T&T 7.5 Creature Feature # 16

Welcome to the relaunch of TROLL HAMMER's T&T Creature Feature!

Something a little different this time around, one of my more unusual (and favorite) solo characters. This guy survived the 10 combat trip through the Arena of Khazan, and is still technically active, as he hasn't yet been killed. His name was inspired by a Heavy Metal band that I was good friends with years ago.

Name: Warrax
Player: Paul Ingrassia
Kindred: Minotaur (male)
Ht: 7'4" Wt: 225 lbs.
Type: Specialist Ranger
Level: 3
AP/Total: 11,167
AP/Unspent: 367

Str: 83
Con: 36
Dex: 22
Spd: 14
Int: 11
Wiz: 8
Lck: 17
Cha: 26

Adds: +88

Talents
Stealth (Dex) 30
Tracking (Int) 12
Common Language (Int) 15
Minotaur Language (freebie, automatic success)

Weapons
Magic Pickaxe (12 dice) - strikes through armor, deflects missile on roll of 4+ on 2d6
2 Highwayman's Pistols (5 dice +15)
Sax (2 dice +5)

Armor/Shield
Bracers (2 hits)
Cuirass (5 hits)
Tower Shield (6 hits)

Misc. Possessions
953 GP, 9 SP, 8 CP
1 Turquoise (50 GP)
Tiger Fur Loincloth
2 Powder Horns (20 charges)
ramrod, swabbing, 20 lead balls
2 belts (1 for pistols, 1 for pouches)
4 belt pouches (for coin, shot, etc)

Description/notes
Warrax is covered in ivory white fur and has black horns and red eyes. He has the head, legs, hooves, and hindquarters of a bull with the arms and torso of a human man.

As a Specialist Ranger, for ranged attacks, Warrax only has to make a Level One Saving Roll against any target withing range, and he always rolls on Dex for ranged attacks. His attack will only miss if he fails the SR.

He has been granted a boon from the Death Goddess: 1x only, if killed (and not dismembered) he will come back to life 1 hour later with a Con of 10.

Copyright 2011 Paul Ingrassia

~~~

Would you like to see your nasty beastie included in Creature Feature? Have you got a new kindred or creature you want to share with the world? Do you have a favorite player or non-player character you want to show off? Send submissions to troll_hammer_press@yahoo.com and include the words 'Creature Feature' in the subject line.

...and now for something completely different...

This is SOOO me!



An old buddy of mine from high school shared this on my Facebook page. I just had to pass it on.

OP Responds!

Well, it seems all I had to do to get a response from ShiTman was to go public! Instead of answering my emails, or accepting my invitation to openly comment here, he chose to add a bit of comical creative writing to his webpage. Not wanting any of you to visit the offending site, but at the same time wanting to share the joke, I decided to reprint his hysterical commentary here at TROLL HAMMER.

First, I would like to extend my thanks to ShiTman for the free advertising, I'm sure the one or two people who might actually visit his site will be inspired to check out what the hell TROLL HAMMER is all about.

Second, thanks for the laugh, ShiTman, I needed a good guffaw, and you've certainly provided it with your tale of fantasy. If I actually were fat and bald, this would have been a great laugh. See, you CAN write for yourself, no need to steal other people's writing. I guess you just need to compensate for some sort of self-loathing issues, and perhaps a feeling of inadequacy.

You know, this all gives me an idea for an MSPE scenario. The fat, balding, tough guy private eye takes on an assignment to investigate a weasel-like, petty outlaw who has become a slight annoyance to the local townsfolk. Hmmm... Nah, never mind, not worth the effort, the villain is too weak; a mentally deficient outlaw with no self-esteem wouldn't be much of a challenge...

Don’t forget to visit FLYING BUFFALO’s website: http://www.flyingbuffalo.com/tandt.htm and order something for your Tunnels & Trolls collection.

Be sure to tell Rick that Mist-tik-foo-al-gassy-ass sent you! ;-}

BOYCOTT OUTLAW PRESS

Things have been quiet around here, I know, and it is with a heavy heart that the revival of TROLL HAMMER has to be based upon something negative, but, alas, we cannot always control what motivates us to action. This is a blight on the world of Tunnels & Trolls, and one which I simply can no longer remain quiet about.

I have wanted to write this post for a few weeks now, and I have gone over and over how it should be done. My initial feeling was a scalding, curse-filled, personal character assassination of the proprietor of Outlaw Press, one James Shipman. But what would that prove? That I know how to bash someone and be a nasty SOB. It would have detracted from what I really want to say.

The questionable business practices of Outlaw Press are no secret, any search engine will return a number of hits describing exactly the thievery that Mr. Shipman has perpetrated, such as:

http://geek-related.com/2010/01/19/outlaw-pressjim-shipman-sinks-to-demented-pathetic-new-lows-in-art-theft-scandal/

http://martianchess.blogspot.com/2011/06/outlaw-press.html

http://forum.rpg.net/showthread.php?483885-Outlaw-Press-uses-stolen-art

Unfortunately, Mr. Shipman has not only refused to make things right, he actively continues his theft. He has gone as far as masquerading as others, or possibly having others act on his behalf, to approach outstanding artists with freelance work for fictitious projects, and then use the art for Outlaw Press products. The kicker? He actually claims in the product blurbs that these pieces of art were 'specially commissioned'. Unfortunately, he doesn't explain that 'specially commissioned' translates into 'duped and stolen'. He constantly mines the sacred halls of Ken St. Andre's Trollhalla for inspiration, publishing tales and games shared in the 'Halla as if they were submitted to him. He has apparently even poured over this very blog, as I have come to realize he has used my work without permission (in Hobbit Hole # 19), and has stolen monsters from the popular Creature Feature posts that appear here. That last bit really burns me, as these generous folks shared their creatures with me, and all of you, for free and in good faith, just to have them stolen for publication in OP's Monstrum Codex III. The list of often brazen thefts goes on and on. When confronted, he responds with apathy, or often not at all, as in my case. To date, I don't even know what he has stolen from me (anyone with a copy of HH#19, please contact me).

Additionally, Mr. Shipman has a habit of posting 'free' solo adventures, which are actually word doc transcriptions of solos that are offered elsewhere by their creators, often not for free. If you do not believe that, look at his website yourself: http://www.outlawpressinc.com/Free.html After taking a look there, do a search of some of the solo titles at your favorite engine to find the REAL versions, then judge for yourself. I suspect that most of the creators did not authorize the appearance of their solos at OP.

So, what is to be done? While initially the word 'lawsuit' screams out to be heard, the reality is, how many small, independent, freelance artists and game designers want to spend the time, and expense, to go down that road? Certainly, one could take the time and effort to contact OP's ISP and lodge a complaint regarding the stolen material and copyright violations, which may yield success, but again, how many people have the time and desire for such an assault?

My suggestion is a boycott of Outlaw Press. Put quite simply, if nobody buys his stuff, he will have no reason to publish more, and therefore no reason to steal the work of others. I invite everyone reading this to save a copy of the 'No Outlaw Press' picture at the top of this post, and re-post to your own blogs and webpages. Spread the word to your friends via RPG forums and clubs. BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY, DO NOT BUY ANYTHING FROM OUTLAW PRESS, NO MATTER HOW MUCH YOU MIGHT WANT IT. Also, equally inportant, do not submit any materials to OP for publication. This is very important, because by purchasing or submitting to OP's products you are showing your support of stealing work from honest people who have worked DAMN hard to produce their creations. If you want to purchase REAL Tunnels & Trolls products, there are a variety of reputable publishers out there: Flying Buffalo, of course; Fiery Dragon; Peryton Press; pay a visit to the links list at Trollhalla for even more ideas: http://www.trollhalla.com/links.php

Additionally, I invite you all, no, rather I URGE all of you readers to post a comment here to show your support of the Outlaw Press Boycott. To be fair, I will approve all comments, whether in support of or against the boycott or Outlaw Press. I ask that comments contain a bit of respect and taste, but I also will not moderate or censor any comments.

Finally, I also invite, no I challenge James Shipman to post a comment here. Mr. Shipman, apparently you think there is nothing wrong with the way you conduct business, so I invite you to defend your position here. I promise to post whatever you send, unmoderated. But be prepared, because any responses to your comment will remain unmoderated as well.

So there you have it, a call to arms, a call to boycott.

Thanks for reading. TROLL HAMMER will become more active again, hopefully with much more positive postings in the near and far future.

Paul 'Mist-Tikk Foo-all' Ingrassia