Week three of my blog restart and I've hit the end of the honeymoon period. Now it's time to buckle down and keep writing so that this becomes a habit. I could use your help to keep this going. It's always easier for me to answer questions or respond to someone, so please drop a comment about what you'd like to write about, or about something I've written.
I want to start moving the content from my patreon either here or to itch. Enjoy!
Two things
This week, I've got a pair of monsters.
The first is a Bookmidge, based on an illustration by Craig Bosco. Bookmidges look like humans standing about 1 hand (4") tall with a tail about 2" long. They wear simple clothing, often including a printer's apron. They favor colors that will blend in with the book covers in the libraries where they live. They are inquisitive and love to read. They can often be tempted by the offer of books or similar reading materials (reaction roll bonuses of up to +3 depending on the book's rarity.)
AC 3 [17], HD 1/2* (2hp), Att 1 × tiny weapon (1), THAC0 19 [0], MV 45’ (15’), SV D12 W13 P14 B15 S15 (Elf 1), ML 6, AL Neutral, XP 8, NA 1-3, TT None
Invisible Bookmidges can become invisible at will, this takes an action. If they attack or take a hostile/offensive action, they become visible until their next action.
Well Read Bookmidges spend a great deal of time reading any materials they can get their hands on. If persuaded to answer a question roll 2d6. On a 2-6 they do not know the answer, on a 7-9 they have a partial answer, on a 10+ they can give a complete answer. The GM can modify the roll based on the difficulty of the question, the quality of the library they are in, etc.
Confusion Bookmidges are capable of causing confusion, as the spell with the following exceptions: this only affects 1d6 creatures and all creatures gain a saving throw each round, regardless of their HD.
The second is the Woad Leech Woad leeches are thin, wriggling beings some 3-4 inches wide and about 4 feet long. They are drawn to loosely formed or controlled magical energy, such as that generated by experimentation on spells, the mixture of potions, or spell preparation.
AC 3 [17], HD 1 (4hp), Att 1 x 1d6, THAC0 19 [0], MV 60' (20'), SV D12 W13 P13 B15 S15 (Elf 1), ML 7, AL Neutral, XP 16, NA 1-3, TT None
Consume Spell On a successful attack against a spell caster, they will ‘consume’ a random spell prepared by the caster. That spell will then be unavailable to the caster until they rest and prepare spells again. If a Woad Leech consumes a spell, roll 1d8. If the roll is less than the level of the consumed spell the leach is satiated and returns to it’s home plane.
Magic Resistant Woad leaches take no damage from direct spell attacks, but might take follow on damage from eg., the flames of a Wall of Fire spell..
What I'm reading
Swords of the Serpentine and Blades in the Dark - I really appreciate the neighborhood on a spread format of Duskvol in Blades in the Dark and the list of adventure hooks for each neighborhood and special location. As I read these, I'm trying to match them up with Ben Laurence's post on Citycrawling.
Fungi are on my mind. I recently went back to an old Roomscape thread Fungal Caverns Roomscape and I was blown away by some of the responses. I don't know how long Twitter is going to be around, so maybe this is a good time to go archive some of your old favorites (and maybe your new favorites too). I also grabbed a copy of The Peddler of Mycosi by Taichara - I love it! The peddler's wares run the gamut from the simple and benign to the downright weird. Here's a sample:
Fleshly Cornucopia: A tawny spore capsule; swallowed, the fungal colony spreads through the host, who may sacrifice vitality to produce two meals of edible fruiting bodies through the skin. 1d2 available.
I also grabbed a copy of Flying Fortress, by Mitchell Hollis. This is a game of pulp adventure among airship pirates, set up on a trifold. It's based on Into the Odd, so it's lightweight and looks like a dream to play. My first thought as I was reading through it was an abandoned game of Space: 1899 my group tried. I'd like to run a similar setting on this chassis and see how it goes.
What I'm writing and drawing
With the successful funding of The Fettered Factory, I'm going to be creating a set of six maps for this sandbox adventure for Worlds Without Number. I'm looking forward to getting these going.
I'm still working on writing notes in obsidian. Now that we're sharing the notes for the game I play in on Wednesday, it was kind of fun to hear the GM saying, "It was great getting notifications about the updates you were making." I know they loved the reinforcement that a player was engaging with the world and I got a little dopamine hit that will encourage me to write more notes.
What I'm playing, running, and planning
Seven Sons A couple of the other players jumped on the idea of being more explicit with our intentions and actions. I think this is making a difference in the game. Our game notes (see above) are also making more of a difference as we're able to make connections. Which sometimes raises additional questions. With the holidays coming up, we'll be taking next week off.
Hochheim The current group of PCs is trying to sneak through the city to the bugbears. At the end of our session, they'd encountered a bugbear patrol and leaped to the attack. We'll be picking things up in two weeks. Once they wrap up their dealings with the bugbears, we'll snap back to the other characters to deal with some downtime activities and a small wargaming interlude as they lead a band of the Mage-King's army against the Lýðr forces that are occupying Nehrung.
OSE We've added a player, and I've tried to set up some "Moments" and "Paint the Scene" questions for both the Keep and the trip to the Burial Mound a la Brindlewood Bay. Here are a couple of each:
Moments:
- Two children run along a cobblestone street rolling a wheel and laughing. They look up from their fun and see the party. One of them grabs the wheel and they rush toward a nearby building.
- Four guardsmen in chainmail, with swords at their hips walk toward the Main Gate. Townsfolk move aside to let them pass.
At the Crag's Top (see last week's update - #15 on the Keep map): "Things seem tense in the taproom. What just happened that set people on edge?"
On the path to the tomb: "You realize that you've moved out of the outer reaches of the Dolmenwood and into the Fey-tinged inner forest. What do you sense that lets you know that this is true?"
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