Savage Tide Chronicle: Kraken Cove
Collected below are several character’s impressions of Kraken Cove, a small pirate port that they have come to in search of Vanthus Vanderboren.
Fundiani’s and Kes’s account
Once Dervish had been taken to the only surviving ship to recuperate we set out to discern our next course of action. No sooner had we begun then did one of the lizard-folk rise from the water, he too seeming to be marked by the curse. Even before i could say ‘what’s your name’ in the lizard-man’s native tongue of draconic did Mpada Mbada stab him though the neck. His aim was true but the lizard-folk are hardy and though the blur of those first few moments he heard my call in his native tongue. Flitteran too could sense the beast-man’s motives and called for a pause in action. He was emboldened with the need to avenge his kin who had been altered by the curse that has taken this place. I could feel his anger and grief when he emerged from the water. Tina could also speak draconic but she was growing impatient of our delay and eager to leave this place which I too hate with all my power and Linus held back judging the outcome.
We made a rocky truce with the strange new-comer and almost immediately after the mutated dinosaur that had been inside the cave feasting on the flesh of his own kind came out to attack. Llinus stopped it in its tracks with some sorcery of his while we gathered our senses. Tina managed to enfeeble the beast somewhat but still Mpada Mbada and the lizard-man were hurt. Luckily the bravery of Flitteran brought Mpada Mbada, her dear friend, back to our aid and thus gave him the power to inflict one of the finishing blows that would bring down that disturbing monster. Thus he lashed in his death throws and burst into the acid remains of his spent body.
Enraged over his brutalized kin the lizard-man with out fear walked into the the very cave the felled beast had just come from. Upon entering he began cutting down the silks that had hung from the ceiling of the voluminous cave covering the floor with the delicate cloth. Then a shadow moved behind him and when he turned what he looked upon was once maybe a halfling but now his fingers where boneless his body black-rashed and bleeding from the those tell-tale bone spurs and his mouth could speak only of the flesh he so yearned to eat. The rest of the company where still entering the cave when the fight began, however it didn’t take long for crossbow bolts and arrows to sing and for Kes to find his true self and attack with all his fury this fouled thing. Mpada Mbada and the lizard-man fought together and Tina stayed back consulting her books as Flitteran judged from above what her best place was. Swiftly did we dispatch this shell of a halfling and soon after we where scouring the cave and checking the remains.
But the day had been long and the night half gone and so, after much convincing of the lizard-man, did the company retire with Dervish on the ship. Mpada Mbada used his natural cunning to heal the wounds of the party and all were held in the gentle arms of sleep, all except one. While the company rested as they are bound to do I searched. And as morning broke I waited for my companions on the beach with the stench of those mutated and mutilated bodies all around and the nights rest behind.
Kes and I have started to adapt to the horrid feeling of wrongness in the air, at least enough to fight our way back out as we know we must. The night before when I had searched those changed waters and found something that seemed to be at the heart of the savage chaos; a black pearl the size of a man fist lie broken on the ocean bottom. This and some useless finery i recovered for my company from the ravaged ocean floor. The learned ones tried to find its old power but could not and Dervish excited over the finery as we set out to search the caves for some clue or treasure that could lead us to Vanthus.
We first came upon a room that had trapped within it four caged creatures, oh how Kes and I did cry out at the sight of such torture. Mutated they where by the curse and desperate and trapped but the lizard-man and I waisted no time or words and quickly dispatched these half dead beasts out of decency.
The next room required breaking down the door and when the inside was revealed we saw that it was filled with fungi and lichen and some potions of sorts everywhere. We entered thinking ourselves safe and then we turned to see a human sized tentacled mushroom coming for the lizard-man; but he is strong and the mushroom only vegetable matter. After the shock was over the mushroom beast had no chance and was cloven in two in a minute. Inside we found poisons and a dead gnome.
The last room we searched was a trophy room. In it many treasures were found. Old maps from Sasserine’s beginning, crossbow bolts, dragon turtle teeth, gold and other metal coins, weaponry, and when put all together some kind of history of the pirates that had once occupied Kracken’s Cove.
But there are still rooms to search and treasures to uncover……
mPata mBata’s Memory
As we stood on the shore contemplating the dusk, an alligator crawled up on shore, then stood upright. It suffered from the same savage fever affliction as the other beasts, monkeys and pirates of the land, so I attacked it before it could bite us. He then shouted something at my comrades in some slithering tongue. Fundiani treated (too kindly) with it, and it shouted something back in its alien language. It sounded rather mad, the blood shooting from its neck spewing onto the sandy beach.
Then from the mouth of the coastal cave, a dinosaur let out a roar. We jumped and a few of us ran to the cliff to gain higher ground. It charged and we charged, flanked it, swung madly, I was clawed and bitten to pieces, falling over in a lump of manflesh. Flitteran popped over and healed me in a flash while the others (even our new lizard friend in his chain shirt) kept the beast contained. I jumped up with my sword and stuck it in the neck (a common attack this day) and through our collective diligence the beast fell. I removed a few of its teeth while we healed up.
Then we decided to head deeper into the cave. There, in a silk web-encrusted chamber, we came upon a ghost of a man, who leapt upon the lizard man, gnawing at his flesh. I charged it and the others jumped in as well. We finally subdued him and then retreated to the ship moored just off shore to stay overnight. I healed all the companions’ surface wounds, even our new reptilian companion.
From the oral remembrances of KorShoth (told in the song and bladedance tradition of the lizardfolk hunters of SpekShaPunkt):
anger (fearfulaspect of Semuanya destroys). softskins kill kill them all rend flesh from bone chew intestines
hated detested stinking softskins profaning sacred hunting grounds###YurbothShin group ATTACKED
Black magic raced across land and all of Semuanya’s creation perverted.
beasts were wild. BLOOD DEATH MADNESS! the YOUNGLINGS ~
altered…
killed…
young suns extinguished in early night….lament ~
MorKoth advised return to village. short mourning ended by beginning of long return trek.
Tree cats. Fiercesome fury. AMBUSH! MorKoth fell but claimed two for his own. Ren Moc roared and other cats bled for Semuanya.
###lament for passing of MorKoth’s wisdom ^ MorKorth’s kindness###
lost angry wandering jungle time Ocean
fire ships in night
stench of blood/death
SOFTSKINS! dead alive
~ swim for vengeance and tall dark one stabbed through Ta’ Skitch.
RED FURY! Blade fire BLOOD
….but the thin one spoke the words of Semuanya — poorly
Not them! Not them! One called Vanthus is responsible. They hunt him too. Semuanya’s vengeance seeks Vanthus.
Maybe
The one called Tina spoke in the base tongue of softskins ~ perhaps not Vanthus perhaps… (how stupid they are always
underestimating Semuanya’s children)
Kill the rare earth lizard kill the deformed half softskin kill the entrapped mad softskins kill the wild plant that hungers for flesh
More blood to sate Semuanya’s anger
But where is the softskin Vanthus? Is he the one?
Semuanya’s holy justice be done ~ by claw by fang by Ren Moc by will
Linus’s Journal Entry: Not much to say really, it seems to me this Vanthus fellow has bitten off more than he can chew. He must be dispatched soon, else more will choke on his mouthful of trouble. I wonder what secrets lie in the fact that this strange magick only blights kingdom animalia… My limited education on the matter allows me naught but little room for conjecture, but one can only hope that there may be an antidote outside of the ministrations of priests. The excitement and danger of the current adventure is a nice distraction, but I long for an evening over a cup of wine (outside my feduciary means) to ponder over the matter with my newfound compatriots. No matter. I am sure once we overtake Vanthus, justice will be served; and I can go back to orchestrating my vendetta, still years away…
Posted in Uncategorized and tagged campaign chronicle, fun, Savage Tide by Adam A. Thompson with no comments yet.
Huggermuggers
Resembling pixies, these confusing creatures wander the streets of the Central Valley causing all kinds of confusion. They run up to people in the street and hug them while their companions pick their pockets. They have never been known to purposely hurt anyone, but as they live on mugging people, they have been known to do it with such ferocity that that occasionally happens.
Size/Type: Small Fey
Hit Dice: 1d6 (3 hp)
Initiative: +4
Speed: 20 ft. (4 squares), fly 60 ft. (good)
Armor Class: 16 (+1 size, +4 Dex, +1 natural), touch 15, flat-footed 12
Base Attack/Grapple: +0/-6
Attack: Short sword +5 melee (1d4-2/19-20) or longbow +5 ranged (1d6-2/×3)
Full Attack: Short sword +5 melee (1d4-2/19-20) or longbow +5 ranged (1d6-2)/×3
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Spell-like abilities, special arrows
Special Qualities: Damage reduction 10/cold iron, greater invisibility, low-light vision, spell resistance 15
Saves: Fort +0, Ref +6, Will +4
Abilities: Str 7, Dex 18, Con 11, Int 16, Wis 15, Cha 16
Skills: Bluff +7, Concentration +4, Escape Artist +8, Hide +8, Listen +10, Move Silently +8, Ride +8, Search +9, Sense Motive +6, Spot +10
Feats: Alertness, Dodge, Weapon Finesse
Environment: Temperate forests
Organization: Gang (2-4), band (6-11), or tribe (20-80)
Challenge Rating: 4 (5 with mass confusion)
Treasure: No coins; 50% goods; 50% items
Alignment: Always neutral good
Advancement: 2-3 HD (Small)
Level Adjustment: +4 (+6 with mass confusion)
Huggermuggers wear assorted and eclectic clothing, often anachronistic with the time and place where they roam. This helps confuse their mark.
A huggermugger stands about 2½-3 feet tall and weighs about 40 pounds.
Huggermuggers speak Huggermugger and Common, and may know other languages as well.
Combat
The normally carefree huggermuggers ferociously attack evil creatures and unwanted intruders. They take full advantage of their invisibility and other abilities to harass and drive away opponents.
Greater Invisibility (Su)
A huggermugger remains invisible even when it attacks. This ability is constant, but the huggermugger can suppress or resume it as a free action.
Spell-Like Abilities
1/day—lesser confusion (DC 14), dancing lights, detect chaos, detect good, detect evil, detect law, detect thoughts (DC 15), dispel magic, entangle (DC 14), permanent image (DC 19; visual and auditory elements only). Caster level 8th. The save DCs are Charisma-based.
One huggermugger in ten can use mass confusion (caster level 8th) once per day.
Special Arrows (Ex)
Like heir pixie cousins, Huggermuggers sometimes employ arrows that deal no damage but can cause confusion.
Mass Confusion
An opponent within 30′ of come huggermuggers must succeed on a DC 15 Will save or be confused. The save DC is Wisdom-based and includes a +2 racial bonus. The subject retains skills, languages, and class abilities but loses the ability to put thoughts together until he or she receives a heal spell or related mental help with limited wish, wish, or miracle.
Confusion
Any opponent hugged be a huggermugger, regardless of Hit Dice, must succeed on a DC 15 Will save or be affected as though by a confusion spell. The save DC is Wisdom-based and includes a +2 racial bonus.
Huggermuggers As Characters
A huggermugger character exchanges its 1 HD of fey for its first class level.
Huggermugger characters possess the following racial traits.
* -4 Strength, +8 Dexterity, +6 Intelligence, +4 Wisdom, +6 Charisma.
* Small size. +1 bonus to Armor Class, +1 bonus on attack rolls, +4 bonus on Hide checks, -4 penalty on grapple checks, lifting and carrying limits ¾ those of Medium characters.
* A huggermugger’s base land speed is 20 feet. It also has a fly speed of 60 feet (good).
* Low-light vision.
* Skills: Huggermuggers have a +2 racial bonus on Listen, Search, and Spot checks.
* Racial Feats: A huggermugger receives Dodge and Weapon Finesse as bonus feats.
* +1 natural armor bonus.
* Special Attacks (see above): Spell-like abilities.
* Special Qualities (see above): Damage reduction 10/cold iron, greater invisibility, spell resistance equal to 15 + class levels.
* Automatic Languages: Common, Sylvan. Bonus Languages: Elven, Gnome, Halfling.
* Favored Class: Sorcerer.
* Level adjustment +4 (+6 if the huggermugger can use mass confusion).
Posted in Creature and tagged Central Valley, humor by Stephen Hilderbrand with no comments yet.
Marsh Tides
Beware the tides of marsh!
This region in Wastaru is filled with mashlands and barrier waters. Looming overhead is a ring of volcanoes which constantly simmer, causing the water to heat up and the local bestiary to panic and stampede. The droopy trees in the marshlands extend out into the ocean about 1/2 mile off of the shore, wherein the water has a black hue and a tar-like consistency. There is death in those waters.
The marsh tides are the home of the kakataur, a prehistoric alligator/lizard/dinosaur beast. These creatures are very deadly, as they blend in to the wilderness and attack with monstrous fangs behind 1/2 ton frames.
The marsh tides are also the home of the slithe, a great serpent of the marsh. These creatures sneak up and then wrap their 20′ long, slender bodies around their prey, leaving them no hope of survival.
The tides rise and fall, leaving the area well ventilated and constantly altered. The paths through the marsh change with each tide, so humans rarely venture into this region, and almost never make it out alive.
(map to follow)
Posted in Region and tagged Location, marsh, Wastaru by Stephen Hilderbrand with no comments yet.
Ice Kobolds
Ice Kobolds: These Kobolds have a blue-white color to their scales and a natural resistance to the cold (cold subtype: cold immunity). Slightly smaller than other kobolds. They worship the white dragons that live on the arctic shelf and throughout the barrier mountains. There is enmity between them and the beast-men that share these mountians, but they do not make war on each other. They come into frequent conflict with the gnomes and to a lesser extent with the dwarves that live to the mountains to the west of them.
Their king is a fighter 5, sorcerer 8, dragon disciple 5. Also of note among them is a powerful sorcerer who builds fantastic constructs for use as war machines, some in the aspect of the dragons they worship. He often must work with other magic-users to complete these constructs, but has the support of the king and good access to the resources he needs. His constructs always incorporate a magical heart made of a rare and special type of ice-gem that the kobolds mine from the heart of a glacier that looms above their mountain caverns.
Ice Kobold Characters
Ice Kobold characters possess the following racial traits.
* Cold Subtype: Ice Kobolds are immune to cold damage, and take 150% of damage from fire.
* -4 Strength, +2 Dexterity, -2 Constitution.
* Small size: +1 bonus to Armor Class, +1 bonus on attack rolls, +4 bonus on Hide checks, -4 penalty on grapple checks, lifting and carrying limits ¾ those of Medium characters.
* An ice kobold’s base land speed is 30 feet.
* Darkvision out to 60 feet.
* Racial Skills: An ice kobold character has a +2 racial bonus on Craft (trapmaking), Profession (miner), and Search checks.
* Racial Feats: An ice kobold character gains feats according to its character class.
* +1 natural armor bonus.
* Special Qualities (see above): Light sensitivity.
* Automatic Languages: Draconic. Bonus Languages: Common, Undercommon.
* Favored Class: Sorcerer.
* Level adjustment +0.
Posted in Creature and tagged cold subtype, kobold, race or culture by Adam A. Thompson with no comments yet.
Athiest Domain
An athiest priest does not believe in any gods, instead drawing their power from the faithless and other forces one can believe in. As such, they are a powerful force that works against the holy and unholy powers that be (or be not). Since they do not draw their power from a particular god, they seek not the favors of deities. Instead, they draw power from those in the local populace and vicinity who are unbelievers. Their power differs greatly in different lands. In holy lands, they are neigh powerless, whereas in more godless lands, they usually wield a power equal to clerics of the holier lands.
They wield a non-holy magic, and their spell damage is less healable by their holy and unholy brethren.
They also gain the ability to cast spells to bring about certain non-holy/unholy effects that are otherwise similar to the divine versions. In fact, most spells are available to athiest clerics, though those with holy or unholy in the name or description are strictly forbidden.
The most effective athiest clerics maintain a true neutral alignment, however, all alignments are open to athiests.
At all levels, athiest clerics may attempt to counter any divine magic, called “disbelieving.” This is done similar to the counterspell rules for arcane magic.
Athiest Domain Spells
1st: Shaky Faith – like cause fear but non-holiness.
2nd: Invisibilty to the Faithful – invisibility to anyone of faith. No effect on the faithless.
3rd: Faithlessness – An anti-prayer, same effect but from faithlessness.
4th: Expose – expose one of faith’s hypocrisies.
5th: Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt – strike fear uncertainty and doubt in the hearts of men.
6th: Faithlessness Strike – Like flame strike, but with faithlesness as the weapon.
7th: Separation of Church and State – create zones where gods cannot meddle in the affairs of men.
8th: Mass Faithlessness – strike fear, uncertainty and doubt in many hearts of men.
9th: Coincidence – like miracle but emanating from a secular place.
Posted in Uncategorized and tagged athiest domain, cleric domain by Stephen Hilderbrand with no comments yet.
GenCon part 4
Here are a few video clips from my favorite part of GenCon 2007 – “Monte Cook Speaks”. Here Monte speaks about a variety of things: take a look.
An interview with Monte Cook at GenCon 2007. Monte talks about what it’s like to be at GenCon as a participant instead of a vendor for the first time. He goes on to talk about the removal of demons and devils from D&D in 2nd edition,
Monte talks about “A Paladin in Hell”, and his experience writing that during a time when TSR had removed the demons and devils from Dungeons & Dragons.
Monte talks about the last days of 2nd edition of Dungeons & Dragons, the reasons for the success of 3rd edition, and what that means for the upcoming 4th edition.
Monte gives some advice on getting into the gaming industry.
For more about Monte Cook, check out his site here.
Posted in Uncategorized and tagged fun, GenCon 2007 by Adam A. Thompson with no comments yet.
GenCon part 3
Costumes! There were lots of great costumes at gencon… I didn’t want to just stop people all weekend long and take pictures with my crapy camera, though, so I just took a couple here and there. Here’s a sample of what was to be seen:
So, till next time, here’s me and (young) Old Ben, reminding you to watch who you mess with!
Posted in Uncategorized and tagged fun, GenCon 2007 by Adam A. Thompson with no comments yet.
GenCon part 2
So the True Dungoen was awesome. They wouldn’t let me take any pictures, so sorry about that. I ended up, totally randomly, being put into a party with my buddy Dan who I haven’t seen in a year. I played a paladin. There were two options for the dungeon run, combat and puzzle. We did the puzzle run, which had four or five great puzzles of varying difficulty. Two we just couldn’t figure out at all, and the other three involved some trial and error, and some loss of hit points before we finished them. It was very immersive: everything looked really good, from the decomposed skeleton lying on the ground to the monster costumes, to the floating eyeball and the pitch black “passage through the shadow plane”.
Then, when you were done, you could hang out in the Green Griffon Tavern, a medieval-looking tavern with a cash bar. Dan and I had a drink and caught up. I’m thinking about opening one such tavern here in Austin, right next to the game store, with a bar, snacks, and tables big enough to game on in the back. Whadda you think? Would you come to a medieval tavern, to hang out or to game at?
After that I went to their “black and white” ball, a dance in one of the opulent hotel ballrooms. The DJs were up on a balcony and responded well to requests accompanied by bribes. They kept doing that annoying thing where they’d shut the music off during the chorus, forcing the crowd to shout the words out loud. So basically they hired wedding DJs. But the dance was lots of fun anyway.
So, my favorite parts of the con? Miniatures. I just love those elaborate playscapes, be they large or small. Here’s a couple of pictures of my favorites.
And of course, lots of small sets (click on any of them for a larger image).
Posted in Uncategorized and tagged fun, GenCon 2007 by Adam A. Thompson with no comments yet.
GenCon part 1
So just a few quick notes on GenCon. This is my first time at Gencon but I know already it won’t be my last. I haven’t been to a con in a long time, about 17 years, but I’m really glad I came.
I arrived the first night and just wandered around confused. You’d think that at a gaming convention there would be easier maps. But the real cause of the problem was the sheer size of the thing. GenCon is the entire convention center, all three floors, and all the ballrooms and conference rooms in five or six hotels.
Lots of great costumes too. Another post to come with those pictures soon.
So Thursday was a waste, except for finding out that not only do people still play classic Battletech, but that this company has secured the license and is publishing it, with the rules streamlined, and some sheets for mechs already filled in. It’s like they took all the suck out.
Today was much better. I spent all day going to various forums on game design and publishing, which if you read this blog you can safely assume I’m interested in. I also went to all my favorite publishers in the dealer’s room and talked to them some. The folks at Goodman Games, makers of Dungeon Crawl Classics, and the people at Paizo, who put out
Dungeon Magazine, all said they liked the look of the issues of Claw / Claw / Bite! that I brought with me. Plus, I got to touch Monte Cook! So today was a good day.
Look! I’m saying something and Monte is listening to me!!!! —->
Anyway, I’m about to go run through the “True Dungeon”, a life-size dungeon that you actually adventure through yourself! Footage of that coming soon, if all goes well.
Posted in Uncategorized and tagged fun, GenCon 2007 by Adam A. Thompson with 1 comment.
Phase Living
It’s just a phase… he’ll get over it.
This spell was discovered by the elder wizard Faduardo Gantonín in the Phyloctæte, who was hell-bent on prolonging his life. Sadly for him, he never made it very far (only a round forward and a round back), but other mages have since put this magic to good use in less grandiose contexts. Occasionally, mages will need to cast this on themselves to synchronize with items they have phased out of existence, for instance when an object which has had phase object cast upon it is dispelled or otherwise disrupted while the object is out of time (and thus out of mind).
Phase Living (Time / Transmutation) Lvl 7
Transmutation [Time]
Level: Cleric 7, Sor/Wiz 7
Components: V, S, M
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Touch
Effect: One living being shifts in time in defined cycles
Duration: 1 cycle/level (see text)
Saving Throw: Will negates
Spell Resistance: Yes
By waving her index finger and repeating the verbal component, Os-Il-Ayt-Mi, the caster shifts the target in time one round forward or back from the present, alternating back-present-forward-present and so on for 1 cycle/lvl. The caster must continue the verbal component at relative intervals (after each cycle) to maintain the spell. This doesn’t interfere with other spells since the verbal component is so simple.
If cast on an unwilling target, the caster must overcome the target’s willpower.
The Greater version of the spell (9th level) allows the caster to shift a number of beings up to half their level a number of cycles up to their level into the future and past.
Posted in Uncategorized and tagged cleric spell, cleric spell level 7, sorcerer / wizard spell, sorcerer / wizard spell level 7 by Stephen Hilderbrand with no comments yet.