Cover of Darkness Released

Claw/Claw/Bite is pleased to announce the release S.D. Hilderbrand’s Cover of Darkness, a Pathfinder/d20/3.5 Dungeons and Dragons fantasy module for 14th-16th level characters. Originally written in 2008, the module has undergone a number of refinements and improvements over the years.  Cover of Darkness is part 2 of 3 in the Time Out of Mind trilogy, a series that takes the PCs in a journey through time and space as they chase down a party of false heroes who wield a powerful artifact.

The adventure also ships with five 15th-level false heroes to serve as the party’s nemeses.

From the Introduction:

This is a continuation of a story starring the False Heroes the nemesis and your players’ party of 15th-level adventurers as the heroes. In Stealing Moments, a unique artifact known as the Silver Orb of the Ages was unleashed from the bottom of a mountain cave, carried forth by the False Heroes.

These False Heroes have traveled the land, burning villages and causing trouble.   In time, and as covered in the concluding module,Time Out of Mind, the party will chase the False Heroes to the Dream Plane, the only place where time is relative and thus out of reach of the power of the Orb.

But first, the party needs to learn more about the Orb. In this module, they will follow a trail of clues into the Plane of Knowledge and then track down a collection of tomes, through which they will become informed of the history of the Orb.  However, the since the Plane of Knowledge is a sprawling library of endless passageways and sections devoted to obscure subject matter, it is full of peril in every section.

The False Heroes are comprised of a collection of characters of a similar makeup as the party.  They have taken on the party’s persona and have made their way across the world, using the Silver Orb of the Ages to wreak havoc on the many peoples, and have brought shame to the party’s name.  This has forced the party to travel in secret, following the many tales of the False Heroes’ exploits, keeping abreast of the local bardic lore, and have hunted them down throughout the multiverse.

Recently, they have heard a bard’s tale that the False Heroes have been sighted in the merchant quarter of the large port city of Chaurille. Upon visiting the quarter, they locate a bookstore, where they learn that a rare book collector as been inquiring about a book describing a silver orb.

This is where the action picks up!

Buy the PDF for $2.99 at rpgnow.


Posted in 3rd edition Dungeons & Dragons / d20 fantasy / Pathfinder, Adventure and tagged by with no comments yet.

Serious Injuries, Scars and Maimings

Axes grind and maces clash as wounded fighters fall to the ground
Severd limbs and fatal woundings, bloody corpses lay all around

Iron Maiden
“Invaders”

Want to up the ante in your game? Characters get knocked down just to get back up again? Try these optional rules for character scars and maimings.

Whether blasted in the heart with a ray of white-hot flame, shot in the liver with an arrow, or stabbed in the neck by a raving marauder, some wounds are going to leave a mark, if not result in serious and permanent disability, assuming that the victim survives at all. The maimed, the amputees, the crippled begging outside the temple of Heironious, Aries, or Hextor. All are the evidence of the price of the battlefield. Accordingly, these rules are intended to bring more life to the threats which wound the crusaders.

Optional Rule: Serious Injuries, Scars and Maimings

When a hero or important NPC takes enough damage to be reduced to negative hit points, check on the Serious Injury, Scars and Maimings chart to determine where the blow that laid the character low fell.

With the exception of destroyed organs and severed limbs, which require regeneration to regain, these effects should be reversible through the use of magic such as Restoration, Heal, or other magic or effects that heal permanent ability damage. There are also rumors of magicians and priests who have crafted magical arms and legs for those so hurt, as well.

Serious Injuries, Scars and Maimings (roll 1d20)

Roll Effect location Full description of effects
1-4 Leg -2 strength, -2 dexterity, and lose use of wounded limb: roll 1d20, on 1-11 limb is crippled and character moves at half speed, 12-20 limb is severed and character moves at 1/2 speed with a crutch but otherwise must crawl at 1/4 speed.
5-6 Guts -4 constitution, sensitive stomach: must eat special diet or additional -1 constitution per day.
5-6 Groin -2 strength, -2 constitution, cannot reproduce.
9-12 Chest -2 constitution, -2 strength, after jogging or running, make a DC 10 saving throw or be dazed for 1 round.
13-16 Arm -2 strength, -2 dexterity, and lose use of wounded limb: roll 1d20, on 1-11 limb is crippled, 12-20 severed.
17-20 Head Roll once on Head Chart, below.

Head Chart (roll 1d20)

Roll Effect location Full description of effects
1-4 Eye -2 on perception or spot checks, -2 on all ranged attacks. Second lost eye blinds character.
5-8 Ear -2 on perception or listen checks. Second lost ear deafens character.
9-12 Face -2 charisma due to serious scarring or deformation of face.
13-16 Mouth -2 on all charisma based skills, due to difficulty understanding speech from character.
17-20 Throat The character is unable to speak.

As always, when introducing optional rules like this, especially rules that increase the danger for the player characters, talk it over with the group you’re playing with. Unless everyone consents to having more fun by making the game more dangerous, don’t use them. Nothing makes some players hate playing more than DMs springing new rules on them out of the blue.

These optional rules are compatible with 3.5 D&D, 4e D&D, d20 modern, and Pathfinder RPG systems.


Posted in 1st edition D&D, 3rd edition Dungeons & Dragons / d20 fantasy / Pathfinder, 4th edition Dungeons & Dragons, 5th edition Dungeons & Dragons, Variant Rules by with no comments yet.

4e D&D Ritual – Regeneration

Following up on our last article on new Fourthcore criticals here is a ritual that healers can use to re-grow those severed limbs.

Stay tuned for the next article in this series, “Character Scars and Maiming”, because everybody has more fun when the characters get messed up.

Regeneration
Applying sacred ungents to your comrade’s severed wrist, you pray to the gods of life to restore wholeness to their body. To your companion’s astonishment, your wounded friend’s hand begins to slowly grow out of the stump of their arm.

Component Cost: 250 gp for heroic tier characters, 2,500 for paragon tier, and 25,000 for epic tier characters.
Market Price: 520 gp
Key Skill: Heal (no check)
Level: 7
Category: Restoration
Time: 4 hours
Duration: Instantaneous

This ritual re-grows a severed limb on a living creature over the course of four hours.


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4thgore

We have been following the exciting 4thcore developments at Save Versus Death, and thought we’d add to the table joy.  For information on 4thcore, that 4thgore playfully plays off of, read the manifesto at saveversusdeath.com and return to this post.  Here is a supplemental table to add more gore to your games.

In a high-gore 4thcore game, roll 1d20 to establish painful effects of a critical hit (or miss, if you were to apply this chart to effects for damage from friendly fire).  The non-severed effects can be undone in non-combat rounds by spending a healing surge, making the duration of these effects is “for the rest of the encounter”.  For each of the locations where there is more than one potential target (for characters and creatures with 2 arms, 4 legs, 5 heads, etc), roll an appropriate die to determine which is affected.  Severed limbs require rituals to mend.

And in a somewhat more friendly HTML text format:

Roll Effect location Full description of effects
1 Hand Target’s hand is severed from the wrist, and target drops anything in its hand.
2 Wrist Target’s wrist is crushed, making all actions target attempts with that hand -4.
3 Elbow Target’s elbow is bent back, affecting all actions with that hand at -2.
4 Shoulder Target’s shoulder is pulled out of socket, rendering it useless.  2nd hit severs it from the torso.
5 Finger Target’s finger is severed, rendering fine motor skills with that hand useless.
6 Chest Target’s ribs are cracked, reducing Athletics and Endurance rolls by -5.
7 Chest Target loses breath, is winded and is stunned (save ends).
8 Chest Target’s heart is pierced and is wounded, taking 10 points of damage at the beginning of every turn.
9 Abdomen Target’s abdomen is knotted, and target is weakened (save ends).
10 Abdomen Target’s abdomen is bruised, and target is knocked prone.
11 Abdomen Target’s abdomen is pierced, and target is dazed (save ends) and takes 5 points of damage every turn.
12 Groin Target’s groin is ripped, negating actions requiring Acrobatics and Stealth.
13 Hip Target’s hip is pulled out of socket, reducing move by 2 squares (min 1).  2nd hit severs it.
14 Upper Leg Target’s upper leg is gouged, pushing the target back 1 square.
15 Knee Target’s knee is crushed and target is knocked prone.  Target must make save to stand.
16 Lower Leg Target’s lower leg is severely cut, and target is knocked prone.
17 Ankle Target’s ankle is sprained, a target receives a -5 on Acrobatics, Athletics, Endurance, and Stealth rolls.
18 Foot Target’s foot is crushed, reducing move by 2 squares (min 1).
19 Head Target’s head is bruised and target is dazed (save ends).
20 Head Target’s head is severed cleanly (or rather messily) from the shoulders.

Posted in Variant Rules and tagged by with no comments yet.

Prehensile Fang Armor

Why attack them when they can hurt themselves attacking you?

Inspired by foes of Hluyuk Tikimit, the quivering porcupine, this legendary full-body armor appears as a typical suit of jet-black leather armor. However, when the wearer is attacked, it puffs up and strikes at the attacker, sending prehensile, poison-tipped fangs into the assailant’s flesh.

The wearer can also disengage the fangs, which then serve as poison daggers with spiraled-bone handles. In crisis mode, the armor projects the gruesome fang daggers as a standard ranged attack.

The wearer looks out on the world through a narrow slit, providing identity obfuscation for night-time antics.

For each day that the prehensile fang armor is worn, there is a cumulative 1% chance of it poisoning the wearer, so this deadly weapon of an armor must be used sparingly.


Posted in Equipment, Magic Item, rules agnostic and tagged by with no comments yet.

Bookworms

These worms are found in books throughout the Great Library. They infest the spines of books and consume paper, parchment, and leather, and flesh if it is unwittingly offered to them.

Bookworms manifest as a disease, with a series of increasingly-difficult saves – DC 20, 25, 30, 35, 40 – as a PC is repeatedly affected by bookworms in ancient tomes.  The effects of a bookworm include acute skin rashes dealing 1d6 damage per day and flare-ups which deal 2d6 damage every hour.

Bookworms are also known for preventing the effectiveness of healing effects.  They can only be removed with a long bath of purified water and a remove disease spell.


Posted in 3rd edition Dungeons & Dragons / d20 fantasy / Pathfinder, Disease by with no comments yet.

Cruelty Cleric Domain

Granted Power
Those who’s deities delight in acts of malice grant their agents supernatural cruelty. Intimidate checks are at +2, or +4 if using torture. Upon completing an act of cruelty, these fiends can either gain 1d8 temporary hit points or receive a +1 on their next ability, attack, or skill roll.
Cruelty Domain Spells
  1. Cause Fear: One creature of 5 HD or less flees for 1d4 rounds.
  2. Death Knell: Kill dying creature and gain 1d8 temporary hp, +2 to Str, and +1 caster level.
  3. Animate Dead: Creates undead skeletons and zombies.
  4. Death Ward: Grants immunity to death spells and negative energy effects.
  5. Slay Living: Touch attack kills subject.
  6. Create Undead: Create ghouls, ghasts, mummies, or mohrgs.
  7. Destruction: Kills subject and destroys remains.
  8. Create Greater Undead: Create shadows, wraiths, spectres, or devourers.
  9. Wail of the Banshee: Kills one creature/level.

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Free Dungeon Tile Sites

Here are some great resources for free dungeon tiles.

There are a ton more out there!  The first 5 pages of Google search results are full of other sites featuring tile sets to choose from.  Also, check out rpgnow.com for more options, including Skeleton Key Games’ epic collection.

Once you’ve found your tiles of choice, print them out and follow these directions to make some great memories at the gaming table.


Posted in Miniatures by with no comments yet.

Watcher

The Watchers are a race of bio-mechanical floating orbs of flesh and metal with camera lenses as their corneas, a large central eye that is always turned toward to their prey.  The center eye provides levitation and other basic cognitive functions.

In addition to the large central eye, Watchers have 8 retractable compartments containing foot-long extensions that appear long enough to cause their effects before retracting back into the metallic carapace of the Watcher.  Four of these extensions are standard to all Watchers, and 4 with special powers based on the type of Watcher.  Each power recharges 4 rounds after use, and each Watcher can use 2 extensions each round (3 if they do not move):

  • Telekinesis: objects up to 300 lbs.
  • Lightning Bolt: 3d6 to all in a line, bouncing off conductive surfaces, DC 25 reflex for half damage
  • Stun Ray: stuns target for 1d4 rounds, +15, DC 25 fortitude to halve (min 1)
  • Fear: DC 25 will save negates, cower in fear for 1d4 rounds
  • 4 specific to the type of Watcher

This eye is a gem (the types vary by Watcher) worth 10,000 credits.  Any damage dealt to the Watcher in 20 or more points (after the DR/10) in a single strike disables one of the 8 extensions.  Roll 1d8 to determine which, rerolling any results that correspond with extensions which are already disabled.

In addition, a simplified humanoid brain is used to power the Watcher.  Some of these come directly from humans, while others are synthesized via artificial means.  These brains are programmed like computers, allowing the Watchers to be provided commands that govern their abilities, granting them semi-sentience.

Other stats of interest:

Init: +6 Senses: darkvision 60’ Listen -2 Spot +25
Languages: Telepathy 60’ and either common or none

AC: 26 (-1 size, +3 dex, +14 natural)
HP: 130 (12d12+44)

Defenses: SR 20, DR 10 / psychic
Saves: Fort: +9 Ref: +7 Will: +11
Speed: fly 30 ft.

Attack: Lightning Touch +9 ranged touch and bite +7 melee (2d4), various extensions
Full Attack: Lightning Touch +9 ranged touch and bite +7 melee (2d4), various extensions
Attack Options: Lightning Touch, Spell-like effects

Space / Reach: 10ft. / 5ft.
Base Attack: +8 Grapple: +12

SQ: DR 10/psychic, SR 20, All-around vision, Flight

SA: spell like abilities: Blur
Feats: Alertness, Flyby Attack, Great Fortitude, Quicken Spell-Like Ability (Blur)

Abilities: Str 11 Dex 16 Con 18 Int 16 Wis 14 Cha 15

Skills: Hide +12, Knowledge (arcana) +14, Knowledge (planes) +8, Search +18, Spot +25, Survival +6
Spell-like abilities: 1/day – blur (caster level 13)

DR: 10/good
Spell Resistance: 20

There are several varieties of Watchers, four of which are detailed here.

Reflect Watcher

  • Mirror Image: Reflects 50% of attacks back on attacker
  • Pass Through Glass: Can pass through reflective surfaces
  • Force Shield: 20’, similar to a wall of force.  Impassable, except via telekinesis and shadow dancing.
  • Laser Light: 1d6+1 and target must succeed on a DC 25 reflex save or be blinded for 1d4 rounds.

Holo Watcher

  • Ghosting: All attackers have a 50% miss chance.  Hits occur against the inner hull, which is considerably smaller than the appearance of the holo watcher.
  • Illusions: Projects illusions every round (disbelieve on DC 25 will save).  Favored illusions include doorways and passageways that appear to open along the walls, pits that lead the target to them, as well as spurious letters and numbers and obscuring the actual letters on walls, doors, etc.
  • Spotlight: Target must succeed on a DC 25 reflex save or be blinded for 1d4 rounds.
  • Ghost Sound: Sounds of approaching enemies, impending doom, creaking locks, levers, doors, etc.

Striker Watcher

  • True Strike: Deals 1d4 damage on an automatic hit each round (recharges every round).
  • Force Push: Either a living or inanimate target 3 squares.  In this case, the metal spheres can be pushed into the goals for points.
  • Dive: The Watcher can shift 1 square to block a shot.
  • Laser Beam: 2d8+4 damage on a successful hit (+10 with a DC 25 reflex save for half).

Defender Watchers (Minor)

  • These Watchers have the same base powers of the Watchers, but only the 4 core extensions (lightning bolt does 1d6+1 to all targets in a straight line).
  • 60hp, AC 23.

Shadow Watcher

  • Invisibility: to those who see the visible spectrum, but visible via infrared sensing.
  • Fireball: 3d6 to a 4×4 square area, DC 25 reflex for half damage.
  • Darkness: as the spell, in a 20’ radius.
  • True, Extra-sensory Sight: Can see all, never flat-footed.

Many more varieties exist; feel free to extend these Watchers to fit your own campaign.


Posted in Creature, d20 Future by with no comments yet.

A Fast and Simple Critical Fumble Option

I like critical fumbles in my games for a number of reasons.  First of all, as a storyteller I like it when disaster strikes.  When I’m visualizing and describing a pitched battle I relish the possibility that one of the combatants might slip in the growing pool of blood on the flagstones or over-swing their battle-axe and accidentally strike one of their comrades.  It makes the battles feel more real to me, and it also makes combat feel more dangerous.

In practical terms, it does make combat more dangerous for everyone involved.  If big monsters might accidentally kill their minions when they’re trying to smash that knight, or if the players might lose their footing and fall prone, then there’s more damage being handed out every round.  It makes the monsters go down a little more quickly, but it also exposes the players to more danger.  As DM I consider this a win-win because I like my games to feel as dangerous as possible, and I like combat to go quickly.

But I don’t like to slow my games down with looking anything up.  I’ve been playing and running games long enough that I know pretty much all the rules by heart, and for my fumble rules I wanted to come up with something that could easily be memorized and that wouldn’t slow down combat with referencing a table.  Therefore, I came up with the following optional rule.

Critical Fumbles

Any time an attacker rolls a 1 on their attack roll die, they fumble.  Roll another d20 to determine the severity of the fumble.

Die Roll        Fumble Result
16-20           Character is off-balance and grants combat advantage until the end of the current character’s next turn.
11-15            Attacker looses their footing and falls prone.
6-10             Attacker drops their weapon or loses their next attack if weaponless.
1-5                Attacker targets an ally or themselves with the fumbled attack.  Re-roll the attack to see if it hits the new target.

I like it because it’s nice and simple – there are four results with increasingly dire consequences, so it’s easy for me to remember “off balance, fall prone, drop weapon, or attack self or ally”.

Let us know what you think in the comments below, or on our Facebook page.


Posted in 1st edition D&D, 3rd edition Dungeons & Dragons / d20 fantasy / Pathfinder, 4th edition Dungeons & Dragons, 5th edition Dungeons & Dragons, Variant Rules and tagged by with no comments yet.

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