Fantasy AGE: The Ghuls of Camrinal

The blasted world of Sarvaelen is a place of haunted memories, hideous monsters and a bleak history tainted by old gods of the most capricious nature, exceeded only by the even bleaker future the land holds. It's one part post-apocalypse and another part dark fantasy, aimed at a land where populations really are small, and no strong unity exists among men or demihuman to stand against the encroaching darkness. Ghuls are a deliberate effort to emphasize just how wrong things have gone in this world....and to show how even the corrupted start off with minds and memories of their own, slowly eaten by whatever darkness has consumed Camrinal. 

Ghuls of Camrinal

0 Accuracy

-1 Communication

1 Constitution (stamina)

2 Dexterity (stealth)

2 Fighting (claws)

0 Intelligence

1 Perception

2 Strength (intimidation)

4 Willpower

Speed   12           Health  34           Defense               12           AR 0

Weapon (attack/damage)

Claws +4 to hit, 1D6+2 damage

Bite +4 to hit, 1D4+2 damage and ghul fever if damage is dealt (see below)

Special Qualities:

Favored stunts: knock prone, lighting attack (2 SPs)

Ghul Fever: once bitten by a ghul, the target must make a TN 11 vs. Constitution (stamina) of the bite or suffer from a debilitating fever. The principle effect is 1D6 minutes long and induces nausea and severe cramping, causing the target to suffer a -2 penalty to attacks, saves and any other physical prowess checks the GM deems appropriate.

Cannibals: Ghuls are known cannibals. The ghuls of Aelghast restrain themselves, and feed only on their own (so far as anyone knows) and the dead (suspected but not proven; they are very careful to avoid being caught). Any ghul that feeds off of living kindred flesh may immediately recover 1D6 health (per day). Ghuls experience a sort of hungry bloodlust when exposed to wounds on the living, and must make a TN 11 check against willpower (self-discipline) to resist attacking wounded beings.

Half-Dead Immortals: Ghuls don’t age. They look like zombies, with rotting skin and bones visible, clearly not being quite “alive” yet not dead, either. However they do breathe and effects which affect the living usually also harm them (except for diseases). They “appear” as undead on spells that detect such conditions, but with an eerie aura of half-life suggesting something unusual about them.

Seen Too Much: Ghuls have already experienced some amazing horrors in their time. Ghuls gain the willpower (courage) focus for this reason, but if a magical compulsion would induce fear they gain +4 instead of +2 on a resistance roll.

Disease Immunity: Ghuls are immune to the effects of all disease.

The ghuls are a survivor race, mutated descendants of a handful of Camrinal citizens that survived the apocalypse and kept their wits about them. Even hideously changed into half-dead beings the ghuls prosper, though in time it seems the madness inevitably creeps over them.

The ancient empire of Camrinal was a vast, dominant power that subjugated the old kingdoms to its rule about two hundred years ago. Camrinal not only ruled by force of arms but by force of magic as well, for it indulged the aristocracy of its era with a culture of free experimentation and arcane dabbling that eventually led to a magiocracy in which only those who demonstrated sorcerous talent were allowed to hold the reigns of power, ownership of property or positions of strength in the Empire. Magic had, in this now lost era two centuries gone, become ubiquitous.

When the fires of destruction rained down upon Camrinal in the Final Conflict, the vast majority of the old empire was wiped out, but many of its lesser citizens and a few elites survived. Today these survivors are mostly found as changed beings among the population known as the ghuls, but in some odd corners of the world there still exist untainted purebloods, though they often do not realize their own lineage.

As ghuls age they gradually begin to lose their mental faculties, and slowly go insane. When this happens they become feral creatures, driven purely by a desire to devour flesh. When a ghul dies or is slain, it returns within 1D4 days as an actual undead ghoul.

Undead ghouls gain the following modifiers: intelligence, willpower and communication drop to -2, constitution goes up to +2, health goes to 35, they lose the willpower (self-discipline) focus and they gain the Deathly Fortitude quality (like the Walking Dead, see entry in FAGE). Undead ghouls can survive indefinitely without sustenance, but must make a TN 18 willpower (self-discipline) check to resist attacking the living, as they are driven mad in the presence of live flesh.

Ghul Characters: Most ghuls are likely to be NPCs and those which have lost their minds or become true undead are inevitably going to be foes, but a certain number of ghuls walk a fine line between death and madness, retaining their sanity for decades or longer. These are possible player characters.

•          Ghuls which retain their sanity have strong wills, and so gain +1 to willpower
•          Ghuls have darkvision for 20 yards like elves
•          Ghuls are armed with a claws which deal 1D6+strength damage and start with weapon group: claws. The ghul also has a vicious bite dealing 1D4+strength damage; they start with Weapon Group (bite) as well. The bite exposes the victim a nerve-damaging bacteria which acts quickly, requiring a constitution check on the target vs. TN 11 or suffer from a debilitating fever. The principle effect is 1D6 minutes long and induces nausea and severe cramping, causing the target to suffer a -2 penalty to attacks, saves and any other physical prowess checks the GM deems appropriate.
•          Ghuls engage in cannibalism to revive themselves. Any ghul that feeds off of living kindred flesh may immediately recover 1D6 health (per day). Ghuls experience a sort of hungry bloodlust when exposed to wounds on the living, and must make a TN 11 check against willpower (self-discipline) to resist attacking wounded beings.
•          Ghuls have already experienced some amazing horrors in their time. Ghuls gain the willpower (courage) focus for this reason, but if a magical compulsion would induce fear they gain +4 instead of +2 on a resistance roll.
•          Ghuls are immune to the effects of all disease.
•          Ghuls get two rolls on the following benefits:

Ghul Benefits

2D6      Benefit

2          +1 Strength

3-4       Focus: intelligence (arcane lore)

5          Focus: communication (disguise)
6          Focus: willpower (self-discipline)

7-8       +1 fighting

9          Focus: communication (deception)

10-11   Focus: Strength (intimidation)

12        +1 Constitution

Fantasy AGE: The Naga of Sarvaelen

I'm really, really liking Fantasy AGE. I really do have other stuff for RPGs I should be working on, but all I want is to spend time writing stuff up for Fantasy AGE, instead. So, continuing with my total conversion of Sarvaelen to Fantasy AGE I offer up....the Naga of Sarvaelen!

Naga (of Nagapuram)

3 Accuracy

0 Communication

2 Constitution

4 Dexterity (stealth)

4 Fighting (constriction, bite, polearms)

3 Intelligence (any two arcana)

3 Perception

4 Strength (intimidation, swimming)

2 Willpower

Speed   14      Health  32      Defense       14       AR 4 (natural scales)

Weapon (attack/damage)

Halberd +6 to hit, 2D6+7 damage

Bite +6 to hit, 1D4+4 damage and target must make a contested Constitution check vs. TN 13 or suffer total paralysis for 1D6X10 minutes. Naga can only bite once every 2D4 hours with the paralytic venom.

Special Qualities:

Favored stunts: constriction (see below, 3 SP), lighting attack (2 SPs)

Special Stunt: Constriction 3 SPs: the target must make a contested strength roll vs. Naga’s strength or become constricted (unable to move, target suffers -2 Defense while restrained, and -2 to attacks with ability to use light one-handed weapons only). Each round the target can make a new strength test vs. the naga to escape.

Scaly Hide: naga have a natural AR of 4.

Aquatic: naga can swim and move at normal speed unhindered under water and fight without penalty.

Talents:

Weapon Groups: bows, spears, brawling, polearms, light and heavy blades

Arcane Talent: many naga (20%) are spell casters. Priests of Yama’Dragoth tend to learn the arcane talents of the Lighting Arcana and Water Arcana. Worshippers of Manasa tend to favor the Divination and Water arcana, while heretics of Agharda favor Fate and Power.

Naga in Sarvaelen are an ancient race, cursed long ago with the serpentine traits that mark their lineage. Once, or so the story goes, the Naga were among the greatest of the old ones, the races that predate modern men long ago. A series of ancient tomes, most of which are now lost to history called the “Yavandreth Manuscripts” tell a bit of the ancient tale of the naga. A mostly complete set of the four surviving tomes can be found at the Library of the Sun in the port city of Aramen, Aeronost’s southern port and capital of the so-called Stormsinger Coast province. There the lone monk Procosius maintains these books and remains the land’s foremost authority on Naga lore.

As legend goes, naga were once men, albeit of a breed of old that was naturally inclined to sorcery and spoke directly to the Old Gods but were changed in some forgotten time to the half men, half serpents they now are. The naga ruled all of Sammar in the south and were allied with Camrinal, but were cast down during the Great War two centuries ago. Their ancient king was the sorcerer Kaliya, a powerful necromancer and priest of the old gods revered by his people. These four gods they worshipped were said to grant great strength to the naga.

According to the Yavandreth Manuscripts, Kaliya did something to anger his gods. There are conflicting tales. One says he was to sacrifice his eldest child in honor of the gods and as a payment for his great necromantic talent, but he refrained from doing so and brought down a great curse upon his people. Another tale suggests something similar, but that it was his wife, Padmavati, could not bear to lose her child and so spirited him away before Kaliya could sacrifice the infant. Yet another tale says nothing of this curse induced by loss of sacrifice and instead suggests that the naga were formed when they sought to make a dark pact with the elder god called Dev Yama’Dragoth. Yama’Dragoth granted the naga their wish, giving them supreme power and immortality as sorcerers, but in exchange he took their humanity, leaving only the twisted, serpentine forms naga are known for today.

Whatever their origin, naga appear to be half men and half serpent, often with strongly reptilian facial features and sometimes the wide, decorative “hoods” of a cobra enveloping their head and neck. Naga are fearsome to behold. Naga are known for their poisonous bite, also a shared feature with the cobra, and they are exceptional swimmers, albeit not aquatic, a common misconception among humans since the only known kingdom of the naga is to be found on the Isle of Stoneblight, where the naga city of Nagapuram can be found. 

Nagapuram is an impressive, ancient city located on an expansive island about two hundred miles off the Stormsinger Coast in the Pavain Sea. The naga call the island Manak’tagar, and defend it vigorously from outsiders; one must seek a benefactor to vouch for a foreigner who seeks to visit the island and its amazing city of ancient monuments. Stories of travelers, diplomats and merchants indicate that there are ten thousand naga within the city and probably three times as many slaves, usually of humans from the south eastern kingdom of Sammar, which does not normally disturb the citizens of Aeronost who have frequently had to deal with hostile pirates from that distant land.

The island itself is ruled by the so called Living Goddess who goes by the name of Padmavati, the mythical first queen of the naga. Whether she styles herself a descendent or a reincarnation of this first naga queen is unknown, but she does believe she is a demigoddess, imbued with the powers of the current naga patron deity, Manasa.

The naga are a potent force locally, and the diplomats of Aeronost have sought to keep them as allies rather than enemies. Still, the naga are so feared that the often do as they will, and treat much of the Stormsinger Coast as their own domain. This has often led to unfortunate bloody conflicts between the soldiers and naval forces charged with protecting the dominion of the Pavain Sea and the forces of Nagapuram.

In the region of Aelghast, there is a small community of about one hundred naga who have taken up residence in the subterranean caverns around a sacred hot spring that they call Uk’halat. The hot spring has been turned into a shrine dedicated to the seven-headed serpent god called Agharda, said to have devoured the original four naga gods of old and absorbed their essence. It is believed by this remote group of exiles that the seven heads of Agharda represent the seven kingdoms of the naga, spread throughout the world, and that worshipping this deity will reunite the naga into a powerful force that will resume the mantle of rule again.

This worship of the seven-headed god is regarded as heresy by the Living Goddess Padmavati, as it was only a century ago that the cult of Agharda was embraced by her people. This period led to a vicious war with the distant eastern empire of Kadatha, and nearly led to the destruction of the naga kingdom. As a result of this conflict Agharda’s worshippers were forced into exile lest they be hung for heresy. This branch near Aeronost follows the fanatical priest Yazzad Sydaris, and calls their unique sect the “Sons of Sydaris” or simply Sydarites. They believe that Sydaris has a unique ability to channel the thoughts and speech of Agharda.

The new Traveller is loose and in playtest phase

Mongoose has released Traveller's newest edition this weekend....or more accurately it's playtest edition. The details are here, and the PDF of the playtest doc with goodies is on rpgnow. It comes with a $20 voucher toward the final product, so I imagine if you want to be in the playtest and are certain that you'll want the final product then this is a good bet.

The new cover design is interesting....as is traditional for Traveller, after every "black cover edition" we have to have a period of flashier covers. Check it out:

At a glance, here's what changes the new Traveller brings:

1. A shift to modern graphics style and art (a shift away from the minimalism of the MGT book and CT)

2. an emphasis on integrated design....as an example Matt points out how High Guard was usually designed after the core ship rules, as an add-on; now they will design the whole starship system and then derive the basics for the core book from that instead.

3. Lots of tweaks. I see a mention of integrating the combat mechanics with people, ships and vehicles to work the same way....I think this would be great, will have to see how it works in practice though.

4. Boon and Bane dice added to skill checks. Not sure how this works in play, but this guy didn't like it. I'll have to wait to see if I cave and buy the playtest packet to determine for myself if they are a worthy addition.

...There's a lot more, but click this link to read about it directly. Mongoose is trying hard to show cred in this process, including who the playtesters have been so far. I'm eager to see how Traveller works out for this new edition, even as I concede that Mongoose's reputation for editorial issues, spelling and errata make me nervous about buying in to a new product from them.* The final product is scheduled for an "early 2016" release date so....not too much longer to wait!

An example of the ship listings in the new book. "Okay" but
still not up to contemporary design standard IMO

*Still, fool me once, shame on Mongoose; fool me fifteen or more times and shame on me.

Pulp Adventures: The Crystal Skull of the Adaro

While toying with BRP Astounding Adventures I worked up some plots using the random plot generator and fleshed them out a bit....one of these I ran as a game, too. For your enjoyment...

The Crystal Skull of the Adaro

Danielle Patterson – debutante and jet setter: Danielle contacts the PCs: her father, Dr. Morgan Patterson, famous anthropologist and researcher of the occult, has vanished! He was working in a remote region—in the remote Melanesian Solomon Islands, on Malaita. He was visiting with his allies: Danielle’s fiancé Alfred Barkley (the socialite) and the expedition backer, Johann Schmidt (the merchant). According to Danielle, they were all obsessed with finding out the truth behind the Adaro Cult, a group worshipping a legendary sea spirit in the region. She received a telelgraph message from the island from her fiancé that her father has been abducted.

The Socialite: Alfred Barkley is engaged to Danielle, and an ambitious man, likely interested only in impressing Danielle’s father with his worth as her future husband.

The Merchant: German research and occultist by night and businessman by day, Johann Schmidt is backing the expedition. He is privately obsessed with cryptids and is both a founding member of the Fortean Society and a secret member of the Thule Society. He’s not a hardcore german patriot, however, but it can be hard to figure out. He has a rival: Herman Guerring, secret commander of the Red Hand (Rote Hand), a top secret military agency funded by members of the Thule Society and unofficially part of the Schutzstaffel (SS). The

The Scientist: Dr. Morgan Patterson is a noted occult researcher and anthropologist, and no stranger to danger (he is documented as having survived an encounter with the Secte Rouge in Haiti). He believes that the Adaro cult is tied to the disappearance of children on Malaita, and recently his good friend, Naval commander Thomas Sitwell’s daughter went missing. Patterson wants to solve the mystery….if it hasn’t got him first!

Plot Twist: captured!!! – In fact Morgan Patterson has gone missing, as Danielle worried. She send the PCs with her to find him, taking a plane to Malaita. On arrival, the PCs will quickly learn from one or more sources that Patterson has gone missing.

Locations-The adventure takes places at the following locations:

University – investigation: the PCs are at their offices just off of the University of California, Berkeley, at the start of this adventure. They are part of the Werner Institute, founded by Abigail Werner, a researcher and skeptic of the occult who passed away in 1927 but left an immense fortune to carry on her work at the institute. As it happens, Dr. Patterson also works at Berkeley, and getting access to his offices is possible. If they do so, they will arrive in time to find masked gun men (6 of them) looting the office!!! The thing they are looking for: an “Adaro” figurine, what appears to be some weird effigy doll, but which bears a weird resemblance to a mummified figurine. The figure includes notes identifying an unnamed island and coordinates….presumably the location it was found.

Lost city/island – precarious situation: The adventurers when arriving at Malaita can find the huts and tents turned into the expedition’s base. They will quickly piece together that Dr. Patterson was investigating a site he felt was critical to success….and he shared its location with no one because he was unsure if he could trust his compatriots, interestingly (a student aid named Anastasia Smith will share this). Anastasia knows that the local guide, named Amado, knows where Patterson went….and it matches the island coordinates with the doll at the university!

Amado will take the PCs to the island on his boat, but tells them no locals will accompany them….the island has a reputation. Asking around reveals that the locals of Malaita say an ogre that steals children dwells there. He’ll wait off-shore, and they can summon him with flares.

The island will be hit by nightfall by a massive hurricane and sever flooding, forcing the PCs to seek refuge along the volcanic mountain at the island’s center. It is after this that the cannibals begin stalking them….

The cannibals are a tribe called the Taso, of remote xenophobic islanders cut off from the rest of the Solomon Islands, and very dangerous. They are not entirely the source of the ogre myth, but they are the ones who steal children and then feed them to the real threat: the adaro, the malevolent sea spirits that terrify them daily! They most recently turned on Dr. Patterson, whom had previously given them a bounty of gifts in exchange for letting him excavate an ancient ruin on the island, the place he believes that the adaro figurine came from, a gift he bought from a vendor in a Hong Kong market.

Desert Island – chase: The PCs will be chased by the cannibals who are angry that the adaro are riled up and now taking their own. They will chase them as well if they try to free Dr. Patterson, whom they intend to sacrifice at the top of the volcano to the Adaro, whom they say will come at the height of the hurricane, descending like wasps and hornets on the land.

The Docks – gun fight: If the PCs seek to escape the island, the natives will chase. If they seek to escape Malaita, the Red Hand will wait.

Desert Island – gun fight: if the PCs get to the excavation, they find out the Red Hand is here! They are seeking out relics of the Lost Civilization of the adaro, evidence that these beings were in fact space travelers who crash landed here, and that their ship is buried on the island beneath volcanic flows.

Exotic Country (The South Seas) – surprise: The hurricane’s height will drive the adaro out, who will indeed descend like a horde of locusts and attack! The adaro will not be appeased until they recover what is missing: a crystalline relic taken from the ruin excavations. The relic was in fact found by Danielle’s fiancé, Alfred….who smuggled it out (he was lying when he said he didn’t know where the Island excavation was). Alfred planned to sell it to the Red Hand and make a killing.

Bonus: the PCs can learn from Dr. Patterson that he thinks the adaro figurine he has is actually a real mummy of an adaro infant, and that presenting it to the adaro may earn some respite from their attacks.

Second Bonus: the crystal artifact looks like a skull shapped like an adaro skull, with fin and “wings” along the side. Someone who attempts to commune with it (POW vs. POT 30) might be able to mentally influence the adaro’s behavior….as a possible twist, Commander Guerring may have grabbed the artifact and be planning a boat ride out, using it to wreak havoc with the adaro; in this case Alfred will be found shot, double-crossed.

Three races that could have come from from Outer Space

Three races that could have come from from Outer Space:

Medusae - the serpent-haired race is only occasionally mistaken for a cursed breed of humanoid that angered the gods. The medusae are in fact the descendants of a crashed ship of aliens from the Serpentis star cluster, specifically three worlds: Medusa, Euryaile and Stheno. The three worlds bear the names of the three "first sisters" of mythology, but are in fact the homeworlds of this ancient race.

Today most Medusae have forgotten their stellar origins, but a few of the sisterhood still recall their roots, and seek to find a means, perhaps via teleport gate, to return to their lost homeworld. Their numbers dwindle; long ago they conquered aging and disease, but they require special subjects to provide genetic material, and their natural defensive ability, which petrifies most bio-organisms, prevents them from utilizing the local genetic stock. Certain experiments to create the maedar have proven partially successful, but appear to be a temporary stopgap at best...

Trolls - the rubbery race of semi-aquatic fiends are actually descended from a pestillent species which conquered half the galaxy. Trolls aren't just weirdly alien because they are creepy monsters: they are in fact a terrifying species which prospered in the depths of space, conquering world after world in the name of the Cosmic Witch Queen and her invincible army of organic world-ships. 

Today, on remote backwaters such as the homeworld of your adventurers trolls are a relic race, the stragglers of the vast army which may have passed through here long ago, leveling the entire civilizations of a vast interstellar society in the process. Luckily they are bred with limited intelligence, and readily forgot their heritage....a failsafe by the witch queen's geneticists to insure her own army does not get too clever and rise against her. But every now and then a troll is born who remembers, and in turn recalls that there are still ancient ships of war capable of traversing the stars....and that one might be buried away someone in the kingdom.

Ropers - the hideous trunk-like, tentacled beasts were once native to a distant world with a deep red sun, horrible monsters which preyed on the humanoids that dwelled in desperate subterranean cities relic habitats of a bygone era when their great civilization attempted to prepare for the destruction of their world at the hands of its own star. The ropers were a animalistic, predatory race, and one habitat in desperation sought to activate a lost generation ship. The ropers were to be left behind...but seed spores clogged the nooks and crannies of the ship, and the colony vessel carried the roper spore into space as it fled the dying world.

Whether the ship crashed (or landed) on the backwater world of today's adventures is unknown, but what is known is that the roper spores arrived, and rained down on the world today. There is at least one mad scholar-mage with a telescope who looks to the sky and points out one of the closer moving "planets," contending it is the mysterious ship of aliens which arrived, settled in to orbit, and then went silent...the ropers (and other hideous beasts) having consumed the crew of the ship before they could escape. Of course, he argues with his rival, who says that the survivors did escape to form the people of the land today...and that only the desire of the ropers and their kin to avoid sunlight keeps them once more beneath the earth, safely away from the surface.

Goblinworks: the rocky road began and then a chasm opened up and swallowed Dancey

So, I received an email with Lisa Stevens' community address. It had some interesting bits this time:

1. Ryan Dancey has resigned and stepped down as CEO. He is still a shareholder. Reason for this is identified as "personal."

2. Most of the Goblinworks staff has been laid off.

3. Lisa is now acting CEO.

4. There are about 3 staff members left. The remaining PO subscriptions keep these guys employed.

5. Goblinworks is now talking with game publishers to bring the game to open enrollment. Hmmmm. I wish this said, "Goblinworks is now in talks with real game companies to license out the Pathfinder name on something that looks and plays like Pillars of Eternity." Sigh, one can dream. Also, apparently they fell 75% short of the operating budget to get this game to "open enrollment" which I will note is not the same as "completed" nor even the industry standard term used to reflect the game's phase of development (early alpha, closed beta, open beta, etc.).

Let's do some math. Assuming these three employees cost $50K annually (I am assuming wages are so-so at Goblinworks and that they are getting some sort of medical package, probably around $6-12K depending on coverage type), then maybe Goblinworks is pulling in $180K annually on PO. At $15/month that would suggest a minimum of 12,000 subscriptions active. A couple caveats: at $50K per employee that puts them at around $24/hour and I am not sure if they actually make that much, though I would hope they do that at least. They also might not actually have benefits; Goblinworks is clearly a "small employer" by Federal ACA standards so they would be exempt from the 50+employee requirement of large employers (that technically reaches that threshold next year, anyway). So it's possible that the overhead is less, or the employer splits the cost on coverage, or any number of other factors. I'm being simple and ignoring unemployment taxes, 401(k) contributions and other potential employee costs in this assessment, too...so we'll just ballpark it at around 12K. That's about what I've heard Darkfall and Mortal Online might be doing.

Of course, none of the above accounts for operating expenses, and I assume Lisa is paid out of the Paizo budget.

I wish I'd written it down, but during the first Kickstarter a few years ago I told a very optimistic friend of mine who backed it heavily that he could expect Dancey to disappear in a puff of smoke in about three years. Damn my lack of prescience at not writing that down!!!!!

It's not that I think Dancey was deliberately fleecing the Paizo crowd. But I think his MMO track record was weaker than his ability to sell it, a lesson CCP also went through with his time with EVE Online (and something that reflects much of his industry time, to be honest). With the jaded eye of one who spends far too much time watching the way the video game/MMO industry spins around on itself, Pathfinder Online has always looked like a rolling disaster....and now it's come to the brutal end. I wonder what interesting and unpleasant things he will have to say about Paizo and Goblinworks in the future.

....sigh. Look, I mock a bit, but I feel bad for the whole group. I really wish when they did that Kickstarter that no one had listened to Ryan Dancey and they had instead done what WotC is currently doing: gotten some decent licenses attached to the current revival trend for isometric RPGs, Hindsight, alas, is 20/20.

Erik may need to add this one to his Failstarter list!

Digging Deep into Dyson's Delve

Just wanted to comment that for the last couple weeks now I've been running Dyson's Delve, the actual 11-level dungeon from Dyson's Delves I. I adapted it to 5E (piece o'cake) and the crew on Wednesday started up a fresh gang of level 1's. They've reached the fourth level of the dungeon (there are 11) and have almost all hit level 3 of experience now.

Fun part: when you get to the bottom level, where the subterranean lake is....I have more plotted, including the tomb of an old dwarven king on an island in the ancient lake, and a passage that goes even deeper, into the Cyclopean Deeps themselves...

For now though they are victorious, having slain the two manticores on level 4. The Deeps are still very, very far away.

Anyway, it's been fun running a "straight up" dungeon crawl lately. Saturday's got something special lined up as well, although it involves a return to something a bit more like this...

With a couple villains I plan to model after these guys:

Fantasy AGE: Looking at the Mage

Looking at how a fighter stacks up in any fantasy game is only 1/2 picture...or in the case of Fantasy AGE it's 1/3rd of the picture. Let's take a look at the second of the three class options in FAGE: the mage. This time around we'll see how much additional strangeness we can get up to.

For the concept this time I'm thinking Malistra, an orcish woman with a talent for magic. Orcs are tough hombres in FAGE, so Malistra will be fighting a genetic legacy of brute strength and violence to achieve mastery of the arcane arts.

I won't belabor you with a walk-through of the process, instead getting all the preamble out of the way and then going into depth on the mage class directly. Here's what Malistra will look like just prior to adding in the class details at level 1; note that for her rolled racial benefits she got weapons group: bludgeons and +1 willpower:

Malistra
Level 1 female orc mage 
Health 34; Speed 11
0 Accuracy
2 Communications
0 Constitution (Focus: stamina)
1 Dexterity
1 Fighting
3 Intelligence (Focus: writing)
2 Perception
2 Strength
3 Willpower

Orcish traits: darksight
Languages: orcish, common tongue
Weapons Groups: bludgeons
Social Class: middle; Background: Scribe

So, prior to adventuring Malistra was a middle-classed orcish woman who had exceptional willpower. She learned to be a scribe and is noted for her writing talent. She's also learned some basic skill at beating people over the head with a bludgeon, something that all young orcish girls are taught as a basic survival skill, no doubt.

As a mage Malistra learns some additional basic combat skill in brawling and staves. At level one she learns how to use the Arcane Blast, which requires an arcane device to function. Apprentices all learn how to attune to an arcane device as well, and this object can be anything. Malistra chooses a silver ring with a jade stone in the shape of an eye. Now, she can rain down 1D6+willpower in arcane force bolts on anyone who looks at her crosseyed. These are accuracy-based ranged attacks and stunt effects apply.

Malistra also gains two magic talents, four spells, and 18 magic points (10+willpower+1D6 roll). Magic Points advance much like health does from level to level. Malistra also gains novice rank in an ordinary talent; I'll pick Lore as most useful. She's read a lot of books as a scribe.

On the magic talents, what you're really doing is getting two arcane talents at the novice level, and then that level of skill ascribes the two spells you know. For Malistra I figure orcs like fire so we'll go with Fire Arcana which grants arcane lantern and flame blast. For the other arcana I pick Shadow, since it sounds something suitably useful in orcish society. That one grants shadow dagger and shadow's embrace.

One thing you'll notice when looking through the arcana talents: they offer a lot of death-dealing spells. There are more utility-based spells as well; it seems to be a 50/50 ratio. A lot of spells which are notorious in D&D for being "plot breakers" or scene-stealers from other characters are absent in Fantasy AGE.

In the end, our mage looks like this:

Malistra
Level 1 female orc mage 
Health 34; Speed 11
0 Accuracy
2 Communications
0 Constitution (Focus: stamina)
1 Dexterity
1 Fighting
3 Intelligence (Focus: writing)
2 Perception
2 Strength
3 Willpower

Orcish traits: darksight
Languages: orcish, common tongue
Weapons Groups: bludgeons
Social Class: middle; Background: Scribe

Magic Points: 18

Mage Talents: arcane bolt (1D6+3 damage)

Arcane Talents: Fire, Shadow
Talents: Lore (novice)

Spells: arcane lantern, flame blast, shadow dagger, shadow's embrace

Notes:

Mages in Fantasy AGE have a mix of combat and utility spells, but the utility spells tend to reflect more "timid" versions of the same spells available in games like D&D....you don't go invisible, for example, you wreathe yourself in shadows. Stuff like that. There is also no strict "divine" magic system; this is a magic system which eschews explanation for your source of power. Under Fantasy AGE any sorcerer, mage, druid, cleric or warlock in D&D would likely just be a mage specialization here.

At-will combat magic remains a common currency here. Spells can cost quite a bit, so don't expect to cast too many in a given encounter, but the arcane bolt will provide an easy source of quick ranged magic....but the ability to lose your focus is a major limitation, if cirucmstances prevail.

Overall though I like the magic system in Fantasy AGE. On the surface it appears to be a very conservative system, but with a lean toward it's roots in Dragon Age style combat/video game magic. It's lack of high level niche-protection-destroying magic will appeal to many.

Mad Max and Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain - must be the start of a new season of gaming

If you are even a casual follower of the video game industry then you know that the Triple A producers of these games like to spew them out around September to November of this year. This year the season kicked off a week early with some older revived titles: Dishonored's Definitive Edition for the current gen consoles, and Gears of War Remastered for Xbox One. I've played Gears of War to death and will only comment that if you like Gears, the new version is worth a new playthrough.



But officially the season kicked off this Tuesday, September 1st....or a bit early if you voted high confidence and pre-ordered. Specifically: Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain and Mad Max. Both are worth the time and attention if you're into these sorts of games. I started Phantom Pain first, and....well....two hours later I was through the preview and riding in Afghanistan. Amazing lead-in, can't wait to see how the game develops. If you've played the prequel, Ground Zeroes (and if you haven't, you should) it's like that in spades.



Meanwhile, Mad Max got some attention on release night too before the need to sleep forced me to lock it all down. Let's just say that it's about time someone made a game like this, and kudos to them for giving us enough time to play it before Fallout 4 shows up and makes us forget other games exist. So far it's a little bit like Fallout meets Shadows of Mordor and GTAV....and those three flavors go well together. It does not follow the plot of the movie and is it's own tale of Max....complete with vast, open world to drive in. I'll report more as I explore.

TL;DR: if I don't post as much for a few days you will know why!

If you can only get one, right now based on the first couple hours alone I have to say Metal Gear Solid V. But they're close. Very close.

Dungeons & Dragons: The Hipster Edition

I lived in Seattle for a decade so this was hysterical: