for people to vote.  But what monsters do you like the fight or put in your adventures?

Thank You Vets

Having a Master Sargeant in the Marines in our gaming group and a friend for more years than I can count I would be a bad, bad person and friend not to thank him and all the other vets out there.  I know there are more than a few gamers out there who serve or who did serve so thanks to all of you out there.  The work that has been done, the work that is ongoing and the work that needs to be done in the future is appreciated.  Again, thank you.

Not Your Standard Adventure Introduction

The following is an introduction to a module I wrote when I was a fairly aggressive mood.  It was a lot of fun.  I thought how good it would be to read this at the beginning of an adventure instead of all the standard yapping.  

MIDNIGHT TOWER OF THE MIND ZOMBIES!

Disclaimer

This adventure is not for sensitive people.  This adventure is not for politically correct people.  This adventure is not for polite people.  I’ve done my best to offend everyone equally.  Enjoy.

A Welcome

If your players are looking for a smash and slash, blood soaked walls, big monsters with big treasure and a body count so high that you need a 16 intelligence to calculate it, then you’ve come to the right place.  Welcome to the adventure, Midnight Tower of the Mind Zombies!  I love that title and not ashamed to admit it.

Background

I’m not going to bother with a background.  Blah, blah, blah.  To hell with the background.  It doesn’t need a background.   No reason is needed.  It’s there because it’s there.  If you need a reason then play Harn or 4^th Edition D&D.  No whiners, wussies or LARPers allowed.  This adventure is not for those who need to know, but those who need to do.  Get ready to kick in doors, kill hundreds of critters and if you can survive, walk away with more treasure than your greedy little arms can carry.

DM Rules

1st Rule

No hiding your dice rolls behind a stupid screen.  If you roll three natural 20s in a row and decapitate the cleric so be it.  The player has dice he can roll up another one.  Don’t you dare fudge your rolls.  GMs need to be ruthless.  Don’t waste your time reading all those sensitive blogs about how a GM should give the players a chance and that you are the storyteller.  It’s you against them.  A GM should take advantage of every ruling, situation and use magic items and spells to their full potential.   A character graveyard has been included.  It’s your job to fill it.

2nd Rule

There is no sleeping in the Midnight Tower of the Mind Zombies!  There is no recovering spells as they peacefully slumber.  GMs don’t check for wandering monsters, there WILL be wandering monsters.  Every time a bedroll hits the floor a GM should be calculating how many ghouls come screaming down the corridor ramming the door.  No sleep.  Even if the players come up with some genius way to keep everything out there is still a matter of Methuselah at the bottom of the dungeon handing out nightmares like apples with razor blades on Halloween. 

3rd Rule

Third rule is that every wall, floor and ceiling is fair game.  The players can chop, dig, burn, and disintegrate their way through the tower.  Everything in the adventure is meant to be destroyed.  As can the creatures within the dungeon.  Doors and stairs are merely suggestions.  If the players want to dig a hole in the floor to drop into the next level, let them.  Be sure to surprise them with a few walls collapsing beside them as a hundred liches pour out of the hole.

4th Rule

Have a lot of miniatures.  Get every damn miniature you have.  Don’t get uptight about the paint.  This is battle, paint gets chipped and those stupidly thin crossbows, spears and swords are going to break off.  Let it go.  God made glue from dead horses so you can repair them later.  As I told you in the beginning this adventure is not for the weak willed, this means GMs too.  If I someone complains about a paint chip on a miniature throw them out of the game immediately.  If you as the GM utter a single word you will not be permitted to run The Midnight Tower of the Mind Zombies ever again.

5th Rule

Traps are save vs. dead.  Don’t coddle the players.  It's disgusting.  The character graveyard is there for a reason.  Characters need to die, they know this.  Give them what they want.  Let them see 50d6s roll across the table as a 10 ton block falls fifty feet onto a character.  It is a sight they won’t soon forget.  Dice requirements are listed later.

6th Rule

When a player does something incredibly stupid or fails at a critical moment the GM will award the player a Ribbon of Suck.  If a character earns a third Ribbon of Suck he dies of humiliation and cannot be resurrected.  His soul is forever destroyed by the gods as being a mistake that should have never been created. 

Don’t look for ecological, physiological or theosophical reasons why the creatures are where they are and what they are doing.  The creatures exist to kill the characters.   

  

There are skill challenges included in the descriptions.  If you have a problem with skills, get over it.  If you don’t think a thief is a class, but being an elf or dwarf is, then go back to your crayons.  Its big boy time.  Go eat at the little table while the adults play a serious game.  

Most adventures will tell the GM to alter anything to fit their setting.  Screw that.  Run it as written.  Don’t cut down the number of monsters, don’t reduce the damage done from a trap and don’t let them sleep.  Don’t touch a damn thing.  Leave it be.  Run it.  Count the bodies.  Laugh with mad joy as the character sheets pile up in the graveyard.  A GM should take great pleasure in killing the players.  A loud laugh lets them know their pathetic death was not in vain.  Rejoice the deaths and don’t touch one fricking word.

Now go get every die and miniature you have.  Borrow more.  Buy more.  Pile the dice in front of you.  Intimidate them with the sheer volume and when they ask just smile.  They’ll find out soon enough.  When they see the character graveyard let them read the names of the fallen on the tombstone.  Feed on their fear.  You will be gorged before the first encounter is over.

Failure is Fun

Christian wrote a great blog a little while ago about The Value of Failure. I always say that it starts with your group. Who you play with and why. You know who in your group will throw a tantrum if the dragon eats their horse or fails a save vs. a fireball and becomes a smoldering pile of ash. It happens and its a game. But we know who can take and who can't. I'm not going to cover convention gaming groups because that is usually a one shot deal and if someone is being a dick you can tell them to sit down shut their yap because you'll probably never see them again.

Our group has through the years seen its share of people who just could not handle failure. It becomes a personal issue and is no longer a game. Oh, the drama. Hopefully you have one person in the group that can smooth out these times. I tend to be that person in our group. Because they are my friends I can tell them to stop being a wank, you had a bad roll your character is dead roll up a better one next time. Hell, I'm on my third.

To me failure is the best part of the game. Recently during a game, my character being an ultra stealthy elf type rolled a '1' during a recon mission. So not only did I slip down the hillside causing a minor avalanche , I landed in the middle of the gigantic orc encampment I was supposed to be 'quietly' observing. Alone. I laughed my ass off as well as the other players. Did I survive? Well kinda sorta, but it doesn't matter because I had fun. The failure made something predictable into something I wasn't expecting. The GM also knows I'll go with anything. Failure is okay with me. If my character gets killed I'm okay with it. Its the dangers of being an adventurer.

Those who take it as a personal insult probably shouldn't be playing the game or playing a different game. You can't be heroic without having to climb out of some pool of crap and surmounting horrible odds. Failures make your characters better...if they survive. If they don't survive hopefully you have a great story about the death. If not, lie. All my character have died heroic deaths in fictional sorta way.

Take a look at the group dynamics and see where your problem areas lie with the players and even the GM. Especially the GM. Cause if he ain't happy he's gonna make sure everyone else ain't either. Players who have problems with failure need to be taught (and I do me taught) that its fine, its fun and its a game to be enjoyed. It takes time, and if you he a friend or relative then its time wells spent. Be patient and lead by example.

Is this where I say, "Thank you, Captain Obvious"?

PS. Added note. Since I am getting Black Ops after work today I am prepared to fail thousands of times and be 'owned'. I do suffer from Turrets Syndrome when I play CoD, but it's all good in the end. :)

100 Followers and Oh God, Not Another Magic System

I finally crawled my way to 100 Brilliant People. I didn't realize they were so scarce. Thanks to Chris Kutalik for being the 100th.

Yes, I am working on a magic system. Don't throw things or groan or roll your eyes at me. Just pipe down and listen up. My two favorite systems are AD&D and GURPS. Two beasts with very little in common. Here are a few quick shots I like about both.

- I like the base level and experience that AD&D has compared to GURPS where it is a point based system that often result in very powerful characters in a short amount of time.

- GURPS has options out the wazoo. I like options, but I don't like getting my wazoo involved. The magic system can be manipulated in various ways that can make each culture have their own twist. AD&D, with the Vancian system is too cartoony for me. All of a sudden at 5th level you can learn a 3rd level fireball and blow up the world. It was fun when I was 14, but not as much now.

- I like the spell point system GURPS uses. You can be a starting character and cast potent spells from the get go, but it takes time to recover. AD&D the Vancian system you cast it and forget it. Never made sense to me. I like the idea a character can cast decent level spells from the beginning.

What my system for the game I plan to eventually run is a point based Vacian system. Ha, you thought I wasn't going to use the Vancian way since I talked smack about it. Let me rewind and go back to the beginning of character creation.

Oh and before I even start this section, players start at 0-level. Why not? A magic-use starts with a number of Spell Points (SP) equal to his intelligence. Intelligence also provides the base number of spells a magic-user can learn. These spells are memorized and can be used as long as the magic-user has available spell points. So say the mage has magic missile, hold portal and sleep in his arsenal he doesn't have to choose ahead of time which he uses he can use any of them because he knows the spell it's a matter of does he have enough spell points to cast it.

The base cost of spells is 10 spell point/level of the spell and 1 point for 0-level spells. When I say level of the spells it is for figuring point cost. If a 1st level magic-user learned a 6th level spell and managed to get the required spell points to cast it he may do so. In addition, certain properties of spells may be boosted by plowing more spell points into the casting. A magic-user may need to increase a spells range or make his light spell a bit more powerful. So this gives spells a flexibility that is not normally there.

Back to character creations and advancement. Magic-users gain a d10 in spell points at 1st level. This is done on odd level advancements. On even level advancements the magic-users may roll to learn a new spell or gain another d6 in spell points. It takes a number of weeks to learn the spell equal to the level of the spell. But there is always a chance the spell won't take. The chance of learning a spell is based on the player's intelligence. Spell points are gained automatically.

Available in the world are forms of raw and stored mana. There are raw forms of magic called viz. These form naturally in various magical places. A pond will form small pebbles of mana. Each of these pebbles may be used as 1spell point toward the casting of a spell. And of course larges stones may be worth more spell points. Once the viz is used it is gone. This idea I blatantly ripped off from Ars Magica.

Also there are power stones, and idea I blatantly ripped off from GURPS. I'm not proud. Anyway there are magic imbued stones, usually gems of some sort that absorb the magic out of the land. It does this passively and no effort is needed by the player. What it can do, depending on the size, is store a number of spell points to be used in casting. The charge time for these is slow usually one spell point/day, but they are reusable and helpful in a pinch.

So there is actually quick look at Oh god, not another magic system.

Sleestak (Vote for Chaka's Fate)

Yesterday a sleestak followed me home. I decided to call him Sam. Say hi Sam.

"Hi'sssss"
Like a good sleestak he keeps the house clear of Pakuni. Sam caught this one within two hours of being in his new home.

Sam doesn't like Pakuni and neither do I. He would like to sacrifice this one to his dark god. Since it is election day Sam has decided to allow all of you to decide the filthy Pakuni's fate.

Vote now. Yeah to sacrifice to the sleestak god or nah to free the Pakuni.

0-Level Spells

I've update a list of 0-level spells for download at Media Fire. I'll post a link on the side of the blog along with the Starter Adventures which is over 450 downloads. Very cool.

Cantrips Love'em or Leave'em?

I'm curious to see what others think about the no level spells or Cantrips, or sometimes called Apprentice level spells. I was working on my spell list/magic system and liked the addition of them...for now. I've never used them before and think they will add a nice dimension to the game.

My introduction to cantrips was Unearthed Arcana. For a short time our group used the hell out of them, but they were quickly forgotten. One of the things I am doing is getting rid of the redundancy where the spell creates some simple noise. I put them all under one spell, Create Sound which allows the player to create a tapping, creaking, moaning, or whistling sound. No words. I took out all the cantrips that made others do something, such as belch, giggle and sneeze as some examples. For a low level spell I don't think it is appropriate that it can control another person's action.

I did want to keep the spells useful though. Most are simple convenience of life spells, but some can really make a difference. Such as Find Water spell in the desert would come in real handy. Also Alarm will help with keeping the campsite safe on those long trips. There is also a couple of low level attack spells. Fire Finger does 1d3 damage so a magic-user won't have to waste a precious spell slot to get rid of a giant rat.

I've included a download link to the list I have right now. There are a few more cantrips I want to add, but still compiling the information. My system includes the usage of spell points (SPs) and the ability to increase a spell's potency by increasing the number of SPs.

I am curious how others have used cantrips in the past and if it worked out. Any suggestions would be helpful and if you like what I have so far that is helpful to know also.

It's Monday and I am on vacation. Don't hate me. Muhahahaha.

Forgot to add the link. 0 level Spell List

Vancian Halloween Presents

My wife and I exchange weird and cool gifts on Halloween every year. It's a lot of fun and sometimes they are better presents than gotten on Christmas. Finally, after going into my 5th decade of gaming I am going to read Jack Vance's, The Dying Earth. I've heard about it for so long I finally figured I might as well take the time to read it. So my gift this year was Tales of the Dying Earth. Includes all four books. So I am looking forward to taking the week off and indulging in a book that helped shape our obsessive hobby. Have a great Halloween and I hope you get something fun for yourself.

Those of you who already know The Happy Whisk, my wife, is dressed up for Halloween this year. Although when she spins too much in the living room she runs into things.

Killer Pumpkins

Have a great Friday before Halloween.

Driving NPCs Insane

I realized in last night's game session I've been running a very nasty elf. He is one sadistic s.o.b. I had justified some of his behaviors because of one slight or another, but last night my retribution (for a 150sp) had driven an NPC insane. The Warden, leader of a band of thugs known as the Madmen, flipped his lid. He obsessed about killing me drawing horrible little pictures on the wall and allowed himself to be possessed by a demon just to get at little old Ashling.

That's a first for me and I have to admit a little satisfying. I'd written what Ashling had done to this guy before in, Always Pay the Elf. This time the party had struck up deal with the powers that be and I wanted to live in the bastille where the Madmen lived. We marched in and took out all the low level thugs with sleep spells. Convinced one of the lieutenants he had a bright future with us and no future with the Madmen. Webbed the guard outside the Warden's door and this is where Ashling got a bit nasty again.

The door was locked barricaded and trapped. Since I'd been in the room before I teleported in. Don't you hate when all your preparation goes to crap in an instant? On the walls are several depictions of me being killed in various and horrible ways. His place looked clean and organized when I first was in here and now it looked a mess. This is when I realized I'd knocked this guy over the edge. A short trip to get there, but never the less he was flat out obsessed with killing me. So begins the third and final stage our encounters.

So while the Warden slept I poured oil over myself, on and around his bed. I have a Ring of Fire Resist so no worries and Rob let me play it out without getting rulesy on me. So I lit myself on fire and start shouting the Warden's real name, Mok. Mok wakes up terrified, but realizes who I am and screams, "I'm ready for you this time elf!" and pulls a sword from under his pillow. I place my burning hand on the bed and whoosh the bed is on fire. He wasn't prepared for that and scrambled away and huddled in the corner.

"I'll bet you wish you paid me that 150sp." But this wasn't about that any longer. It was about me killing the Warden and taking his place. He attacked me, but knocked himself out on my wall of force. The others came in Oelander and Syrinvald, we saw he had a demon necklace charm. Took it off and he began to transform. Oelander shoved his demon slayer sword into the Warden and killed him.

Now before we even started this I told them let me have the Warden and Oelander went ahead and killed him anyhow. Now I am not going to start drawing pictures on the wall, but I wish I was the one who killed the Warden.