mikeawmids's page

Suggestion for the Paizo team: get in touch with Scott McClintock and co over at Quill & Cauldron to see if they are open to doing a ' Doomed Golarion' in the style of the Doomed Forgotten Realms line they have released on the Dungeon Masters Guild.

Rise of Vecna
https://www.dmsguild.com/m/product/385544

Fall of Vecna
https://www.dmsguild.com/m/product/421754

Reign of Rot
https://www.dmsguild.com/m/product/450868

Wrath of Zuggtmoy
https://www.dmsguild.com/m/product/468752

This team puts out some epic content, and I would love to see their take on a Doomed Golarion where every major AP was failed, resulting in an increasingly hopeless setting.

Plus, they will probably let us fight The Whispering Tyrant (properly, not counting the much maligned heroic sacrifice in Tyrants Grasp), which would be awesome.

So I picked up the Runewild Campaign Setting book on Cyber Monday.

https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/309298/The-Runewild-Campaign-Setting

This thing is a genuine masterpiece of adventure design and I cannot reccomend it highly enough! I stumbled on it by accident and it has rocketed right to the top of my Games to Run Next list. Created this post to make other people aware of this spectacular product.

"Beyond the kingdom of Aruanda, there is an untamed land. It is a place where witches walk, where goblins cavort, where the borders between the mortal and fey realms grow thin. For some, it is a place of unspeakable wonder; for others, only madness and death lie within its trackless depths.

A history of the Runewild and its surrounding settlements
150 detailed encounter areas for player characters to explore
21 maps (included as separate files for virtual tabletops)
8 new Backgrounds and a new Feat: Fey-Touched
21 unique magic items (like witch embers and the staff of clarity and confusion)
32 new monsters (including clockwork dwarves, fey lions, giant forest sloths, and the terrifyingly beautiful Golden Bodach)
Detailed descriptions of the histories, motivations, and weaknesses of the witches of the Runewild, including the Whitebone Sisters; Missus Switch, the swine hag; Korthsuva, the Witch of Hours; and the Hag Queen Griselda, Mother of Ogres
New optional rules for exploration and resting
Advice for running a sandbox campaign
Dozens of random tables designed to help GMs make a Runewild campaign their own."

Map of Aerik

The town of Helix squats upon the northern border of the Barrowmoor, like a wizened old toad atop a mossy rock. Raised upon the foundations of a much older settlement, the population of some 600 souls make their living fishing on the Moorwash River, or hunting in the Blackened Forest. Few willingly enter the Barrowmoor to the south, for the swamp ravenously devours those unprepared for its perils, and they are never seen again.

Enter the PCs!

There are several reasons/adventure hooks that might have drawn you to Helix, in the grand, old Duchy of Aerik;

A wizard calling himself Mazzahs the Magnificent resides in a crumbling tower in Helix. He is intrigued by the Barrowmaze and seeks to hire a party of adventurers to recover historical and arcane lore from the dungeon. He is particularly interested in why the dead rest so uneasy in the area, and suspects the answers lies somewhere beneath the foetid moor.

While passing through Ironguard Motte, you witnessed a group of adventurers, flush with cash and splashing it about, bragging about the gold and jewels they plundered from a barrow mound in the swamp. "It was just lying on the ground, waiting to be taken!" they claimed. It got you to thinking, that maybe the dangers of the Barrowmaze have been greatly exaggerated over the years, and that you too could make your fortune raiding those old tombs.

Or perhaps you have some other reason for visiting this dank and dismal corner of the world.

Please take this opportunity to introduce your character to the group, and describe why you have come to the village of Helix at this time.

Geography
The Barrowmoor dominates the Duchy of Aerik; a vast foetid bog roughly thirty miles across. The moor is often veiled in a thick, obscuring fog that is unpleasant to breathe. The entire area reeks of rot and decay, certainly a by-product of the many barrows and burial mounds rising up from the marshy ground.

There are three 'civilized' settlements in the immediate environs of the Barrowmoor;

Helix: village on the northern fringe of the Barrowmoor, built upon the ruins of an older settlement. Ruled over by the young Krothos Ironguard, layabout son of the local lord. The village boasts a trading post, blacksmith, tavern and even an honest-to-goodness wizard's tower. Helix will most likely act as base camp for a party of adventurers seeking to explore Barrowmaze.

Ironguard Motte: 15 miles east of Helix, Ironguard Motte is the largest populated town in the area, built up around the motte and bailey castle, occupied by Lord Viscount Krell Ironguard and his retinue. The town offers many specialised services not available elsewhere, ie: jewellers, money lender, auction house, etc....

Bogtown: a small, squalid logging camp/trading post south of Ironguard Motte, on the eastern edge of the Barrowmoor. The settlement has a seedy reputation and is frequented by all manner of thugs and low-born ruffians.

Religion

The following deities are recognised in the Duchy of Aerik;

Herne the Hunter/The Horned God: old god of the hunt, swampland and forests (N).
Silvanus/The Green Man: old god of nature and balance (N).
Crom: old god of strength and battle (CG).
Arcantryl: new goddess of magic (N).
St. Ygg: new god of righteousness (LG)
Impurax: old god of decay, corruption and pestilence (LE).
Set: new god of serpents, death and the underworld. Son of Nergal, brother of Orcus (LE).
Orcus: new god of undead, death and the underworld. Son of Nergal, brother of Set (CE).
Nergal: old god of death, undead and the underworld. Father of Set and Orcus, presumed dead, slain by his own sons (CE).

Local villagers whisper of a mysterious place deep in the marsh - a place shrouded in mist and dotted with barrow mounds, ruined columns, and standing stones. The tomb-robbers who explore beneath the mounds - or rather the few who return - tell tales of labyrinthine passages, magnificent grave goods, and terrifying creatures waiting in the dark. Are you brave (or foolish) enough to enter the Barrowmaze?

So, Barrowmaze is a mega-dungeon-crawl through a labyrinth of haunted catacombs.

I've run D&D5e before, but never a super dungeon, and I wanted to give it a go, and Barrowmaze comes pretty highly recommended.

There are surface towns, populated by NPCs, but this is primarily going to be a kick down the door, kill the monster, take their stuff kinda' game. Combat will be exclusively theatre of the mind and you will be expected to do your own mapping of the dungeon complex (immersive gameplay, or lazy GM? You decide!), or become hopelessly lost and die. :p

I'm looking for up to 6x players, to generate 1st level characters and join me on this epic jouney. Recruitment is first come, first served, I shan't be sifting through dozens of applications. If there is additinal interest after all six spots are taken, I'll hold your details in reserve, in case anyone drops out at a later date.

One thing to note, because Barrowmaze is pretty undead-centric, monsters gain +2 to resist Turn Undead and that modifier increases every time Turn Undead is used that day, so Clerics will need to think tactically about when they are going to use that ability.

Full Disclosure: I am already running a SW/Council of Thieves game on these very forums, so my attention will be divided between the two games. I still expect to post at least once per day, most likely more often than that if I am able to do so.

Welcome to the shadow-cursed city of Westcrown.

Formerly the capital city of Cheliax, now a neglected urban sprawl spiralling into lawlessness and ruin.

By day, squads of corrupt Dottari patrol the streets, dishing out savage beatings in the name of justice, or demanding steep bribes from hard-working folk who can scarcely afford to feed their own kin. By night, murderous shadow beasts haunt the darkened streets, leaving naught but blood and screams of those foolhardy enough to venture out after curfew.

While most decent folk bar their doors and wait for sunrise, their are always those who defy the darkness and strive toward a brighter future for Westcrown. One such group is meeting tonight, behind the shuttered windows of a derelict tavern. Lamplight dances along racks of dusty bottles behind the unattended bar.

You are part of this group, meeting in secret after curfew to engage in a treasonous plot against Westcrown's corrupt leaders.

A slender woman with short red hair and a rapier strapped to her hip greets you at the door and hastily ushers you inside.

"Thankyou for coming," she says, once everyone has arrived, "My name is Janiven Keys and I represent the Children of Westcrown. You were invited to this little get-together for one reason, each of you has suffered as a result of the curse upon this city. Fear should not be an expected part of everyday life. Other lands live free of tyranny. Other cities do not fear the night. Westcrown was once such a place, and she can be again! Westcrown is more than its buildings and canals, its docks and history - she is also her people! If we can win the hearts of those people, we can reclaim our streets and finally be free of the Thrice-Damned House of Thrune!
What say you all, will you stand with Children of Westcrown in this, our cities darkest hour?"

Please take a moment to introduce your characters and perhaps say a few words to explain why you are risking your life to attend this seditious meeting?

OOC thread for Council of Thieves/Savage Worlds.

Tiefling

• Low Light Vision
  
• Outsider (minor)
  
• Horns (natural weapon, STR+d4)
  
• Elemental Resistance (Fire)

---

Campaign Traits

Each PC can select one free Campaign Trait/Edge, based on the Player's Guide, in addition to any edges they gained during character creation.

Child of Infamy: Gain the Fame edge.
Conspiracy Hunter: Gain the Investigator edge.
Diabolist Raised: You can use your Occult skill for Networking rolls, representing how you are able to commune with devils.
Infernal Bastard (prerequisite: Tiefling): Gain the Arcane Background (Gifted) edge and the Darkness power.
Shadow Child: Ignore 2 points of Illumination penalties.
The Pathfinder's Exile: Begin with a Wayfinder in your possession, granting +2 to Survival skills to navigate/determine direction.
Westcrown Firebrand: Gain the Improvisational Fighter edge.

Hello all.

I have been busy converting tge Council of Thieves AP to run with Savage Worlds, specifically Savage Worlds Adventure Edition (SWADE). I have backed tbe Pathfinder for Savage Worlds kickstarter, but the books have yet to be shipped.

"Don't go out after dark! In the run-down Chelish capital of Westcrown, fallen from grace generations ago by the rise of the devil-worshiping House of Thrune, strange beasts of shadow prowl the streets after nightfall. At the same time, the head of the city's all-powerful crime syndicate, the notorious Council of Thieves, has grown unstable, and a new power is determined to take control—even if it means burning Westcrown to the ground.

The Council of Thieves Adventure Path is a gritty, urban adventure of organized crime, corrupt officials, and ancient curses. In their efforts to help the revolutionary Children of Westcrown, the heroes must infiltrate the halls of power, moonlight as actors in a deadly play, delve into a condemned Pathfinder Lodge and a mad wizard's labyrinth, make deals with hags, and face down the hordes of Hell itself—all while pursued relentlessly by vampires, assassins, and the infamous law-keepers known as Hellknights."

I'm planning to dial up the pulpier aspects of the system and run a streamlined version of the AP as written, cutting back to the main plot points, with the opportunity to deviate into side missions (or Savage Tales) if you choose to do so.

Posting frequency will likely be 1+/daily.

Please reply below if you are interested! I'm not planning to sift through/review applications (assuming their are any!), instead it'll be a 'first come, first served' recruitment process.

Prologue

For the first time since the Plague of Madness reduced Wati to a haunted ruin, the gates of the half-dead city are to be unsealed. The current pharaoh of Osirion, Khemet III (the Ruby Prince) will open the necropolis to attract foreign adventurers (and all their lovely gold) to his arid, desert kingdom. It seems to have had the desired effect, hundreds of explorers, archeologists and straight-up grave robbers have descended upon Wati, eager to fill their pockets with ancient treasure. To intill some pretence of order to this chaos, the temple of Pharasma plan to hold a grand lottery and assign specific sites within the city for each group of adventurers to explore.

On his way to Wati, the young Varisian archeologist Alan Lehenard encounters a half-orc ruffian called Fal Bralti. Alan shares his provisions and explains to Fal what he is doing so far from home. Initially, Fal planned on murdering the milk-faced scholar and stealing his gear, but all his talk of ancient treasure in sealed tombs piques her interest. The next morning, she offers her services as guide and bodyguard. Alan eagerly accepts (not suspecting her true intent to betray him once the loot is in hand) and the two travel on together.

When Alan and Fal arrive in Wati, they find the city packed with other fortune seekers taking part in the lottery. A young ragamuffin called Moshe eyes up Alan's fine attire and fancies him for an easy mark. He dispatches his pet monkey (Hatu-khnum-amen, or just Hatu for short) to distract the archeologist, while Moshe steathily dips into his pocket. Unfortunately, Fal spots the little thief and grabs him by the wrist.

"You have to keep an eye out for little rats like this one here, Master Lehenard." she says, reaching for her knife, "The only sure way to stop their thieving fingers is to cut them off!"

Alan intervenes before Fal can mutilate the child. Instead of handing the young thief (and his monkey) over to the guards, he offers the lad a job as his valet. Moshe has no idea what that entails, but it pays better than begging and it's preferable to losing a finger. He accepts! Fal is not best pleased by this development and scowls angrily at her employer, wishing she'd just killed him when she'd had the chance.

Alan and his growing entourage join the long queue of people waiting to register for the grand lottery. Ahead of them is a masked elf in dusty robes, leaning heavily on a gnarled staff of sun-bleached bone. Alan and the elf get talking; his name is Corym Sarnorin and he is afflicted with a bad case of mummy rot. He hopes to find a cure within the necropolis, but the temple of Pharasma is only allowing groups of four to participate in the lottery. The math checks out, Alan and the elf team up to make up the numbers. Fal grows even more irritable as the number of throats she will have to cut before she can steal the treasure continues to increase.

The group register for the grand lottery and are advised to return in the morning, when the gates of the necropolis will be unsealed and they will be allocated their first location to explore.

- - -

Character stats for party at the start of the adventure are included blow, so readers can see how they advance over the course of the Adventure Path.

Alan Lehenard, human archeologist (Novice, 0xp)
Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d8, Spirit d6, Strength d6, Vigour d6
Pace 6, Parry 5, Toughness 7 (2), Power n/a, Bennies 3/3, Wealth d6
Skills: Academics d8, Athletics d6, Common Knowledge d4, Fighting d6, Notice d8, Persuasion d6, Shooting d6, Stealth d6
Languages: Common, Ancient Osirion, two others
Race: Adaptability
Edges: Linguist
Hindrances: Driven (uncover secrets of the past), Loyal, Overconfident
Gear: Thick Leather Jacket/Leggings (AV2; torso, arms/legs), Flintlock Pistol (2d6+1, ROF1, 5/10/20, reload 3), Sword (Str+d6), Survival Kit

Fal Bralti, half-orc thug (Novice, 0xp)
Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d4, Spirit d6, Strength d8, Vigour d8
Pace 6, Parry 8 (2), Toughness 10 (2), Power n/a, Bennies 3/3, Wealth d6
Skills: Athletics d6, Common Knowledge d4, Fighting d8, Intimidation d6, Notice d4, Persuasion d4, Riding d4, Shooting d6, Stealth d6, Survival d4
Languages: Common & Orc
Race: Infravision, Outsider, Strong
Edges: Brawny, Brawler
Hindrances: Ruthless, Greedy
Gear: Warhammer (Str+d6, Ap1), Medium Shield (PR+2, CVR-2), Thick Leather Jacket/Keggings/Cap (AV2; torso, arms/legs & head), Survival Kit

Moshe, human urchin (Novice, 0xp)
Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d4, Spirit d8, Strength d4, Vigour d6
Pace 6, Parry 4, Toughness 5 (1), Power n/a, Bennies 5/5, Wealth d4
Skills: Athletics d6, Common Knowledge d4, Fighting d4, Notice d4, Performance d4, Persuasion d6, Stealth d6, Survival d4, Taunt d6, Thievery d6
Languages: Common
Race: Adaptability
Edges: Beast Bond Beast Master (pet monkey Hatu-khnum-amen)
Hindrances: Curious, Poverty, Young & Small
Gear: Dagger (Str+d4), Sling (Str+d4, 4/8/16), Rags (cloth, AV1; torso & legs)

Corym Sarnorin, elf wizard (Novice, 0xp)
Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d10, Spirit d8, Strength d4, Vigour d4
Pace 6, Parry 5 (1), Toughness 5 (1), Power 15/15, Bennies 3/3, Wealth d6
Skills: Academics d6, Athletics d4, Common Knowledge d6, Fighting d4, Notice d6, Occult d6, Persuasion d4, Spellcasting d10, Stealth d6
Languages: Common & Elven
Race: Agile, All Thumbs, Low Light Vision
Edges: AB (Magic), Power Points I
Hindrances: Anemic, Arrogant, Ugly
Powers;
Arcane Protection: PP1, dim umber aura around target
Bolt: PP1, eldritch bolt of orange force
Entangle: PP2, summon sarcophagus to contain target
Gear: Staff (Str+d4, 2H, PR+1, reach +1), Robes (AV1; torso, arms/legs & head), Silver Mask, Spellbook, Survival Kit

Hello Paizo people! Hope you are well! :D
I have added a PDF to my trolley, but every time I click to go to trolley or checkout, I am getting an error (page does not exist). I have tried clearing cookies, logging out, etc. Is this problem unique to me?
Thanks.

The Cast;

Enost Stone, stuttering sculptor, Novice 0xp
Agility d6, Smarts d6, Spirit d6, Strength d8, Vigour d8
Pace 5", Parry 8 (2), Toughness 8 (2), Power n/a, Bennies 3/3, Wealth d6
Athletics d8, Common Knowledge d6, Fighting d8, Notice d8, Persuasion d4, Stealth d6
Hindrances: Can't Swim, Cautious, Low Light Vision, Reduced Pace, Tongue-Tied
Edges: Sweep, Tough
Gear: Warhammer (Str+d6, spiked AP1), Thick Leather Apron (AV2, torso), Medium Shield (PR+2, Cover -2), Stonemason's Tools

Efron, handsome wizard, Novice 0xp
Agility d6, Smarts d4, Spirit d8, Strength d6, Vigour d6
Pace 6", Parry 7 (1), Toughness 8 (2), Power 10/10, Bennies 3/3, Wealth d6
Athletics d6, Common Knowledge d4, Fighting d8, Notice d4, Occult d4, Persuasion d8, Spellcasting d6, Stealth d6
Hindrances: Arrogant, Clueless
Edges: Arcane Background (Magic), Attractive, Brawny
Powers: Crystal Beam (Bolt), Smoldering Intensity (Confusion), Bronzeskin (Protection)
Gear: Staff (Str+d4, PR+1, reach +1, two hands), Thick Leather Jacket (AV+2, torso & arms), Spellbook

Marius Rosewater III, degenerate nobleman, Novice 0xp
Agility d8, Smarts d6, Spirit d6, Strength d4, Vigour d6
Pace 8", Parry 6 (1), Toughness 6 (2), Power n/a, Bennies 2/2, Wealth d6
Academics d4, Athletics d6, Common Knowledge d4, Gambling d4, Fighting d6, Notice d6, Persuasion d6, Shooting d6, Stealth d6, Taunt d4, Thievery d4
Hindrances: Bad Luck, Enemy (loan sharks sent by temple of Abadar), Small
Edges: Aristocrat, Fleet Footed, Quick
Gear: Rapier (Str+d4, PR+1), Thick Leather Jacket (AV+2), Crossbow (2d6, AP2, range 10/20/40, hand drawn), Extravagant Outfit & Hat

Makaela Ravaren, pierced/mohawk elven cleric of Erastil, Novice 0xp
Agility d8, Smarts d6, Spirit d6, Strength d6, Vigour d6
Pace 6", Parry 5, Toughness 7 (2), Power 10/10, Bennies 3/3, Wealth d6
Athletics d6, Common Knowledge d4, Faith d6, Fighting d6, Intimidation d6, Notice d6, Persuasion d4, Shooting d8, Stealth d6, Survival d6
Hindrances: All Thumbs, Big Mouth, Quirk (punk attitude), Vow (serve Erastil)
Edges: Agile, Arcane Background (Miracles), Low Light Vision
Powers: Beast Friend, Hunter's Eye (Boost Trait), Blessing of Erastil (Healing)
Gear: Bow (2d6, 12/24/48), Shortsword (Str+d6), Tough Leather Jacket & Leggings (AV+2, torso, arms & legs), Quiver, Holy Symbol (Erastil), multiple piercings

SAVAGE: LEGACY OF FIRE

Running the Legacy of Fire adventure path, converted to Savage Worlds Adventure Edition. The four player party consists of;

NADIYYA EMBERSTORM
Beautiful and athletic young human woman, with long black hair and smouldering red eyes. Pale skin that resists the burning gaze of the desert sun.

MISFAR
Elven wizard. Dark complexion, grey ponytail and grey eyes. Searching for lost ruins swallowed by the desert. Unfailingly polite & courteous, even to his enemies.

ZAIN AL-SAHLI
Tall and muscular human man, devoted to the sun goddess Sarenrae. Bald with sun tattoo forehead head. Slow to anger, but fearsome when roused. Wields an enormous hammer.

FUK URF
Sandy skinned desert goblin. Bit of a loner. Likes to catch and eat small vermin that live in the desert (lizards, scorpions, ect...)

For funzies, I have decide to start converting all of the Pathfinder adventure paths to Savage Worlds. I am trying to restrict myself to content from the core book (SWADE) and the (soon to be obsolete version of the) Fantasy Companion, although I may refer to other books if necessary (most likely the other Companions or the Hellfrost bestiaries).

http://sbrpg20.blogspot.com/2016/05/savage-worlds-pathfinder-part-1.html

I've used the linked article as my guide, specifically the bit about capturing the feel of the adventure, rather than the mechanics. Consequently, I've chopped and changed the AP as written to make it more Fast, Furious and Fun. Full disclosure, none of this has been playtested. I wish I had the time to!

Anywhere here is the first half of Rise of the Runelords, converted to Savage Worlds Adventure Edition. I'll add more as the project continues.

OOC discussion thread for Savaged Secret of Sandpoint.

It is the start of a new year and for reasons known only to yourself, you are travelling the Lost Coast Road, a twisting track that winds along the edge of the Varisian Gulf. You find yourself in the quaint, coastal town of Sandpoint. The townsfolk are preparing for the annual Swallowtail Festival, but none are too preoccupied to offer you a warm welcome to their community. It seems that wanderers and adventurers are a common sight around these parts.

You have taken lodgings at the Rusty Dragon inn, an old, comfortable building near the centre of the town. The innkeeper, Ameiko Kaijitsu is an attractive young woman with Tian blood and an unlikely hairstyle. A former adventurer herself, Ameiko recognises you for kindred spirits and extends a discount on the cost of your rooms in exchange for livening up the busy taproom with tales of your past heroism.

OOC: Feel free to post a quick story recounting your previous adventures, anyone entertaining the crowd will be awarded with an additional benny.

An old fisherman, his grey beard dripping with ale rises unsteadily from his stool to address the crowd.

"Oive got a tale that will chill your bones and turn your bowels to water," the drunkard claims, "It was several years back, when I set out to explore the old Foxglove manor...."

"Not this tired old story again!" someone yelled from the back of the room.

"Still your tongue! the fisherman snapped, before glancing over towards your table, "There are fresh faces in the Dragon tonight who won't have heard my tale.

I entered the old place via the back door. Lead straight into the kitchen, it did. Rats the size of dogs sat watching me, bold as you like, till I chased 'em orf. I saw a set of stairs leading down into the cellar and thinking there might be treasure down there...."

"Looking for wine, more like," someone sniggered.

" ... I started down the creaky steps to have a poke about. Suddenly, a horrible scream - the most awful thing oive ever heard - sounded from below and a fearsome apparition chased me from the house, all the way back to me boat. Oive never run so hard in all my loife, for I can only imagine what horrid tortures that spectre might have visited upon me had it got its way."

"A good tale and worth another drink!" Ameiko said, passing a bottle across the bar, "But make this the last one and then take yourself home to your wife!"

When next Ameiko stops at your table to refill your tankards, she pauses to consider your weapons and apparel.

"Old Jervis might be a poor husband and poorer fisherman, but he's no liar. I believe he encountered something strange at the old Foxglove manor, out on the bluffs south of town. Other folk have reported seeing strange lights at night, but nobody will go near for fear of disturbing whatever spirits occupy the place. I heard from Mayor Deverin that some nobleman from Magnimar is planning to renovate and move in with his young wife. This might be the last chance we have to find out what is really going on - that's if any of you are interested in a little adventure?"

Hello Pathfinder people!

I'm interested in converting The Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh to Savage Worlds (Adventure Edition) and relocating it to the world of Golarion, specifically the Lost Coast region near Magnimar/Sandpoint. Depending on how things go, I might continue into the next adventure in that series, or take a sharp left turn into Burnt Offerings. I am not looking to run an entire AP, but I might hijack certain elements.

About Me:

The Adventure:

Posting Frequency:

Savage Worlds Adventure Edition:

I'm excited to run this game by PbP on the Paizo forums and hope at least 3/5 of you are interested in playing. :p
Any questions, post them here or drop me a PM.

(Savaged) Mummy’s Mask – Session One (11/10/2018)

Tom – Bes (reincarnated god of ancient Osirion – or so he claims, anyway, wears a mask depicting a leering dwarf)
Ted – Inspector Cluedo (genius level intellect and a magnificent moustache)
Morgan – Chenkov (towering paladin of Gorum, framed for murder and exiled from his homeland)
Vic – Vardis (scarred gnoll shaman, banished from his tribe)
Ross – Guud (hooded albino marksman, doomed to hunt the desert’s most deadly game)
Moc – Billu (handsome and virile manchild, bare-chested and boisterous)

Beneath the remorseless Osirion sun, an unusual group of individuals gathered around the pool of a wealthy nobleman to be offered a unique proposition. The Ruby Prince had decreed that the necropolis of Wati, the sealed city-within-a-city, be opened to adventurers and historians from across the breadth of Golarion. The temple of Pharasma (goddess of the afterlife) had been given the unenviable responsibility of organizing the rush of treasure hunters and tomb raiders flooding into the city, to prevent a bloodbath as rival groups battled each other for the best loot. Sebti the Crocodile, high priestess of the Grand Mausoleum ordered that a lottery be held, to randomly assign specific excavation sites to individual groups; failure to adhere to the rules of the lottery would result in disqualification.

Ahbehn Okhenti, the nobleman around whose pool the heroes were gathered, raised his goblet of chilled camel milk and drank deeply, surveying his strange guests over the rim of the glass. A motley crew and no mistake, but maybe… just maybe, destined for greatness, if the augurs were correct.

“You might be wondering why I have invited you into my home.” Ahbehn said, “It was not just to drink all my wine, although you have made good start on that! You are likely aware of the decision that the necropolis be unsealed, so that the wealth of our ancestors can fill the new pharaoh’s coffers. Wati is full of adventurous types hoping to find their fortune amidst the ruins. I fear that many will be disappointed and find only their doom, for the dead rest unquiet behind those walls. The necropolis was not sealed without reason.

“However, for the right group of skilled individuals, fame and fortune await! I believe that together, you could be such a group. If I were thirty years younger, I would be tempted to go with you, but these old bones are better suited to brandishing a chequebook than a sword!

“I propose that I pay the 1000 gold registration fee to the temple and you participate in the lottery on my behalf. You may keep any treasure that you find and there is to be an auction next week, where you can sell anything that you have uncovered but do not wish to keep. This could be a once in a lifetime opportunity. What do you say?”

Bes, his expression masked and inscrutable, crossed his bare arms and nodded his assent.

Inspector Cluedo pocketed the small mirror he had been preening in and smiled.

“Eet would be a privilege, monsieur Okhenti,” the inspector said, his thick accent immediately betraying him as a Galtan, if the spectacular moustache had not already given him away, “I ‘ave always yearned to pit my wits against ze ingenuity of your lands' infamous deathtraps.”

Chenkov grunted, a sound like gravel shifting on a mountainside, his cold gaze never leaving the scarred gnoll that stood nearby. Vardis insolently returned the man’s look, then turned away to chastise his human slave Boros the Agile, who was leashed to his master by a length of ratty cord.

“Why must we take this beaten mongrel?” Chenkov rumbled, “What skills can it possess, besides the ability to lick its own balls?”

Vardin stopped licking his own balls and extended his gnarled staff of sun-bleached bone towards the pool. Moments after it broke the surface of the clear water, the entire pool began to bubble like a cauldron on the boil.

Ahbehn and his attendants clapped politely. Chenkov grumbled.

“You had me at licking your own balls,” Billu drawled, then burst into a Bollywood-style song & dance number.

Guud the Huntsman watched this play out from the shade of a palm tree in the nobleman’s garden, a sneer twisting the corpse-pale features beneath his hood. These bickering children would not last a day in the parched dunes beyond their walls. Guud cocked his head to one side, listening for the sweet song of his quarry, calling to him from the depths of the desert. Soon. Soon he would return to the hunt. But not yet. For now, he would travel with this strange group and do what he could to keep them from getting themselves killed.

TBC

Hello fellow Paizoites. :D

Yesterday I began running Edge of Anarchy converted to the D&D5 system and thought I woould post my notes and impressions. I am also planning on keeping a campaign log, so I will post that here too.

First of all, the first session went very well - especially as I had to do little/no prep beforehand. I am already familiar with the basic layout of the adventure as I have converted it to Savage Worlds in the past.

I had three players, two of whom chose to play Fighters (one a tiefling brawler and the other a disgraced human guardsman) and the third player chose to be a rogue (mysterious high elf who may/may not still be in the employ of the crown). Since none of these classes bought any healing to the table, I provided an NPC healbot using the stats for Acolyte from the D&D5 bestiary.

In the first session, the party invade a derelict fishery to engage the gang using the building as a base. I used Bandits from the bestiary to represent Gaedren's crew and the Mastiff to reprsent Bloo the belligerent guard dog. Yargin the Clerk was also a Bandit, but I gave him a Wand of Acid Splash (used Wand of Magic Missiles as a template and just switched the attached spell effect). I was going to use a Swarm of Insects [Spiders] to represent the drain spiders inhabiting the old ship moored behind the fishery, but the players did not go near the old tub. For Gaedren Lamm, I used the Bandit again, but added some HP (20 total) and gave him an extra +1 mod on his Dex & Int. He still went down within two rounds, but this was not too much of a problem as he was a old man and not a huge physical threat. For Gobbleguts, I used the Crocodile stats and I used Reef Shark stats for the jigsaw sharks swimming in the river.

The players seemed to enjoy themselves and I am looking forward to running the next session. I will continue to post here, please don't hesitate to ask any questions. :D

Day 0: Finally, after many weeks on the road we have reached the frontier of the Stolen Lands. Beyond this point there are no more roads, just a rolling expanse of unexplored wilderness. Supposedly, our purpose is to map these unclaimed lands and bring justice to the bandits that prey upon the simple folk that scratch a modest living from the dirt.

In truth, our charter is not my sole reason for joining this expedition. A year ago, my old uncle Barnard Button (the renowned gnomish archeologist) traveled to the Stolen Lands to uncover a forgotten ruin that he believed lay buried beneath the earth. He stopped writing several months ago and his sister (my mother) grew so frantic with worry that I volunteered to go after the old codger and bring him home.

Travel also provides ample opportunities to spread the word of the gnomish trickster gods Shunlock and Leevans, although I suspect my companions grow weary of my pranks.

I should mention my travelling companions, as they are indeed a motley band. The spokesman of the company calls himself Ashok Grimm, a half-orc whose savage appearance and muscular build makes him seem quite menacing - until you hear him speak. He is softly spoken and impeccably well mannered. One night around the campfire, he told us how he had been raised in an orphanage and sends half his share of any treasure to support that worthy institution. He even purchased some colorful buttons from my stock as he thought the children would enjoy playing with them.

Arya Mornmist is a feisty wood elf girl. She's thirty years older than me, yet still considered an adolescent in elvish society - a fact the final member of our party is constantly reminding her of. While Arya is brimming with youthful enthusiasm, B'ran the high elf is crusty with age, his crooked back bent under the weight of the long centuries that he has lived. Despite his advanced years, he remains a powerful sorcerer - or so he claims, when he's not grumbling about the food or the weather or his feet or any number of other things.

... the harder they fall!

This is a recruitment thread for Paizo's latest AP.

GIANTSLAYER
Deep in the Mindspin Mountains, a storm giant warlord known as the Storm Tyrant has seized control of a cloud castle and an Orb of Dragonkind, and is gathering an army of giants from across western Avistan—first to bring the orc hordes of Belkzen under his banner, then to conquer the neighboring realms. Heroes defending the human town of Trunau from an orc raid discover that the attack is just a precursor to the Storm Tyrant’s larger plans. Working their way through an abandoned border fort, an ancient giant temple, the tomb of an undead frost giant, and an elite fire giant training facility beneath a dormant volcano, the heroes eventually take the fight to the Storm Tyrant himself inside his flying fortress. Can the giant army be defeated before it can conquer the human lands of the Inner Sea, or will all of Avistan bow down in fealty to the Storm Tyrant?

The AP is being converted to Savage Worlds. If you're unfamiliar with the rules, you can pick up a free "test drive" PDF from the Pinnacle website (www.peginc.com).

I am looking for 4 Novice level fantasy characters. You can choose from the races in the core rulebook or the Fantasy Companion book or create a new race using the race creation rules included in both books. Your characters should be residents of Trunau or frequent visitors to the town. Posting rate should be once per day (even if it is just a short one). Any questions about character creation or the game itself can be posted here or mailed to me directly.

I have run many Pathfinder AP's converted to Savage Worlds for my home group and run a few online campaigns here and on other forums (which fizzled out for various reasons, meh). I am looking forward to running this adventure, hopefully to the end of the campaign. :D

OOC discussion thread up!

You have been travelling together for several days, but may have known each other to prior to that at your discretion.

For the past several days, you have been travelling a road that winds lazily across the rolling grasslands of the Greefields. Sundown is approaching when you top a rise and see the town of Greenest just a few short miles away. But instead of the pleasant, welcoming town you expected, you see columns of black smoke rising from burning buildings, running figures that are little more than dots at this distance. A dark, winged shape wheels low over the keep that rises above the center of the town.

Greenest is being attacked by a dragon!

What do you do?

Hello. Having read the Players Handbook, I am eager to run a game. Hopefully, I can find 4-5 players who would also like to try the new system. I intend to run Hoard of the Dragon Queen, which should see characters reach level 7. If we survive the first adventure and there is enough interest, I would also like to run the second half of the adventure after it has been released.

I am not looking to sift through character applications, the first 4-5 people to post interest in the game are in. I can guarantee at least one long post per day (and likely more than one). This is my first time running D&D.5e, although I have a few games under my belt as a player. Any race / class combo from the PHB is allowed, but none of the player-made content from ENWorld or anywhere else.

Rather uninspiringly, the adventure begins with you guarding a caravan on route to the town of Greenest. You can be a guard, or come up with some other reason that you would be travelling with the caravan.

The game is set within the Forgotten Realms, so if you're playing a godly type, pick your deity from that table.

You can roll your own attribute scores or use the standard array from the character creation chapter of the PHB.

Looking forward to playing!

(Savage Worlds) Jade Regent Adventure Path

The Brinewall Legacy

The Licktoad goblins have been raiding caravans along the Lost Coast and generally making a nuisance of themselves, emboldened by the discovery of a cache of fireworks. Where the little buggers got fireworks from is anyone’s guess. The sheriff of Sandpoint town collars his strapping, young son (PC: Tim Hemlock) to help post fliers reinstating the bounty on goblin ears (10g per pair of ears delivered to the town hall) and an additional 500g bounty for the head of the goblin leader; Chief Gutwad.

Tim decides this is just the opportunity that he’s been waiting for. Finally, a chance to prove that he’s more than just “the sheriff’s boy”! He is joined by a reclusive, half-orc swamper (PC: Roy Mucklelow), whose beauty sleep has been disturbed by the goblins and their “bloody bangers”. A boisterous dwarven cleric (NPC Healer: Brian Blessedbeard) with a booming voice and a great, bushy beard also attaches himself to the party.

Having lived (alone) in the Brinestump Marsh for the last ten years, Roy knows fine-rightly how to reach the goblin village and leads the group along an old, overgrown fisherman’s trail. Along the route, the party hear a high pitched, somewhat girl shriek from some ways off the trail. Led by Roy (whom the others hope can find the way back to the path), the heroes rush to investigate the sound, sloshing through the deep muck until they reach a small clearing. They find a struggling halfling being constricted by a huge snake! The serpent is easily 15m long and as wide around as a rolled-up carpet. The halfling man is turning a funny shade of grey, his eyes all a-boggle as the life is literally squeezed out of him.

Roy raises his crossbow and takes careful aim at the large snake – he doesn’t want to shoot the halfling in the face by accident. Tim charges forward, only to discover his movement is severely restricted by the swampy ground underfoot (difficult terrain). Blessedbeard bellows (Stun power with Deafening Shout trapping), expecting the volume of his voice to disorientate the snake, yet the serpent seems unaffected and continues to tighten its coils around its prey (mechanically, the halfling is now incapacitated).

Unwilling to yield its dinner without a fight, the snake rears up and hisses threateningly (effectively on hold until someone approaches within melee range). Blessedbeard shuffles 2” closer; the murky water now rises to his waist. Tim goes on hold until after Roy has fired, not wanting to get shot in the back. Having spent the last round aiming, Roy pulls the trigger on his heavy crossbow. The iron bolt sinks into the snake’s scaly trunk – a killing shot! The serpent thrashes wildly before going limp.

Tim and Blessedbeard are able to extract the senseless halfling from the dead snake’s embrace. Brian performs mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, swelling the halfling’s lungs with his whisky-tinged breath. The halfling recovers and introduces himself as Walthus Proudstump, self-proclaimed warden of Brinestump Marsh. He thanks the heroes for saving him from the snake and invites them to rest at his shack before tackling the goblin village. Roy helps carry the snake’s carcass, as both he and Proudstump agree that “them’s good eating!” Tim and Blessedbeard stick to their trail rations while the two hermits tuck in.

I am considering running Mummys Mask for my son, converting the adventure to Savage Worlds. He would be the only player, operating with a team of NPCs. I was considering personalities for this team and then thought; why not use the Scorched Hand?

Can anyone think of any other reasons this would not work, which I might have overlooked? I also hope this would help tie book 1 into book 2 a little better than would otherwise be the case.

Alternatively, I might just skip book 1 altogether and jump straight into the auction at the beginning of book 2 and tell the player that he and his group had previously taken part in the Grand Lottery and were now flogging their finds. Their seems to be precious little in the first module that the campaign will suffer for the loss of.

Mummy’s Mask (converted to Savage Worlds)
1/6: The Half Dead City

GM Notes: I decided to run through Mummy’s Mask with a group of four GMPCs, because;
A: I will be at least 6 months before I have the chance to run it for a group of people,
B: A trial run allows me to spot any potential headaches and tighten up any loose mechanics before running it for a group of meddlesome players,
C: I enjoy reading/playing/writing about Paizo’s Adventure Paths. :D

Session One

GM Notes: I changed up the opening of the AP to introduce an NPC patron for the PC’s group and give them a chance to introduce themselves to one another prior to the lottery. The Okhenti family’s rivalry with the Mahfre family (see the gazetteer) also provided an opportunity to introduce the Scorched Hand as competition earlier than would otherwise be the case. This had the side-effect that it enabled the PCs to instigate contact with the rival group – and in this instance, take direct action against them (see below).

The heroes all have links to the Pathfinder society. Retired adventurer Ahbehn Okhenti retains contact with the organisation and extends an invitation for the heroes to visit him in the half dead city of Wati to discuss a lucrative proposition. The nobleman has caught wind of the Ruby Prince’s plans to open the Necropolis for exploration and wishes to sponsor a group to participate in the lottery. Sponsoring a successful group will bring prestige to his family, especially if they are more successful than the rival group being sponsored by the Okhenti’s political opponents (the Mahfre family). This rival group calls itself the Scorched Hand.

Half-Orc Pathfinder Hanford Jolo listens carefully to the nobleman’s proposition, but doesn’t say much – he’s always been more of the strong, silent type. He hopes to find something in the Necropolis to barter his way back into good standing with the organisation after some previous disgrace.

Despite his advanced years, elderly dwarven archaeologist Burran Moss is excited about the prospect of exploring the Necropolis. He spends a lot of the meeting rambling about ancient Osirian history, although nobody in the room pays much attention.

Halfling rogue (graverobber) Ruferic Trippen eyes up their host’s exquisite silverware and slips a few valuable spoons into his deep pockets.

Human paladin (of Iomadae) Evelyn Cross is the spokesperson for the group. She thanks Ahbehn for his invitation to Wati and for paying for the group’s accommodation at the Tooth & Hookah.

After settling into their rooms, the heroes visit the Grand Mausoleum to register their group in the lottery (whereby they will be randomly allocated the area of the Necropolis that their group is authorised to explore). The Pharasman clerics inform them that their group needs a name and the heroes decide upon the Bonerunners.

The lottery occurs several days later. When their group is called, Evelyn mounts the stage to receive their first assignment (the tomb of Ahkentepi). The heroes hang around, waiting for the Scorched Hand to be summoned. A flamboyantly dressed Taldan woman wearing a large, floppy hat collects the scroll. She returns to her group, which consists of two local men and a heavily armed half-elven woman.

When the Scorched Hand leave, Ruferic follows them, hoping to eavesdrop on their conversation when they open their assignment (Ruferic’s stealth opposed by Idorii’s notice). The sneaky halfling follows them to their lodgings without being detected; they are renting rooms on the top floor. Ruferic scrambles up the exterior wall without attracting any undue attention. The Scorched Hand emerge onto a rooftop garden, Ruferic watches them from the bushes. Velriana, Azaz and Khelru (Ruferic picks up their names after listening to them converse) discuss their first assignment, while Idorii (the half-elf) stands guard. They have been assigned a building believed to have once been a brothel. Velriana is furious, apparently she was hoping for a specific site. She storms off, followed by Idorii. Left alone, Azaz and Khelru get down to some sweaty man love. While they are distracted, Ruferic steals the group’s assignment and slips away. On the way back to the Tooth & Hookah, he rips up the scroll.

(GM Notes: Another bonus of using a group of GMPCs is that you can focus on one character’s exploits without the rest of the table getting bored. Since Okhenti had named the Scorched Hand as rivals, Ruferic’s character (who is a bit of a bastard) took it upon himself to make their lives difficult. The rest of the group would not have known about or condoned his unsportsmanlike actions).

(GM Notes: There have been a lot of threads on the Paizo forums recently, regarding the sudden increase in bisexual/transgendered characters in the last few adventure paths. I don’t object to this and feel my normal group is mature enough to deal with these themes. However, I do not believe the authors should feel obligated to include them in every adventure path, which is the emerging pattern after Wrath of the Righteous. The whole ‘sell my magic sword to pay for a gender realignment spell’ thing in The Worldwound Incursion was just plain weird). :s

The following morning, the Bonerunners assemble outside the gates of the Necropolis, along with all the other groups involved in the lottery. The Scorched Hand are present, Velriana is arguing with a knot of Pharasman clerics (presumably about the loss of their assignment). Ruferic permits himself a mischievous chuckle. The gates are opened and the heroes are swept into the Necropolis with all the other hopeful adventurers. They follow the instructions on their scroll to locate the tomb of Ahkentepi. Burran Moss explains that the site predates the Plague of Madness that resulted in the Necropolis being sealed. The entrance to the tomb is partially buried in windblown sand. Hanford removes his shirt and starts clearing it away. Evelyn assists, but does not remove her shirt. Burran claims his old bones are giving him gyp and Ruferic explains that manual labour brings him out in a rash. Together, they clear the entrance after forty minutes.

Heading into the tomb, the Bonerunners find the way forward blocked by a heavy, stone disc. Hanford applies his strength to shifting the obstruction and (after a great deal of manly grunting) single-handedly rolls it out of the way. The chamber beyond contains a dark hole descending into the tomb proper. An ancient, rotten rope dangles over the pit, suggesting that the heroes are not the first group to seek the treasures buried with Ahkentepi. The heroes secure their own line and climb down.

A desiccated body waits for them at the bottom of the shaft. It has clearly been here for a long time. This being a fantasy game, Ruferic gives the corpse a kick before flipping it onto its back. Both of the poor bastard’s legs are broken, indicating a nasty tumble from the room above. Searching the body, Ruferic finds two dusty flasks of alchemist’s fire, miraculously unbroken. A pair of ornate, double doors exit the chamber. Ruferic checks for traps, but doesn’t find any.

The walls of the passage beyond depict scenes of an ancient conflict. The same warrior (carrying a distinctive scarab shield) features prominently, Burran speculates this was likely Ahkentepi. Ruferic creeps forward to check the next door for traps, inadvertently triggering the pressure plate on the floor. The terrified halfling throws himself down – but nothing happens (GM Notes: In Savage Worlds, traps are required to make an attack roll against the PC that triggered them, in this instance I rolled a 1 on 1d6. Rather than have it miss, I ruled that the device malfunctioned – it is over 2,000 years old after all). Ruferic picks himself up, looking sheepish.

The room beyond the trapped door contains a display of mummified cats. Burran explains that when an Osirian noble died, their servants and pets would often be strangled and buried along with them, to serve in the afterlife. There are two exits from the room (GM Notes: Since I am running with a group of GMPCs, I came up with a simple mechanic to establish which door they would take when given a choice. I cut the deck, if the card was red they would go one way, if the card was black they would go the other). The group take the door in the southern wall of the foyer.

One wall of the next room (down some steps) is dominated by a large mirror. Ruferic takes a moment to inspect his appearance. He starts to get a headache and hurries to catch up with the others (GM Notes: The trapped mirror made an attack opposed by the halfling’s spirit and failed). There are two exits from the room and the party go right. This leads into a preparation chamber, where the bodies of Ahkentepi and his unfortunate servants would have been mummified (GM Notes: I removed the encounter with the spiders).

The Bonerunners take the other exit from the mirror chamber. More steps lead deeper into the tomb. Part of the ceiling has collapsed, spilling sand into the passage. Burran and Ruferic notice something long and serpentine moving beneath the sand, while both Hanford and Evelyn are surprised. Two sandlings (small sand elementals taken the form of snakes) emerge and attack the party.

The first sandling bites Hanford, who grunts with surprise but is not actually injured (even with the +4 attack/damage modifier for the Drop). The second monster lunges at Burran, but the elderly dwarf totters to one side, surprisingly spry despite his age. Ruferic readies his crossbow and shoots at the creature, the bolt passes straight through it! Burran clobbers the sandling with his walking stick to no obvious effect.

Hanford is dealt a joker in the second round of combat, yet still fails to do enough damage to hurt the sandling (GM Notes: Being elemental monsters, the sandlings only take half damage from non-magical attacks. At this earlier point in the adventure path, none of the characters have magical weapons and none of the spellcasters in the party took any offensive spells. Even with a puny toughness 5, the PCs need to roll 10 damage to shake the sandlings, or 14 to take them out. If I run this again, I will likely skip this encounter or replace the sandlings with mining beetles). Evelyn swings her flail and rolls well enough to destroy one of the creatures. The second sandling bites Hanford (shaken + two wounds), he burns through all three of his bennies but only manages to soak one wound.

The Bonerunners decide to retreat through the open door at the far end of the passage. They slam the door closed, trapping the one remaining sandling on the other side. Evelyn uses the mundane healing skill to patch up Hanford’s injuries. There are two exits from the room, the party go north. Stairs lead further down into a large chamber. A golden sarcophagus dominates the platform in the centre of the room. Ruferic rushes forward, belatedly recalling the pressure plate that he previously ran afoul of. Stepping onto the platform, he hears yet another ominous click as his weight depresses the trigger on the death-trap. The doors to the north burst open, releasing a torrent of muddy water into the room. At the same time, the golden sarcophagus animates and attacks!

Hanford draws his pistol (GM Notes: I usually allow blackpowder firearms in all my fantasy games, especially pulpier adventures like this and Skull & Shackles) and takes a pot shot at the sarcophagus. He rolls a critical failure on his shooting die. The weapon does not fire and the half-orc realises the powder got wet when the room started flooding. Ruferic fires his mini-crossbow, the bolt bounces off the sarcophagus’ golden exterior. Burran begins looking for a way out of this death-trap before they all drown. Evelyn clobbers the sarcophagus with her flail, denting it. The sarcophagus tries to bash her, but doesn’t roll well enough to beat her parry (GM Notes: In retrospect, I should have made the sarcophagus a wild card or increased its fighting die to a d8. It’s a cool enemy, but it was pretty ineffective in this fight. If it beat its target’s parry with a raise, it would swallow them, trapping them inside – but it failed to hit once during the whole fight).

The water level rises to the PC’s waists (or mid torso for the shorter characters). Burran notices that the water is draining through a secret door in the western wall of the chamber. He begins searching the area for a switch or trigger, but finds nothing. The water continues to rise; Ruferic holds his crossbow over his head for one last shot before it closes over his head (unsurprisingly, he misses). Burran finally locates the lever to open the secret door (disguised as a torch holder, duh) and pulls it. Water immediately starts draining away. The elderly dwarf looses his grip on the lever and is swept along with it. Hanford delivers a mighty blow to the sarcophagus, shattering its golden armour; it immediately stops trying to kill them. The half-orc ties it closed with a length of rope, then splashes off after the others to find Burran.

The dwarven archaeologist ended up in a room containing Ahkentepi’s grave goods. Wooden chests float around in the knee-deep water. Burran explains that since the last burial chamber was an elaborate death-trap to fool/kill grave robbers, the real burial chamber must be nearby. He finds the secret door leading to the final resting place of Ahkentepi. The Bonerunners loot the tomb and recover…

Ahkentepi’s Armour (+2 armour value, Danger Sense edge)
Scarab Shield (+1 armour value, +2 toughness against ranged attacks, swarms of vermin will not attack the person carrying the shield unless attacked first)
A masterwork longbow (+1 attack/+1 damage)
2x vials of silversheen
Assorted trinkets/relics worth 1200gp

The Bonerunners investigate the doors they missed on their way out of the tomb, but discover nothing of great interest (GM Notes: I condensed all the treasure from the rest of the dungeon into Ahkentepi’s hoard, Savage Worlds is not a great fit for long, meandering dungeon crawls).

When the Bonerunners try to leave, they discover their rope is gone! A voice from above offers to return it to them in exchange for whatever treasure they uncovered from the tomb. Ruferic convinces them that they found little of any real value, unless you count mummified cats (the halfling rolled well on his persuade roll to beat the other group’s smarts). The looters leave the heroes to die in the dark, they try to block the entrance again, but none have the strength to move the heavy disc.

Some time later, a Pharasman cleric called Ptemenib (GM Notes: Pronunciation?!) comes looking for the group after they failed to return. He is relieved to find them alive and lowers the rope for them to clamber out of the tomb. Ptemenib explains that he usually scours the Necropolis after dark in search of looters. However, he suspects the Bonerunners were likely targeted by another group. He indicates there has been all sorts of foul play since the lottery, one unfortunate group even had their first assignment stolen within an hour of receiving it. Ptemenib escorts the heroes out of the Necropolis and tells them to take greater care during their next assignment.

Before returning to the Tooth & Hookah, the party visit their sponsor (who does not appreciate being roused at such a late hour), who buys their loot for its market value. Ahbehn will later submit these treasures to be resold at auction, but he is confident he will make his money back. When the heroes reach the tavern, they find several other groups (including the Scorched Hand) assembled in the common room, exchanging stories about their first day in the Necropolis.

Velriana Hypaxes is still angry about losing her first assignment. She promises a generous reward to anyone with information regarding the theft. She also announces that her group will pay handsomely to exchange assignments with any other group that are assigned the Temple of the Erudite Eye during the next lottery. Ruferic approaches a despondent looking halfling barbarian (Mad Dog Marrn of the Dog Soldiers). Mad Dog drunkenly explains that he found a magic sword in the Necropolis, but securing it (from the caustic depths of a gelatinous cube) cost the lives of several of his beloved hounds. Ruferic gets the barbarian plastered and purloins the enchanted blade when he passes out (GM Notes: I told you he was a bastard). Since the members of the Scorched Hand are at the Tooth & Hookah, it stands to reason that their lodgings will be empty….

In the early hours of the morning, the heroes are woken by Mad Dog Marrn hammering on the door to their room. The barbarian accuses Ruferic of stealing his sword, but the halfling claims to be innocent. He even allows his rooms to be searched. He then tells Mad Dog that he did see Velriana’s bodyguard (Idorii) with a similar weapon. Marrn and his boys head over to the Scorched Hand’s lodgings and fisticuffs erupt between the two groups. The Pharasman clergy become involved and find the missing sword amongst the half-elf’s gear. The members of the Scorched Hand are detained for questioning, leaving them only half a day to explore their second assignment (GM Notes: At this point, the Scorched Hand are beginning to suspect that the Bonerunners have had a hand in their recent run of misfortune).

To be continued….

I recently came across the Radiance RPG by Radiance House and have been running a group of four characters through Burnt Offerings using this system. I have previously run Burnt Offerings in Savage Worlds and thus far, feel that Radiance does a damn fine job bridging the gap between traditional d20 gaming and the speed and accessibility of Savage Worlds.

The group consists of four level one characters;

Ellis Scarnetti: level one human gallant

Brunard Blackflagon: level one dwarven cleric

‘Captain’ Salty Jark: level one half-orc fighter

Fizban: level one gnome wizard

I opened the playtest with the goblin raid on Sandpoint. The four PCs took out 3x goblins in four combat rounds.

I had to build the goblin stat block myself as while there are many cool monsters included in the Radiance Gamemaster’s Guide, goblins are not amongst them. This was actually really easy, maybe even easier than creating new monsters in Savage Worlds (I always get bogged down deciding on edges). After deciding what level you want the monster to be (in this case, level one goblin), you have a set number of points with which to purchase abilities from the 24 racial / 30 class templates. Basic abilities cost 1 point, intermediary abilities cost 2, advanced abilities cost 4 and paragon abilities cost 8. You can also spend points to boost attribute scores, initiative, damage, etc. Generally, I struggle to spend all the points available, so the monsters may have been a little underpowered, but this was not noticeable during play.

Brunard and Jark were in no real danger throughout the fight, as to beat their DR, the goblins would need to roll a natural 20. Ellis needed to watch out (his silkweave armour only granted DR+2) and Fizban had to be extra careful, as goblin pc’S IN Radiance have a racial animosity for gnomes (and elves and halflings) and I had purchased this ability for the goblin monster block.

Humans have a cool ability called Heroic Mien that lets them reroll one d20 once per day, and Ellis made use of that this combat while attacking a goblin with his rapier.

The bad guys don’t have an AC either. The three usual saves (FORT, REF & WIL) act as the target number for specific types of attack. Ellis and his rapier would target the goblin’s REF. Brunard and his heavy warhammer would try to beat the FORT and mind-effecting abilities target WIL. Armour does not factor into these saves, but does contribute towards damage reduction (or DR). Say Ellis rolls 17 to hit a goblin with REF: 14, he hits and rolls 1d6+3 (+1 strength mod, +2 Trusted Weapon, see below) and gets 6 total. Goblin wear crappy leather armour with DR1, damage inflicted = 5.

PCs and monsters in Radiance have Vitality and Wounds. Vitality is spent to use spells and special abilities, but it is also reduced when you take damage. Only once all your vitality is gone do you start taking wound damage. The first time you take wound damage, you are dazed, meaning you cannot take any actions for the rest of that round.

A lot of PCs have abilities like Weapon Focus or Trusted Weapon, granting +1 attack and +2 damage with certain weapons/weapon types right out of the gate, in addition to strength modifiers on melee damage.

Also, characters roll to attack + their class modifier, which is pretty nifty. So a wizard with Intelligence 18 (+4) rolls +4 to attack whether he is casting spells or clubbing someone with his staff. Of course, just because you hit your target doesn’t mean your damage is going to beat their DR, but it empower characters who might otherwise how been useless in certain conditions.

After defeating the first wave of goblins; the PC’s rush to the Rusty Dragon Inn, which the goblins have set on fire. On route, they encounter another group of goblins, accompanied by a warchanter. I made the goblin warchanter a level 2 enemy. I took the level one goblin template and added another 5 points worth of bard abilities. One ability called Boost Moral allowed the goblin to add +1 to all d20 rolls his allies made as long as he continued signing round on round (clerics have an even better ability called Prayer, for 5 mins all allies get +1 on all d20 rolls and all enemies get -1 on theirs). This fight took longer (6 rounds to defeat 4 goblins + 1 warchanter), mostly because the heroes allowed the warchanter to hang back and boost its allies for longer than was wise. They learnt their lesson and in the next fight against 2 goblins and 1 goblin commando (level 2 goblin fighter), they concentrated fire on the commando and took him out in the first two rounds. The goblin dog ran away.

Radiance has a mechanic for moral rolls, the effected monster must make an attack roll against his own WIL save, if they beat it; they flee, if they don’t; they stay and fight.

The last two goblins are taken prisoner (they surrendered after the commando was taking out).

During the downtime following the raid, Shayliss Vinder (daughter of the general store owner) approaches Ellis and asks him to help with the rats in her basement. The young nobleman fails his Insight roll to detect her real motive (she wants to jump his bones). There is a lot of emphasis on romantic interludes in the Radiance RPG. Some classes have abilities where ‘an hour of uninterrupted romance’ restores vitality, and childbirth is giving as an example use of the Endurance skill. There is even a theme called Romantic, allowing a player to take abilities that grant bonuses in romantic situations or cause people (even enemies at higher levels) to fall madly in love with them. Ellis and Shayliss get jiggy in the basement of the general store and are caught bumping uglies by her over-possessive father. Diplomacy fails and Ellis is forced to run for it, naked through the streets of Sandpoint.

This provided an opportunity to use the extended test rules. Essentially, rather than make a single roll to establish if an action succeeded or failed, you can lower the DC by one level and make 6 rolls. If you roll over 4 times out of six, you have succeeded, 5 times out of 6 you succeeded with style, 6 out of 6 and you succeed spectacularly. However, if you only roll 3 successes you fail by the narrowest margin, 2 out of 6 and the margin isn’t so narrow, 1 out of 6 and your failure is pretty embarrassing and should you fail to roll a single success, well, you’ve humiliated yourself with your utterly inept display. This is much quicker and works much better than the way Dramatic Tasks work in Savage Worlds.

Ellis rolled 5 successes out of 6 and makes it back to his room at the Rusty Dragon without being collared by Vin Vendor or Sheriff Hemlock. He is spotted by Ameiko Kaijitsu as he darts through the common room. Ellis is able to borrow some clothes of his childhood friend Aldern Foxglove, who is also staying at the Inn during the festival.

Having saved Aldern’s bacon during the goblin raid, the nobleman invites the party on a hunt in the nearby forest. Again, I asked for an extended test (rolling Survival this time) and the party rolled another 5 out of a possible 6. Despite their general ineptitude (none of them had the Survival skill, but they rolled well), they track and spear a large and formidable boar. Ellis sends the impressive tusks to Vin Vendor by means of an apology for shafting his daughter (Charisma roll, DC20) and gets 21. The shopkeeper’s attitude shifts from hostile to unfriendly, yay!

Every character in Radiance starts with a number of basic languages (usually common and their racial tongue) with a number of additional languages based on the intelligence modifier. Because Fizban speaks goblin, he is bought in to help the sheriff interrogate the goblin prisoners captured during the raid. The gnome is not very intimidating though, so Jark goes along to roll Intimidation. Together, they learn that the goblin raid was orchestrated by a ‘long shanks’ (what the goblin’s call humans).

The heroes meet with the town council and wandering ranger Shalelu Andosana. They learn that the local goblin tribes are working together on something big, possibly another attack on Sandpoint. Sheriff Hemlocks rides for Magnimar to summon reinforcements from the city militia, leaving the PC’s to look after Sandpoint in his absence.

I have been wanting to try FATE for ages and am holing that there is enough interest to get a game going. I will be running Way of the Wicked by Fire Mountain Games (even if Gary McBride is a thief who stole my Kickstarter pledge). I will be using the rules from the FATE Freeport Companion.

1: Pick a Name, High Concept and Trouble aspect.

2: Pick another three aspects to round out your character.

3: There are six core skills, STR, DEX, CON, INT, WIS and CHA. Assuming the following ranks as you see fit: +0, +1, +1, +2, +2 and +3.

4: Pick up to three Stunts.

If you want to play a Magic user, you need one aspect and one stunt to support your character archetype. Magic is probably the most complex part of the FATE system, so I will answer any questions that come up during character creation.

I usually GM other systems, but this time I got to play one of Paizo's excellent adventure paths. The idea of running Pathfinder makes me feel ill (too much crunch), but I don't mind playing it now and then.

We have been playing from the beginning of the AP, but I did not write a log during Haunting of Harrowstone and missed most of Trial of the Beast due to problems at home. I turned up for one session - and my character died. :p

Now we're started Broken Moon and I have a new character, Van Hellsqueak the halfling werewolf hunter. The other players are:

Hargr Dawnstorm (The Trollkiller) - Moderately Deranged Dwarf Fighter. Has actually been known to kill the odd troll or two. (Pat)

Rafe Jacoby - Ranger. Greatest moment - Shooting down a manticore with a single arrow. (Mal)

Sister Delores - Sensible Priestess of Pharasma - Proved the Beast of Lepidstadts innocence in court (Lyndsey). Now is accompanied by two horses, and a homunculus named "Black Pudding"

Thorn - somewhat dishevelled Dwarven druid, but falling short of actually having birds nesting in his hair. assigned to the quest by Judge Daramid, as a guide through the Shudderwood.(Gaz)

--

Broken Moon / Session One (12/01/2014)

Having released Count Alpon from his own torture chamber (if nothing else, those Whispering Way cultists have a wicked sense of irony) and defeated the Aberrant Promethean atop the tallest spire of Schloss Caromac, the triumphant heroes return to Lepidstadt to report their success to Judge Daramid. The magistrate reveals that both she and the late Professor Lorimmor are members of a secret society called the Order of the Palantine Eye. The Order does not know what the Whispering Way are up to, but are justifiably concerned that the cabal have discovered a way to release Tar-Baphon - the Whispering Tyrant – from dread Gallowspire.
Fortunately, Count Alpon overheard the necromancers discussing their next move, the Way are bound for the werewolf-infested forest of Shudderwood. Judge Daramid wants the party to track the necromancers into the wilds. To aid them, she has procured the services of tree-hugging dwarven druid Thorn and diminutive werewolf hunter Van Hellsqueak, who will escort the party to the gates of Ascanor Lodge, last bastion of humanity within the inhospitable forest.

Before leaving Lepidstadt, the party are approached by representatives of the local thieves guild. One is carrying a wriggling sack, which he upends at their feet. A small, thin gnomish child blinks up at them owlishly. It transpires that before his (gruesome) death, Elan made a deal with these undesirables. The alchemist had agreed to provide the guild with potions & poisons, in exchange for a steady supply of orphans to serve as lab assistants and test subjects in his experiments. Rafe Jacoby relays the sad news of Elan’s demise and tells them to take the girl away. The thieves explain their ‘no returns’ policy and bugger off, leaving the party to care for the child, who does not have a name. Ignoring Hargr’s ‘helpful’ suggestions, Sister Dolores calls her Astrid.

The first three days travelling through the Shudderwood pass uneventfully. Thorn observes that this is unusual; normally you cannot take a five foot step without being jumped by something huge and hairy. The dwarven druid speculates that something must be occupying the various werewolf clans. Rafe and Sister Dolores share a meaningful glance; could this be connected to the Whispering Way? Even Elan’s ghost is keeping a low profile. The spook recalls the fate of his zombie butler and is determined to keep his own presence hidden from Sister Dolores, whose faith would require that she exorcise his lingering spirit. Convinced that his former companions have forgotten about Astrid, Elan initiates the girl into the wonderful world of amateur alchemy.

Suddenly, Van Hellsqueak (riding point astride his skittish pony) curses, the trail ahead is blocked by thick, sticky webs. Drawing the convoy to a halt, Rafe’s keen eyes pick out four insectoid figures lurking in the trees. Ettercaps!

Filled with distaste for these unsightly denizens of the forest depths, Thorn clambers onto the roof of the first wagon (formerly Dr Elan's Travelling Medicine Shoppe) and starts hurling fireballs at the leafy canopy in which the creatures hide. Van Hellsqueak, Rafe and Hargr are all ensnared in nets of sticky silk, as the ettercaps descend to the forest floor. His muscular arms bound against his sides, the dwarven trollkiller topples off the cart and begins to roll slowly towards one of the creatures. Meanwhile, Sister Dolores targets two of the ettercaps with a burst of radiant light, blinding one and wounding the other.

Despite his -2 strength modifier, Van Hellsqueak struggles free of the webs gluing him to the back of his mount – and is immediately webbed again. An ettercap sniggers from the bushes. Thorn hurries to the helpless halfling’s side and prevents the creature sinking its poisoned fangs into Van Hellsqueak’s succulent flesh. Hargr continues to roll along the forest floor, building momentum as he works one arm free of the cocoon. With a flash of steel, the dwarven warrior cuts through the webbing and buries his axe in an ettercap’s head! Rafe and Sister Dolores slay another two of the monsters, but the final wretch escapes into the tangled undergrowth. Rafe starts to pursue, before heeding Thorn’s urgent plea to return to the path.

Thorn burns away the webbing obstructing the trail so that the wagons can pass. Before the group can get back underway, they hear a haunting melody through the trees. Everyone (except Sister Dolores) feels compelled to follow the spooky music back to its source, which turns out to be a partially ruined tower overlooking the path. The Pharasman nun tries to snap Hargr out of his trance, but the dwarf’s coarse beard is rough as sandpaper and slapping him only injures her own hand.

Van Hellsqueak is the first of the enchanted heroes to enter the ruins. He spots the one surviving ettercap lurking beside a gaping chasm in the floor of the tower. Emerging from this pit is an abomination with the upper body of a woman and the lower body of a gigantic maggot. Van Hellsqueak’s addled mind does not register his immediate peril. Then the music stops and the halfling shrieks in terror as the weaverworm tries to drag him into its lair. Hargr snaps out of his stupor and rushes to the rescue, driving the loathsome creature back into its pit. The weaverworm is slain and the party search its foul-smelling lair. Rafe cuts down the desiccated husks of several mummified travellers and discovers that one carries a bloodstained letter addressed to the warden of Ascanor Lodge.

OOC: Your characters ideally know one another, having grown up together in Diamond Lake, before leaving to pursue your own fortunes. Each of you have recently received correspondence from Alison Land, the younger sister of your friend Alastor (who disappeared mysteriously several years before your own departure - nobody ever established what actually happened to him).

It has been years since any of you have returned home to Diamond Lake, some of you would say it's been too long - others not nearly long enough. The town is just as you remember it, a cluster of smoky wooden buildings clustered together amongst the rolling Cairn Hills, a dirty smear of industry sprawled along the edge of the lake.

On your way into town, you noticed (but did not approach)the Land homestead. You knew from Alison's letter that she had moved out of the old place and found lodgings in Jalek's Flophouse (far from the safest place for a young woman to be staying alone, but the only affordable accommodation without having to sell her families lands) after her parents succumbed to the plague, but you hadn't expected the farmhouse to have fallen into such a state of disrepair, or the fields to lie so overgrown and fallow.

You are standing in the town square, a few minutes walk from the lakefront where Alison is staying. Gruff miners eye you suspiciously as they pass, their dirty, unfriendly faces mostly unfamiliar after your many years in the wider world.

OOC thread for Age of Worms (Savage Worlds).

I am looking for 4/6 players interested in playing the Age of Worms AP using the Savage Worlds game system from Pinnacle Entertainment. New characters should be Novice rank. Use of the Fantasy Companion is permitted. Savage Worlds is not particularly well suited to dungeon crawls, so the AP will be streamlined into a series of pivotal set pieces, rather than arduous jaunts through monster-infested underground mazes. This will have no impact on roleplay opportunies, which I hope to encourage.

Recruitment on a first come, first serve basis.

All characters should be local to the Diamond Lake region. This is an isolated mining community some distance away from the bustling Free City. You should be sufficiently down on your luck to consider raiding an old burial mound outside of the town limits. You were all raised in Diamond Lake and were good friends of a young boy called Alastor Land, who disappeared 10+ years ago. You are now given the opportunity to find out what happened to your old friend and maybe make a little gold along the way.

Please post character concepts below if interested. :D

(BBF) AGE OF WORMS

1/12: THE WHISPERING CAIRN

A group of adventurous types from the Free City have arrived in the dirty, dangerous mining community of Diamond Lake and advertised their intention to explore/plunder the Stirgenest Cairn on the other side of the water. The locals believe they are wasting their time, as all the old barrows were looted decades ago. The group consists of a handsome, muscular blond man called Auric (who loudly claims to have won the Champions Belt in the Free City Games), Khellik (a sinister looking wizard wearing crimson robes) and Tirra (a feisty elven rogue with an uncanny affinity with knives).

Also in The Emporium that night are our own heroes, they have known each other for some time already but have no notion of the great bond of friendship that will be forged through the fires of imminent adversity.

MONROSE KHAN: One-eyed Half-Orc swordsman and wannabe-Casanova. Despite his savage look, he does possess a certain, indefinable charm. Maybe it’s the patch. He is lying low in Diamond Lake after seducing the wrong man’s wife back in the Free City, as he believes the cuckolded husband has hired bounty hunters to bring his life of debauchery to an abrupt end.

IGGURUK: A brutish and headstrong lizardman, forced to leave his marshy homeland after a failed attempt to wrest control of the tribe from a more powerful rival. Despite his monstrous nature, his presence is tolerated in Diamond Lake because his mighty brawn and pitiful brain make him an effective bruiser whenever mine manager Balabar Smenk needs some poor bastard roughed up. This has caused tension between Igguruk and Kullen, who suspects that the formidable lizardman might harbour designs to replace him as Smenk’s right-hand man (well, orc).

NATHANDER NEFF: A distant cousin of the Governor Mayor of Diamond Lake. It was soon discovered that he had no head for numbers and Lanod Neff fobbed the useless youth off on his brother Allustan. Surprisingly, the wizard found the young man to have some latent magical aptitude and has been grooming him to act as his assistant/apprentice.

BRUNORA BLACKFLAGON: A pious dwarven cleric, she has been searching for her missing brother (Brunard Blackflagon) for many years and the trail of breadcrumbs has led her to the mining town of Diamond Lake. She believes he might be working for one of the mine managers, but has not been able to locate him thus far.

An old man approaches the tables the heroes share (it’s a busy night in The Emporium). His face is cast in shadow by the hood he wears, the firelight barely highlights the outline of his long, hooked nose and the glimmer of his dark eyes. He shares the general consensus that the trio from the Free City are fools, but tells the group that there is another tomb that may yet contain treasure that lies unclaimed, forgotten amongst the dust and the dark. The folk of Diamond Lake have all but forgotten the existence of the Whispering Cairn, the hills where it can be found are avoided, as a pack of vicious wolves roam that whole area. From his cloak, the stranger produces a curious lantern fashioned of purple glass. He tells heroes it will illuminate their path to greatness. Before he can be interrogated further, the old man melts into the crowd and is gone….

Monrose leans forward and uses the smouldering tip of his foul, orcish roll-up to light the lantern. It casts their four faces in a mysterious purple glow, but has no other obvious effect. Someone clears his throat. Looking about, the heroes see that the wizard Khellik has wandered over to admire their unexpected acquisition. He asks where they found such a remarkable item and would they consider selling it to him? The party confer amongst themselves and decide that they would rather hold onto the lantern for the time being, at least until they work out what the old man meant by “it will illuminate your path to greatness”. The red-robed sorcerer nods understandingly and bids the party a good evening, he seems to have taken the rejection of his offer very well (or has he?).

While the party had been lukewarm on the notion of venturing into the Whispering Cairn before, Khellik’s sudden interest in the mysterious lantern has piqued their own. They agree to head into the hills the next morning and at least have a poke around the old barrow mound.

The next morning dawns grey and overcast. The party travel overland and reach the cairn during the eleventh hour of the morning. Despite the pervasive drizzle, they resist the urge to seek shelter within the cairn, as they know it is occupied by dangerous animals. They make enough racket to wake the wolves and draw them into the open. Four snarling beasts edge into the rain.

Brunora trundles forward, but the nimble wolves easily evade the clumsy sweep of her hammer. Two wolves circle the dwarven cleric, the first feints to the left, creating an opening for the second beast to lunge! Brunora raises her shield and the wolf bounces off it with a surprised yelp. The other two wolves menace Nathander and Monrose. They seem reluctant to antagonize the huge lizardman. Nathander casts Charm to calm the savage animals, but they are too busy trying to tear out his scrawny throat to pay his magic much mind. Monrose jabs at his own furry fur for light damage (3).
Igguruk rolls a Critical Failure on his first attack roll and his spear strikes a rock protruding from the stony ground. The point breaks off, leaving the confused looking lizardman holding what is essentially a big stick. The wolves loll their tongues as though laughing at his misfortune. Then Nathander ALSO rolls a Critical Failure! He casts Offensive Strike to set the wolf’s pelt ablaze and accidentally ignites his own robes. He will take 1D fire damage at the start of every round until he puts out the flames now licking at his legs. The wolves loll even harder. Monrose perforates a wolf with a series of lightning fast jabs of his rapier (7 damage), it does not get back up. While Igguruk defends himself with his broken speak, Brunora inflicts MASSIVE damage (22) upon one wolf, caving its skull in with one mighty blow of her warhammer. She hits the other wolf on her backswing (15 damage) and it also crumples.
Nathander takes 2 damage from his flaming robes. The apprentice magician stops, drops and rolls. Monrose steps over the shrieking wizard and drives his slender blade through the last wolf’s heart.

Once Nathander has extinguished his burning robes, the party begin their exploration of the Whispering Cairn in earnest. They descend into a large, domed chamber. Seven tunnels branch of this central hub, each tunnel terminates after 30ft, where a thick, iron chain dangles from the roof of the passage. Five of the seven chains already have lanterns hanging from them. Nathander realises that the colours of these lanterns correspond to the seven colours of the rainbow (Richard Of York Gave Battle In Vain). They hang the purple lantern that they were given in Diamond Lake up with the others, nothing happens, evidently they need all seven and there is still one missing.
The centre of the chamber is dominated by a raised, stone sarcophagus. Eager to prove that he is the strongest member of the group, Igguruk strains to open the box single-handed. The heavy stone lid of the sarcophagus saves the reckless lizardman from the fiery effects of the trap he’s just triggered. As useful as the lid is as a makeshift riot shield, it is much too heavy to cart around, so Igguruk props it up against the empty sarcophagus. Doing so causes the platform to shift slightly and the party realise that the whole plinth rotates 360’. It only goes clockwise, so they spin it around to face the green lantern. They hear something rumbling along the tunnel and move to investigate, daring to hope they’ve found the hidden entrance to some previously undiscovered treasure. They are unpleasantly surprised as the floor falls away from beneath their feet, revealing a deep shaft descending deeper into the earth. Monrose only avoids a nasty tumble into the dark by grabbing hold of the dangling chain. Dangling over the abyss, the half-orc hears something (or many somethings) scuttling towards the light…. A swarm of ravenous acid beetles erupt from the pit!

The beetles leave a trail of bright yellow, acidic slime in their wake. Monrose is out of their reach as he swings from the chain over the shaft. Both Igguruk and Brunora make their resistance checks the swarm’s caustic secretions. Nathander casts Offensive Strike and targets the bugs with a carpet of fire, incinerating the lot of them. Monrose hears something else climbing the shaft. A bulbous, bloodshot eyeball with six scythe-like legs scrambles from the pit and fixes the dangling half-orc with its terrible stare. Igguruk tramps up while the aberration is menacing Monrose and t$*#s it with his stick, then again, until it has been reduced to a foul gelatinous smear across the floor.

The heroes decide to investigate the other six tunnels before climbing down the creepy hole. Igguruk moves the heavy lid of the sarcophagus to obstruct the opening. Nothing happens when they rotate the sarcophagus to face the blue lantern. They do find a broken skeleton sprawled beneath the chain, which rises into a shadowy shaft in the ceiling of the tunnel. Again, Igguruk takes charge and scrambles up the chain. The lizardman finds himself in a long tunnel, terminating in a large, stone face. Approaching warily, Igguruk still triggers another trap. The stone eyes snap open and project a swirling pattern of vibrant colours. Igguruk rolls badly on his resistance check and is transfixed by the pretty lightshow. The stone mouth drops open and a howling wind blows the dazed brute back to the lip of the 40ft drop. Igguruk takes 13 damage from the fall. The pain breaks the trance and he roars with frustration and fury! Stupid tomb!

When the sarcophagus is turned to point towards the violet lantern, an arcane elevator rises from the ground and its door slides open invitingly. Nathander and Brunora both notice a fine powder in the bottom of the cylinder. The apprentice mage scoops a handful into his palm and identifies it as crushed bone, indispersed with fragments of a crushed ruby. Suspicious, they fetch the skull of the poor bastard lying beneath the blue lantern and place it inside the elevator. Sure enough, the door closes and when it reopens, the skull has been crushed into fine, white bone-dust. The group decide to leave the trapped elevator alone and move on to the next tunnel.

Another arcane elevator appears once the sarcophagus has been orientated towards the orange lantern. Suspecting another trap, they chuck more bones inside, but these return whole and uncrushed. Having already triggered two traps, Igguruk does not want to go first again. Brunora volunteers. She emerges in the Lair of the Architect. The rest of the party follow, one at a time. Igguruk can barely squeeze his muscular bulk into the narrow cylinder.
A heavy stone slab blocks the passage to the south. Igguruk flexes his claws and knocks it over. Immediately, the room is flooded with a noxious green gas! Only Nathander inhales the poisonous fumes before scrambling over the toppled block. He takes 10 damage and is dazed. Choking and spluttering, the young arcanist fails to notice the approach of a lurking strangler until it has wrapped its fleshy fronds around his neck!

The strangler, which resembles two floating eyeballs trailing a string of meaty tentacles floats over and fires its eye beams. Brunora collapses and begins to snore. Monrose turns and flees away from this terrifying aberration – straight back into the cloud of poisonous gas! (Brunora will be asleep of 3 rounds, Monrose will be afeared for 6)

The strangler uses its beam attacks again, but both Igguruk and Nathander shrug off the effects. Nathander hurls a fireball at the creature, but his eyes are still weeping from exposure to the gas and his aim is off. Igguruk flails at the strangler ineffectually. It lashes out at the lizardman with its whip-like tendrils, inflicting light damage (3). Enraged, Igguruk clocks it with his staff (11 damage) and Nathander finishes it off with a fireball, toasting the horrible aberration.

The triumphant heroes wake Brunora up and wait for Monrose to return, muttering some feeble excuse about having left the stove on back at his shack.

Historians recently unearthed a cache of illustrated scrolls dating back to the Sengoku period of ancient, feudal Japan.

One of these scrolls depicts two unidentified samurai warriors battling one another with what appear to light sabers.

Fortunately, this 'find' has been written off as an extravagant hoax... but we at TimeZero know better, don't we?

Someone has been travelling back to points in the timeline where warfare and strife are abundant and selling high-tech, futuristic armaments to one or both sides.

Who? We don't know.

Why? We don't know that either.

That's where you come in! As operatives of TimeZero, it's your responsibility to prevent this sort of dangerous meddling in Earth's history.

You want to play a brutish caveman? Sure!

A steadfast Roman Centurian? Why not!

An eccentic Victorian inventor? The more the merrier!

A Musketeer? Tres-magnifique!

A gruff SWAT officer from the present day? You get the idea.

Regardless of the archetype you've chosen, at some point in your life - mere moments before you were destined to die in the time-line - a representative of TimeZero appeared with an offer of salvation, join TimeZero or fulfil your own moribund fate.

TimeZero is a pulp-fisted, time-travelling, high-action romp through Earth's history. It plays fast and loose with the more complicated mechanics of time-travel and provides a threadbare excuse to team up a Viking with a Teutonic Knight with a cyborg from the future (etc...) and put them up against the worst that history can throw at them! :D

TimeZero is a third-party product by GRAMel (one of the better licensees working with Pinnacle, check out Beasts & Barbarians). I've been waiting for this product for some time and cannot wait to run it.

History-buffs be forewarned, I'll be doing just enough research to limp through a string of gunfights, sword battles and chase scenes. I'm not going to guarantee historical authenticity. :p

(savage) THRONE OF NIGHT
1/6: Dark Frontier

THORIN TARNHAMMER
Dwarven Warrior / Heir to Dammerhall
Agility [d6] Pace [5”]
Smarts [d6] Charisma [+2]
Spirit [d8] Parry [8 (1)]
Strength [d6] Toughness [8 (3) / 10 vs ranged]
Vigor [d6] Power Points [n/a]
HINDRANCES: Slow (-1 Pace), Vow (restore Dammerhall), Arrogant, Code of Honor
EDGES: Tough (start with D6 Vigor), Low Light Vision, Noble, Trademark Weapon
SKILLS: Fighting [d10] Intimidation [d8] Notice [d6]
Persuasion [d8] Stealth [d4] Kn. Dwarven Royalty [d6]
GEAR: The Tarnhammer (Trademark Weapon +1 Fighting, Strength+d6, AP1 vs rigid armour), Platemail (AV+3), Medium Shield (+1 Parry, +2 TN vs ranged attacks)
POWERS: n/a

DAGARI DARKSTEP
Half-Orc/Dwarf guide to the Underdark
Agility [d8] Pace [6”]
Smarts [d6] Charisma [-3]
Spirit [d8] Parry [5]
Strength [d6] Toughness [6 (1)]
Vigor [d6] Power Points [n/a]
HINDRANCES: Outsider (-2 Charisma), Greedy, Habit (licks cave slime), Delusions
EDGES: Strong (start with d6 Strength), Infravision, Woodsman (+2 Tracking, Survial & Stealth while in underground caves),
SKILLS: Climbing [d4] Fighting [d6] Notice [d6]
Shooting [d8] Stealth [d8] Survival [d6]
Tracking [d6] Kn. Azathyr [d6]
GEAR: Shortsword (Strength+d6), Crossbow (2d6, 15/30/60, AP2, 1 action to reload), Leather Armor (AV+1)
POWERS: n/a

MAGNAMARD SPELLAXE
Dwarven Wizard / Advisor to Thorin Tarnhammer
Agility [d6] Pace [4”]
Smarts [d8] Charisma [+0]
Spirit [d8] Parry [5]
Strength [d4] Toughness [5]
Vigor [d6] Power Points [10/7]
HINDRANCES: Slow (-1 Pace), Elderly, Loyal (to Thorin), Bad Eyes
EDGES: Tough (start with D6 Vigor), Low Light Vision, Arcane Background (Magic)
SKILLS: Fighting [d6] Kn. Magic [d10] Notice [d8]
Persuasion [d8] Spellcasting [d10] Stealth [d4]
Taunt [d8] Repair [d4]
GEAR: Axe (STR+D6 > D4), Wizards Robes (+0 AV), Spellbook
POWERS: Smite (2pp, 3 rounds/1), Armor (2pp, 3 rounds/1), Burrow (3pp, 3 rounds/2)

DULLON BRIGHTHAMMER
Dwarven Cleric
Agility [d6] Pace [5”]
Smarts [d6] Charisma [+0]
Spirit [d8] Parry [6]
Strength [d6] Toughness [7 (2) / 9 vs magic]
Vigor [d6] Power Points [10]
HINDRANCES: Slow (-1 Pace), Vow (restore worship to Dammerhall), Heroic, Loyal
EDGES: Tough (start with D6 Vigor), Low Light Vision, Arcane Background (Miracles), Arcane Resistance (+2 TN vs magical attacks, +2 to resist magical effects)
SKILLS: Faith [d8] Fighting [d8] Healing [d6]
Kn. Religion [d6] Notice [d6] Persuasion [d8]
Stealth [d4]
GEAR: Warhammer (Strength+d6, AP1 vs rigid armour), Chainmail (AV+2), Holy Symbol
POWERS: Healing (3pp), Boost/Lower Trait (2pp, 3 rounds/1)

We are playing the Explorers campaign, using the Savage Worlds game system. Obviously, this thread will contain spoilers, so those who wish to play the AP themselves should probably stop reading now.

“This is the last chance for your people. For two hundred years, the dwarves have been scattered and leaderless. The dwarf holds are all but gone – conquered by invaders or overrun with outsiders. For decades now, the dwarves have mingled with the kingdoms of men. The humans have treated you well enough. They respect dwarven craft and tenacity. But with every passing year, the dwarves dwindle. Your tongue goes unspoken. Your ways are forgotten. Will there come a time when to be dwarven is merely another way of saying a short, bearded man?

It was not always so. Once the greatest empire in the all the world was dwarven. Once the majestic kingdom of Dammerhall was where all roads converged. The whole world came to pay tribute to the dwarven high king and his mithral throne. And then calamity. The great mountain-city burned with black flame for three days. All the bridges into Dammerhall collapsed. All the gates were sealed. The only survivors were those who by chance were outside the city. For two centuries dwarves have tried to retake Dammerhall and discovered what really happened that dark day. And for two hundred years, they have failed. The remaining dwarven holds, once vassals to Dammerhall, fell to squabbling about who should rule the dwarves. Weakened by division, many dwarf holds were overrun by orc or dragon. Some signed treaties with the realms of men, all but forfeiting their autonomy. And most disgraceful, some holds fell because of civil war where dwarf turned upon dwarf.

But there is yet hope. It is said that there is another way into the sealed city – a dark road beneath that goes through the uncharted depths of the earth. This expedition will be the one who will find that hidden road. This expedition will reclaim Dammerhall and restore dwarven glory, dispelling two hundred years of disgrace. You have found an entrance into the darkness. Rumor speaks of a deep gnome village known as Fasturvalt where dwell the elusive svirfneblin, the deep gnomes. The first step is clear – Find Fasturvalt and secure a guide. Nothing will stop you in your quest. Nothing will stay your hand. This is your hour. This is the moment when the dwarven diaspora ends and where dwarven glory begins anew. In the realms below, you will make for yourselves and your people a Throne of Night.”

The dwarven expedition begin their quest near a major tunnel that their half-orc guide names the Gnome King’s Highway. The only other denizens of the Azathyr that the small party have encountered are the bats, thousands of the leathery-winged rodents fluttering through the dark. Dagari assures the dwarves that they can follow the highway right to the doorstep of the svirfneblin.

On the third day of their descent into the earth, a tremor shakes the tunnel the party are traversing. After several anxious moments, the tremor subsides with only minor damage to the cavern. Dagari assures the dwarves that such tremors are not uncommon and rarely dangerous.

(OOC: little to the players know, the tremor has sealed the entrance to the Azathyr, preventing their return to the surface should their quest go pear-shaped)

On the fourth day, the party stumble upon a strange object, what looks to be a wheel fashioned from some fibrous matter. Dagari advises the dwarves that the svirfneblin use the stalks of some large mushrooms much like surface-dwellers use wood. The half-orc makes a Tracking roll to establish in which direction the wagon was travelling and establishes that it was heading for Fasturvalt too – but the tracks end abruptly. Dagari notices some strange markings leading up the tall embankment to the side of the highway and scrambles up to investigate. The dwarves remain on the road. He finds the rest of the wrecked wagon. Strands of sticky, white webbing cling to its sides and the seats are stained with blood. The rest of the party join Dagari atop the embankment and investigate the wreckage. The webbing suggests the caravan was attacked by spiders, but that is all the PCs can deduce, there is no sign of the passengers or their cargo.

The party get the creeping sensation that they are being watched. Thorin (who rolled highest on his Notice roll) spots a small, humanoid figure ducking down behind a rock. Dagari moves stealthily to flank the stranger while the dwarves try to communicate, asking if he/she saw what happened to the gnomish caravan. The half-orc sees that the stranger is a lithe gnomish woman wearing a dark hood. Making a co-operative Persuasion roll, the dwarves convince her to warily emerge from concealment, though she does not lower her crossbow. The dwarves learn her name is Iverna (though she is nicknamed Knify Ivy) and she was a passenger on the wagon before it was ambushed by skis’raal (giant, intelligent spiders). She tells them that the creatures slew Sheriff Gunter during the attack, but the other six gnomes travelling with the caravan were poisoned and dragged away, presumably for later consumption. Being Heroic (hindrance), Dullon Brighthammer believes the party should find and rescue these unfortunate souls before they are eaten by the wicked skis’raal. Magnamard Spellaxe counsels would-be King Thorin Tarnhammer that to do so would earn the gratitude of the svirfneblin, who will surely aid them in the quest to find Dammerhall. Ivy accompanies the group as an NPC hireling, as to travel the Azathyr alone is to invite death.

(OOC: Ivy joins the party as an NPC, she can endure multiple wounds, but has no wild die or bennies. If the PCs keep her alive, they can level her up whenever they earn an Advance. Eventually she may become a Wild Card NPC)

Dagari finds the tracks of two large arachnids dragging something larger than a gnome through the tunnels. He cannot identify what this might be, but Ivy suggests it was probably the pack lizard that drew the wagon, which the greedy skis’raal returned for after all of the surviving gnomes had been dragged away to their lair. After four miles, the trail terminates suddenly. Dagari identifies a sticky flap obscuring an opening in the roof of the tunnel. As he was the only character with any points in Climbing (d4), he is the first to ascend the rocky chimney. He climbs quietly/carefully enough that the skis’raal in the next area do not detect his intrusion. Dagari lowers a rope for the others, then melts into the shadows, crossbow trained on the webbed entrance to the spider’s den. Dullon is first up the rope, but he climbs clumsily and makes such a racket that one of the skis’raal comes out to investigate (combat).

Dullon has only just reached the top of the chimney when the first skis’raal skitters towards him, fangs bared and dripping with poison. He draws his warhammer and swings clumsily, driving the spider back a step. From his hiding place, Dagari shoots the creature (with The Drop, +4 Shooting/Damage), killing it. Another of the eight-legged monsters emerges from the lair, shrieking in its own spidery tongue. It spots the half-orc as he begins reloading his crossbow and hisses murderously. Rather than charging its mate’s murderer immediately, it shoots a blob of sticky webbing at the dwarven cleric to keep him out of the combat. Below, Thorin begins climbing the rope, but rolls a Critical Failure (which cannot be rerolled). Since the rope is occupied by his struggling lord, the wizard Magnamard casts Burrow and sinks into the very rock.

As the spider speeds towards Dagari, he hurriedly reloads and fires the crossbow (-2 MAP). He hits with a Raise, but the vengeful creature is merely shaken. Suddenly, Magnamard steps out of the stone wall behind the spider and strikes it with his axe, felling the second skis’raal, which is still reeling from the half-orc’s attack. Dullon struggles free of the sticky webbing and the dwarves work together to haul Thorin and Ivy up the narrow chute.

The PCs find all six of the captured gnomes alive, although they are still a little woozy from the spider’s venom. Their spokesperson is a veteran soldier called Harvald, who thanks the party for rescuing them from the predatory skis’raal. He asks the dwarves to return with them to Fasturvalt, where there bravery will surely be rewarded by the lord of the gnomish enclave. Searching the spider’s lair, the party also find… Sheriff’s Gunter’s badge of office, Sheriff Gunter’s mithril wedding band, Sheriff Gunter’s masterwork Shortsword (+1 Fighting/Damage), Sheriff Gunter’s Armory Key, 6 potions of Healing and one bottle of rare elven brandy from the surface, a bag of strange coins and a masterfully crafted axe inscribed with the dwarven letter ‘D’. The dwarves immediately realize that this weapon was crafted in the forges of lost Dammerhall and become very excited. They ask the gnomes where it came from, but none of them know – perhaps they will find the answers they seek when they reach Fasturvalt. Dagari examines the unfamiliar currency and concludes the coins were minted by the Drow.

(OOC: Leaving the spider’s lair, the party completely missed the hidden cache in the adjacent cave, the author seems to assume that they will find it, so I will have to see how the adventure pans out without the gnomes-bane being found)

It takes the party and their new gnome allies a further four days to reach Fasturvalt. The gnomish enclave is situated in one of the largest natural caverns that the surface-dwellers have ever seen. A swift, dark river runs through the centre of the cavern, dividing the town. Harvald offers to escort the group to the keep overlooking the settlement, where Lord Geirni holds court. Ivy has no desire to stand before Lord Geirni and makes herself scarce, telling the dwarves they can find her later at the Blue Rat Inn. After surrending their weapons to the guards upon the gate (all except Thorin, who refuses to relinquish his trademark weapon), the group are allowed to approach the lord of Fasturvalt. The group are surprised to find that Lord Geirni already has visitors, a group of Drow emissaries from Vothys, here to (allegedly) negotiate a truce between the two settlements.

Taking a break from Savage Worlds to run another of my favourite systems; Castles and Crusades! :D

While I love Pathfinder, it's a bit crunchy for my liking - C&C scratches the old school D20 itch without a load of brain-numbing number crunching.

Looking for 4-5 players. All you will need to play is the Players Guide, which is available as a PDF (but is somewhat overpriced - although you can get one of the older versions, all they changed for the new edition is the Illusionist spells and added colour illustrations).

I'll be running 'Idylls of the Rat King', the first adventure in the Dungeon Crawl Classics series by Goodman games...

"In Idylls of the Rat King, goblin bandits are once again attacking the silver caravans, killing innocent miners and stealing cargo. The goblins have taken up residence in an abandoned mine northwest of Silverton. Someone must get rid of them. But this is no ordinary abandoned mine. It was deliberately barricaded generations ago when the Gannu family, founders of Silverton, discovered an unspeakable evil on its lowest levels. And these are no ordinary goblins, for the curse of the Gannu family courses through their veins..."

If things go well, I would like to continue running these classic adventures.

Character Generation Notes: Rather than the standard 'Roll 3d6' rules for generating attributes, roll 4d6 and drop the lowest. Characters automatically start with max HP and max gold for their chosen class. No multi-classing.

(Savaged) Carrion Crown – Session 1/Part 1 (15/08/2013)
The Haunting of Harrowstone

Jonas Stent (Andy)
Slender and graceful, Jonas is a paid up member of the Duelist’s Guild in Caliphas. The edge on his wit is ever as keen as his rapier. This suave, dangerous man’s only weaknesses are a fondness for tobacco and an embarrassing phobia of horses.

Master Owl (Gary)
An aged, grey-haired gnome cleric, Owl is short of sight and hard of hearing. Somehow, he manages to lug around a warhammer that must weight more than he does! Long-term adventuring companion of Hartok ‘Bear’ Il’than.

Hartok ‘Bear’ Il’than (Doug)
Tall and heavily built, ‘Bear’ Il’than’s intimidating physical presence is offset by his jovial nature. Long-term adventuring companion of Master Owl.

Sharay (Steve)
Half-Elven sorcerer/monk, Sharay is one of Kendra Lorimmor’s oldest friends and closest confidants. A long scars shows up as a livid, white gash against her chocolate-colored skin, a remnant of the radical surgery attempted to help her control her unstable powers.

Dwayne [the Dwarf] (James)
Rough-edged and boisterous, Dwayne [the Dwarf] sports a tangled beard as shaggy as the pelt of the great, brown bear that he rides around on. If he’s not knocking back a brew at the nearest tavern, its likely because he’s comatose in a gutter, or banged up in jail for his disorderly conduct. The bear’s behavior isn’t much better.

--

Although (mostly) unknown to each other, the PC’s all share a mutual acquaintance in the form of Professor Petros Lorimmor, formerly a lecturer at the Lepidstadt University. They are thrown together during the long, bumpy carriage ride to Ravengro, the sleepy little town where the professor lived – and more recently – died. The characters are among those named as principals in the deceased scholar’s will and have thus been summoned to attend his funeral and bear witness to his final words.
Master Owl and Bear Il’than spend the journey reminiscing over the adventures they’ve shared in the past, looting tombs and recovering relics for the Lepidstadt University. Jonas Stent is not listening, he is worrying about what the horses drawing the carriage might be planning… if only he could unravel their scheme, he might be able to foil them! Dwayne [the Dwarf] is untroubled by such deep thoughts (or any thoughts, for that matter), he is happy to hang out of the window, tongue lolling in the wind as the carriage rushes through the forest. His bear lopes alongside with a similar expression of idiot glee plastered across its hairy face.
In the grey light of a drizzly mid-morning, the coach pulls to a halt in the town of Ravengro. The passengers disembark and seek directions to the Lorimmor estate. The locals eye them suspiciously, while Jonas casts a similarly hairy eyeball over the horses.
A small group of mourners have clustered outside the home of the late Professor Lorimmor. They are struggling with the cumbersome weight of the coffin, both Bear and Jonas hurry to add their strength to that of the bearers. Sharay and Master Owl take position to either side of the professor’s distraught daughter (Kendra Lorimmor) as the somber procession winds towards the Restlands.

Trouble on the Dreamwake

Ever watchful for equine conspiracy, Jonas spots a clot of surly farmhands lingering amongst the gravestones. Obstructing the path of the dolent parade, the ruffians express their objections to a ‘necromancer’ being buried alongside their own kin. Kendra reacts poorly to these slanderous accusations against her beloved father. As the confrontation escalates towards an undignified brawl in the middle of a cemetery, Dwayne [the Dwarf] rides up astride his bear, which growls menacingly (as bears do). The bullies hastily decide that they can suffer Lorimmor’s body to be buried in the Restlands if it means they need not incite fisticuffs with a grizzly. They disperse with alacrity (and the lingering stench of soiled britches).
Before the funereal procession can rebuild speed, a cry of alarm is raised from the flock of black-clad weepers trailing behind the coffin. A number of flying skulls circle the graveyard, cackling maniacally and generally behaving in a thoroughly sinister fashion. Sharay drags Kendra out of harms way as the bony apparitions begin dive-bombing the column. While most of the party swat ineffectually at the flying skulls, Master Owl projects a sphere of pure, spiritual force around the party that shakes > destroys any skull fool enough to cross it.

The Burial

After destroying the skulls, one of the cowering locals emerges from cover and introduces himself as Father Grimburrow, the communities only priest and spiritual leader. He thanks the newcomers for driving the undead horrors from the Restlands. The funeral continues without further disruption and the earthly remains of Petros Lorimmor are committed to the churchyard’s consecrated soil. Each member of the party takes a moment to utter a few, poignant words about the man they had known (all except Master Owl – who takes a long time to say very little). The party remain at the graveside until Kendra is ready to return home.
While the bereaved young woman rests, Bear shamelessly raids her larder. Thoroughly bummed out by the miserable atmosphere saturating the dead man’s home, Dwayne and his bear go looking for a tavern with an ambiguous dress code.

Lorimmor’s Will

Meanwhile, Mayor Hearthmount arrives at the house to read the professor’s will. The majority of his possessions/estate have been bequeathed to his daughter, to the heroes he leaves a collection of forbidden books that would excite the attention of any witch hunter who became aware of their existence. The professor asks that these dangerous books be delivered to his old colleagues at the Lepidstadt University, but that they delay their departure for one month, while Kendra sets her affairs in order and decides whether she wishes to remain in Ravengro or travel with them to the city. While the party discuss these posthumous directives, Master Owl begins to snore softly, having nodded off during the reading of the will.

To be continued (in Part Two)....

Some players have dropped out of existing games, I am looking to recruit new players to three ongoing games [see below]...

Rise of the Runelords
System: Barebones Fantasy RPG (DWD Studios)
Players: 3 committed players, 1 AWOL
The PCs are about to attack Thistletop, this is an ideal opportunity for a new character to join the game. Existing PCs have spent approximately 18 DP on character advancement. The rules are based on a streamlined D100 system (rolling under your skill is good) and is very easy to learn.
link to Gameplay thread: http://paizo.com/campaigns/BarebonesRiseOfTheRunelords/gameplay&page=1

Curse of the Crimson Throne
System: Savage Worlds
Players: 3 committed
The PC's have just met Queen Ileosa and are now on route to Eel's End, this is an ideal opportunity for a new character to join the game. Existing PCs have taken two advances, so they are still Novice.
Link to Gameplay thread: http://paizo.com/campaigns/SavageCurseOfTheCrimsonThrone/gameplay&page= 1

Jade Regent
System: Savage Worlds
Players: 3 committed
The PCs have just rescued Walthus Proudstump and are on route to the Licktoad Village. This is an ideal opportunity for new characters to join the adventure! The plauers have yet to earn any advances, everyone is still Novice.
Link to Gameplay thread: http://paizo.com/campaigns/SavagedJadeRegent/gameplay&page=1

I am planning to recruit in the near future, I'm recruiting for three games at the same time, just waiting for the guys playing CotCT to finish with the Queen. :D

This adventure begins in the town of Sandpoint with reports that the Licktoad goblins of Brinestump Marsh have grown unusually aggressive. The reason for this uncharacteristic bravery seems clear—the goblins have somehow managed to arm themselves with what appears to be a considerable supply of fireworks. The problem stems not so much from the additional “firepower” these fireworks provide as from the inflated sense of ego and power that the devices have given the goblins—the fireworks have made them dangerously brave.
Several merchant caravans and travelers have been attacked so far, and according to the victims, the damage caused by horses panicking at the sight and sound of exploding pyrotechnics is almost as destructive as the goblin attacks themselves. With the last few attacks resulting in severe injuries to three unfortunate travelers, the problem has escalated from an annoyance to a threat.
However, as none of the attacks have yet inconvenienced Magnimar (only Sandpointers and other Lost Coasters have been hit so far), the city has been slow to react. Unwilling to idly sit by and wait for the goblin problem to escalate to actual deaths on the Lost Coast Road in order to attract Magnimar’s attention, Sandpoint’s leaders have put out the call for goblin exterminators.

But after a time of upheaval a few years back involving goblins, giants, and even a dragon, Sandpoint has since returned to being a relatively sleepy town. It doesn’t take long for life to settle down once things return to normal, and with Varisia’s adventurers now more eager to try their luck at finding their fortunes in legendary Xin-Shalast, there simply aren’t a lot of volunteers to fight goblins around. Always running at a lean enrollment, Sandpoint’s city watch can’t afford to send patrols into the trackless expanse of Brinestump, although they have stepped up their presence along the Lost Coast Road itself. The task of wading into the notorious local wetland falls instead to adventurers—be they concerned locals honestly eager to aid the town or greedy mercenaries looking to make relatively easy coin. A few adventurers have already made the attempt, but nothing has been heard of them in the 3 days since they entered Brinestump Marsh, and just last night, another round of colorful explosions burst over the wetlands south of Sandpoint. The goblins are doubtless readying a new attack!

To deal with the goblin threat, Sheriff Belor Hemlock has restored Sandpoint’s old “goblin bounty” after several years of inactivity—it was suspended when a group of eager but too-young adventurers were swept out to sea while in pursuit of goblin ears. The town of Sandpoint will pay 10 gp for every relatively fresh goblin ear delivered to the town hall with an additional reward of 300 gp for the group who can bring in the head of the Licktoads’ leader, Chief Gutwad.

When a decades-old secret is exposed, an unassuming local tavern-owner and a close friend of the PCs discovers her birthright is to rule one of the ancient Dragon Empires of Tian Xia—the empire of Minkai. Yet the current ruler of this empire, the mysterious and increasingly cruel Jade Regent, has no intention of giving up his hold over the throne. In order to save Minkai from a would-be tyrant, the PCs must not only escort their friend from Varisia to Tian Xia, braving the frozen horrors of the Crown of the World, but must aid her in gaining the trust and support of a nation on the edge of anarchy.

I am looking for 4-5 players interested in playing through this excellent Adventure Path using the Savage Worlds game system from Pinnacle Entertainment (www.peginc.com), which focuses on cinematic action.

Fast! Furious! Fun!

You do not have to be familiar with the system to play, rolling up a character is not as arduous a process as in some other game systems. I am currently running Curse of the Crimson Throne using these rules (http://paizo.com/campaigns/SavageCurseOfTheCrimsonThrone/gameplay&page =1) if you want to check that out.

Novice characters, standard character creation rules. Starting gold 500. Any fantasy race from the core rule book or the fantasy companion. If you want to play something outlandish, the race creation rules are pretty easy to work with, but please clear your idea with me before putting too much effort into it. The game begins with a group of aspiring heroes (ie: you guys) heading into a swamp to collect some goblin ears and put a stop to their depravations.

Unlike most PBP games on these forums, recruitment is based on a first come > first served basis. If you express interest and submit a character, you are in. :D

Heads up, you can get the PDF of this on a 'Pay what you want' basis from rpgnow.com, I paid £2.00. :p

Hello!

I am currently running two games and we have lost some players, who I now hope to replace! The two games are...

Rise of the Runelords (using Barebones Fantasy RPG)
The three players have fought of the initial goblin raid on Sandpoint and are now investigating clues that someone inside the town was in league with the creatures. PCs: Serax (haughty elven wizard), Natalie (cheerful gnome artificer) & Thorgrund (gruff dwarven warrior).

Looking for 2 more players. Please see game page: http://paizo.com/campaigns/BarebonesRiseOfTheRunelords/recruiting&page= last

--

Curse of the Crimson Throne (using Savage Worlds)
Started with 4 players, now down to 3. The players are fighting their way through the old fishery on Westpier 17 to deliver vengeance upon Gaedren Lamm. PCs: Mirian Greyfeather (human vigilantee), Kimiko (scaly samurai) & Elegad (another vigilantee).

Looking for 2 players. Please see game thread: http://paizo.com/campaigns/SavageCurseOfTheCrimsonThrone/recruiting&pag e=last

Creating Discussion thread in case anyone feels the need to share anything.

It is the first day of autumn and the quiet, coastal town of Sandpoint is bustling with merrymakers - some travelling all the way from Magnamar, City of Monuments - to celebrate the Swallowtail Festival and witness the consecration of the new cathedral in the center of town. Merchants and minstrels alike have claimed whatever space is available in the open squares and narrow sidestreets. There are jugglers and puppet shows and stalls flogging everything from local craftwork to cheap souvenirs.

You have already heard the welcoming speeches. First, Mayor Kendra Deverin took the stage to thank everyone for coming. Her speech was followed by the taciturn words of Sheriff Belor Hemlock, who reminded the crowd that order would be maintained regardless of the general revelry and anyone not wishing to spend the evening cooling off in a cell should keep that in mind. Finally, Father Abstalar Zantus recounts the parable of Desna (how the goddess fell to Golarion and was nursed back to health by a blind child, who Desna transformed into an immortal butterfly as a reward for her kindness), before releasing a vast cloud of butterflies into the air from the bed of a covered wagon in the center of the town square.

It is still only mid-morning and the festivities will continue long into the night. Local businesses have set up tables in the streets, nobody will have to pay for food/drink today!

Looking for 4/5 players for Rise of the Runelords using the Barebones Fantasy RPG system from DWD Studios (available very inexpensively via rpgnow.com). It's essentially a D100 system, roll under your class skill and you succeed, over your class skill and you fail. Rolling doubles is either very good - or very bad, depending on whether you roll under/over your class skill. In combat, you take as many actions as you like on your go, but each action after the first incurs a cumulative -20% penalty.

Character creation is very simple. For the benefit of those who do not have the book...

1: Roll 5d10+30 four times and assign the results to the four core attributes; Strength, Dexterity, Logic and Willpower.

2: Pick a race: Dwarf, Elf (Wood/High), Half-Elf, Gnome, Halfling, Human, Half-Orc. I will advise you, re: racial traits. There are more exotic character classes supported, but they are not suitable for the start of the campaign.

3: Establish your secondary stats: Body Points (BP) are Strength/2. Damage Reduction (DR) is reflected by your armour. Initiative (IV) is how many dice you roll on initiative (and pick the best result), it will normally be 1, but increases if your Logic or Dexterity is above 65%. Finally, Move (MV) is dependent on your class.

4: Work out your class skills and assign one level to one class. Only Scout, Thief and Warrior can be used without any levels being assigned to them. If you do not levels in the remaining skills, you cannot use them. You work out your class level by halving the linked attribute score (rounding up). Each level in a skill grants an extra +10%. Classes are: Scout [WIL], Thief [DEX], Warrior [Melee: STR / Ranged: DEX], Artificer [LOG], Cleric [WIL], Leader [WIL], Enchanter [LOG], Spellcaster [LOG], Scholar [LOG] and two of my own invention, Bard [WIL] and Druid [WIL]. (For example, if my Logic is 73%, my Spellcaster class score will be 37%, if I put a level into Spellcaster, it increases to 47%).

5: Pick a Primary (+20%) and a Secondary (+10%) class. (For example, if I made Spellcaster my Primary skill, my class score would increase to 67%).

6: Equip gear. Will post equipment list if necessary. Essentially, you pick any 6 items you like as long as no one item is worth more than 100 gold. Your starting gold is equal to 2d10.

7: Assign Descriptors. These help define your character and adhering to them will earn you XP. For example: "Unable to Resist a Woman in Need", "Can't handle his drink", "poor personal hygiene", etc....

8: Moral Code. Pick an adjective and then the level that best describes the character's moral standpoint. Kind/Cruel. Focused/Unfocused. Selfless/Selfish. Honourable/Dishonourable. Brave/Cowardly. The options are: SomeWhat, Very or Totally.

Savage Tide (Player Journal)

‘A Life of (mis)Adventure’ by Monrose Khan (half-orc fighter)

DAY 1: Received letter inviting me to meet Lady Lavinia Vanderborn at her manor house in the noble district. Writing was so fancy I could barely read the directions to her place. I had to ask the way from a snooty couple strolling through one of the parks they love so much, away from the grime and industry of the lower city. They looked at me like I’d just dropped out of their dog’s arse, couldn’t believe I had an appointment with a fancy lady like Lavinia Vanderboren. I told them she must have heard of my heroic exploits and decided to employ my services, probably as a bodyguard. When the man in the top hat suggested she might be looking for someone to clean her latrines, it was all I could not to punch him smack in his toffee nose!

Eventually found my way to the right house and banged on the front door. I was ushered inside by an elderly halfling house servant, who led me to a comfortable waiting room where three others were already seated. The one to immediately draw my attention was a bright eyed dwarf with a wild tangle of ginger hair. I’m not sure what surprised me the most, the fact that he had no beard at all – or the fact that he was grinning. All the dwarves I’ve ever met have been a dour and miserable lot, this young firebrand looked positively cheerful! One of his arms trailed over the edge of the couch and scratched behind the ear of a strange, clockwork wolf. Beside the dwarf sat an ancient gnome, hidden behind a huge tome from which he was reading. Finally, an attractive elven woman stood by the window overlooking the manor grounds, gazing out over Sasserine towards the distant wilderness beyond the city walls. These strangers introduced themselves as Dulon Meir (and his construct, Arkinax II), Kozlo Crosgrey and Alanya Oakheart. I made my way over to the latter and introduced myself, but she hadn’t heard of my heroics and seemed doggedly resistant to my rugged charm. Thwarted, I flopped down opposite the dwarf and glared at his mechanical ‘companion’, trying to understand how that jumble of whirring gears could create the semblance of life. Dulon’s enthusiastic attempt to explain only left me more confused than when I had sat down.

Footsteps approached and we all rose (except the gnome, who just continued reading his book), expecting to greet our hostess. Four hardy looking characters appeared from an antechamber, I immediately recognised them from their distinctive green armour – the Jade Ravens! You cannot pass a night drinking in Sasserine without hearing a story about one of their daring adventures. Their leader, Tolin Kientae paused and said to us; “Ah, so you must be Lavinia’s new errand boys. Well, good luck!” I was so surprised to have met one of my personal heroes that it took a few moments to register the dismissive tone with which he had addressed us. I did not have time to linger over his disdainful words, as he and the Jade Ravens walked on, the old halfling woman reappeared and swept us into the presence of her mistress.

Lavinia Vanderboren greeted us formally and bid us be seated while she explained her ‘delicate’ situation. I had trouble focussing on her words, so captivated was I by her beauty. How foolish of me to feel snubbed by Alanya, when this lovely creature had been waiting but a few rooms away. I forced myself to focus on her plight, as only by stunning Lavinia with my heroic actions could I hope to win her heart. It seems her parents recently died in a tragic fire and left the family in debt. The Vanderboren fortune will settle those balances, but the money is sealed in a secure vault beneath Castle Teraknian and Lavinia cannot get inside without her father’s enchanted ring. This ring is secure on her father’s ship; The Blue Nixie, which has been seized by a group of villains who claim Lavinia has not settled her mooring fees. She knows that she did make that payment to the harbour master’s office and suspects that the thugs have impounded her family’s boat for some nefarious purpose. Our job (for which we will each be paid two hundred gold pieces) is to find out what the thug called Soller Vark is doing aboard The Blue Nixie and recover the payment that he has stolen from her.

As we ere leaving, I notice Alanya had fallen behind to study a portrait of a serious-looking young man with a strong family resemblance to our employer. Lavinia explained that this was a painting of her estranged brother Vanthus Vanderboren. Speaking of her sibling seemed to steal some of the sunlight out of Lavinia’s smile, so I left without asking any further questions.

(This is a test game using the Barebones Fantasy RPG system.)

Welcome to Westcrown, City of Twilight. Fanatical Hellknights patrol the streets by day and terrifying shadow beasts stalk the shadows by night. You are not alone in your dissatisfaction with how your city is being governed, a beautifual insurgent introducing herself as Janiven invites you to a meeting at Vizio's Tavern, where you might find like-minded souls impassioned to do something about the fate of Westcrown.

“Again, thank you for agreeing to meet with me here. I have chosen each of you for a singular reason—everyone here, myself included, has suffered, whether we realize it or not. I have lived in Westcrown my whole life, and although I love this city, I must admit, as must you, that despite our peace and prosperity, we continue to suffer. Fear should not be an expected part of life, and yet each night brings fear to our doorsteps. Yes, Westcrown has been safe from war and famine for nearly seventy years, and yes, our businesses has prospered—but this safety and prosperity has been bought in the coinage of fear and prayers to Hell. Other lands live free from tyranny. Other cities do not fear the night. Other governments do not cede the streets to monsters of the infernal shadows. Westcrown was once such a place, and she wants to be such a place again. Westcrown is not only her buildings and canals and docks and history—she is also her people. Westcrown is our friends and neighbors, our mothers and fathers, our siblings and cousins, our sons and daughters!
With but a small group of supporters and dedicated brothers and sisters, we can earn the trust and admiration of those people. A Westcrown free of these shadowy beasts that stalk our streets is one step closer to a Westcrown free of the devil that is the Thrice-Damned House of Thrune!”

Hello and welcome to the OOC Discussion thread for our savaged Curse of the Crimson Throne PBP game.

As we are using the Savage Worlds rules and I have a pack of Adventure Cards knocking about, I will assign each player one Adventure Card per rank (so at novice you get one, seasoned = 2, etc) per adventure. These cards can be played on yourself or on any other PC.

CAEDRIC: SECOND WIND (Once during Edge of Anarchy, you may play this Adventure Card to remove ALL wounds sustained during the current combat from one character - they are also unshaken)

The Curse of the Crimson Throne takes hold of Korvosa! In the shadow of an ailing king, a new ruler gathers power, sending shockwaves through a populace already plagued by unrest and pushing the largest city in Varisia to the brink of disaster.
In the face of anarchy, a new band of heroes gathers at the call of a mysterious patron. Strange magic and mysterious prophesies set them on the trail of a common foe — a path that draws them into a struggle to save the city from ruin. Amid the intrigues of kings and generals, heroes and thieves, it’s up to these new heroes to decide whether the rule of a new monarch will usher in a new age of glory or a reign of chaos....

As each of you go about your regular, day-to-day activities, you chance upon a curious card tucked away in some place it clearly has no business being, nor any way of having gotten there. On one side of the car is a painted image from the Harrow deck, on the other is scrawled a anonymous- yet compelling - invitation.

"I know what Gaedren has done to you. He has wronged me as well. I know where he dwells, yet cannot strike at him. Come to my home at 3 Lancet Street at sunset. Others like you will be there. Gaedren must face his fate, and justice must be done."

Perhaps you had forgotten that name. Perhaps not a day has gone by that you have not thought of Gaedren Lamm and his crimes against you. As sure as picking at a scab, this simple note has torn open a wound that never truly healed. In this time of great changes, only one thing is certain. You will answer this call. When you arrive at the address on Lancet Street, you find the door unlocked and a note pinned to the frame.

"Thank you for coming. I had to step out for a bit, but shall return shortly. Please, have a seat while you wait. The basket under the table contains bread and drink for you."

The cozy chamber within this small home is filled with a fragrant haze of flowers and strong spice. The haze comes from several sticks of incense smouldering in wall-mounted burners that look like butterfly- winged elves. The smoke itself seems to soften edges and gives the room a dream-like feel. The walls are draped with brocaded tapestries, one showing a black-skulled beast juggling men’s hearts, another showing a pair of angels dancing atop a snow-blasted mountain. A third tapestry on the far wall depicts a tall hooded figure shrouded in mist, a flaming sword held in a skeletal hand. Several brightly-colored rugs cover the floor, but the room’s only furnishings are a wooden table covered by a bright red throwcloth and several elegant tall-backed chairs. A basket covered by blue cloth sits under the table.