Christmas is in my hands this year

Sorry for the lack of posts. I'm rather behind on everything.

Unexpectedly, my wife was scheduled for surgery this week. Said surgery was very minor, took place this morning and she's doing fine, thanks to a skilled medical team and a Percocet prescription.

But, the surgery was on her shoulder. One whole arm is out of commission.

Not to mention the fact that she has a very, very low tolerance for any and all drugs.

This means I'll not only be busy as a bee, cleaning up the house for the holidays, but I'll be in charge of all culinary duties, as well.

I only started seriously exploring my interest in cooking, about three months ago. So, very much still an amateur, I've suddenly been called up to the big leagues! And my son wants a Turkey on Christmas Day, so it'll be my first. I yoinked a recipe from Gordon Ramsay, so we'll see! Then there's Christmas Breakfast and Christmas Eve, the latter of which is always an appetizer thing at our house.

I'm gonna try to get the News finished tonight or tomorrow. A whole slew of stuff has come out over the past couple of weeks!

Archive Thursday: On Friday - Let Men Worship what Gods they Will!

Forgot about this! I'm hoping to have the News up Tomorrow. Maybe Sunday. There's a few other things, I'm getting ready as well.
Here, we have an experiment in random god-making, utilizing Kellri's CDD 4. I've always liked the results of this particular experiment, so here it is, with very minor editorial revision.

Let Men Worship what Gods they Will! 

"God does not play dice with the universe."

- Albert Einstein

If you go to Kellri's blog, then, to the PDF Downloads section, you will see a free file named CDD #4 – Encounters Reference.pdf. If you haven’t yet downloaded this gem, then by all means, do so! It is beyond merely useful. It’s something you’ll utilize for the rest of your life, assuming that is, you never stop gaming. There’s 160 pages of encounter charts, random tables, etc., covering just about any person, place, or thing, you might imagine. Encounter, is here used in a very broad sense indeed! As soon as I had the chance to peruse the file, I knew I had to print it out! Which, brings us to the subject of this post. But first, a BIG thanks to Kellri, for taking the time and effort to produce this marvelous item, then giving it to us for free!

“Crom's devils! Let men worship what gods they will."

- Conan, “The Hour of the Dragon,” by R. E. Howard

The religious landscape for my upcoming campaign, is going to be wild & woolly. All kinds of folks, worshiping all kinds of things. The player’s can, if they wish, create their own god for their character, or bring one in from whatever source they want. The real nature of the divine is going to be unknown and perhaps unknowable. I’ll still need to create a lot of religions for the campaign myself though and I’m going to start by rolling up some random gods. So, let’s turn to page 141 of Kellri’s tome and make-up a religion!

Here’s what I rolled-up:

• Type of Deity: Deity (Three types here, god, goddess and deity.)
• Deities Power: Minor.
• Domains: One.
• Artifacts: Four.
• Specific Domains: Plunder.
• Alignment: LN – LE.
• Deities Following: Medium, Local Cult.
• # Followers: 4,000.

• Deities Relationship with Followers:

1. Racial Preferences – Social Subset of Race.
2. Involvement – Concerned.
3. Enemies/Allies – Deity & Worshipers only.

• Deity’s Demeanor: Hateful.
• Deity’s Appearance: Animal – Lizard.

Going up to the Temples section, we can roll for a Holy/Unholy symbol and Artifacts.

• Holy/Unholy Symbol: Either Crossed Scimitars or Flame.
• Artifacts: There are four of these, as rolled earlier. So, let’s see what kind of relics we come up with.

1. A Gem.
2. A Ship/Boat.
3. A Ship/Boat.
4. A Sacred Place.

There are some obvious places to go. A Pirate divinity, a Lizardman god. But, let’s try something a little different, fleshing out some more of the campaign world in the process. If you want to understand, or create a society, look at its myths; religious, political and scientific.

Ithshiz – Halfling Deity of Plunder. Minor Deity. LE. Symbol – Crossed Scimitars.

In the years following the Second Apocalypse, a Halfling tribe, which called themselves the Orin-Kam, or The Pig Farmers, found themselves dispossessed and driven into inhospitable lands. Clashing with several different societies, forced to fight and struggle to survive, they eventually made a home for themselves in the marshes and swamps of a region, which has not yet been created by the DM. Over the years, they made many adaptations to their beliefs and values in order to survive.

They began to raid the settlements of their neighbors, learning many of their tactics and brutal practices from a nearby tribe of Lizardmen. After wiping out this tribe, the Halflings gained control of the swampy area, but the violence done to their psyche’s had warped their mentality in a strange and horrid way. They developed an intense hatred of all sentient life, which were not of the tribe, blaming their victims in a trick of transference, for what they had become and what they felt they were forced to perpetrate. They began to see themselves as the spiritual and temporal successors of the Lizardmen, borrowing many of their symbols and even snippets of language.

One of their priests, a Halfling named Geed, was a servant of the tribes’ old agricultural god, Ithhob. The Grower. Worship of this god had waned dramatically, during the Halflings’ ordeal, but that was soon to change. 

Geed began to teach that the Halflings’ transformation was the divine will of Ithhob and a mirror of the gods’ own change in nature. Now known as Ithshiz, The Taker, the deity had assumed the form of a Lizardman, just as the Halfings’ own characteristics had become like that of the swamps’ original inhabitants. Or rather, like the way the formerly peaceful tribe perceived their vanquished rivals. The Halflings’ melee weapon of choice, the Scimitar, was utilized as their god’s symbol.

The tribe invented many taboos, rules and a rather strict society both as an attempt to insure survival and as a way of dealing with and covering up, the guilt and horror at what they had become. The priests of Ithshiz lead the tribe, which now numbers some 4,000 Halflings. Today, they call themselves the Oogra la Shiz, the Devil-Spawn of the Taker.

The relics: since there’s a double entry, let’s take these down to three. The gem is the legendary first item plundered by the Halflings, when they began their life of raiding. The sacred place is the last stronghold of the Lizardmen, razed by the Nasty Little Hobbits. The ship is a canoe, probably the first such vessel dedicated to The Taker. I’m not sure what these really do yet. Or, whether or not they’re still in the tribes’ possession. It’s getting kind of late, so I’ll have to work it out later. If anyone has any ideas, feel free to share!

A TOAD from the Frog God

A Quote from Mr. Finch: "The pre-order page (you get the pdf NOW) is here. The price is $42 for the book/pdf. It's a hardback sewn in 16 page signatures (ie, super high quality). 300 pages of tables, 7 pages of indexing material."

Tome of Adventure Design by Matt Finch. Frog God Games. Per the FGG page, HC's are still available. I've been waiting for my Hardcopy to arrive, to really dig into this thing (it actually arrived several days ago, unbeknownst to me, but I digress.)  I'm going to go read now! 

Asmodeus: On the Nature of Lies

A Letter, sent by carrier Vrock , intercepted by three different spies, copied by two, the copies filed, the original arriving at its destination.

Lovely Glasya,

No doubt, the current weather in Minauros is to your tastes. The little fetch devils, scurrying about your divan. Your Lord Mammon, bedecking you in scintillating jewels and rare perfumes. And as the armies of Hell wet their teeth on the blood of angels, you dutifully set about the task I set before you, for the sake of which, you sought council from your wise Father, writing:

"How is it, that forbidding the Priests and Clerics to engage in sexual dalliances, while secretly encouraging them to do so, is supposed to further our end of forcing them to forsake emotional ties with their fellows, reserving instead, all loyalties for their church?"

Your lack of perception in this area is, in the main, due to your ignorance of the nuances of human emotion.

Yet, you also write:

"...that Lie of Love, which we devils entertain, but sparingly."

Which, is nothing more than the sort of romantic twaddle, you ostensibly disparage!

A Lie is nothing more than the creation and relating of an idea about Truth.

Now, Truth is what one accepts, pretends, or models to be Actual, from one or more perspectives. A Lie may be made to oneself, to others, or to all parties involved.

Facts are not Truth. Facts are verbs and are usually Expressions and Manifestations of a conceived Truth, subject to the perceptive field of any given consciousness. In short, Facts are Lies, or events which may only be perceived by way of Lies and are another form of relating Truth.

Any Fact can only be interpreted by way of a subject's Imagination and Ideations, both mental and emotional, some of which are biologically based. Thus, Facts are subject to manipulation by further Lies.

Now, Truth may only be related, or apprehended by a Lie. An idea about the Truth. This idea, which is merely a Lie, then masquerades as Truth in the consciousness of those who fail to separate conceptions from actuality.

Thus, so-called Truths are Lies, some of which are more useful and amusing than others.

Perhaps, it would help you to see "Love," as a verb, instead of a noun.

Your "Loving" Father in Nessus,

Asmodeus

Final Revision: Grimoires of the Pact Insidious

I started working on a final revision of this, several months ago, as it was in need of some tweaking and tightening. While being awake for most of the night, I decided to pull it out and finish. 

Grimoires of the Pact Insidious

Upon discovery, these will appear to be a very handsome set of blank Spellbooks, of the sort Magic-Users use to permanently record spells and research. 

Also known as The Key to Darkest Destiny, the set will number from 9 to 12 identical volumes. Each will have a locking clasp on the side, and the set will come with a matching Key. If some means of checking for magic is utilized, the set will evince Alteration, Divination, Conjuration, and Summoning. Possession, if used as a type of magic in the GM's milieu, will be present, but not detectable.

If an attempt to analyze the magic is made, the caster may discover that the Key, which is attached to a gold chain and intended to be worn as a necklace, will grant a +1 bonus to all of the MU's Saves and doubles his capacity to memorize 1st level spells. Also, that the Key's magic will not activate until the MU has inscribed at least one spell into the Grimoires. Nothing else may be discovered by the more usual magical means, as the Grimoires are a Cursed item. 

The Key, which is where the true power of the item resides, cannot be destroyed by anything short of a Wish.  

If the character opts to use the Grimoires, the next time he gains a level, any unused slots in his Maximum Number of Spells bank will be filled and the new spells will be inscribed into the Grimoires, independent of the MU’s actions or wishes. This will be for the slots up to and including those gained by his level increase. There will be no need to determine whether or not the MU is capable of learning these spells and so long as the Grimoires are in his possession, he will always have and be able to utilize the maximum number of spells, which his Intelligence allows. 

During the MU's initial experience with the Grimoires, the spells which begin to appear within (to be chosen by the DM) will be comprised of some of the more popular choices, some utility spells and one or two of a dark or evil nature. Furthermore, research entries will begin appearing, apparently written in the Character’s hand, which will include information on some of the darker aspects of the art.

The MU will also discover, that any spellbooks that were previously in his possession, as well as any obtained from this point onward, transform, so as to conform to the Grimoires in all respects. If any or all of the Grimoires are destroyed, the replacements will also transform and so long as the Key is intact, 70% -90% of any spells lost and nearly all of the research notes, will re-appear in the new book, as if he had set about to reconstruct the lost data.

At this time, the MU may be rid of the Grimoires, by availing himself of a Remove Curse. If he does so, it will be as if he never saw or attempted to inscribe, know, etc., any of the spells from the Grimoires, save for in the case of those spells which the MU memorized at least once. All other phenomenon associated with the books will cease. Otherwise…

When the MU again, gains a new level:

1. A higher percentage of evil spells will begin appearing. Necromancy, conjuration/summoning spells, bindings, etc. The strange research notes will take an even darker turn.

2. A weird Augury like experience will assail him up to once a day, wherein profitable, albeit unscrupulous opportunities will be made known. Such as, he might suddenly become aware that the local Lord's wife is adulterous and with whom she is cavorting. Or, the location of that Lord's hidden treasure vault, along with information on what's guarding his wealth.

3. The MU will begin sensing the presence of another consciousness while he is studying his spells. Once per week the MU may communicate with this entity. It will have the knowledge and experience of a 16th level MU. The Other Awareness will not answer any questions regarding its origin or identity, nor will it reveal anything about the Grimoires. It will promise a great destiny, wealth, power and proffer useful advice to this end. 

There is a 1% cumulative chance that instead of the usual communication, the MU will suddenly be assailed by a feeling of dread and a desire to destroy the Key. This impulse will seem to come from both himself and the Other Awareness, and the MU may make a Saving Throw at -3, with the penalty decreasing by one for each time the dreadful experience has previously occurred. If successful, he will instantly know the nature of both the Grimoires and the awareness with which he has been in communication. Otherwise, the chance for this occurring resets back to 1%

4. There is a 5% per day, that the MU will spontaneously recall a spell to memory that was cast within the past 24 hours. This will only happen once, but afterwards, one time per day, the MU may try to recall a spell of his choice, with a 10% chance of success.

5. If a Teacher is necessary for level advancement, then the information garnered from the Other Awareness will suffice. Much of this will begin occurring in the dream state, or as entries in the Grimoires. Also, any costs associated with level advancement will be halved.

Images and Dreams of attaining great wealth and power will assail the MU constantly and specific, usually wicked ways of attaining power will be revealed, via the Auguries and aforementioned communications, as well as other avenues. As the MU continues to gain levels, the following additional phenomenon will occur:

1. The new spells which appear will be of the sort a truly evil magician would prefer and choose. Disturbing spells of the GM’s creation or taken from appropriately themed RPG supplements are encouraged. The notes appearing in the Grimoires will feature such items as formulae for Lichdom, Devil's Talismans and True Names of demons.

2. Strange coincidences and synchronicities will bring potential henchman, followers, associates, lovers, etc., across the MU's path. These will, of course, be rather nasty people. Some will be fanatically loyal. Weird priests of obscure sects might try to cast the character as a figure of prominence in their prophetic scriptures, seeking to aid or destroy the MU. Powerful Wizards serving the cause of Good, Paladins, Priests, etc., will begin hunting the MU, claiming him to be a champion of evil forces.

If the MU still retains the Grimoires when he reaches 12th level, he will be stuck with the spells known, regardless of what he does with the key. His memories will begin to alter, accounting for the discovery of the spells within the book, the research, etc. The MU may make a Saving Throw, to notice this happening.

If the MU hasn’t figured things out yet, the DM should offer enough clues to insure that he does. The Other Awareness is an evil, probable variant of the Character, one possible version of the MU amongst many. This consciousness exists in the future, in a parallel dimension, in the realms of potentiality and within the timeless psyche of the MU (all of which are true, from differing perspectives.)

The Character has slowly been transforming into this future version of himself. By this point, the MU has no doubt started performing in a rather vile manner, considering that most of his spell options are rather unwholesome. The auguries will still be useful, if less frequent. The communications will provide little new information, as the MU now has much of the knowledge and experience his future self was sharing. 

The process will continue until the MU reaches 16th level, at which point it will cease, along with most of the other weirdness, as he will have attained his destiny and become that evil manifestation with which he has been communicating. The Key will still provide the +1 bonus to saves and the doubling of 1st level spells, but all of the other powers and phenomenon will end. Henceforth, the MU will learn spells as normal.

More notes for the GM:

At all times, the MU's powers of choice remain. Even if he decides to follow the path of evil, he may not choose to do so in precisely the way his future self is advocating.

At the end of the process, he will most likely not become the Exact variant version of himself, with which he was in communication with at the beginning. The character's choices will ultimately determine the self he becomes. The magic of the Grimoires is such that it will create a link with the vilest, most powerful variant possible, but a synergy is at work, as the MU's Will begins to influence the events. He may gravitate towards a different variant, or create changes in the future self, with which he is in contact. Since it is himself, both statements will be true from a certain perspective. As the process progresses and then nears its end, the GM should gradually bring the future self into alignment with where the MU seems to be taking the character. Instead of “Evil,”  mere “evil” may be called for, or variations, such as Law, Chaos and Neutrality.

Archive Thursday: My Fantasy Library - The Sleeping Dragon

There's a few posts I want to move over from the Gazette, so I've decided that Thursday is Archive Day. I don't want to overload you guys with reposts, though some of these will be old enough, that many of my current readers will be unfamiliar with them. Keeping it to one day a week, until I'm done, seems to be a decent solution. On occasion, I'll also update/tweak/revise some of these as well.

Recently, Joel Rosenberg passed away. His Guardians of the Flame series was smart, funny and action-packed. Violence in Mr. Rosenberg's series is scary, ugly and not glorious, at all. It's how these characters deal with that fact that makes them heroes.

My Fantasy Library: The Sleeping Dragon - Book 1 of The Guardians of the Flame Series

“So, let me get this straight. A group of college-aged gamers are transported to the fantasy world their GM has been running, transforming into their characters in the process?”

As old and jaded as I am today, I would probably give Joel Rosenberg’s The Guardians of the Flame series a pass. Fortunately, I was still a teenager when The Sleeping Dragon was published. When I read the review of the novel in Dragon Magazine, I thought the premise was cool as hell and picked up a copy on my next trip to the bookstore.

I’m glad I did. Mr. Rosenberg skillfully handles the difficulties inherent in the setup for his series and instead of the schlocky, juvenile story one might expect, we are treated to an intelligent and edgy fantasy adventure, with depth, humor and gritty violence.

I would imagine that most of us, at some time or another, has had a conversation with friends where someone said “Wouldn’t it be cool as hell, if we lived in a D&D world?”

When it actually happens to these gamers, they’re smart enough to know that they’re in deep shit! This point is quickly brought home, when one of the characters doesn’t even last the day, participating in their first full on “party vs. monsters” battle, where the fear and trauma of having others out for your blood and having to reciprocate the sentiment, slaps them square in the face.

The reality of mortal combat and how the protagonists cope with that challenge is an ever present theme in the series. There’s no glory, but there is heroism. Whether dealing with melee, magic swords, or wizardly combat, the action is always grounded in the chaos and blood of the battle-field. The characterization is excellent, throughout, but never more-so than when the author is presenting his character's choices, in the face of violence and its presence in their lives.

They learn, quickly, that they’re going to have to be very hardcore if they’re going to survive.

Back in the day, when my friends and I used to enjoy debating the particulars of alignment, questions like “Is it evil to kill a sleeping enemy?” would often arise. One of the main characters, Walter Slovotsky, would probably answer with one of his famous Slovotsky’s Laws. Something like:

“Slovotsky’s Law no. 123 – So long as he’s careless enough to let me sneak up on him, the bastard doesn’t have to be asleep. But it helps!”

That last was my attempt at writing a Law. Walter’s wisdom runs throughout the series, often during the character’s dialogue, sometimes as introductory quotes at the beginning of chapters. Walter’s quips provide wry humor, as well as insight into how the former college student copes with the fear and turmoil of a violent career in a dangerous world.

While still at the Student Union, Professor Deighton announces that he’s starting a new campaign, the “Quest for the Gate Between Worlds.” The player’s are each free to choose whichever character from their notebook they wish, as the new campaign is not intended for low-level play.

Walter Slovotsky starts off as a large, cocky, jock, but not stereotypically so. He’s smart, human, empathic and he games. 

I’m reminded of a friend, who played with us a few years ago. He would tell stories of how in high school, he was a jock and a “closet gamer,” never letting his jock friends know he played D&D. Not a problem for Walter, as he’s far too confident to be ashamed of his doings. Though Walter takes others’ feelings into account, he still has a problem with seeing himself as the center of universe. When he finds himself in the Eren Regions, as a Thief, still large, but with incredible dexterity and skills, the challenges he faces force him to reassess a few things.

Karl Cullinane, dilettante, unfocused, prone to lose things, is transformed into a mighty Warrior. Karl is forced to choose what kind of man and warrior he wants to be, learning to express both his will and passion. As the story progresses, he becomes a true and very human hero.

Doria Perlstein, in many ways the least equipped to deal with the situation these young men and women find themselves in, is immediately hit with a crisis that endangers the whole party. She’s the Cleric. Professor Deighton’s character levels start at “A” and run through the alphabet. At level “K,” Doria is the most powerful character in the party.

Jason Parker is the party’s second Thief, Einar Lightfingers. Alas, never choose a character who’s missing a hand, just in case…

Andrea Andropolous is the woman of Karl’s dreams. Interestingly enough, she finally agrees to accompany her would-be suitor to a game, on that particular night. Using d4’s, they roll her up a “C” level Wizard. Andrea, the person, has charisma and guts. Like the others, she has to find that which is most noble and human inside of herself, in order to meet the ordeals which lay ahead.

Lou Riccetti is an Engineering student and decides to play his character Aristobulus, a “J” level Wizard. He’s one of only two of the former gamers who actually want to stay in the world in which he finds himself. He learns soon enough that as a fairly advanced wizard, their new political environment will guarantee him a life of privilege and prestige. If, that is, he can solve one little problem.

Lastly, James Michael Finnegan plays the Dwarven Warrior, Ahira. He’s the other player who has no intention of going back. His reasons are every bit as selfish as Lou’s, but far, far more sympathetic. Not to mention, obvious. Before he and his fellow player’s cross over, he’s unanimously chosen to be the party leader.

Travelling across land, by sea, and through the desert, the party meets new friends, visits famous Pandathaway, learn secrets, encounter dangerous enemies and make tough decisions, some of momentous and far reaching importance. Ahira, as he chooses to call himself, vows to get the others home safely and ensure they find the “Gate Between Worlds.”

As the series progresses, the adventurers take on the task of changing their new world. They start a war. They also learn, that all is not as it seems and new information regarding Professor Deighton and his motivations comes to light. While much of import is going on behind the scenes, we get only tidbits and glimpses. Like the protagonists, we see things from the point of view of the trenches. Our heroes, in the theater of the campaign, are at ground zero, as it were, wading through blood and politics. We’re privy to very little of what the major Wizards, Priests and powerful, inhuman entities are really up-to. So far, after the nine books of the series I’ve read, very, very, little of what’s going on behind the scenes has been revealed.

Here and there, we get some interesting gaming tidbits. One thing the player’s never knew, until they crossed over, was that a Wizard has to “reign in,” and control the spells he has memorized. They constantly push at the back of the mind, insisting upon release. As a plot device, this is used to rather important effect, fairly early in the book. As interesting flavor for D&D games, it has some possibilities.

“He let his remaining spells cycle through his brain, making sure each one was ready and complete. Not that that was necessary; an incomplete spell wouldn’t make his mind pulse, wouldn’t push at him night and day to release it, as though it were some sort of huge sneeze, backed up in his nostrils. He could live with that, easily, in exchange for the power.”

There’s much in the series that will no doubt please old school gamers. The heroes are human, not super-heroes. The author is definitely an “Old School DM.” Even those who haven’t read the Guardians of the Flame, may have heard of Joel Rosenberg’s reputation for being willing to kill his characters. Even major ones!

As to the writing, Mr. Rosenberg’s prose is packed with style, humor and depth. I found it to be felicitous and quick.

The series runs to ten novels. If you’ve never read them, I heartily encourage you to do so. For entertaining, intelligent, violent fantasy, that’s an absolute joy to read, the Guardians of the Flame series is one of the best choices out there. It’s the first I would recommend to anyone wanting to read some D&D style fiction.

Template Woes, That Map in the Background and The Incomparable Dejah Thoris

Minor Irritants

I received several complements on the look of the new site. Alas, there was a problem. The Simple Template seems to have a bug and my Follower Widget kept freaking out. You guys were disappearing on a regular basis.

After researching, tinkering, hacking my HTML, etc., I switched the Template to Awesome, which seems to have fixed the problem.

Edit: NOPE. It's freaking out again!

The Black Mete

The map in the background is a low-res version of this one:

Click for an Expandable PNG

Available in PDF, from my widget on the right. I need to start map-making again. I still intend to make a color set of map Icons. And there's always the fight to improve my non-icon mountain-making skills, in GIMP.

Because You Demanded It!


More Dejah Thoris: