Armor class and damage reduction.

I’m working on my next itiration of Crumbling Epoch. After doing some playtesting, I’ve got some new ideas. Here are a couple that I’m messing with.

• Use a d12 to hit instead of a d20. 8+ is a hit.
• You can use your combat ability as a bonus to hit, or a penalty to be hit, in any combination. Combat ability is equal to class level for most classes except poor fighters like wizards.

• ASCENDING AC: Your “armor class” is a pool of damage reduction points you have available each round.
• DESCENDING AC: Your “armor class” represents the most damage you can take from a single hit (that is affected by armor; some magic, and falling, and drowning etc. are not affected.)
• TYPE AC: Your kind of armor is the size die you roll to reduce damage when you’re hit, +1 die size for a shield. Leather 1, Leather + 1d4, chainmail 1d6, chain + 1d8, plate 1d10. Whatever you roll is reduced from the incoming attack.

Fun, right?!

Dungeon Date 2! Death Slaver’s Crypt

Kristy and I have a new tradition on date night. We take my molskine pocket book, a d20 and d12, a pen, and Risus Monkey’s DungeonWords. Then, while we wait for our food, I sketch a dungeon and she randomizes words. After the date, I turn it into a 1 page dungeon. The previous and first Dungeon Date is here.

So, polish up that ole ball and chain! It’s time for DUNGEON DATE!

Death Slaver’s Crypt

That’s how it’s done. A B/X D&D adventure for a pretty tough group, probably 5-7 th level. Best used by attaching it to something else. Enjoy!

Sting Hounds of Hucwind Isle

You know what is awesome? Fr. Dave‘s reimagining of the Slave Pits. I have not bought a module that was better laid out and thought through than this one.

One interesting creature he adds to the setting is a “sting hound.” I really was not sure what one would look like. So, I decided to draw it so I could see. =)

If Fr. Dave wants to add this into a document or use it for anything, he has my permission and gratitude.

Stinghound

No. Enc.: 1d6+1Alignment: Chaotic
Movement: 150’
Armor Class: 7
Hit Dice: 2
Attacks: 1
Damage: 1d4+Paralysis
Save: F2
Morale: 9
Hoard Class: none
XP: 29
Stinghounds are one of the successful genetic experiments
of the Abhothians. From a distance, they appear to be
bloodhounds. Up close, however, it is obvious that they are
a cross between a dog and a stingray, with the head and tail
of the latter. They attack with the stinger in the tail, which
has a paralytic poison which lasts for 2d4 turns.

Wampus Country Guest Spells

In appreciation for Erik Jensen letting me use spells from Wampus Country, I figured I’d make a couple to give back. They are both grounded in the unusual mechanics and style of his setting (to the best of my ability.) One even has commentary from Erik’s wizard narrator for his book of spells, written by Erik himself!

SURPRISE HOLDOUT *
Themes: Battle, Conjuration
Level: 1
Duration: Instant
Range: 30 feet
Material Component: walking stick, club, or similar item (not consumed)

The Surprise Holdout turns a stick into a gun for just one round and one shot. If the stick is more rifle sized, the gun does 1d8. If the stick is more pistol sized, the gun does 1d6. It appears to be a concealed weapon, but upon later inspection, there is no clue that the stick was transformed.

The Magnificent Montranto adds: I have this spell transcribed as ‘Furtive Fusillade’, but you know how I am about alliteration.  A very useful transformation indeed for certain situations.  Two notes.  First, if your walking-cane or wizard-staff is too well-worked – that is, heavily enameled or clad with metal – it may not count as a ‘stick’ for the purposes of ‘Surprise Holdout’.  Secondly, I have noticed that the bullet produced by the spell continues to exist after the gun reverts to a stick, but it remains wooden!  Surely there is a savvy application of this foible as regards vampire-hunting

STIFF SHOT
Themes: Vice, Enchantment
Level: 1
Duration: Enchantment lasts until the sun crosses the horizon (dusk or dawn.)
Range: Touch
Material Component: Container for alcohol (not consumed), and each use requires a swig of alcohol (consumed)

Cast this on a container of alcohol. The spell affects one drink per level of the caster. Instead of rolling 1d3 to regain hit points with a shot of stiff alcohol, the recipient gains 3 automatically. The spell enchants the container, not the alcohol, so it can be refilled if necessary.

Black Warlock NPC

Tonight, in the Lottery Dungeon, the characters must face this guy.

Black Warlock NPC

They saw him go down into the Lottery Dungeon. They almost clashed with him last time. This time, when they go down to the second level, they will face him and also the incorporeal undead he has raised to help him out. He will hunt them. I suspect he will kill them or die.

Because of the magic of the interwebs, this post will go up while we are playing.

Complications to the Plan

It is May 2, and snowing in Missouri. Like, steadily with big flakes and accumulation. How about that.

Photo by Kristy Shields

So here is a chart for complicating the plan! If you are running the game, and your players find that everything is smooth just as they planned it, then you are really missing out on making your game more realistic…

1. The weather is not helping. Could cause problems.
2. An unexpected relationship comes to light.
3. A mutual enemy arrives.
4. Turns out your enemy is the other party’s friend.
5. You have to take someone with you.
6. Recent problems have tightened security and vigilance.
7. Poorly timed fallout from a past romance hits—now.
8. A key player in someone’s plan is now unavailable.
9. Spies mistake you for someone in one of their intrigues.
10. A dangerous pet got loose!

“Crumbling Epoch” and “Wampus Country” Magic!

Erik Jensen put out a fantastic book, the Wampus Country Arcane Abecediary. I really liked his non-standard magic with all its charm and utility (beyond raw combat thumpery.)

Additional background: in “Crumbling Epoch” the story is that the winds of magic burned out millenia ago, and magic has been rebuilt from the ground up–and then had time to grow ancient.

Therefore, I found Erik’s book of magic very appealing. Not only does it have that warm roguery and delight that suffuses all his Wampus Country work, it also has a lot of useful and unique spells. I reskinned with a light touch, and recontextualized. Now I go from one page of spells for 0-3 levels to a massive addition of 42 spells the characters can adventure to find. Here it is!

Crumbling Epoch Spells Volume 1, Wampus Spells

As if that was not wonderful enough, Erik agreed to write a foreword for the project! I’ll copy it here in case you don’t download the Crumbling Epoch spellbook. Thanks again, Erik!

As a notoriously wordy writer, I was pleased and surprised when Andrew Shields inquired about using some of my work as the basis for supplemental, variant spells in the stripped-down ruleset he was crafting.

 Much like limiting or tweaking a monster list, an altered or custom spell list is a great way to paint a picture of a setting.  Through descriptions of common and rare magic, the reader incrementally adds to their impression of what a game or campaign is really all about – what makes the world and society move, and what people care about.  That’s the approach I took with the ‘Arcane Abecediary’, but more importantly it’s what Andrew has done here.

 It’s one thing to adapt spells from various sources to your game, and wholly another to decide exactly which spells actually fit with the vibe you have in mind.  Andrew has gone a step further in this case, and continued the Abecediary’s tradition of a ‘running commentary’ from a magician woven throughout the mechanics – another great way to get setting information across in easily digested, often humorous bites, and without resorting to page after page of narrative.

 It’s been refreshing to see him take some very silly magic and – usually with very little actual reskinning – make it seem decidedly less silly and more widely useful.

 Crumbling Epoch is another great experiment in the Fictive tradition, and I’m proud to have contributed to it in some small way.