Pebble (full name: Perable Elanaevum Spirisfirmus) is an oddly-shaped small boulder with stumpy arms and legs, as wells as some grass, flowers, and moss growing from his head, and small shiny black eyes. One of the flowers lights up when he smiles, gaining nourishment from his joy. Pebble is a young elemental as things go, weathered off from his parents several centuries ago. He comes from an area of the Elemental Plane of Earth where it is close to the Positive Energy plane, leading to his sunny disposition. His voice sounds like rocks scraping against each other, but he apologizes if he can see anyone wincing from it. He loves building things (shaping inert rock like sandcastles) or digging, which is his favorite activity. He is a little unaware of his own physical power, and might ‘play rough’ without realizing it. As he is about 2 1/2 feet high and weighs upwards of 180lb., this can easily become an issue. Pebble can be summoned with low-level summoning spells, as he is not terribly powerful. He is, however, very sweet-natured, and loves to help those who call for his aid, whoever they are. Statistics: Pebble is a Small Earth Elemental, who emits light (as a candle) when he is happy. He would make an ideal familiar or companion for anyone able to conjure him long-term, or a temporary assistant for anyone using summoning spells. How you can use Pebble in your game: • Pebble can be the unexpected result of a summoning spell- a summoner expecting a usually dull-witted Elemental may catch a surprise from the young, almost sprightly creature. • Pebble also makes a good envoy to more powerful Earth Elemental princes, if a messenger needs to be sent. • An evil cult like those who serve the Elemental Chaos, Tharizdun, would love to use a positive-aligned creature like Pebble as a sacrifice. Elemental creatures may call upon the PCs to rescue Pebble, where they might be in more danger interceding directly. (Originally posted on Game Masters Stash on 31 January 2019) Categories All This pair can be found huddled pitifully around a small cooking fire, trying to keep warm and prepare food. On sight, these two pose no threat- a small grubby child of indeterminate gender, perhaps eight years old, wearing an old Army jacket and clutching a scruffy teddy bear, and a battered red Home Assistance robot wrapped in a child’s blanket. They barely react to anyone approaching, spotting them at a distance and warily huddling tighter. The two have little ability in combat, and resort to running away from foes, but if treated kindly, they will happily converse with strangers. The child’s name is Snails, after their favorite animal. They have a small collection in an old Chinese take-out box which they will enthusiastically show to anyone who doesn’t escape fast enough. Nomilly is the child’s old house robot, which looks after the child. It has several logic errors and serious chassis damage, but is adapting well to being well out of its comfort zone. If strangers are friendly enough, they can pry information out of the pair that they’ve been fleeing “Roiders” who beat them up and tried to take their blankets a few days ago. During this, Snails dropped the journal they’ve been keeping, a little instruction book for other kids in the Wastes. Snails really wants it back, as they’ve got lots of useful information in there. If the PCs are willing to help them, Snails excitedly reads the book to them, which is written in mismatched crayon, but definitely has useful information on avoiding a few particular environmental hazards nearby (this could include Fire Flowers, Green Slime Water, or The Pit Where That Cow Fell In And Died). Snails and Nomilly would make adorable NPCs to have if the PCs can guide them to a settlement where they’ll be safe, and Snails may grow into a useful chronicler of the Wastes. (Originally posted on Game Masters Stash on 30 January 2019) Categories All Suggested level: 5th-6th This lovely deep-green money-purse is decorated with brass serpents intertwining, and has a reassuring heft to it. They are usually used by spies or diplomats for the Serpentfolk nations to protect their secrets. Opening the purse requires applying pressure to the fangs of the serpents, which causes a slight prick. There is never blood on the fangs, although it usually draws a drop from the user’s fingers. Secretly, the serpents drink the blood and examine it. Those with the [Reptilian] subtype, such as Yuan-Ti or Lizardfolk, allow the purse to open. Any other creatures trigger a Hold Person effect (save DC 15), lasting one hour. Some particularly vicious owners apply poisons to the fangs as well, to further punish thieves. (Originally posted on Game Masters Stash on 29 January 2019) Categories All “Hey there, choombata, good to scope you. We got a tourist job for you this time. This bit jockey, name of Garrett Engstrom, is headed to a big meetup called CultureCon. It’ll be full of cosplayers, chipheads, BTL enthusiasts, and a few actual Cyberpunk themselves. “He’s also known to have two other operators, prob’ly chipped, with contracts on his head. It’s your job to make sure he doesn’t get checked out by the competition. So, up for a swing through a target-rich environment with no can openers, unknown hostiles, and a bunch of downtime?” Performing a guard mission at a pop-culture convention with a population density that makes NeoTokio look deserted will be a challenge. Doing so in a place with security guards and inquisitive cosplayers wanting to inspect all their interesting gear, will make it really exciting. Having two disguised assassins going after their target, who is blissfully unaware of any threat to his life, is going to make this reeeeally difficult. The convention, CultureCon, will be very crowded, and have a variety of BTL stars, pop culture personalities, sales booths with a dazzling number of esoteric Pop Vinyls and collectibles, and even a few booths selling the latest Militech gadgets which may draw the attention of PCs. Just about everyone will be AR-active, and even hopping into the Matris going to cause some serious lag. Pounding K-pop and thrashmetal compete for volume, and the air conditioning struggles to keep up with the warmth and number of bodies. One of the assassins, by the street name of ShadyEve, is dressed in Geisha costume, and he attacks using a concealed stutterpistol, willing to shred anyone in the vicinity of the target. The other is a full-body mod cyborg, cosplaying as a character from the latest AR-nime, who will reveal herself out of the midst of a group of schoolgirls. The ends of her weapons are painted orange, which might catch people by surprise. No matter what, this will be a memorable run! (Originally posted on Game Masters Stash on 27 January 2019) Categories All This idea is not about romantic interest between players, it’s about addressing downtime between games, or when starting the game. Having just started my newest campaign last night, I’m keen to try out this idea, borrowed from Apocalypse World. Basically, the idea is to write a short letter to each character (not player), setting up what’s happening for them and how they get to where they start the game session. Give them a choice or roll that exercises their skills (or draws on where you left off last, if that’s more appropriate), and update them on experience or any gear they’ve gained/lost as part of the decision. So, one might read as below: “Naeris, You’ve been working as a caravan guard for a full season, and it’s been paying decently. You met Guth’Ore, the towering Orc, and the two of you get on alright, despite him being an enormous sociopath with no manners. Just as you’re reaching the town of Buckton, your employer Tennyn draws you aside and says “you and the Orc have done well. I’m giving you a bonus, what he doesn’t know won’t hurt him though.”, and hands you a small purse with an additional 5 gold. You know Guth’Ore has expensive habits (needing to replace stuff he’s smashed, and pay fines) but that’s an extra month’s pay. It’s up to you. Make your choice whether to split it with Guth’Ore, keep it for yourself, or turn it down. Regards, The GM” Of course, each player gets one, and you’re completely in your rights to send another one on reading “Guth’Ore, It’s been a difficult few months guarding these stupid merchants. They keep laughing at your ways, and they clearly don’t think you’re smart, despite paying you to guard them. That elf Naeris seems to be alright though, even if he’s a *lulgijak* who uses a blade. Just before reaching Buckton, you’re in one of the tents coiling rope when you hear your employer Tennyn speaking to someone outside, maybe Naeris. You can overhear him say “you and the Orc have done well. I’m giving you a bonus, what he doesn’t know won’t hurt him though.”, and the clink of coins in a pouch. You keep it to yourself, but later you’re tidying the fireplace and packing the wagon, and come across the little casket that you know Tennyn keeps treasured letters from his wife in. Did you want to get even with the *hol’khurv* merchant by throwing his letters into the warm embers, or leave them alone? Make your choice, but remember you and Naeris are due at that inn tomorrow- apparently there’s a wedding on, and everyone’s invited to join in on the food. You don’t want to miss that! Kind regards, your benevolent GM.” As you can see from the examples, you can use these to set up some fun NPC interactions, and deal with private matters that shouldn’t necessarily take up party time. Guth’Ore and Naeris’ players might talk about their experiences, and a confrontation over the bonus might happen, but it sets the tone easily. If characters have relationships with NPCs, these are an ideal time to deal with them, without making the rest of the party sit through a weird scene where you play someone’s husband bidding them farewell. You can do these whenever the party has split up- they’ve gone back to town to cash in their loot and do their own thing for a bit, or even if someone gets a message from home while camping outside a dungeon overnight. When starting a new campaign, it’s best to give one to everyone and offer some opportunities for characterization, but from there, deal them out as necessary. It can also head off some unhelpful behaviour in the game- Guth’Ore’s player can get some petty destruction in, off-screen, and not disrupt the party by doing that when negotiations are more important. They’re pretty quick to write, and you can even send them as private messages in between games to keep players’ interest levels up during the mid-week slump, if that’s the way your player dynamic runs (Originally posted on Game Masters Stash on 26 January 2019) Categories All It’s hard to balance out the ease of using hit points as a way of judging health, and gaming the system with healing and restoration. Sometimes it’s much more cinematic for someone to be wounded, without wanting that to easily fixed or just erased by numbers (casters using a pile of “heal 1 hit point” spells, and so on. What I propose is a status condition, like Fatigued or Frightened- Critically Wounded. You gain the Critically Wounded condition any time you would take a massive number of hit points in damage (arbitrarily, 20, but feel free to play with it and see what works for you in your own game). You remove the Critically Wounded condition by gaining 4 or more dice of healing at once, or spending (again, an arbitrary amount) one full week of bed rest without taking any further hit point damage. Effects: While you are Critically Wounded, note this with the number of hit points of damage done in this effect. Those hit points are segmented off as part of the Critical Wound, and you cannot heal them in any way except regeneration, until you lose the Critical Wound condition. In addition, you take an ongoing -2 penalty on all d20 rolls, as your body is weaker, slower, and distracted from the pain. You can gain multiple Critical Wounds at once, and each must be healed separately. The penalties from multiple Critical Wound conditions stack. Note that a character suffering from single or multiple Critical Wound effects may not be able to be stabilized. (Originally posted on Game Masters Stash on 25 January 2019) Categories All Mardimnan is a literally unearthly sight- a clearly inhuman figure sitting atop a floating shell, dragged by some kind of six-legged beast, and holding a steaming crimson lantern on the end of a long pole. But it just wants to trade! Mardimnan travels from places and times that cannot be explained, and it will not speak of. Mardimnan refers to itself only in third person. Mardimnan begins every sentence with its name to make sure that customers are not confused. Mardimnan trades in bizarre and unknowable commodities, such as: • the left hand of a right handed master artist • the used handkerchief of a red-haired Duchess • an Orc child’s first tusk • the aspirations of a dying man • that rock over there that’s shaped a little bit like a dolphin • a charcoal pencil that has been used a little bit • a piece of smithed metal (any metal) that has never known the sight of any mortal being • a dagger used to end the life of a King and an innocent man • a shred of fabric from the burial shroud of a Saint • a drop of blood from someone who has taken precisely three lives • a masterpiece that was ruined before it was completed • a rock which has been carried to the top of the tallest mountain in sight, and back down again • The skin from the face of a child that will be born next month Mardimnan is willing to trade “useless” magical items and gifts that confuse it- chests of gold, jewelry, and gems. If this seems to good to be true... congratulation, you just rolled well on a Sense Motive check. Although Mardimnan truly wishes to trade, several of the things it asks for are unpleasant and sometimes outright evil in their nature. Its requests are sometimes not able to be located, but could be manufactured (by killing an innocent man with a dagger used to kill a King, for example), and it is willing to wait (and offer fabulous reward) for the items, usually up to a year and a day. Mardimnan’s aims are arcane and long-term, and rely heavily on divination. Mardimnan’s requests are all important objects in the future- that rock shaped like a dolphin would have distracted a diplomat in three years, making an arrow miss him, meaning he will survive to make peace between two nations. As Mardimnan’s requests grow odder and odder, and more sinister, players may (rightfully) start suspecting it of evildoing, and might try to trap or attack Mardimnan. Mardimnan will likely escape, unless dimensionally anchored. Statistics: Mardimnan is a Neutral Evil greater Yugoloth with an enormous amount of sorcerous power. If attacked, it generally tries to cut its losses and flee. (Originally posted on Game Masters Stash on 24 January 2018) Categories All The Dwarves who follow Canaan, Lord of Fire, have developed a special technique for dealing with injury. Using specialist magical techniques to increase resistance to fire, they pour molten gold mixed with the person’s blood into a wound. The gold becomes living, and melds with the subject to become a part of their body. This leads to a striking appearance, as the gold shimmers in the skin like a scar. Advanced techniques even involve replacement of limbs or portions of the body with milder pieces. Those who have extensive scars from this healing technique notice an increase in their density and weight. It is an unfortunate side effect that this enhancement sometimes leads to the subject being slain and hacked apart for their gold value when traveling in other societies, as the gold becomes inert again after the subject dies. Limbs like these are often passed to descendants or trusted friends after death, in case they need a similar replacement. Statistics: Receiving Aurthotic healing requires approximately 25 gold pieces’ worth of pure gold per hit point, or 100 gold pieces’ worth per ability score point which has been drained, to be restored. This also adds around 1lb. of weight per 5 hit points or 1 ability point restored. Subjects who have received more than 20 hit points’ worth, or 2 ability score points, of Aurthotic healing gain a +1 increase to their natural armour. This stacks per 20 hit points’ worth of healing, or per 2 ability score points received. Ways you can use Aurthotic Healing in your game: • Dwarven warriors may appear to have shining gold scars on their skin, and will dismember a slain comrade for their scars, before burial, which may shock those unused to their culture. • A PC who needs urgent assistance or reward of some kind by Dwarven artisans might receive Aurthotic healing without being aware of what is being offered. • The PCs might meet a particularly scarred berserker, criss-crossed with fine lines and jagged splashes of bright gold armouring her body. Note: this idea was inspired by a combination of the Japanese art of Kintsugi, which involves repairing broken ceramics with melted gold “solder”, and the Fyreslayer Dwarves of Warhammer’s Age of Sigmar range. (Originally posted on Game Masters Stash on 23 January 2019) Categories All This curious pair of bounty hunters are never seen without their signature masks. They are cool, professional, and very effective at their task. Ana and Matías came from a humble background as sheep herders, and witnessed their flock stolen by a bandit. As thirteen- and twelve- year olds, respectively, they elected to track down the man who had wronged them, and make him pay. Due to their athletic skill and fieldcraft, it turned out they had quite a talent, and operated well as a pair. Ana encouraged her brother, a little more timid, to pursue this as a career, and now, some ten years later, they are well-respected professional hunters for coin. They never disagree publicly, which combines with their ever-present masks to give them an almost supernatural air. This is due to a pact they made, and both stick to, in order to operate more effectively. Statistics: both Ana and Matías are experienced Rangers, able to handle themselves in a fight, track a fugitive across a desert, and survive in the wilds. Together, they are lethal, operating with well-honed efficiency and years of long experience. Both fight with paired shortswords and light armour. How you can use the cut-throat siblings in your game: • The siblings might be in competition for a high-profile bounty which the PCs are also competing for. Although they will not sabotage their competitors, they might not aid them if they are struggling. This is a good way to set them up as rivals. • The siblings might need a hand with flushing out a target, and might hire the PCs as fodder. If they’ve worked with or around them before, they’ll have a little respect for them already, but this may be a chance for them to become friends or allies. • If the siblings get into trouble with a bounty that’s too slippery for them (involving magical abilities, or just too strong), they might need a hand, and could turn to trusted friends who are nearby. They might even be willing to split the bounty. (Originally posted on Game Masters Stash on 22 January 2019) Categories All Sometimes, including elements from another game that your players already know can allow for some fun and memorable encounters.
The first Harry Potter book, the Philosopher’s Stone, has Wizard chess as one of the puzzles that the ‘player characters’ have to contend with, in order to proceed to confronting the ‘boss’ of their game. This works well in a location or milieu where “powerful magic makes you do only X”, or controls reality somehow, so you can control players’ actions within the scope and rules of that game. However, when you incorporate other elements, you can allow them to think “outside of the box” and cheat the rules, like jumping from the back of a serpent onto a nearby ladder, in some kind of weird Snakes and Ladders construction. This can be an enjoyable encounter where a player who knows that specific game can really shine, but also breaks down the traditional rules of a D&D-style game. How you can use this in your games: • A mad wizard’s dungeon is a staple of D&D going all the way back to Gary Gygax’s dungeon ‘Castle Greyhawk’. Adding strange elements like this that don’t really make sense, but have quite tightly controlled outcomes and rules can be very strange but also good. • The Fey are renowned for being strange, and forcing intruders to participate in odd games seems very strange indeed. They may even force players to take very unusual roles, like making a Barbarian take the place of a pawn, while a Mage is assigned to the role of a Knight, just for giggles. • Findiing bizarre demiplanes with strange rules assigned to them is almost required for interdimensional travel, and can actually be used as a filler side-quest (especially if you’ve forgotten to make notes for stuff). Just haul out another old game from the games cupboard (you don’t have a games cupboard? Acquire one, post-haste!) and find some way to awkwardly jam it in! (Originally posted on Game Masters Stash on 21 January 2019) These curiously-shaped arrows contain a baleful yellow energy crackling within them. They are offered with a sign saying “clearance- Arrers of Foe Slayin”, at an incredibly cheap price (25-50gp per arrow, with a discount for the bundle). However, the confusion arises from “faux (or pretend) slaying”, rather than “foe slaying”. The merchant is ignorant of their origin, only saying that he “bought them off the wizard what came through town last week. Said ‘is apprentice made ‘em, and they was gar-on-teed.” Statistics: +1 arrow, any foe struck must make a Fortitude save (DC 13) or fall into a deep coma (as per the Sleep spell, and in addition they are visibly covered in bloody splatters). The condition is only distinguishable from actual death with a Heal check (DC 15), which will notice that the blood is insubstantial, and the target’s chest rises and falls slowly. How you can use Arrows of Faux Slaying in your game: • Plentiful enemies equipped with these can make capture of PCs much easier. • An enemy thought to be slain with one of these may not be as dead as thought. • An assassination takes place publicly, and the target is hauled away by some conveniently-close clerics. When the real clerics turn up, however, players might get a clue that everything is not as it seemed... (Originally posted on Game Masters Stash on 20 January 2019) Categories All The Katerpillar “When you need to take a trip in Night City, the Katerpillar is your lady. Just don’t make a fuss, don’t stare, and whatever you do, don’t take offense when she says “Bite me”...” The Katerpillar comes from some seriously mysterious background. No-one knows where you even would get the kind of full-body borg mods that turn someone into a twenty-eight-foot-long gigantic caterpillar with thermal lenses for eyes, servo claws, and hazard stripes, let alone who’d be the target market for that. And certainly, no-one would expect it to come with an honest-to God warm Tennessee accent. All that people know is that the Katerpillar turned up in Night City a few years back and quickly established herself as *the name* in the exotic and designer pharmaceuticals market. She’s occasionally contracted to some of the Corps, but she doesn’t talk about it. When you need something that’ll turn your enemy’s insides into outsides, blow your mind without blowing a workplace drug check or impairing your trigger finger, let you feel sound on your skin as the latest technothrash, or let someone keep functioning at -32°F body temperature, the Katerpillar is the lady you need to talk to. Plus, it’ll come as a pot of Gingko tea, or a polka-dot cupcake, or a blue mushroom, wrapped in brown paper with a neatly handwritten label. Statistics: The Katerpillar’s full-body borg-mod has an enormous amount of mass, and although she doesn’t have combat training, she is quite dangerous. She is owed favours by some big names from big corporations, and has no compunction about calling them in, as we as providing full-spectrum scans of any customer who’s harmed her. She is an absolute genius at any kind of chemistry, and can synthesize or invent just about anything, given time and a budget for it. She is occasionally quixotic, and a sucker for a sob story, but insists on one thing from each and every client, or the intended target- a blood sample. She says this is to make sure there won’t be any interaction issues, and all her drugs are guaranteed to function perfectly. How you can use the Katerpillar in your game: • Designer drugs can create, and solve, an awful lot of problems. Maybe a friendly Fixer can put in a good word for you? • The Katerpillar doesn’t just make drugs- she can synthesize anything made of chemicals, given the resources. If you’ve been hit up by some dirty Mr Johnson with some kinda filthy toxin, she’s your best bet- but she won’t be cheap. Hell, if you’re lucky, she made the original poison! • The Katerpillar may also arrange services through a Fixer herself, if there’s something she needs for a job. If that’s the case, she may turn to people she already knows can be confidential and reliable. (Originally posted on Game Masters Stash 19 January 2019) Categories All These hideous alien creatures use magical charm and hypnotism to infiltrate into humanoid society. Interlopers are disgusting, blobby creatures with slimy bristles, bulbous eyes on stalks, with a long sticky tongue, and a stench like mildew. They are grotesque by any humanoid standards, and physically repulsive to gaze upon. However, those who have been charmed report them being warm and pleasant to touch, and hearing a soft purring noise from them. They will make baby-talk to their pets, and answer them, sometimes changing their own minds by these conversations. Interlopers recognize those who are affected by another Interloper, presumably by the smell that clings to them, and will work with that person to aid each other. Statistics: Interlopers are Neutral Evil 2-HD Aberrations. They are clever (Int 7) but not cerebral- they don’t want to overturn the world, just to eat. Interlopers have the ability to Charm Person permanently on making eye contact (Will DC 15 negates). A humanoid who makes their saving throw is immune to that Interloper’s charm gaze for the next 24 hours. A Charmed target is able to be influenced as a Suggestion spell once per day (no save). They also permanently drain 1d3 hp from any helpless creature nearby them over the course of 1 minute. Those who have been drained appear pale and anemic, which can assist to identify their symptoms. How you can use Interlopers in your game: • A noble or other person who hires the PCs bears a hideous creature on their lap, stroking it idly. They will refer to their pet with loving nicknames like “schnookums”. • After their successful presentation to a Prince, a family of Interlopers are starting to nest at the Royal Court. Other nobles are being gifted infant Interlopers as fashionable pets, and soon, pale nobles are having their decisions influenced all over the Kingdom. • Alternately, a PC might stumble upon one of these creatures somewhere, and be Charmed by it, bringing it back to civilization, perhaps as an ersatz familiar. (Originally posted on Game Masters Stash 18 January 2019) Categories All They say everyone gets fifteen minutes of fame. The Titanium Saint, heroine of the Fourth Corporate Wars, is certainly getting hers. Gloria Ordóñez was born in Los Angeles, shortly after the ‘Diez Punto Cinco’ earthquake of ‘98, a city ravaged by natural disaster, crime, and abandonment by the failing government. She had a decent home life, as much education as she could get, and membership in a gang by age ten. It was at age fifteen that she was grabbed in relation to a shooting, one she had nothing to do with, and given an option of service with Militech, or jail. In nine years she had reached the rank of Staff Sergeant, taking lead of a squad of power-armoured soldiers and dropping into some of the hottest fighting in the Fourth Corporate War. She fought all over, battles in Hong Kong and Rio de Janeiro before both were ruined, and then at the battle of Night City. There, at the foot of Arasaka Tower, she and her squad fought a furious action against Arasaka hit squads, which was filmed by several huddling wageslaves with commlinks. Their desperate holding action was recorded, and the image of SSgt Ordóñez, helmet shattered, sliding on one knee through the rubble, her sword almost glowing in the reflected neon, was captured and went global. Her squad was obliterated in the subsequent nuclear explosion deep beneath Arasaka Tower, but SSgt Ordóñez survived and was retired from Militech with some cyber replacements, and became a celebrity of sorts. These days, she’s become a Runner, and plays on her reputation. She’s a deadly combatant, a gifted small-unit tactics commander, and the owner of a JetFlix account with an astounding amount of Telenovelas. How you can use the Titanium Saint in your game: • Gloria might be hired on for a job with your PCs. Her fame, skill, and tactical knowledge will certainly help your players in their mission, but they’ll have to be careful that they’re not too expendable- they need to pull their own weight. • Running on a mission against Gloria will be a lethal prospect- any smart runner will look at taking her out of the contract without drawing her ire. As a professional, she’ll take this with a certain amount of respect, and return the favour if she can. • As someone publicly recognizable, she has vulnerabilities in her family and friends. If they’re threatened because of something she’s drawn fire over, she’ll need allies, and she’ll try to call on people she’s dealt with in the past- old military buddies, people she’s run with, or against. • Finally, if your PCs reach a high enough level of power, they might want to hire her on. Doing so will cost them dearly- and be worth every nuyen they spend. (Originally posted on Game Masters Stash 17 January 2019) Categories All These mysterious and uncommon undead creatures float in eerie silence. They are dressed in tattered remnants of their former funerary dress. Remembrances are formed spontaneously, when a faithful member of a church dies during devoted prayer. They pass into undeath, and become a guardian of the faithful of their church. They appear dead to all examinations, but rise from their resting places when a member of the congregation is threatened. They stalk their prey relentlessly and with no mercy, bringing vengeance on those who endanger their flock. Statistics: A Remembrance should be about Challenge Rating 6, and is a Good-aligned undead creature. They are immune to being Turned, except by a cleric of their own faith. They are skilled combatants which are physically powerful, and immune to most magical effects. They have a special ability to hear the prayers of the faithful within one mile’s radius, as a Whispering Wind spell. A Remembrance loses most of their individuality, remembering only basics about their life, and unable to communicate in any meaningful way. How you can use a Remembrance in your game: • A particularly bloody murder of an upstanding citizen might draw the attention of investigative PCs. On investigation, proof of the citizen’s harmful behaviour towards his own family can be found, although the family were all elsewhere. A smell of sacred columbine flowers leads to the the mausoleum at the nearby church, revealing the Remembrance which committed the murder. • While the Remembrance can hear prayers, it cannot necessarily determine the truth of what it hears. Someone who believes incorrectly (or is told untruths) might inadvertently send a vengeful Remembrance after innocent victims. • If a Cleric PC’s mentor dies and becomes a Remembrance, this could be a very interesting storyline to follow, as the PC debates whether their mentor should go to final death or remain in their undead state. (Originally posted on Game Masters Stash 16 January 2019) Categories All This spell can be used on a split-second’s notice to contain failed experiments, magic accidents, or even hostile spells. Level: Sorcerer/Wizard 2 School: Abjuration Casting Action: Immediate Reaction Duration: Instantaneous Range: Close Target: one spell or magical effect with the [Acid], [Cold], [Electricity], [Fire], or [Sonic] subtypes Components: S, M (a glass bubble worth 25 gold pieces) Effect: This spell allows the caster to attempt to contain a single spell or effect of up to 4th level within a bubble, preventing it from erupting into the full area. When used to counter a spell which has been cast, this allows the respective casters to roll 1d20 + their caster level. If the caster of this spell succeeds, the spell is contained and fails to have any further effect. If the original caster wins the opposed roll, the spell continues as normal. Rumours exist of higher-level versions which allow the caster to contain higher-level effects. How you can use this spell in a game: • A mentor can use this spell to protect an apprentice from an accident or trap, or a spell cast by a rival. They might teach this spell or give a scroll to their apprentice for later usage. • An anti-wizard spellcaster who wishes to counter and shut down harmful magical effects might keep a few of these spells prepared and handy. This might be particularly frustrating for spellcaster PCs who would prefer damaging spells. • Items which can sustain this effect are known, which allow the spell ‘bubble’ to persist, and it can then be redirected for later use when desired, or used as an energy source. Statistics are presented in 3.5 format, which I’m most comfortable with. This spell can, of course, be adapted for other games or systems. (Originally posted on Game Masters Stash 15 January 2019) Categories All Suggested level: 3rd-6th This wide-bladed dagger has a damascened blade and its hilt is a cast brass skeleton. It is heavy in the hand, and grips easily when held blade-down. Although this weapon is magical, its true value is as a ritual instrument. When used to slay a helpless or dying opponent, the user may use Animate Dead on the slain target using a ritual lasting 1 minute. The weapon has passed through many hands since its creation at the hands of the God of the Dead himself. He gifted this dagger to one of his servants, and instructed them to swell the numbers of his armies with it. Statistics: +1 dagger; Animate Dead (no limit). How this can be used in your game: • The Death’s-Head Dagger has a distinctive appearance, and might be a particular weapon used by an enemy appearing in a character’s backstory, like the Six-Fingered Man from the Princess Bride. Bringing a backstory villain into play raises the stakes dramatically, and allows you to refocus the game. • Holding onto such a weapon can give a player character useful power, but the power is clearly evil. This can allow for a moral discussion or confrontation with traditionally ‘good’ authorities who wish to destroy the Death’s-Head Dagger. • This weapon is thought to be unique. But finding other people wielding them might lay clues for finding a cult assembling an undead army, victim by victim. (Originally posted on Game Masters Stash 14 January 2019) Categories All Conspiracies are hard work- studies show that the more people involved, the less time before someone blabs and it breaks out, so how can you write a conspiracy that feels believable, in-world? First of all, plot out what the aim or expected outcome for the plot is. What steps need to be made in order for this to happen? (Note- this is a good spot for you to scheme up some points for early-plot and mid-plot investigation, things that the PCs can actually fail at or not even be involved in, but see the results of) Then, think about what points could fail or cause exposure for the people responsible? These are often things farmed out to lesser servants or mercenaries, and are often places where things go wrong- if the special part goes missing, that’s something that the PCs can end up with, and start to track down leads. Even if they don’t pick up on the leads themselves, and sell the <whatever your MacGuffin device is> to a collector for a stack of money, that collector can do some work and then track down your characters later on to get them back on track. It can also be helpful to plot out a flowchart, or even a “wall of crazy” as illustrated below, so you know who your foes are, who has responsibilities where, and how to proceed. This way, when your PCs inevitably throw a spanner in the works, you can start to plan out how to recover from that. (Red string and craziness optional) (Originally published on Game Masters Stash 13 January 2019) Categories All These powerful golems are made to protect the final resting place of the honored dead. At the core of such a creature is a solid stone sarcophagus, holding the body of its ward. The headstone literally shows the face of such a creature, and when it emerges from the earth, its powerful stone limbs and revealed. Unless the grave is disturbed, they usually stay dormant. However, they may animate if people approach the site. Statistics: A Sepulchreation’s statistics most closely resemble a Stone Golem, however it is affected by some additional spells. Gentle Repose causes the golem to be paralyzed for 1d3 rounds, and Animate Dead causes the golem to fly into a rage for the next 1d6 rounds. How you can use a Sepulchreation in your game: • Establishing the territory of a Sepulchreation early on as the burial place of a famous hero (or perhaps a villain whose grave is to remain undisturbed). It can be placated into quiescence by particular rituals (Gentle Repose) in order to pass it undisturbed. • Having to actually disturb a Sepulchreation’s tomb in order to recover something from the buried person means having to disturb the golem. • The construction of such a creature for a fallen friend or respected ally could be quite a quest- finding the materials and a suitable mage to animate the golem. (Originally posted on Game Masters Stash 12 January 2019) Categories All “Aragorn, son of Arathorn” has a certain ring to it. As does “Danaerys Stormborn”, or “Elric of Melnibone”. Not so much, “Bob the Fighter”. It’s important to pick something that’s not going to completely undermine the seriousness (or playfulness) of the setting, and that’s something you need to discuss with your other players, including the GM, at your ‘session zero’. If it’s a real-world modern game where you have Barbaras and Stephens, a “Cato Sicarius” will be the out-of-place option. Or if you’re playing MLP: Friendship is Magic, “Malus Darkblade” might seem a little out of character. But as tempting as it may be, don’t just pick a completely dull name if you can’t think of anything, unless your character’s whole schtick is just being an ordinary ‘straight man’ to contrast the weirdness of the setting. Resources you can use to help you: • Read. Honestly, read anything you can. Spot names wherever you are and whatever you’re reading (customer names are good if you’re noticing them at work, but don’t breach anyone’s privacy- mix things up). If you can find somewhere that has a bunch of names from a culture different to your own, that’s A-grade stuff, which can give you some really interesting names. • Get a baby name book in any second-hand shop (and freak out your parents slightly). They’ll often have names with different cultural influences, which can give you some fantastic stuff to work with. • Failing that, a lot of names from fantasy sources are based on real names, with some letters or sounds changed. “Aaron” can become “Aeron”, “Arron”, or “Ayren” just by substituting some different sounds into it. “Stayvon” from “Stephen”, “Bobara” from “Barbara”... maybe that’s not the best example. The point being, we have such amazing resources available to us, there’s really no excuse for a name that spoils other players’ immersion. (Originally posted on Game Masters Stash 11 January 2019) Categories All |
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