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Has anybody taken a look at the LotFP freebie for Free RPG Day, "Doom Cave of the Crystal Headed Children?'' It would make a hilarious review because holy crap it is Peak Raggi. Imagine an adventure that desperately tries to emulate Weird Tales, but ends up coming out more like an episode of Aqua Teen Hunger Force.
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Jul 11, 2014 09:02
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If The Chosen is Buffy and The Mortal is Bella, then The Witch is Fairuza Balk in "The Craft."
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Sep 16, 2014 19:17
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Can the Hollow be used to play a Frankenstein monster, or is that more The Ghoul's territory?
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Sep 20, 2014 19:01
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ZeeToo posted:That's the last of the Israel-specific classes; next time we'll look at the setting's wizard variants for the other cultures; the stock wizard has no place in Testament, it seems. "Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live" - Exodus 22:18   
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Oct 23, 2014 09:05
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I want to run a Monsterhearts game set in the Monstergeddon universe. How do I make this happen? Dare I play the ultimate teen-angst genre RPG for laughs? EDIT: How crap, just realized... you got the MonsterHearts version of The Hunger Games! Genius.
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Nov 9, 2014 20:55
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Halloween Jack posted:One of the Vampire devs--I don't have time to search RPGnet to remind me who--said that Ventrue was actually the big winner. He was killed a long time ago and never came back, and since Antediluvians can't really be killed by anyone who isn't also a rules-transcending power, he just waited out Gehenna. And most of human history in the process. It was Justin Achilli, who's always said that the Ventrue are basically Clan #winning.
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Jan 15, 2015 20:03
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theironjef posted:Sociopaths! Exactly, I knew I was forgetting something with the robots. You could make a cases for spiders just representing phobias/irrational fears in general, considering how many people are batshit terrified of them.
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Jan 23, 2015 22:05
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So I'm looking at the F&F archive, and realized... there's no "Q" entry! Let's fix that, shall we? quote:Two barely conceivable beings have fought a war for a generation over Sajavedra, a barely legendary land far to the southeast. They wish to claim its rich harvests of souls and fields, its intricate network of ley lines and temples, for their own. The short version?.... WELCOME TO FANTASY loving VIETNAM!!! Qelong, by Kenneth Hite (Trail of Cthulhu, Night's Black Agents) is a sandbox setting written for Lamentations of the Flame Princess, a B/X D&D retroclone with a focus on weird horror. Early D&D was often criticized in later years by players who disliked the high mortality rate of low-level characters that was the default of the setting, and so it was often derided on the Internet as "fantasy Vietnam." Hite cleverly decided to play on that stereotype and design a setting based around medieval Southeast Asia. Qelong is a land whose culture is modeled after ancient Cambodia, in the Khmer period. It is also the backdrop for a supernatural war that is a metaphor for the Vietnam War, and in general the many proxy wars fought in the Cold War for southeast Asia. The PC's are assumed to be foreigners who find themselves in a ravaged, supernaturally tainted land, beset on all sides by the horrors of war. They face danger from both the natives struggling to survive, and the foreign mercenaries who have come to this land like vultures to a fresh carcass. Cannibalism is rife, battle magic runs out of control, and perhaps even the great and terrible Qelong River itself may unfurl its coils and swallow the land whole. Will the PC's become this land's saviors, or will they become another Colonel Kurtz and carve out a twisted fiefdom for themselves? Next: An Introduction to Sajavedra and the Qelong River Valley Simian_Prime fucked around with this message at 19:25 on Jan 28, 2015 |
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Jan 28, 2015 19:22
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Kellsterik posted:I take refuge in my faith in Ken Hite. The LotFP modules covered in this thread have usually been fascinating to read about, anyway, even when they sound terrible to play. I think you'll be pleased. James Raggi pretty much gave Hite free reign to write what he wanted, so Qelong is largely free of most of the flaws that plague LoFP supplements, like Raggi's editorializing and excessive shock-value tactics. Though not with its flaws, Hite presents us a bleak and terrifying setting with an appropriate sense of restraint, and it's also fun to play. anyway... Qelong, Part 1: The Introduction, or "Apocalypse How?" Kenneth Hite posted:Referee's Introduction LEVH: "I tap my swampland for two Black Mana - I mean, aakom - and summon the Cylinder!" TILIA: "Blue Counterspell! Put that Cylinder in the graveyard, along with your swamp!" LEVH: "Crap! I should have brought my red deck! Hmm... I got three swamps, guess I'll get rid of this one marked Qelong." TILIA: "So long, Qelong!"  quote:And the Cylinder's sorcery has, in its minor way, begun to deform the Qelong Valley. In this chapter we get a basic summary of the sandbox that is the Qelong River valley. The PC's are assumed to be outsiders, foreigners from distant lands that more closely match European medieval fantasy. Mercenaries, like the Varangians, will be the only familiar sorts of people (this will highlight the horror of their corruption even more). While The Cylinder makes a convenient focus for a PC adventuring party, the Referee (GM) encouraged to allow encounters to build organically as the players explore the region. Players should not expect to see EVERY encounter in a single campaign, and Qelong is so chock full of interesting stuff that there's always plenty more to go back to. The mood of the setting is mean to be reminiscent of war stories as well as fantasy adventure. Hite refers specifically to the movies Valhalla Rising, Apocalypse Now, and The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (particular the "war over the bridge" sequence). I'd also recommend Full Metal Jacket, Platoon, and The Thin Red Line. (Though knowing most gamers, it will sometimes end up more like Tropic Thunder) The short chapter ends with some recommended hooks for PC's to travel to the valley. A Lawful party might be hired by a sage to deactivate the Cylinder. A Chaotic party might jump at the chance to sell the Cylinder's secrets to the highest bidder, or become warlords and carve out their own kingdom. A Neutral party might do one of the above, or just pursue a lucrative venture like raiding the legendary Mine of the Elephant. Finally, there is a list of rumors going around the valley that serve as adventure hooks, ranging from useful ("Do not deal violence lightly, as in these troubled times the spirits of the angry dead will linger on Earth") to vague but intriguing ("Seeing the Gaja Simha is an ill omen!"), with a few red herrings ("Dwarves are evil! Trust no dwarf that you meet!") PC's start with one random rumor each, and can pay off people to find out more. For now, I'll leave you with Hite's description of the "feel" of the setting. quote:I see the Qelong valley as a land of steam, smoke, mist, fog - high grasses and low mangroves, like the Dead Marshes or Beowulf's fen country. All of this grows not in a placid pastoral Olden Tyme, or even a gently corroded Dark Age, but in the path - or technically on the sidelines- of a great and incomprehensible war. Houses and farms are burned, villagers gaunt and feral. Dogs whine over the carcasses of their masters, then tear out the intestines to feed themselves. Men kill each other for a handful of rice, or for a woman who can be beaten into cooking it. All around, sorcerous echoes and explosions ripple the skies, but as a constant drumbeat of vile thunder, not as anything aimed at anyone in the same country. The Qelong Valley has been poisoned by accident and forgotten by its killers. Only the scavengers remain, and the worms that grow in the corpse.  Next: Exploration
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Jan 28, 2015 22:14
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Robindaybird posted:Then you got the OWerewolf ST who insisted on their players staying in character wherever they meet, and demand pack order obedience. "Of course I've met Raphael, darling! I was Embraced before he was born. Why else would I pre-Raphaelite?" 
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Jan 28, 2015 23:11
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Qelong [img=http://s23.postimg.org/6lrwkwi3r/qelong.jpg] Part 3: Exploration, or "The Ho Chi Mihn Trail of Cthulhu" The Exploration chapter covers the general environment of Sajavedra and the Qelong area, particularly its natural and manmade hazards. Sajavedra is a subtropical land in the monsoon belt. It has two seasons, rainy/warm and sticky/hot, and flash floods can occur at nearly any time of the year. This would be it's normal weather pattern, were the land not being constantly bombarded by violent magic. The land is littered with contingency spells and lingering effects, the magical equivalent of land mines, so you can basically justify any sort of spell effect manifesting at random to cause trouble for adventurers. There's a variety of diseases in the countryside. Rules for contracting Fever, Bubonic Plague, and Typhus are briefly included. The primary danger to PC's however, is aakom, the toxic magical substance that leaks from the Cylinder and has poisoned the entire valley. Aakom is described as "a substance somewhere between mana, azoth, and plutonium" that manifests as a sickly green radiance. It's useful raw material for powering the most destructive magic, but though of as so dangerous that even demons don't use it with impunity. The Cylinder was a aakom-powered weapon intended to be used by one of the warring archmages. But it is now since discarded and forgotten, and its toxins have polluted the land, both physically and spiritually. The Referee is intended to secretly keep track of each PC's level of aakom poisoning during their time in Qelong. Generally, characters slowly acquire points of aakom just by living in the Valley and eating any food or water from there (Purify Food and Drink is only 1/4 effective here - one casting purifies enough food/drink for 3 people). Aakom is acquired more quickly if you are wounded in the valley, particularly if the wounds are caused by naga-kin or other mutated creatures. If a PC's levels of aakom exceed his current HP, he must make a save or suffer numerous side effects (Halflings are resistant, tripling the HP for the purposes of aakom poisoning calculation). A failed save means the victim has succumed to aakom poisoning, with terrible effects on the body, mind, and soul. These include: - a tendency to become nihilistic and self-destructive, reflected in a Wisdom penalty - loss of coordination and motor control (penalties to missle attacks and some Saving Throws) - night terrors and fever dreams: PC requires more sleep to avoid the effects of Sleep Deprivation - a chance of spell failure for casters. Spells can be altered by aakom to hit the wrong target, or have catastrophic effects If a character dies while suffering the effects of the poison, there's a 1 in 6 chance he will rise as an aakom zombie to attack the PC's (2 in 6 if Chaotic in alignment. The book outright recommends waiting for the most dramatic moment for the zombie to rise and attack) There is also a chance that any character afflicted with aakom poisoning can acquire a curse - a reverse Midas touch. The PC will develop a touch-based spell attack can never be turned off. This attack is usually a negative status effect (Cause Disease, Feeblemind, Cause Poison) or an area effect centered around the target (Insect Plague, Stinking Cloud). One of the powers that can be activated is The Serpents Touch, a new spell that lets the caster turn Sticks into Snakes like Moses (snakes created by the cursed version do not obey the caster). Chopping off the character's hands will end the condition. If the cursed character is zombified, he will retain this power. If the zombie's hands are chopped off, you then have an animate hand with touch spells! Cure Disease merely masks the symptoms of aakom poisoning by storing it in the recipient's kidneys and liver. The sufferer appears to lose 1d6 aakom points per caster level, but the points simply reappear once HP gets low enough. Permanently removing aakom taint requires a Remove Curse spell from a caster that has spend days studying runes on the Cylinder casing. Thoughts: So, in the form of aakom, we have a system that reinforces the toxic nature of the land and setting itself. One one hand, it's very atmospheric, and reminds me of the Fallout games in that it resembles magical radiation poisoning. It also acts as "the stick" to encourage PC's to track down the Cylinder. On the other hand, it's all too granular for me, and tracking aakom poisoning as a Ref seems like a huge pain in the rear end, especially when you have to track it against HP damage and factor in the little Cure Disease "switcheroo". I like the concept, but I myself would have chosen a less tables-heavy way to represent it. Oh well. Next: Lotuses and Leeches!
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Jan 29, 2015 11:34
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It seems like this thread got kinda derailed. Is there even an WW game being reviewed right now? If not, maybe once I wrap up Qelong I'll do a write-up for Alien Hunger...
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Jan 29, 2015 21:43
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Qelong Part 4: General Features This chapter outlines some of the unique terrain you will find in Qelong, both natural and manmade, as well as possibilities for encounter seeds. Canals The canals of the Qelong valley not only served as an irrigation and transportation network, but also as a network of ley lines to bind the river Naga and channel her supernatural power into the valley. The destruction of the war has broken most of these canal lines, which is isolating the villages, causing flooding, and destroying harvests. Many of the stagnant canals are infested with swarms of leeches, as well as drowned corpses (some of which are undead creatures set up for an ambush) Lotus Fields Vast fields of Golden Lotus flowers dot the valley, growing on the surface of ponds and pools. These magical plants are attuned to the powers of Law. If they are consumed (by eating, smoking, or even just inhaling the scent of a fresh flower), they provide a +1 to HP restored through healing spells, a +2 to Poison saves, and they double the amount of HP recovered through convalescence. It also temporarily halts the spread of aakom poisoning. Too much lotus use causes the user's eyes to turn a golden color, and the user must make saves or suffer a slow reduction in Intelligence. If Intelligence reaches 0, the users Intelligence is restored, but he becomes a permanent servant of the lotus. An entire cult of Golden Lotus Monks has formed in the valley, devoted to using the lotus' power to restore arcane order to the Qelong valley at any cost. Notable counters include: - Swarms of giant bees that pollinate the lotus blossoms. In one of my favorite bits of imagery, they fly around in rhythmic, unfolding patterns reminiscent of the Lotus itself. - sinkholes within the lotus pond - schools of carnivorous fish - a monk (level 1d4 Cleric) getting high on lotus. He'll answer a few of the PC's questions, but will eventually attack or flee because, you're like, totally harshing his buzz, maaaaaaaaaan... Myrmidon Track This terrain is the barren wasteland left behind by the Myrmidons, an army of super-soldiers created by one of the warring archmages. They are literal army ants; a swarm of finger-sized ants who infest the bodies of men, turning them into monstrous soldiers, and use them to consume and destroy anything in their path (they'll be described in more detail in the Creatures section). These Myrmidons have strayed from their original path, cutting a swath of destruction through the valley. The track is mostly devoid of life. Some notable encounter seeds include: - a cluster of egg-hosts, helpless men infested with the ants. They beg for death, but killing them means the ants pour forth from their bloated bodies to infest any male PCs - a cannibal tribe. They have imprisoned a wounded Myrmidon, and now worship it as a bizarre idol - a destroyed village, now inhabited only by the angry ghosts of the dead villagers New Lake A pool of eldritch energy created by the magical bombardment of the valley and the destruction of the canals. These "new lakes" are basically there as an excuse for the Referee to introduce any sort of bizarre or extradimensional encounter into Qelong - a portal to another realm, a dimensional anomaly, or... Ken Hite posted:... she can just put in a blobby, tentacled horror. People like those.  You can also find... - under the water, the illusion of a magical, golden spear, seen by the most powerful Lawful character. If the character takes the spear (she must make a save vs. Magic in order to decline taking it), she will become convinced that she is a hero destined to save Sajavedra from its foes. (The spear turns completely ordinary and provide no bonuses.) - in a shout-out to the movie Don't Look Now, a PC sees an image of himself guiding a boat across the water. His double bears a fatal would that is destined to kill him. If the PC talks to the double, or otherwise engages him, all blows that could deal the wound to him are at a +1 to hit until he gets a Remove Curse spell - some new lakes might connect, tesseract-style, to another new lake. Entering the lake transports the character into an extradimensional Great Maze (same effect as a Maze spell, but with a duration lasting Hours and Days, instead of Turns and Rounds). When the character escapes, she emerges from one of the other lakes scattered across the hex map Qelong River The river is the lifeblood of the Qelong Valley, and it is now the primary means of travel now the the roads are destroyed. It is fairly reliable, though a monsoon can wreck havoc on a boat's course or cause a shipwreck. Worse yet, the now-awakened Naga Qelong can use a monsoon to alter a boat's course at her whim. The PC's can encounter: - boats full of desperate refugees seeking aid. Many of these refugees are tainted with the aakom curse, which can lead to further complications - a character with low HP or Chaotic tendencies can receive a feverish vision of the Naga in all her terrible glory. The Naga can attempt to seduce the character, bargain with him, or otherwise corrupt him. The character receives a penalty to resist illusions in the valley thereafter, but also gains insight into the river's awakened spirit - a bird swoops by and attempts to steal something shiny from the PC. What a dick! Stupa The stupas are ancient, domed structures that dot the landscape, sacred shrines meant to tame the magical geometry of the river valley. There are generally two kinds of stupas. The first kind are abandoned, still damaged by the war. The second kind have been occupied and restored by the Lotus Monks in an attempt to restore the sacred geometry. Any character taking part in the destruction of a stupa - Lotus-occupied or not - is hit with a Bestow Curse spell. Some unique stupa encounters include... - a stupa that seems burned from the outside, but whose inner chamber remains intact. Inside is a magical scroll which reads itself aloud in a sonorous tone, accompanied by the sound of bells and the smell of incense. The language of the scroll is ancient and the text deals with the nature of Time, "a god who slowly smothers the other gods to death and drowns their bodies." The scroll takes four hours to read itself in its entirety. Any character inside the stupa who steps outside emerges at a different time then when they entered (anywhere from centuries to days, backward or forward, it's up to the Ref). If the scroll is touched, the reading ceases immediately. - the stupa has been animated by the magic of the valley! It lures travelers in with food and warm and then tries to eat them. The stupa-monster has Armor 20, 200 structural HP(!), and can make one attack for every PC inside it as it tries to chew them apart. It can be destroyed from within (it's essence it tied to the eye-tooth of a sacred statue inside), but doing so will cause the structure to collapse on anyone inside. It's a very nasty encounter. - a stupa that shelters a (non-Lotus) monk Vhao Uora (1d4 level Cleric) who will aid the PC's with info and healing if they are not desecrators. A nice break for a tired party, and at least it's not a house that's trying to eat you. The rest of the chapter includes lists of random encounters made of things detailed in the Creatures chapter, which we will go over next post.
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Feb 5, 2015 22:31
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SisterAcacia posted:Boy how about that 3:16 "RPG"? it's not real 40k its just tabletop Starcraft for babbys amirite Simian_Prime fucked around with this message at 23:39 on Feb 5, 2015 |
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Feb 5, 2015 23:36
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BatteredFeltFedora posted:I love the idea of a character finding this spear, taking up the mission, and succeeding, never finding out the spear was mundane until the end of the campaign. "The magic was in you all along, little buddy!!!"
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Feb 6, 2015 00:34
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Qelong, Part 5: Creatures, or "Born on the 1d4th of July" In previous chapters, we were introduced to the skeleton setting of Sajavedra, with only hints as to the forces that players will encounter in the war-torn land. But Creatures (and the next chapter, "Encounter Areas") are what flesh out the setting. This chapter is the "bestiary" of Qelong, but it is more than a mere "monster manual" - Unique NPC's, the movers and shakers of the setting, are included along with more incidental monsters. Yet even "mundane" threats, like soldiers and animals, are described in this book with interesting details. Most of the monsters borrow as much from Southeast Asian folklore as they do from D&D fantasy tropes. Angry Ghosts: Unlife During Wartime The widespread death and destruction within the valley has created a number of undead from the souls of those not buried with the proper rituals. Four unique types of undead, each based off of ghosts from East Asian folklore, present a threat to hapless travelers. In general, all these ghosts are insubstantial, and can only be harmed by magic. They move very quickly (twice as fast as an unencumbered character), and have a Morale of 12 (basically fearless) that can only be lowered by Turn Undead. Araq, beisaq, and qmoc praj ghosts treat Turn Undead attempts by anybody other than a Sajavedran monk as if they had 4 HD higher than normal. It is noted, however, that some angry ghosts can exorcised with proper offerings, or even the death of their foes. Araq Araq ghosts are ancestral ghosts of family homes, driven to madness when their homes or shines are destroyed. They're basically poltergeists, invisible spirits that attack intruders by flinging debris at them. Some Araq can also cast Cause Fear in a radius around them Beisaq Beisaq are hungry ghosts, spirits of improperly buried murder victims. They roam invisibly, looking to eat the rations of travelers in a vain attempt to feed their gnawing hunger. They turn visible, though not material, while eating. They attack with a chilling touch that bypasses armor and can inflict anything from paralysis to Constitution drain depending on their Hit Dice: however, they will only attack if they are disturbed while eating. Daereqlan The ghosts of villagers who were forced to flee into the wilderness to die. The daereqlan possesses the body of a warm-blooded forest animal, adding to its Hit Dice, Armor, and damage, and it adds the animals Hit Dice to its own for the purposes of resisting Turn Undead. Basically a template you can add to any mundane animal to make it nastier. Qmoc Praj The ghosts of women who died in childbirth. They can fly, and their primary attack involves throwing stones (1 attack/Hit Die). Some qmoc praj have a sidekick in the form of a qon praj: a floating, vampiric fetus(!). In addition to granting a Hit Dice and save bonus to Mommy, the qon praj can cast spells ("usually hateful, creepy ones") as a Magic-User of level equivalent to its Hit Dice. The good news is that a human Magic-User can capture a qon praj and gain its benefits by feeding it 1HP worth of blood each night (If you consider having a creepy undead fetus hover around you like The Great Gazoo to be "good news") Armor-Stealers Armor-Stealers are a type of bandit unique to the Qelong Valley. A few desperate villages stumbled upon a racket that involved stealing weapons and armor from heavily-armed travelers and selling it for coin. Most armor stealers prefer to lure their prey into a false sense of security, sedating them with poisoned food or restraining them while asleep, before stripping them of gear. Some more desperate groups just ambush travelers like typical bandits. Most tend to leave their victims alive, though some are not so cautious. A few armor-stealers use an unusual part of the environment, such as a lethal trap or a hungry monster, to do their, dirty work and then they take the gear left behind. One enterprising group lures victims into a pit full of flesh-eating gas, then fishes out the armor with a grappling hook. Bandits Your usual band of thugs that crop up in war-ravaged areas to prey on the weak. Nothing really remarkable, but a decent threat to a low-level party. Cannibals Famine, aakom poisoning, and sheer desperation has lead a number of villagers to feast on human flesh, and once you get a taste for the good stuff there's no going back, baby. There are two general groups of cannibals. The first is a group of people (sometimes an entire village) that has gone all "Cannibal Holocaust": they are individually weak, and rely on numbers and stealth to hunt for victims. Then you have single cannibals that have gone the backwood serial-killer route. These lone hunters have levels in Specialist (the LotFP version of the Thief/Rogue) with a focus on Stealth and Sneak Attack. They carry daggers, garrotes, and blowguns with poisoned darts. Lone cannibals also carry a protective amulet made from the preserved ear of a murdered monk (grants +3 to Armor, but only if you killed and ate the monk yourself) Carrion Beasts A short summary of a few mutated scavengers willing to attack PC's: Dholes (wild dogs), Giant Beetles, Giant Catfish, and Vultures. The aakom-tainted vultures can vomit stomach acid onto enemies, which I'm pretty sure is a shout-out to "Birdemic." Crocodiles Can't have a jungle adventure setting without crocodiles! Om nom nom!!! Elephant Elephants were commonly used as beasts of burden in peacetime Sajavedra, and though used less frequently, they still maintain a presence during the war. The bad news is that a number are running wild, and they have 10 HD, multiple attacks that inflict heavy damage, and the ability to ignore any wound that does less than 4 HP! The good news is that they generally don't attack unless provoked by loud noise or violence. But if PC's are greedy, they can net a few thousand coin (silver pieces, the standard currency in LotFP), for a male elephant's ivory tusks. Forest Folk Members of hunter-gatherer tribes driven deep into the jungle by the "civilized" folk of Sajavedra, the forest folk go about their existence despite the war. They are extremely isolationist and protective of their homes, and will do whatever they can to drive out intruders. Only braves will be encountered, if they are encountered at all. They are extremely difficult to ambush (only a 1 in 12 chance in the forests), and have very high Stealth ratings. In addition, ambushes by forest folk grant them an Aiming Bonus and double damage on all attacks in addition to the normal benefit of an ambush (one free round of attacks). A forest folk party consists of a mix of Fighters level 0-6, accompanied by a shaman (Cleric lvl 1-6). Their weapons are coated with a poison from the purple lotus that causes unconsciousness on a failed save. So intruding into their territory is very dangerous, but they will generally leave unconsicous PC's unharmed, unless they continue to intrude. If a third ambush is necessary, the folk will be armed with the lethal poison of the black lotus. I like these guys: a really dangerous encounter, but not one with simply the intent to murder characters. They're an unfamiliar, but not alien, threat, and a tribe can even be turned into an unlikely ally if diplomatic PC's play their cards right. (They're meant to be human tribesmen, but you can repurpose them as a wood-elf variant if you want to give Qelong even more of a fantasy flavor) The Gaja Simha  There's a pic in the book, but I couldn't find a scan. It's a lot scarier than this, I promise... The Gaja Simha is a unique monster based on Cambodian folklore. It resembles a giant lion with a head of an elephant, covered in black, green, gold, and purple scales. Only one is ever seen, and it's appearance it said to be a sign of oncoming doom. Needless to say, it's been seen a lot in Sajavedra these past 20 years... It's a good thing there's only one, because it's got high armor, 8 HD, and multiple claw and trunk garrote techniques. In addition, it has a number of spell-like abilities it can cast as an 8th level Magic User: Magic Missle (6 times/day), Change Self (disguised as monk), Invisibility, Wall of Fog, Gust of Wind, Dimension Door, and Shadow Monsters. It has Morale 10; if forced to flee, it will return when PC's are next at half their HP or lower. For some reason, it will not return in the sight of the Varangians or Myrmidons, or near the Cylinder. The Gaja Simha is something of an x-factor for Referees to use in their game; it's origins are vague enough to be fit into any ongoing plot. It can play a greater role as either friend or foe in any conflict. Or it could simply be a unique magical beast that the PC's can hunt to sell its parts to a wizard. Insect Cloud A cloud of stinging insects that distracts PC's, causing penalties and interrupting spellcasting. What it says on the tin: a huge pain in the rear end. Lotus Monks One of the major NPC factions in Sajavedra. The Cult of the Lotus is what remains of the monks that maintained the geomantic network of holy sites that kept the Naga Qelong in a state of quiescence. The aakom-pollution of the Cylinder and the destruction of multiple stupas by the war has disrupted the network, and the Naga's corrupt power of Chaos grows stronger every day. In desperation, the monks have formed a cult around the Golden Lotus, a living manifestation of Law which is said to predate even the gods. Ken Hite posted:The Lotus cult plans to "hard reboot" the Valley, using high-level geomantic sorceries. This major re-consecration of the Valley to Law will, ideally, return the Naga to somnolescence as the land's fundamental polarity reverses. Well, that's good! We should probably help these monks... quote:It will, admitted, drain the life-energies of every living thing in the Qelong Valley. Or possibly, in Sajavedra. ... ok, that's not so good. So the monks of the Lotus focus on recapturing stupas, as well as press-ganging villagers into repairing them, in between huffing Lotus blossoms and practicing kung-fu. They're easily spotted by their shaved heads, saffron robes, and eyes turned a golden color (from Lotus abuse). They are always organized symmetrically, appearing only in even-numbered groups set by a strict hierarchy based on level. Lotus monks can do melee weapon damage with their unarmed attacks, rising in damage die depending on their level. They gain extra attacks and an unarmored bonus to the Armor level as they increase in level. They can ignore falling damage, scale sheer walls, and jump at incredible heights and distances. They also gain spell-like abilities as they increase in level, including Light, Breaking Blow (as Knock), Confusion, Blink, and Telekinesis. They make saving throws as elves; all other values are as clerics. Say... it looks like you have a very rough sketch of a Monk class for LotFP. Why, you could even have a player... Kenny posted:This is not a character class. This is a passel of evocative game effects, restricted to slaves of the Lotus with Sajavedran monastic training. Which is, to say, NPC's DAMMIT KENNY WHY CAN'T WE HAVE NICE THINGS?!?  Coming up: From Army Ants to Ogre Mages - Creatures M-Y Simian_Prime fucked around with this message at 06:06 on Feb 9, 2015 |
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Feb 9, 2015 03:05
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Siivola posted:Ayup, it's pretty scary alright. That's the one! Thanks! I have a dead-tree copy of Qelong, but no pdf and no scanner, so I can't post as much art as I'd like. Doresh posted:Obscure folk creatures are pretty stylish. Not really an Eldritch horror, but definitely weird. I agree. I've always been a fan of weird, chimerical folklore monsters.
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Feb 9, 2015 21:06
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PurpleXVI posted:Still doesn't explain that loving hideous Zatilok nose, though. Looking at the close-up, it's like they tried to make it look like the nose and mouth are projecting forward, like a cat-muzzle. But they hosed up they shading, so instead it looks like the space between the eyes is bulging out. Now it looks like some kind of bulbous cyst.
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Mar 1, 2015 00:51
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Grnegsnspm posted:Having never played or read Monsterhearts, Reggie could be a Serpentine or a Witch Reggie's the Serpentine, Sabrina's the Witch. My first instinct is to make Betty the Chosen, but that almost seems too on-the-nose in its parallels to Buffy. Is there any sort of mad-scientist/Frankenstien skin that can be used for Dilton?
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Mar 12, 2015 20:52
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I'm Numanoid (the guy who posted the SM Elric podcast link), and I was honestly surprised by how negative the response was. You're on to something about RPG.net being the community's conservative dad. On a side note, has anyone suggested Unknown Armies for a podcast yet? It's one of my all-time fav occult horror RPGs, but it's definitely showing its age (Ex. An entire magic school rendered irrelevant by Netflix). There's a new edition supposed to come out this year, so this may be the perfect time to review the old one (I recommend the 2002 edition).
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Mar 26, 2015 20:27
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My fav solution to the Videomancer issue was "Just invent your own in-universe TV show." It also lets the players get creative. "Find out what happens on the next episode of "Invitation to Love!"
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Mar 26, 2015 23:39
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Alien Rope Burn posted:Ken Hite is super passionate about it where Call of Cthulhu is concerned. He likes to use the word "perfect" in regards to it. I try not to hold it against him because he writes so many nice things, though! Which reminds me... I have a Qelong write-up to finish! Sorry for the delay, I'll try to get it wrapped up for the end of the weekend.
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Mar 27, 2015 05:42
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Cythereal posted:Eh, go sign up with Task Force: VALKYRIE. Their superpower is "Our R&D department has unlimited funding and collaborates with DARPA." And is secretly funded by
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Mar 29, 2015 01:26
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Now they're advocating selling T-shirts in support of Moorcock, like he got shot by a cop or something. Because Some Guys on The Internet said mean things about a 20-year-old game. I'd say they lost all sense of proportion, but I'm not sure they had any to begin with.
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Mar 30, 2015 08:15
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ThisIsNoZaku posted:All-bear party 
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Mar 30, 2015 15:39
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GimpInBlack posted:
"Sash-shay A-WAY!!!" *decapitates you*
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Apr 6, 2015 20:14
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The Staunten Catalyst sounds like fishmalks crossed with that annoying guy on your FB who posts every link from Ifuckinglovescience.
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Apr 9, 2015 00:03
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Hyper Crab Tank posted:On some level, isn't all of Genius about that? Making contraptions work despite the laws of reality rather than because of them, until someone skeptical enough points out you just plugged a power strip into itself and it all falls apart? Except I guess these guys are good enough that they point out no, the real question is how is your power strip working when it isn't plugged into itself? All of Genius is basically, "Mage, but using a ray-gun instead of a wand is now mandatory."
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Apr 14, 2015 22:20
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Plague of Hats posted:If it was indexed on the wiki, it should be here. Oh God, I just found James Raggi's OKCupid profile... 
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Apr 25, 2015 10:17
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Cythereal posted:Genius: The Transgression, Prostasia Male Geniuses over 50 can develop Prostasia faults, but they can be prevented by regular check-ups from a urologist.
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May 3, 2015 18:05
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I've always thought Ol' Siembieda was barking up the wrong tree with the Rifts stuff. Instead of marketing it as an RPG, he should have pitched it as a Saturday morning cartoon series with a line of toys. Tha poo poo was the tits in the early 90's, and kids don't give a crap about a realistic post-apocalypse setting; they just want to see dudes covered in skull armor shooting missles at dragons and shiny robots and poo poo. He could have made a mint and been the mogul of the next action-figure franchise instead of this sadbrains bargain-bin elfgame outfit. You think he would've learned from the TMNT license.
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May 5, 2015 07:41
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Kavak posted:There's this blog I read by a man who hates nerd culture with an unhealthy, disturbing passion. Man, there's loving the smell of your own poo poo, and then there's loving the smell of your own poo poo so much that you bottle it in jars and make your own public poo poo Museum.
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May 13, 2015 09:12
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Traveller posted:
That's not a torch - he just likes to quaff a nice Flamin' 
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May 21, 2015 00:52
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Doesn't Hunter also have a tracing of Lil'Wayne on the Ascended Ones entry? It's yo boy Weezy, fuckin' up vampires on dat sizzurp, son.
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May 28, 2015 19:52
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NutritiousSnack posted:Jerry Seinfeld and Chris Rock's repose to internet feminism justifies internet feminism. SJWmancer spotted But yeah, one annoying tendency of new UA players is the desire to create an Adept/Avatar based on (Flavor of the Month).
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Jun 14, 2015 21:30
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Kellsterik posted:I really liked the example Prometheans, they're solid characters both within the line and as seen from the outside. The 'ideal lover' Galateid is pretty interesting, he explicitly plays on this idea of Disquiet as gay panic or unhealthy closeted sexuality. Creating a being specifically as a sex or romantic object, but rejecting them and trying to destroy them when they want to be treated like a person instead of an outlet for some shameful urge. I've been making a making a man With blonde hair and a tan And he's good for easing my... tension
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Jun 14, 2015 22:40
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Luminous Obscurity posted:One of Promethean's supplements had some stuff on human cloning. If memory serves it wasn't bad, just a bit out of place for most Promethean games and kind of forgettable as a result. I almost feel like the clone thing was just a setting justification for having disposable mooks to throw at Prometheans.
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Jun 15, 2015 00:29
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Count Chocula posted:Without clones, how can you play Orphan Black? UA was in some ways designed to be the antithesis of oWoD and Call of Cthulhu - an occult horror setting with most of the super atural was the result of human error, not untouchable cosmic entities or vast, global conspiracies of monsters. To a generation of modern horror gamers who saw how bloated the oWoD was becoming, it felt like a breath of fresh air. So when the nWoD rolled around, Greg Stolze was heavily involved much of the setting building, and many of the authors took the mindset of UA as their framework for a more humanocentric horror setting, particularly the idea that "the shadows only hide more shadows, and nothing can be fully explained. As a result, there's a lot of cross-pollination between the settings. (On a side note: were I to run a Hunter game, the mages id use would more closely resemble UA Adepts)
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Jun 15, 2015 02:30
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There's probably at least a few Motor-shamans that have developed an... unhealthy relationship with their vehicles, along the lines of the movie "Crash" (the one based on the Ballard book, not the crappy Oscar-bait after-school special)
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Jun 15, 2015 18:46
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| # ¿ Apr 27, 2024 13:08 |
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Rumors: Paul Walker was the world's most powerful Motor-Shaman, and his death was a hit job by the Sleepers to ensure he never attained the Major Charge.
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Jun 16, 2015 04:37
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