Mark Chance's page

Because some people just gotta have rules for everything, including love. :)

Love Rules

Are you not a Quid Novi? subscriber? Do you want to check out a Spes Magna Games product without having to pay for it? If you answered "You bet!" then check out this link to see how you can receive the Latina Facta & Versatile Performance Redux PDF.

The new PDF Gazae et Monstri is on sale for $0.99 US.

This product contains 6 new magic items and 5 new monsters inspired by Greek and Roman myth. Arm your fighter with the cesti of Eryx. Quest for Pandora’s box. Trade blows with the mighty Antaeus, or match wits with the terrifying Python.

Remember: Quid Novi? subscribers get one-third off the cover price on all Spes Magna products, and everything we sell has a money-back guarantee.

Visit the Purchase Page today!

The first session of "We're Not In Arkansas Anymore!" is done. Awesome summary at this link. Enjoy!

Just finished statting up Antaeus, a CR 10 giant of near Herculean might.

In an effort to post more actual game content, I asked the Swift Storm to make an appearance in a Spes Magna blog post. She agreed upon condition that I hand over two humans for her and her flight to hunt. Consequently, I'm currently looking for volunteers to help me hold up my end of the bargain. Meanwhile, you can cautiously check out this harpy menace by clicking on the previous link.

So, what about you? Got any villains you'd like to share?

There're still a few days left in the 17th Anniversary Sell-a-Bration! Here's a sample feat from Latina Facta:

Lux et Veritas (General)
Light and truth.
Prerequisite: Ability to cast any spell with the light descriptor.
Benefit: When you cast a spell with the light descriptor, you gain a +4 bonus to Perception and Sense Motive checks as long as you are in the area of effect of the spell.

And here's a sample bit from Versatile Performance Redux:

Faking (Ex) Faking is a term used when someone actually does a legitimate move, but does not understand what took place. A bard uses Faking and 1 round of Bardic Performance to feint in combat with a Perform (dance) check instead of a Bluff check. A 6th-level bard can use Faking as a move action rather than a standard action.

There're still a few days left in the 17th Anniversary Sell-a-Bration! Here's a sample feat from Latina Facta:

Lux et Veritas (General)
Light and truth.
Prerequisite: Ability to cast any spell with the light descriptor.
Benefit: When you cast a spell with the light descriptor, you gain a +4 bonus to Perception and Sense Motive checks as long as you are in the area of effect of the spell.

And here's a sample bit from Versatile Performance Redux:

Faking (Ex) Faking is a term used when someone actually does a legitimate move, but does not understand what took place. A bard uses Faking and 1 round of Bardic Performance to feint in combat with a Perform (dance) check instead of a Bluff check. A 6th-level bard can use Faking as a move action rather than a standard action.

Until midnight on Mother's Day, Rewarding Roleplaying can be purchased for 75 cents instead of the normal $1.50 cover price.

The discount code is mater. Click to visit our Purchase Page.

The PDF Versatile Performance Redux entered the final editing stages today. It will be available to Quid Novi? subscribers this Sunday, March 21.

Huzzah!

:)

This new subscriber-only PDF presents an alternative system for Versatile Performance that draws upon terminology related to music, dance, and acting. For example, a bard could learn Accelerando. This ability lets the morale bonus provided by Inspire Courage apply to Reflex saves instead of saves against charm and fear effects. Furthermore, when the bard reaches 6th level, affected allies gain a +5-foot bonus to base speed.

Ratchet up the drama and excitement of your game today. Buy Rewarding Roleplaying for $1.50 US (or $1 US for Quid Novi? subscribers).

This isn't the playtest Rewarding Roleplaying that Quid Novi? subscribers helped fine tune. This is the new, improved Rewarding Roleplaying that links player-created roleplaying goals to a robust Action Point system.

How does it work? Easily and well!

You, the player, define certain roleplaying goals for your character. These can be traits, personality quirks, and objectives. Your DM works these goals into upcoming adventures. When you play your character in such a way as to act and react based on your goals, you get Action Points.

Action Points are powerful tools that help your character accomplish heroic feats. They soften the fickle whims of Fortune and give you greater control over your character's fate.

And Rewarding Roleplaying isn't just a boon for players. It's good for DMs too. With Rewarding Roleplaying, DMs have a fair system to reward players for roleplaying. The Action Point system helps alleviate the perceived need for DMs to fudge dice rolls. Now when a player's unlucky roll threatens disaster, that player can Action Point a way out.

Rewarding Roleplaying is compatible with 3.5 and the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game.

One-half of sales from Spes Magna products are donated to help the Mission of Yahweh, a faith-based shelter located in Houston, Texas, that empowers, enriches, and restores the lives of homeless women and children and provides outreach services to low-income families in our neighborhood.

Part of what I'm trying to do with my new rules is set things up to avoid future rules bloat. So, for example, rather than releasing one set of traits after another, why not have guidelines that let players custom build traits for their characters?

Here's what I came up with as a starting point:

Custom Traits
At 1st level, a character gets one or more custom traits. The general rules for traits are as follows:

A trait can provide a +1 bonus to attack rolls under certain, defined conditions, or
A trait can provide a +1 bonus to damage rolls under certain, defined conditions, or
A trait can provide a +1 bonus to a specific saving throw under certain, defined conditions, or
A trait can provide a +2 bonus to a specific skill check under certain, defined conditions.

For every two points of trait bonuses a character has, he must also have one point of trait penalties. Trait penalties follow the same general rules listed above, but provide a corresponding penalty instead of a bonus.

No character can have more than four points of trait bonuses and two points of trait penalties. Categories of bonuses and penalties can stack. No single trait can provide more than a +2 bonus (for attack rolls, damage rolls, and saving throws) or a +4 bonus (for skill checks). Likewise, no single trait can provide than a -2 penalty (for attack rolls, damage rolls, and saving throws) or a -4 penalty (for skill checks).

For Example
Eric doesn't like skill consolidation in Pathfinder. He doesn't think his character should be just as good with seeing, hearing, and searching even though all three tasks are based on his character's Perception skill. Eric decides his character has weak sight due to congenital eye defects. To compensate, his character has developed an especially keen sense of hearing. Eric writes up these two traits for DM approval:

Keen Ears
My character enjoys a +4 trait bonus on Perception checks made to hear things.

Weak Eyes
My character suffers a -2 trait penalty on Perception checks made to see things.

Feedback
So, what do you think? What should be added? What should be changed?

Salve!

Quid Novi? is a free email newsletter sent to subscribers every two weeks. Our next issue is due out shortly after midnight, 7 February 2010 (EST). Regular features include each of the following once a month:

Making History: An article about an historical event that can be used in your game. So far, we've featured articles about the Investiture Controversy and the death of La Salle in East Texas.

Chance Encounters: A monster or NPC ready to challenge your players. You can see a couple of these critters at this link.

Five-Part One-Shot: A short adventure outline using the world-wide-web-famous 5-Room Dungeon format. Match wits with a fey bandit, or protect a lady from mysterious rivals.

Every issue of Quid Novi? also features Recommended Reading suggestions on topics related to gaming and/or history.

Subscribers also have the opportunity to help playtest products, enjoying all the fame and glory that comes with such a noble task. This means that you can get your hands on Spes Magna Games content before it’s released to the public. This subscriber-only PDF content includes the following:

Rewarding Roleplaying: This short product links a robust Action Point system to player-created, DM-approved roleplaying traits and goals.

Fencing & Firearms: This approximately 30-page PDF streamlines elements of d20 combat for quicker, more dynamic gameplay. it also includes rules for blackpowder firearms.

Latina Facta: Available for subscriber download shortly after midnight, 7 February 2010 (EST), this PDF contains 15 new feats inspired by famous Latin phrases and sayings. Here's a sample:

Age. Fac Ut Gaudeam! (General)
Go ahead. Make my day!
Prerequisite: Intimidate 3 ranks.
Benefit: When you successfully demoralize an enemy via Intimidate, that enemy is not only shaken but is also forced to delay his initiative for his next turn by 10 points.

-- Mark L. Chance (Spes Magna Games)

This is the stat generation method I'm leaning toward using next time I get the chance:

Elite+(1d6+2)
Every character starts with the elite array, arranged to taste: 15, 14, 13, 12, 10, 8. Roll 1d6+2. You get this many points to adjust ability scores. Apply racial adjustments after point-buy. Costs are as follows:

Score is 8 to 13: 1 point for a +1 to score.
Score is 14 or 15: 2 points for a +1 to score.
Score is 16 or 17: 3 points for a +1 to score.
Score is 18 or 19: 4 points for a +1 to score.

For example, Bob rolls a 3, giving him 5 points to adjust his array. He spends 2 points to raise the 8 to a 10 (1 point to get to 9, 1 point to get to 10). He spends 3 points to raise the 15 to a 16. This gives Bob this array: 16, 14, 13, 12, 10, 10 (before racial adjustments). Let's make Bob's character a dwarf (+2 Con, +2 Wis, -2 Cha). Bob ends up with these scores (after racial adjustments): STR 14, DEX 13, CON 18, INT 10, WIS 12, CHA 10.

Level Increases
Every four levels, a character gets 4 more points to spend on raising his ability scores. For example, Bob's PC hits 4th level. Bob spends to 2 points to raise his INT from 10 to 12 and 2 more points to raise his STR from 14 to 15.

What about you?

-- Mark L. Chance (http://spesmagna.com/)

Dire electric eels have been spotted. Swim at your own risk.

Subscribe to Quid Novi? and every two weeks this newsletter will arrive via e-mail, hot off the presses and into your in-box. Regular features include each of the following once a month:

* Making History: An article about an historical event that can be used in your game.
* Chance Encounters: A monster or NPC ready to challenge your players.
* Five-Part One-Shot: A short adventure outline using the world-wide-web-famous 5-Room Dungeon format.

Every issue of Quid Novi? also features Recommended Reading suggestions on topics related to both gaming and history. Subscribers have the opportunity to help playtest products, enjoying all the fame and glory that comes with such a noble task. This means that you can get your hands on Spes Magna Games content before it’s released to the public, starting with Rewarding Roleplaying (see the next post for more info).

The next issue hits subscriber in-boxes on 10 January 2010.

As I try to learn the ins and outs of PF, I'm fiddling with custom creatures, which can be found at Pathfinder_OGC.

Enjoy!