Alidaal’s Barrel of Commerce
This oaken wooden barrel is bound with silver hoops and has a well-fitted lid. It was created and left behind long ago to by the arch-wizard Alidaal. Is enchanted such that it exists in two places at once, is intelligent, can talk, and anything put in to the barrel goes to an extra dimensional space that the barrel alone has access to. Alidaal originally used it to facilitate trade with a trading group in the outer worlds, and the “second barrel” is still in the the trading area. The barrel has become cranky over the decades of its abandonment but will act as in intermediary with the otherworldly merchants if the PCs are indulgent of the barrel’s desire for conversation.
Posted in Magic Item by Adam A. Thompson with no comments yet.
Variant Rule: Brace Action
Bracing is when a character readies whatever defenses available for an imminent attack. This could involve raising and ducking behind a shield, preparing to dodge a blow, or holding your weapon in a guard position.
Bracing is a standard action which gives the character who braces a +1 dodge bonus to their AC and Reflex save until the start of their next turn.
Use of this optional rule may give combat a more granular feel, and peels back a bit of the abstraction that is assumed in the combat rules around AC and Reflex saving throws. As such it may slow combat down slightly, while giving a new tactical option to characters and monsters.
If you end up giving this new rule a try in your game please let us know what you think.
Posted in 3rd edition Dungeons & Dragons / d20 fantasy / Pathfinder, Variant Rules by Adam A. Thompson with no comments yet.
One Page Dungeon Contest 2014
The April 30th deadline for the One Page Dungeon Contest 2014 is rapidly approaching! This fantastic “competition” is a great excuse to dust off an old adventure you’re run and distill it to its essence. You can find out lots more about what one pagers are all about, including the submission rules and guidelines on their site in case you want to share your one-page creations with the (role playing) world.
The site is also a fine repository of fantastic ideas for adventures if you’re running one in the near future. Nothing quite like being prepared for a game you’re running…
I have put together a one-page version of an adventure we ran at a few Houston gaming conventions in 2013, The Tomb of Athganazar and just submitted it. Regardless of how it fares, the joy is in the making!
Posted in Adventure, announcement and tagged contest by Stephen Hilderbrand with no comments yet.
Magic Item – Delver’s Rope
Description
This small coil of fine silk rope is light and wonderfully easy to handle. When users speak a magic word and uncoil it, however, they will discover that it it long enough for any use, no matter how much rope is needed. For example, the small coil can be lowered all the way down to the bottom of a 300 foot deep chasm, or used to tie a tightrope across a eighty foot gap between two rooftops, or bind a single prisoner, and the rope is exactly long enough to accomplish the task.
Construction and Cost
Craft Wondrous Item, rope trick; Cost 4,000 gp.
Posted in 3rd edition Dungeons & Dragons / d20 fantasy / Pathfinder, Magic Item by Adam A. Thompson with no comments yet.
Finkald’s Freebooters
medium level fantasy encounter
While travelling on the road, the Player Characters (PCs) encounter “Finkald’s (‘Fin-kald) Freebooters”, a small army composed of rowdy dwarven mercenary veterans. They are fresh from a string of victories in the lands to the west, and are on a quest to find the fabulous lost dwarven stronghold of Kargoth. Finkald claims to have a map that shows the way to Kargoth, also known as “The Invisible Fortress”, but will show it to none, saying he has committed it to memory. His secret, which he will never admit, is that he recently learned that his victories in the east had led to his being singled out for assassination by the wild priest-hunters of the elven lands they had been raiding. He is therefore leading his warband as far away as he can get from those woods.
Upon meeting the party, Finkald will size them up, silently appraising their wealth, asking which way the roads lead, if they know anything of Kargoth, and who the players are and where they are headed. While Finkald talks the dwarves will fall out of order to begin drinking from a keg on a wagon and eating from a haunch of roast deer. Some will gather to hear the conversation.
Unless the players flee or offer to join Finkald on his journey to Kargoth he will ask them if they can help the army with any spare provisions they may have – “You see how hungry my Freebooters are – full bellies keep them happy!”. If the players seem wealthy and relatively weak, he might ask for gold or, particularly, any gems or jewelry they players are wearing. If the players refuse to give him what he asks for, he raises his voice and makes threats, “What’s to stop us from taking it, and everything else you have!?” Unless the players pay his price or run away, they try to take the players’ valuables by force.
ENCOUNTER – low to medium level
- Fainkald – dwarven ranger 6
- Seargents – 3 x dwarven fighter 4
- Freebooters – 20 x dwarven fighter 1
Posted in Encounter, rules agnostic and tagged Fantasy by Adam A. Thompson with no comments yet.
Elder Scrolls Online Beta and Online Fantasy Games
I had the opportunity to play in Bethesda Softwork’s beta test of Elder Scrolls Online this weekend and, frequent crashes of the client aside, I liked the game quite a bit. The user interface was so good, in fact, that it started me thinking about all the other online fantasy games I play. So in this post I’ll start of with my impressions from Elder Scrolls Online and move on to compare and contrast with World of Warcraft, Dungeons & Dragons Online, and Minecraft.
Elder Scrolls Online follows confidently in the footsteps of Skyrim, Oblivion, and Morrowind. The familiar world of Tamirel is good looking and well rendered. The small island I ended up stuck on was large enough to get lost on several times, so the sense of being in a large world in the game is present. The quests and NPC reactions were well voice-acted and easy to navigate, thanks to the game’s very good quest, map, and inventory interfaces. So to end the introductions, here is Sagulot.
Most of these screenshots were in the game’s low graphics mode, by the way. It looked nicer in the high mode the client started in by default, but my computer, trustworthy as it is, isn’t exactly cutting-edge. I had also heard that the client liked to crash. So I tried the minimum graphics mode, which played smoothly, and then switched it up to low, which was also very smooth. When I switched to the medium video settings, the quality of the detail improved dramatically, but it also slowed down a bit. It was still playable – I could quest and fight successfully, but it wasn’t quite a fluid as it was on the low setting. I didn’t try any settings higher than that. I know the limits of my old frugally home built desktop. Here’s a shot of it with the medium settings.
The user interface, overall, was the most impressive part of the experience, showing the type of polish in a game that, in my opinion, sets Bethesda Softworks up there as rightly-honored veterans in the video game industry. For example – the spell and special-ability hotkeys are Q, 1, 2, 3, 4, and R on the keyboard, conveniently close to the WASD movement keys. The open-doors-and-loot-chests-and-talk-to-people button, the E key, is your “accept” or “equip” key when you’re in most dialouge windows. And the ALT key is “cancel” when you want to get out of any sub-screen. Overall it makes playing the game vastly easier and is the type of attention to detail that I really appreciate in a game. If you zoom out of the first-person point of view that is the default, it moves up over your character’s right shoulder and looks down at an angle, so that you can still see things that are right in front of you. All together it helps with the immersiveness of the game.
Little touches like the lockpicking mini-game and the various disguises you can use during quests make the cloak and dagger elements fun in a way great games like Mass Effect 2 have used.Here is Sagulot, disguised as a servant.
Also, the client crashed a lot. This is the only reason I took a half star off of my tentative rating. And some of the quests or items were buggy – there was a chest that I could not open until I restarted the client. I didn’t mind too much, except for having to re-enter my password every time. I know some of my friends got frustrated and went back to playing Final Fantasy Online or Faster Than Light, but my thinking is that I’m getting to play this game for free, before they have released it, as part of a stress test of their servers. They are croudsourcing an important part of their quality assurance process, and I think it’s a good deal for them and for us, so I can put up with having to restart the client over and over. And there were a couple of instances of something not loading right, but nothing that I wasn’t able to overcome with a restart of the client.
The stories I played through were good. I particularly enjoyed the escape-from-the-underworld tutorial sequence, which played fast and got you right into the game. The quest and conversation sequences were direct and nicely to-the-point, and every one that I navigated was appropriately voice acted. There were good dramatic moments throughout the quests, and even some funny asides. The world is the wonderfully gritty, brutal fantasy-medieval world those who have played previous games in the Elder Scrolls series have come to know.
In terms of the pvp-free multiplayer, outdoor areas and many areas in the game’s dungeons are common areas, where other online players are there with you. In the online beta this turned the dungeons into perpetual bloodbaths where the goblins spawned as fast as the marauding players could slay them. Return to town, repair your equipment, sell your spoils, and set off on a new quest. And the landscape is dotted with quests, making wandering off into the wilderness a rewarding experience, even on the small island where I played.
Smoothly interspersed here and there are areas where your player is alone with some non-player characters to present a dramatic scene. The game seemed to have a way of keeping the in-game quest scenes private to each player, which was nice and helped with the verisimilitude of the heroic fantasy. Nothing to make a quest you just completed seem mundane like seeing forty other players being celebrated with the same quip. So, overall, I enjoyed the story elements, which were well executed, and look forward to seeing what other adventures like ahead.
Character statistics, skills, powers and spells appeared to work much like in previous Elder Scrolls games. In general, the skills you use the most advance without intruding on the hack-and-slash “first person sword-and-sorcery” thrill ride (FPS&S – to coin a phrase?). You can pick special powers, called “feats” that let you pierce your foe’s armor, or increase your defenses, and it appears most classes get access to some magic spells. I was happy to see the inclusion of their soul magic system, and look forward to making some magic enchantments, which appear to be transferable between items. My orc character’s class was Dragonknight I believe, and within a day of playing I had a flaming chain spell that pulled enemies to me, a sword swing that stunned my foes, and an iron cuirass and shield. It was awesome.
Overall, I give Elder Scrolls Online a tentative 3 1/2 stars. If the client crash issues and the few quest hiccups are fixed, I expect to play this excellent-looking addition to the series with my friends quite a bit when it comes out. But for now, Elder Scrolls Online, I bid you a good night.
As for World of Warcraft,Dungeons & Dragons Online, and Minecraft, tonight the candle burns low, so I will return to the subject in an upcoming post.
thanks, and happy gaming,
Posted in Review by Adam A. Thompson with no comments yet.
My Best OwlCon Yet
This year’s OwlCon was once again an excellent experience for my friends and I, and judging by the ever-rising attendance numbers, other attendees have had similar experiences. Read of for details and pictures.
The Claw / Claw / Bite crew carpooled from Austin to the beautiful Rice University campus for a long weekend of gaming and catching up with friends. I ran a great game of Divine Right with some first time players, helped Dan run our AD&D adventure Siege of Black Mountain, and played lots of other games, including the not-yet-released reprint of OGRE. To top it off, we not only figured out where to get good food on campus, but we discovered the on-campus bar, Valhalla.
I played a round of OGRE and had a blast. Fast-paced, easy to learn, and fun. I played the conventional forces trying to stop the OGRE from reaching my command post to no avail.
Daniel Smith and I had prepared a two-party AD&D / OSRIC adventure to run. Dan ran the dwarf party as they tried to protect their mountain home from the army of elves on their doorstep.
I had a blast playing the new Star Ward miniatures game. With Rob Wubbenhorst providing cover with his X-wings, I was able to drive my Y-wings straight down the trench and bullseye the Death Star’s exhaust port on my first shot. It was awesome.
For my final event I ran a very fun game of Divine Right with some first-time players, who had never played a map-and-chits game before.
For more pictures check out Unicorn Rampant’s Facebook page.
Posted in convention, Editorial by Adam A. Thompson with no comments yet.
Alizarin Zamyatin
Created a gnome bard for an upcoming 3.5 adventure run by an old friend in Baltimore that I’ll be participating in over Roll20. Downloaded the most recent release of PCGen to help in the creation process. Looks like they’ve added some new features to the app, including more complete coverage of Pathfinder, as well as icons to denote inventory locations. The app still retains its usefulness, making it quick and easy to create characters. Here’s an export of the resulting character in plain text.
Name: Alizarin Zamyatin
Race: Gnome
Player: Steve
Classes: Bard1
Hit Points: 7
Experience: 0 / 1000
Alignment: Chaotic Good
Vision: Low-Light
Speed: Walk 20 ft.
Languages: Common, Gnome
Stat Score Mod
STR 7 (-2)
DEX 18 (+4)
CON 13 (+1)
INT 13 (+1)
WIS 12 (+1)
CHA 15 (+2)
-------------------------- Skills --------------------------
Skill Total Rnk Stat Msc
Appraise 2 1.0 1 0
Balance 5 1.0 4 0
Bluff 5 3.0 2 0
Climb -2 0.0 -2 0
Concentration 3 2.0 1 0
Craft (Alchemy) 1 0.0 1 0
Craft (Untrained) 1 0.0 1 0
Diplomacy 5 3.0 2 0
Disguise 2 0.0 2 0
Escape Artist 6 2.0 4 0
Forgery 1 0.0 1 0
Gather Information 4 2.0 2 0
Heal 1 0.0 1 0
Hide 8 0.0 4 4
Intimidate 2 0.0 2 0
Jump -8 0.0 -2 -6
Knowledge (History) 2 1.0 1 0
Listen 4 1.0 1 2
Move Silently 7 3.0 4 0
Perform (Untrained) 2 0.0 2 0
Ride 4 0.0 4 0
Search 1 0.0 1 0
Sense Motive 1 0.0 1 0
Sleight of Hand 8 4.0 4 0
Spellcraft 4 3.0 1 0
Spot 1 0.0 1 0
Survival 1 0.0 1 0
Swim -2 0.0 -2 0
Tumble 6 2.0 4 0
Use Rope 4 0.0 4 0
————————– Feats —————————
Dodge
Armor Proficiency (Light)
When you wear a type of armor with which you are proficient, the armor check penalty for that armor applies only to Balance, Climb, Escape Artist, Hide, Jump, Move Silently, Pick Pocket, and Tumble checks.
Shield Proficiency
You can use a shield and take only the standard penalties.
Simple Weapon Proficiency
——————– Special Abilities ———————
———————— Templates ————————-
Base Race Type, Base Race Type ~ Humanoid, RaceSubtype ~ Augmented Humanoid
————————– Combat ————————–
Total / Touch / Flat Footed
AC: 17 / 15 / 13
Initiative: +4
BAB: +0
Melee tohit: -1
Ranged tohit: +5
Fortitude: +1
Reflex: +6
Will: +3
Unarmed attack:
to hit: -1
damage: 1d2-2
critical: 20/x2
Dagger (Small):
to hit: -7
damage: 1d3-2
critical: 19-20/x2
Dagger (Small/Thrown):
to hit: +5
damage: 1d3
critical: 19-20/x2
range: 10 ft.
Sling (Small):
to hit: -5
damage: 1d3-2
critical: 20/x2
range: 50 ft.
——————— Special Abilities ——————–
————————- Equipment ————————
Name QTY LBS
Leather Cap 1 0lbs
Wireframe Spectacles and 2 Lenses 1 0lbs Special: (Eye Lenses)
Zamyatin Family Medallion (Heirloom) 1 0lbs
Dagger (Small) 2 1lbs
Leather Gloves 1 0lbs
Leather (Small) 1 7lbs
Leather Belt 1 0lbs
Outfit (Entertainer’s/Small) 1 1lbs
Padded Shoes 1 0lbs
Bedroll (Small) 1 1lbs Special: (Bedroll (Small))
Bullets (Sling/10) (Small) 1 2lbs
Chalk (1 piece) 2 0lbs
Coin (Electrum) 1 0lbs Special: (Coin (Copper))
Jeweler’s Hammer 1 0lbs
Musical Instrument (Flute) (Small) 1 0lbs
Sling (Small) (0 lbs.)
Pouch (Belt) (Small) (0.125 lbs.)
Sack (Small) (0.125 lbs.)
Total weight carried:
Current load: Light
Encumbrance
Light: 17
Medium: 35
Heavy: 52
————————— Magic ————————–
Innate Spells
Dancing Lights (Evocation) – 1 per day
Saves: None
DC:
Casting: 1 standard action
Duration: 1 minute [D]
Range: Medium (110 ft.)
Components: V, S
SR: No
Effect: Creates torches or other lights.
Target: Up to four lights, all within a 10-ft.-radius area
Ghost Sound (Illusion) – 1 per day
Saves: Will disbelief (if interacted with)
DC: 12
Casting: 1 standard action
Duration: 1 rounds [D]
Range: Close (25 ft.)
Components: V, S, M
SR: No
Effect: Figment sounds.
Target: Illusory sounds
Prestidigitation (Universal) – 1 per day
Saves: See text
DC: 12
Casting: 1 standard action
Duration: 1 hour
Range: 10 ft.
Components: V, S
SR: No
Effect: Performs minor tricks.
Target: See text
() – per day
Saves:
DC:
Casting:
Duration:
Range:
Components:
SR:
Effect:
Target:
Bard Spells
Level 0
Detect Magic (Divination)
Saves: None DC: Casting: 1 standard action
Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minutes [D] Range: 60 ft. Components: V, S
SR: No Effect: Detects spells and magic items within 60 ft. Target: Cone-shaped emanation
DESC: Detects spells and magic items within 60 ft.
Lullaby (Enchantment)
Saves: Will negates DC: 12 Casting: 1 standard action
Duration: Concentration + 1 rounds [D] Range: Medium (110 ft.) Components: V, S
SR: Yes Effect: Makes subject drowsy; -5 on Spot and Listen checks, -2 on Will saves against sleep. Target: Living creatures within a 10-ft.-radius burst
DESC: Makes subject drowsy; -5 on Spot and Listen checks, -2 on Will saves against sleep.
Mage Hand (Transmutation)
Saves: None DC: Casting: 1 standard action
Duration: Concentration Range: Close (25 ft.) Components: V, S
SR: No Effect: 5-pound telekinesis. Target: One nonmagical, unattended object weighing up to 5 lb.
DESC: 5-pound telekinesis.
Message (Transmutation)
Saves: None DC: Casting: 1 standard action
Duration: 10 minutes Range: Medium (110 ft.) Components: V, S, F
SR: No Effect: Whispered conversation at distance. Target: 1 creatures
DESC: Whispered conversation at distance.
------------------------ Description -----------------------
Height: 3' 5" Weight: 45 lbs. Gender: Male
Eyes: Violet Hair: Greenish, with golden highlights, Skin: Olive
Dominant Hand: Ambidextrous Quirks: Often speaks in half rhyme and near riddles.
Posted in Character by Stephen Hilderbrand with no comments yet.
Skelephant
Posted in Creature and tagged undead by Stephen Hilderbrand with no comments yet.
The Beastblade
This longsword’s wide blade extends from the lion-headed crosspiece like a steel tongue from the open jaws. It bears enchantments which give the wielder +1 to attack and damage, but is considered +2 and deals an additional 1d6 points of damage against mundane and magical beasts such as giant rats, dire wolves, chimeras, hydras, and gorgons.
Though sentient, the Beastblade communicates mainly in growls and roars. Those who wield it are immune to all fear effects, but the blade’s spirit will not accept retreat from combat – those attempting to disengage from melee or flee a fight must successfully beat the Beastbalde’s ego score of 17 (Charisma, Will, or Fear saving throw to resist) or it will force them to continue fighting. This has resulted in the death of many of the Beastblade’s wielders.
Those with bardic knowledge or who are deeply steeped in arcane lore may recall the tale of a Beastblade that bears a blessing and a curse – “those who wield it know no fear.”
As the wielder reaches higher levels, the Beastblade may gain additional powers. At 5th level it deals an additional 1d6 damage against magical and mundane beasts. It’s roar becomes more forceful as it’s wielder grows stronger, and at 7th level gains the power to evoke thunderwave, shatter, and fear (per the spells) once per day each. At 9th level it gains the ability to cast shout once per day, and deals an additional 1d6 damage against mundane and magical beasts.
Posted in Equipment, Magic Item and tagged sword by Adam A. Thompson with no comments yet.