Trollhalla Reports #1
(written on Jan. 29, 2012)
By Ken St. Andre
The members of Trollhalla are an amazing and talented bunch of people, and I’m very proud of most of them, and very pleased that they choose to associate with me. What I like most about them is that many of them are very creative and they will do the work to translate their own dreams and ideals into reality. In Trollhalla Reports, I’m going to mention some of them, so that you, dear Reader, will have an idea of what’s going on in the Tunnels and Trolls continuum.
Andy Holmes, aka Boozer, is still working on getting a new version of Castle Death published by Fiery Dragon. I’ve seen the product. It’s a magnificent adventure for T & T players. Frankly, I expected it to be out by now, but it should be on the market soon.
Peryton Games (Robin Lea and Tom Loney) will be running two T & T adventures at BashCon. Leprechaun Island will be a tunnel crawl in the classic style. Apocalypse Kinda Now will be T & T horror. I wonder how Tom intends to bring that off. For details see http://bashcon.com.
{Editor's Note: Tom Loney asked me to post the following update: BASHCon: Jerry Teleha, a Peryton Gamer will be running the T&T horror scenario. Trevor Hudgins, Peryton Gamer and Garrrnash at the Halls, will be running his Dynamo, post bio-disaster role-playing game.}
Stuart Lloyd has just released a large solo adventure called Temple of the Fool God. It is currently available from lulu.com.
Dan Hembree is working on Trollzine 4—final editing—I hope to see this magazine by and for members of Trollhalla in print before the end of February. It has been a long time coming. Dan has also just re-published Mike Hill’s DUNGEON OF THE RAT, available from both drivethrurpg.com and lulu.com.
David Ullery tells me that illustrating my adventures isn’t enough for him. He has his own 98 page illustrated solo adventure called the Tower of Terror—somewhat in the style of Deathtrap Equalizer, but containing 18 different adventures. It could go to press by Feb. 4.
Roy Cram has been so inspired by all the activity around here that he has gone into high gear for his own writing. He has submitted new material to both Elder Tunnels (Peryton Press) and Troll Hammer Press. And he has a secret project (with Jeff Freels) that I will not tell you about because it’s a secret.
Michael Eidson of Eposic has two projects in the works. One is called The Tome of Arcane Specialists, and will elaborate on the idea of Specialists in T & T 7.5. I came up with the idea of the Specialist class whose abilities are triggered by rolling triples for one or more of their attributes during character generation, but I never did very much with it. Mike will flesh out the idea, and get you thinking of how to develop such characters of your own. He is also doing an interactive edition of The Arena of Khazan—my favorite gladiatorial combat—for Amazon’s Kindle e-book reader.
Liz Danforth is doing the illustrations for Patrice Geille’s new 8th edition of Tunnels and Trolls in French, and also 20 illos for a French version of Buffalo Castle. I have seen some of it. Steve Crompton is editing it all into shape. It’s starting to look like one of the best editions ever for T & T.
Last and least in this report, I finally got my Dragon’s Blood solo released on drivethrurpg, thanks to the hard work of Rick Loomis and his Buffalo staff. It features art by Miika Spray and David Ullery, and contains a section on running it as a G.M. adventure. I am also doing a 13 month T & T fantasy art calendar that will run from March 2012 thru March 2013. And the next solo adventure from Trollhalla Press should be a stand-alone version of Battle School, which I wrote especially for Fight On magazine. I am working on some other T & T projects too, but I think I’ll keep them secret for now.
Well, I couldn’t cram it all in, but if you want more details, all you have to do is send the people mentioned above an email via trollmail through Trollhalla.com.
Copyright 2012 Ken St. Andre
Troll Hammer Press at RPGNow!
Monday, January 30, 2012
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Other P&P RPGs #7: Rogue Space
Rogue Space
Sci-Fi Role Playing Game Basic Rules
By C.R. Brandon
http://roguespacerpg.blogspot.com/
Rogue Space was written by C.R. Brandon, a prolific, independent game designer who maintains a host of blogs to showcase his games. C.R. distributes the Rogue Space Basic Rules and supplements, a series of pocket sized pdf booklets, for FREE via his RS blog. Currently, the final touches are being put on the print release of Rogue Space, which should be available soon.
The basic set of rules is a lot of fun to play, only eight pages long (including cover), easy to learn, and quick to start. All you need are pencil, paper, and a few six-sided dice to play. Characters are based upon five attributes: Fighting, Acquiring, Scientific, Empathy, and Repairing. These attributes are expressed as modifiers, and are used to determine a character's success or failure when attempting to do things during adventures. Characters are further defined by Archetypes: Warrior, Rogue, or Technician. Each Archetype grants a bonus to an attribute modifier, and determines the starting Hit Points for characters. Characters with an Empathy of at least 1 may also have a Psychic power, if desired.
There are two resolution mechanics, Target Tests and Competitive Tests. Target Tests are similar to T&T Saving Rolls, a character rolls 2d6 and adds modifiers in an attempt to roll equal to or higher than a Target Number, and are used when there is no active resistance to an action being attempted. Competitive Tests are used when a character's action is actively being resisted, in which case the opposing characters each roll 2d6, add modifiers, and the high roller succeeds. Combat is resolved using Competitive Tests.
In addition to the Basic Rules, C.R Brandon currently has 8 pocket sized supplements available for free download:
~ Ship Movement and Combat - as the name implies, a set of starship rules for Rogue Space
~ Armory - the Basic Rules includes a short list of weapons and armor, this supplement greatly expands upon these with some interesting items
~ Random Adventure Generator - a series of tables for generating adventures, includes a sample adventure
~ Simian Stars - introducing the Simians, basically Apes in Space, deep Planet of the Apes flavor
~ The Blue Priests of Pluto - an excellent setting supplement, I've spent a good deal of solo play time with this one (see below), very much flavored like John Carter of Mars, pulp and sword & planet fans should love this one
~ Pirates & Peril - pirates in space, as well as some great details of the Rogue Space galaxy
~ Rshomignggu - by Eric "Needles", nano-undead priests in space, includes an adventure and can also be used to expand upon Blue Priests
~ Rogue Space Skirmish - the latest of the free pocket booklets, this is a miniatures skirmish rules set for Rogue Space, I haven't given it a try yet, but it looks easy and very playable
You will find a cool set of bookmark style character sheets there as well.
My First RS Character Party
The following characters and solo campaign setup were my first exploration of an early edition of the Basic Rules and Supplements that have since been discontinued.
Our heroes:
Name: Sam Zolo
Archetype: Rogue
Race: Human
Fighting: 2
Acquiring: 2
Scientific: 0
Empathy: -1
Repairing: -1
HP: 7
Level/Luck: 1
Pistol, 2 grenades, flak vest, radio helmet, scanner belt, envirosuit
Name: Reya Origami
Archetype: Technician
Race: Human
Fighting: -1
Acquiring: -1
Scientific: 2
Empathy: 2
Repairing: 2
HP: 7
Level/Luck: 1
Psychic Power: Telepath
Pistol, ballistic cloth armor, scanner belt
Name: M.A.R.C. (Military Android Rifleman Corps, Series III)
Archetype: Warrior
Race: Android
Fighting: 3
Acquiring: -1
Scientific: -1
Empathy: 0
Repairing: -1
HP: 12
Level/Luck: 1
Finger fitted to fire as a rifle, sword
Name: BOX34 (Ship Maintenance Bot, affectionately known as 'Boxey')
Type: Maintenance Bot
Size: Small, Biped
Physical: 0
Mental: 1
HP:2
Task: Ship Maintenance: 3
Sam Zolo, captain of the elf trader vessel Pixie, has come across the details to the location of an abandoned colony on a remote planetoid, barely larger than a moon. The colony is rumored to have been suddenly abandoned, leaving everything behind. Sam, always struggling as a trader and adventurer, has decided to try his hand at the salvage business. He is hoping this planetoid will hold his big break, the payout he's always wished for. He secretly dreams of striking it big and asking Reya to marry him.
Reya has been Sam's first officer, science officer, technician, and all-around right hand for about three years now. She is beautiful, vivacious, and intelligent, but completely unaware that Sam has a gigantic crush on her. Reya always stays in ship when Sam goes exploring, and uses her Telepathy ability to relay info and assistance to Sam unheard by others. Reya is Sam's lifeline, sending M.A.R.C. out to assist Sam if things get rough. She is a wiz at repairs and keeps the Pixie and the mechs in top shape.
M.A.R.C. is a retired Military Andriod Rifleman Corps unit, Series III. In their heyday, the Series III M.A.R.C.s were the fiercest mech soldiers in the galaxy, but when the M.A.R.C. IV came out, they were relegated to front line cannon fodder duty, and then finally deemed obsolete and retired altogether when the M.A.R.C. V units were introduced. Sam won him in a poker game, but the unit was in bad shape. Reya rebuilt him and reprogrammed him, and he is now the Security Android aboard the Pixie. Sam generally has M.A.R.C. stand sentry at the ship when he ventures out, and Reya will send him out if Sam needs him. M.A.R.C. is programmed to respond to Sam and Reya only, and to protect their lives and the Pixie at all costs. He has the equivalent to a rifle installed in his right arm that shoots slugs from his pointer finger, and he also carries a sword. He is designed to appear extremely human-like, down to a flesh-colored coating on his metal 'skin'.
Boxey was a standard B0X34 maintenance bot, until Reya juiced him up to handle the maintenance on the Pixie at a +3 level. He is basically Reya's assistant and is never far from her unless a task dictates otherwise. Boxey never leaves the Pixie. He looks like a rectangular box standing up lengthwise on two legs that end in small tank tread-type feet.
The planetoid is home for several alien beasties, including a primitive race of turtle men with crab-like claws and a more advanced race of furry, beast-like men with antennae. The setting, and all the characters and aliens, were inspired by a bunch of 54mm toy soldiers I have from my childhood. This solo campaign never took off (pardon the pun), because I started to read The Blue Priests of Pluto supplement, got excited, and thus was born...
The Adventures of Nash Jordan of Pluto
My ongoing solo Rogue Space campaign, played off the cuff with very little background fleshing, set in the Blue Priests of Pluto booklet, and played using the Mythic GM Emulator, the story flows and is written as it happens.
Name: Nash Jordan
Archetype: Warrior
Race: Human (Earth)
Fighting: 2
Acquiring: 1
Scientific: 0
Empathy: 1
Repairing: 0
HP: 11
Level/Luck: 1
Psychic Power: Psychic Vampire
Stun Pistol, satchel, hooded cloak
Scene 1: Nash unexplainably wakes up in a forest of giant purple and blue mushrooms on a carpet of lush amber grass. He is naked, and has no idea of where he is, or how or why he is there. He begins to explore, comes to the edge of the forest, and sees a great city of round and oval buildings, overshadowed by a giant pyramid. He starts heading towards the city.
Scene 2: As Nash starts to cross the amber meadows towards the city, he hears a faint moaning. He discover a blue-skinned man, beaten nearly to death. The man begs him to find his wife D'Nala within the city, stuffs a satchel into Nash's hands, then dies. Nash finds a journal and a cloak within the satchel. He puts on the cloak, buries the man, and makes an oath to find D'Nala. He sets off towards the city again.
Scene 3: Nash enters the city, hood pulled over his face to hide his white skin. He keeps to the alleys, and is attacked by a Cursed One with the Pyrokinesis Pshychic Power. The Cursed One surrounded Nash with a ring of fire, but using his Psychic Vampirism, Nash uses Pyrokinesis to belch the flame back at the Cursed One, killing him in a ball of fire. The action attracts the local police, and an injured Nash surrenders to them, then is carted off to jail.
Scene 4: Nash spends 16 days in the jail's infirmary until he is healed. He is then brought before Police Chief Maroo, who doesn't believe his story and wants to know more about the journal in the satchel. Nash really doesn't know anything about the journal, and decides not to mention the dying man or his wife, D'Nala. He is placed in a cell with a petty thief named Haran. Nash and Haran devise an escape plan which includes overpowering the guard at feeding time, then Haran will provide a distraction as Nash recovers the Journal from the Police Chief. The plan goes smoothly, until Chief Maroo surprises him. Nash, using the Chief's own stun pistol, blasts him and dives out a window and into the streets, where Haran pulls up in a hastily stolen aircar. Nash jumps in, and they speed off to find D'nala.
Name: Haran
Archetype: Rogue
Race: Plutonian
Fighting: 0
Acquiring: 2
Scientific: 0
Empathy: 0
Repairing: 1
HP: 7
Level/Luck: 1
stun baton, aircar, 60 credits
Scene 5: Nash and Haran find D'Nala's apartment, convince her they are not going to harm her, then give her the journal. She breaks down after hearing of her husband's death, but she is evasive in regards to the journal's contents, her husband's work, and who might have killed him. Through tear-filled eyes, she begs Nash and Haran to help her get to Professor Jesper at the University. They sneak trough back alleys to the University, just to discover Prof. Jesper is away at his mountain retreat. As they depart the museum, they are attacked by Inquisitor Tolnak, who is also interested in the journal. They narrowly escape the Inquisitor, and make their way out of the city in Haran's aircar, headed for the Northern Mountains and Professor Jesper's retreat. An angry Inquisitor Tolnak swears to hunt them down, not resting until he has Nash's head and the journal.
Name: D'Nala
Archetype: Technician
Race: Plutonian
Fighting: -2
Acquiring: 0
Scientific: 0
Empathy: 0
Repairing: 0
HP: 6
Level/Luck: 1
husband's journal, 213 credits
Scene 6: The journey to the Professor's retreat turns out to be quiet and uneventful. The Professor helps Nash figure out that he is on the planet his fellow Earthmen call Pluto. Nash still does not know why or how he is here, nor how to return to Earth. D'Nala and the Professor then whisper and argue behind closed doors for a while, as Nash and Haran enjoy some food and rest. They finally emerge, and the Professor explains that they must take the journal back to the mushroom forest, as D'Nala's husband was trying to get to a ruined temple there, and it is of the utmost importance that they get there before the Blue Priests and Inquisitors do. The Professor is cryptic and resistant about any further details. Nash swears to accompany D'Nala for as long as she needs. Haran reluctantly agrees, as he has grown fond of Nash's friendship. The four depart in Haran's aircar for the mushroom forest far to the south, the forest where Nash's adventures on Pluto began.
Name: Professor Jesper
Archetype: Technician
Race: Plutonian
Fighting: -2
Acquiring: 0
Scientific: 3
Empathy: 1
Repairing: 1
HP: 7
Level/Luck: 1
Scene 7: The first half of their journey goes uneventfully, but then they are ambushed by a handful of Chief Maroo's police officers. Nash and Haran manage to fight them off, and our heroes all escape unharmed. They arrive at the mushroom forest, then Nash brings D'Nala to her husband's grave, and she pays her last respects amongst a shower of tears. They set up camp near the grave and spend the night. Morning comes, and the four intrepid heroes head into the mushroom forest in search of the ruined temple.
Scene 8: ??? Forthcoming, this is a campaign in progress!
So, be sure to swing by C.R. Brandon's Rogue Space blog and download the Basic Rules and all the supplements. It's a great little game, and with a pricetag of ***FREE*** for every bit of it, how can you possibly go wrong?
UPDATE: (2/7/2012) C.R. asked me to write a solo adventure for inclusion in the Print Edition of the rules, due out in late February, and I accepted. Watch the Rogue Space blog and TROLL HAMMER for further announcements.
Copyright 2012 Paul Ingrassia
~~~
Other P&P RPGs covers current RPGs, generally small, independent releases, all-in-one rules sets, and/or freely available pdf copies. Do you have a rules set you would like to see discussed here? Submit a pdf copy to the_mystic_fool@yahoo.com
Saturday, January 21, 2012
T&T 7.5 Creature Feature # 21
THERE'S A FUNGUS AMONG US!
Further reports of Yorrdamma Vrash’s explorations of the infamous Ork Pits, as channeled by the one and only ‘Mad’ Roy Cram.
Yorrdamma has again put on his camouflage cloak and stealth boots and descended into the Ork Pits to investigate and describe the many kinds of mold and fungi found there for the edification of delvers who may encounter them.
Fungi are critical decomposers in nature, and play a major role in breaking down dead organic matter (and also, in many cases, living organic matter). There are many different kinds of mold and fungi, both harmful and beneficial. In the kremm rich environment of the Ork Pits, where it is dark, damp, and rich in organic substrates for the fungi to use as food, the many species flourish, and it behooves the delver to have some knowledge of them to enhance their chances of survival.
Fungi as Food
Mushrooms of all kinds abound in the pits, and are a major source of food for the Orks, Gobbs (goblins), and the many other creatures that live there. The natural inhabitants of the pits know which ‘shrooms’ are good to eat, and which are not. Dwarves are also wise in these matters. But the average surface dweller, with little experience in telling a poisonous ‘shroom’ from a non-toxic variety, is at a disadvantage here. Delvers whom lack any kind of training are wise not to eat any fungi, but lost parties who have run out of food supplies may have to hazard nibbling on some.
GM Notes: When characters eat a ‘shroom’ for any reason I have them make a level two saving roll on intelligence to see if they picked a healthy variety. If they miss the roll (and I don’t let them know if they made it) I roll a D6. A “1” means they have picked a toxic mushroom. The eater must then make a saving roll on luck at a level of D6+1 (2nd to 7th level) to see how much Con damage the bad ‘shroom’ has done. This damage will be equal to the margin by which they miss the saving roll. The reason for the wide range of possible injury is that not all mushrooms are as poisonous as others. Toxic ‘shrooms’ also make the affected character feel quite ill, and they may suffer penalties as the GM sees fit.
If I roll a “2” on the D6, it means that the mushroom, while not toxic, is not good to eat, and has other deleterious effects. For a not-good-to-eat ‘shroom’, use the following table:
Roll a D6
1: Hallucinogenic – character will see and hear a variety of scary or amazing things for 1-3 hours. They may become paranoid or psychotic for the duration.
2: Nausea, vomiting ranging from mild and short to severe and of long duration. A saving roll on Con can help judge the length and severity of this.
3: Severe irritation of the mucous membranes of the mouth throat and tongue, along with the effects of #2 above.
4: Powerful laxative effect within 30 minutes of ingestion.
5: Weakness; Strength reduced by half for D6 hours
6: Speed and Dexterity halved for D6 hours
There are also beneficial mushrooms and fungi in the pits, but it requires special knowledge and training to identify and properly gather them. There are Physickers and Wizards who will buy these ‘shrooms’, thus, there are delvers who specialize in finding them for those worthies. Untrained persons who are looking for these species must make a level 2 or level 3 saving roll on Intelligence or Luck to find them. The gatherers will often hire delvers to protect them and their harvest which can make for an interesting adventure at times. If they miss the SR, use the Toxic or Not Good To Eat tables above to determine if the chosen ‘shroom’ is a bad one. If they make the SR, use the following table to see what they have found:
D6:
1-2: Will heal 1-6 points of Con damage when eaten
3-4: Will act as an Antidote or Too Bad Toxin spell when eaten.
5: Will act as a Cure Disease spell when eaten.
6: Kremm ‘Shrooms” have 2-12 wiz points = dura spell battery. Wizards can use them to cast spells. They do not need to be eaten.
Parties who have taken a beating and are in need of some luck can be benefited by finding a patch of the above. I use them, on occasion, as a deus ex machina when I feel like the dice are not helping these poor delvers much and I let my tender heart give them a break.
Dangerous Fungi
Giant Puffballs
Puffballs flourish in damp areas of the pits and can grow to huge sizes (7-12 feet in diameter have been encountered). Most are harmless, but there are dangerous ones as well. When stimulated by sound, vibration, or light, ‘Puffers’ will eject their contents at the source of the annoyance. Roll a D6 to see what kind.
1: The common Giant Puffball emits a 12x12 cloud of spores. If these encounter an open flame they burn or explode (like dust in a grain elevator). They will do 7-12 points of burn and/or blast damage to anyone caught in the area. Armor can absorb up to half the damage. If the spores are not ignited, they do cause serious irritation to eyes and to lungs. A level 2 saving roll on Luck or Con can determine the amount of damage i.e. = to the margin by which the SR is missed.
2: Flamers shoot a jet of burning gas at the stimulus. It does 3D6 points of burn damage to the persons it hits. Targets up to 12 feet away can be hit. Armor again takes half damage. Combustible substances however may be ignited causing more problems for those affected.
3: Howlers simply emit gas under pressure making a wide range of extremely loud noises. The main damage here is to raise the delver’s laundry bill. But, there is also a 50% chance that the racket will attract other nearby denizens of the Pits to come and see who or what is messing about in their territory. Ork and Gobb patrols who are near will come at a run. Howlers are encouraged to grow near the Ork and Gobb camps as a kind of device to warn them of intruders.
4: Stinkers simply emit a vile stinking cloud of gas which will cause any delver caught in it to be nauseated for 1-6 rounds if they miss a level one SR on Constitution. There is also a Puffer with both Stinker and Howler properties combined. These are known as “fotters”, but Yorrdamma has not been able to figure out yet where this odd name comes from.
5: Skunk Balls are puffers which spray delvers with an oily sticky musk that is very hard to remove. The character will be nauseated for 7-12 rounds till his sense of smell is ruined, but they will continue to stink until they can get a good bath. The stink is really hard to get out of hair, leather, or clothing. Charisma is reduced to 3 until the smell is dealt with, and no one will want this person near them for the duration. Even monsters may refuse to get close to them.
6: Rust Balls spray delvers with a cloud of reddish spores that stick like super glue to any metal. The metal objects must be heated red hot to kill the mold or it will turn the iron or steel to rust. It takes 2-7 hours to reduce armor or metal weapons to uselessness. Warriors HATE this one!
Catcher Molds
These awful things are also known as Grabbers, Tanglemolds, Droppers, and Wrappers. They usually grow in the form of a large carpet or mat on the floor, walls or ceiling of a tunnel, and when a delver walks on or under or near the thick tough mycelial mass, it rolls up or drops on the victim, and moves in such a way as to enshroud or envelop them. Many species are sticky like flypaper. Characters should be given a level one Saving Roll on Speed or Dexterity to avoid the attack. Those who miss it will have to extricate themselves quickly or be rolled up and quickly suffocated and digested. Their companions can sometimes cut them out of the mat with some good sharp blades, but there is no little risk to the victim inside if this is done. Blunt weapons do no harm to catchers. In cutting them, all weapon dice apply, but combat adds for strength only. Wrappers have monster ratings from 80 for a small one to 180 for a large one (6+2D6 times 10 to determine MR). They get no adds in attacking, but the dice totals rolled for their MR is deducted evenly from all the victim’s attributes.
When all Attributes are reduced to zero the delver is history. Armor protects only in the first two combat rounds at face value (no warrior bonus).
Whipmold and Lashers
There will usually be only 1-3 of these present and they will be at least 8 feet from each other. Each will have 1 to 3 long tough hyphae, each 6-8 feet in length. These will lash out like a bull whip at any creature or delver who approaches it. There is a 50% chance it will hit the target and do 7-12 points damage (armor protects at face value only). The mold will keep whipping the offending stimulator as long as it remains in range of the lashers. The best defense is to get away. Each lasher takes 20 points of damage from bladed weapons to be rendered ineffective.
Porcupine Balls
These puffers are covered with spines similar to those found on a Porcupine. These ‘quills’ will be vigorously ejected towards any creature or delver that comes within 10 feet of the mold. Targets must make a level two saving roll on luck, and will take Con damage equal to the margin by which they miss the roll. Armor protects at face value only. These deadly quills, even if removed, infect the victim with a systemic fungal infection which must be cured quickly by a Cure Disease spell. If not, the victim will suffer additional Con damage each day equal to the original injury until dead.
Slippery Slime
This mold, a slime mold, is nature’s WD-40. It grows on any wet surface, effectively reducing the surface friction of the area to zero. This can be very bad as one can find oneself in a shallow depression and not be able to get out without help. It is also dangerous if found on slopes or stairs where slipping and sliding can be really awkward situations. If it gets on one’s skin, a rash will develop, which will do one cumulative Con point of damage per day until the victim can get a Cure Disease spell, or is killed.
Battling Fungi
There are spells that do harm to molds, as follows:
Call Flame, Blasting Power, Freeze Please, and Call Ice will do full damage to molds, but the victim will also take ¼ damage.
Cure Disease spells do double damage to Molds
A torch or burning oil will do 7-12 points damage to a mold per turn, but the victim also takes ½ damage.
A Too Bad Toxin spell is effective versus all Mold toxins, but does not heal damage already inflicted.
Fungoids
While seldom encountered, the fungus zombie, or fungoid, is a dreadful thing. They are not a true 'zombie' but a thing created when something or someone dies in the Ork Pits and is not eaten by vermin or the other creatures there. A special kind of fungus grows on the corpse and replaces all the soft tissues with a fungal equivalent. This horrid thing then gets up and wanders around the pit using the skeleton of the donor as a chassis. They will attack any other living creature they encounter. They can bite, claw, kick and punch opponents, and if they inflict damage, they infect their target with the mold that made them. This requires special healing by specialists to cure, or it will turn the victim into a fungoid in just a few days time. These creatures are slow, but very strong. Weapons and cold do them only half damage. Fire does full damage. I give them a monster rating equal to the original donor creature, or an MR equal to twice the strength plus con of the humanoid creature that produced it. They are fearless and unintelligent, but relentless, and will pursue their prey until it is out of sight. Once the monster is reduced to a twitching pile of mold and broken bones, it is customary to burn it, lest it sporulate and spread the fungus that makes these horrors.
Yorrdamma Vrash
Copyright 2012 Roy Cram
All artwork free for use from openclipart.org
~~~
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 the_mystic_fool@yahoo.com and include the words 'Creature Feature' in the subject line.
Further reports of Yorrdamma Vrash’s explorations of the infamous Ork Pits, as channeled by the one and only ‘Mad’ Roy Cram.
Yorrdamma has again put on his camouflage cloak and stealth boots and descended into the Ork Pits to investigate and describe the many kinds of mold and fungi found there for the edification of delvers who may encounter them.
Fungi are critical decomposers in nature, and play a major role in breaking down dead organic matter (and also, in many cases, living organic matter). There are many different kinds of mold and fungi, both harmful and beneficial. In the kremm rich environment of the Ork Pits, where it is dark, damp, and rich in organic substrates for the fungi to use as food, the many species flourish, and it behooves the delver to have some knowledge of them to enhance their chances of survival.
Fungi as Food
Mushrooms of all kinds abound in the pits, and are a major source of food for the Orks, Gobbs (goblins), and the many other creatures that live there. The natural inhabitants of the pits know which ‘shrooms’ are good to eat, and which are not. Dwarves are also wise in these matters. But the average surface dweller, with little experience in telling a poisonous ‘shroom’ from a non-toxic variety, is at a disadvantage here. Delvers whom lack any kind of training are wise not to eat any fungi, but lost parties who have run out of food supplies may have to hazard nibbling on some.
GM Notes: When characters eat a ‘shroom’ for any reason I have them make a level two saving roll on intelligence to see if they picked a healthy variety. If they miss the roll (and I don’t let them know if they made it) I roll a D6. A “1” means they have picked a toxic mushroom. The eater must then make a saving roll on luck at a level of D6+1 (2nd to 7th level) to see how much Con damage the bad ‘shroom’ has done. This damage will be equal to the margin by which they miss the saving roll. The reason for the wide range of possible injury is that not all mushrooms are as poisonous as others. Toxic ‘shrooms’ also make the affected character feel quite ill, and they may suffer penalties as the GM sees fit.
If I roll a “2” on the D6, it means that the mushroom, while not toxic, is not good to eat, and has other deleterious effects. For a not-good-to-eat ‘shroom’, use the following table:
Roll a D6
1: Hallucinogenic – character will see and hear a variety of scary or amazing things for 1-3 hours. They may become paranoid or psychotic for the duration.
2: Nausea, vomiting ranging from mild and short to severe and of long duration. A saving roll on Con can help judge the length and severity of this.
3: Severe irritation of the mucous membranes of the mouth throat and tongue, along with the effects of #2 above.
4: Powerful laxative effect within 30 minutes of ingestion.
5: Weakness; Strength reduced by half for D6 hours
6: Speed and Dexterity halved for D6 hours
There are also beneficial mushrooms and fungi in the pits, but it requires special knowledge and training to identify and properly gather them. There are Physickers and Wizards who will buy these ‘shrooms’, thus, there are delvers who specialize in finding them for those worthies. Untrained persons who are looking for these species must make a level 2 or level 3 saving roll on Intelligence or Luck to find them. The gatherers will often hire delvers to protect them and their harvest which can make for an interesting adventure at times. If they miss the SR, use the Toxic or Not Good To Eat tables above to determine if the chosen ‘shroom’ is a bad one. If they make the SR, use the following table to see what they have found:
D6:
1-2: Will heal 1-6 points of Con damage when eaten
3-4: Will act as an Antidote or Too Bad Toxin spell when eaten.
5: Will act as a Cure Disease spell when eaten.
6: Kremm ‘Shrooms” have 2-12 wiz points = dura spell battery. Wizards can use them to cast spells. They do not need to be eaten.
Parties who have taken a beating and are in need of some luck can be benefited by finding a patch of the above. I use them, on occasion, as a deus ex machina when I feel like the dice are not helping these poor delvers much and I let my tender heart give them a break.
Dangerous Fungi
Giant Puffballs
Puffballs flourish in damp areas of the pits and can grow to huge sizes (7-12 feet in diameter have been encountered). Most are harmless, but there are dangerous ones as well. When stimulated by sound, vibration, or light, ‘Puffers’ will eject their contents at the source of the annoyance. Roll a D6 to see what kind.
1: The common Giant Puffball emits a 12x12 cloud of spores. If these encounter an open flame they burn or explode (like dust in a grain elevator). They will do 7-12 points of burn and/or blast damage to anyone caught in the area. Armor can absorb up to half the damage. If the spores are not ignited, they do cause serious irritation to eyes and to lungs. A level 2 saving roll on Luck or Con can determine the amount of damage i.e. = to the margin by which the SR is missed.
2: Flamers shoot a jet of burning gas at the stimulus. It does 3D6 points of burn damage to the persons it hits. Targets up to 12 feet away can be hit. Armor again takes half damage. Combustible substances however may be ignited causing more problems for those affected.
3: Howlers simply emit gas under pressure making a wide range of extremely loud noises. The main damage here is to raise the delver’s laundry bill. But, there is also a 50% chance that the racket will attract other nearby denizens of the Pits to come and see who or what is messing about in their territory. Ork and Gobb patrols who are near will come at a run. Howlers are encouraged to grow near the Ork and Gobb camps as a kind of device to warn them of intruders.
4: Stinkers simply emit a vile stinking cloud of gas which will cause any delver caught in it to be nauseated for 1-6 rounds if they miss a level one SR on Constitution. There is also a Puffer with both Stinker and Howler properties combined. These are known as “fotters”, but Yorrdamma has not been able to figure out yet where this odd name comes from.
5: Skunk Balls are puffers which spray delvers with an oily sticky musk that is very hard to remove. The character will be nauseated for 7-12 rounds till his sense of smell is ruined, but they will continue to stink until they can get a good bath. The stink is really hard to get out of hair, leather, or clothing. Charisma is reduced to 3 until the smell is dealt with, and no one will want this person near them for the duration. Even monsters may refuse to get close to them.
6: Rust Balls spray delvers with a cloud of reddish spores that stick like super glue to any metal. The metal objects must be heated red hot to kill the mold or it will turn the iron or steel to rust. It takes 2-7 hours to reduce armor or metal weapons to uselessness. Warriors HATE this one!
Catcher Molds
These awful things are also known as Grabbers, Tanglemolds, Droppers, and Wrappers. They usually grow in the form of a large carpet or mat on the floor, walls or ceiling of a tunnel, and when a delver walks on or under or near the thick tough mycelial mass, it rolls up or drops on the victim, and moves in such a way as to enshroud or envelop them. Many species are sticky like flypaper. Characters should be given a level one Saving Roll on Speed or Dexterity to avoid the attack. Those who miss it will have to extricate themselves quickly or be rolled up and quickly suffocated and digested. Their companions can sometimes cut them out of the mat with some good sharp blades, but there is no little risk to the victim inside if this is done. Blunt weapons do no harm to catchers. In cutting them, all weapon dice apply, but combat adds for strength only. Wrappers have monster ratings from 80 for a small one to 180 for a large one (6+2D6 times 10 to determine MR). They get no adds in attacking, but the dice totals rolled for their MR is deducted evenly from all the victim’s attributes.
When all Attributes are reduced to zero the delver is history. Armor protects only in the first two combat rounds at face value (no warrior bonus).
Whipmold and Lashers
There will usually be only 1-3 of these present and they will be at least 8 feet from each other. Each will have 1 to 3 long tough hyphae, each 6-8 feet in length. These will lash out like a bull whip at any creature or delver who approaches it. There is a 50% chance it will hit the target and do 7-12 points damage (armor protects at face value only). The mold will keep whipping the offending stimulator as long as it remains in range of the lashers. The best defense is to get away. Each lasher takes 20 points of damage from bladed weapons to be rendered ineffective.
Porcupine Balls
These puffers are covered with spines similar to those found on a Porcupine. These ‘quills’ will be vigorously ejected towards any creature or delver that comes within 10 feet of the mold. Targets must make a level two saving roll on luck, and will take Con damage equal to the margin by which they miss the roll. Armor protects at face value only. These deadly quills, even if removed, infect the victim with a systemic fungal infection which must be cured quickly by a Cure Disease spell. If not, the victim will suffer additional Con damage each day equal to the original injury until dead.
Slippery Slime
This mold, a slime mold, is nature’s WD-40. It grows on any wet surface, effectively reducing the surface friction of the area to zero. This can be very bad as one can find oneself in a shallow depression and not be able to get out without help. It is also dangerous if found on slopes or stairs where slipping and sliding can be really awkward situations. If it gets on one’s skin, a rash will develop, which will do one cumulative Con point of damage per day until the victim can get a Cure Disease spell, or is killed.
Battling Fungi
There are spells that do harm to molds, as follows:
Call Flame, Blasting Power, Freeze Please, and Call Ice will do full damage to molds, but the victim will also take ¼ damage.
Cure Disease spells do double damage to Molds
A torch or burning oil will do 7-12 points damage to a mold per turn, but the victim also takes ½ damage.
A Too Bad Toxin spell is effective versus all Mold toxins, but does not heal damage already inflicted.
Fungoids
While seldom encountered, the fungus zombie, or fungoid, is a dreadful thing. They are not a true 'zombie' but a thing created when something or someone dies in the Ork Pits and is not eaten by vermin or the other creatures there. A special kind of fungus grows on the corpse and replaces all the soft tissues with a fungal equivalent. This horrid thing then gets up and wanders around the pit using the skeleton of the donor as a chassis. They will attack any other living creature they encounter. They can bite, claw, kick and punch opponents, and if they inflict damage, they infect their target with the mold that made them. This requires special healing by specialists to cure, or it will turn the victim into a fungoid in just a few days time. These creatures are slow, but very strong. Weapons and cold do them only half damage. Fire does full damage. I give them a monster rating equal to the original donor creature, or an MR equal to twice the strength plus con of the humanoid creature that produced it. They are fearless and unintelligent, but relentless, and will pursue their prey until it is out of sight. Once the monster is reduced to a twitching pile of mold and broken bones, it is customary to burn it, lest it sporulate and spread the fungus that makes these horrors.
Yorrdamma Vrash
Copyright 2012 Roy Cram
All artwork free for use from openclipart.org
~~~
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 the_mystic_fool@yahoo.com and include the words 'Creature Feature' in the subject line.
ShiTman possibly continuing his bullshit
While I cannot say for certain that Donald Weis and Chip Suel are aliases for James ShiTman of Outlaw Press infamy, at the very least, they should reconsider the company they are supporting. These two 'people' have suddenly appeared at the leading source of RPG digital downloads, and they are fully within the camp of OP.
Scott of Trollish Delver does a fine job of informing us of Chip Suel's pathetic attempts at writing T&T 'reviews', so I shall default to him and redirect you to his awesome blog: http://trollishdelver.blogspot.com/2012/01/shipman-continues-to-pirate-t-material.html
Donald Weis has firmly established himself as an OP supporter. His works have only ever appeared at OP in the past, and now suddenly his solos are popping up at the aforementioned digital RPG hotspot, under the name Aldor Games. I just checked, and as of this writing, Aldor Games has disappeared from the pdf store, and the name Donald Weis has suddenly disappeared from the webpages of OP. Typical response from ShiTman when he's been discovered, which just further supports my opinion (and yes, it is just MY opinion) that Weis is in fact the Shitty One himself.
In addition to these pathetic antics, there have been several bogus announcements at the offending OP site, announcements claiming that respectable writers of T&T fame are throwing their hat in his corner, that they are going to be 'writing' for 'him'. What utter bullshit, and again, these cryptic announcements suddenly disappear as soon as he is confronted.
So, I would like to add the names Donald Weis and Aldor Games to the Boycott of OP. Don ole boy, you may or may not be JS himself, but either way, your support of a bandit is shameful, and you do not deserve a penny from any real T&T fan.
As far as Chip Suel goes, well, just check out the products he claims suck for yourself. I'm sure you'll find his 'opinion' to be somewhat ridiculous. Oh, and by the way Chip, those 'zines you claim are of such high quality are packed to the gills with stolen material. HoHo and DunDig ARE DEAD. What you are purchasing and reading are the reanimated corpses of those once esteemed zines, infused with the energy of stolen works to rise as zombies. And like all zombies, they should have their heads blown off.
Of course, this is all just my opinion (and yes, it's just mine).
Scott of Trollish Delver does a fine job of informing us of Chip Suel's pathetic attempts at writing T&T 'reviews', so I shall default to him and redirect you to his awesome blog: http://trollishdelver.blogspot.com/2012/01/shipman-continues-to-pirate-t-material.html
Donald Weis has firmly established himself as an OP supporter. His works have only ever appeared at OP in the past, and now suddenly his solos are popping up at the aforementioned digital RPG hotspot, under the name Aldor Games. I just checked, and as of this writing, Aldor Games has disappeared from the pdf store, and the name Donald Weis has suddenly disappeared from the webpages of OP. Typical response from ShiTman when he's been discovered, which just further supports my opinion (and yes, it is just MY opinion) that Weis is in fact the Shitty One himself.
In addition to these pathetic antics, there have been several bogus announcements at the offending OP site, announcements claiming that respectable writers of T&T fame are throwing their hat in his corner, that they are going to be 'writing' for 'him'. What utter bullshit, and again, these cryptic announcements suddenly disappear as soon as he is confronted.
So, I would like to add the names Donald Weis and Aldor Games to the Boycott of OP. Don ole boy, you may or may not be JS himself, but either way, your support of a bandit is shameful, and you do not deserve a penny from any real T&T fan.
As far as Chip Suel goes, well, just check out the products he claims suck for yourself. I'm sure you'll find his 'opinion' to be somewhat ridiculous. Oh, and by the way Chip, those 'zines you claim are of such high quality are packed to the gills with stolen material. HoHo and DunDig ARE DEAD. What you are purchasing and reading are the reanimated corpses of those once esteemed zines, infused with the energy of stolen works to rise as zombies. And like all zombies, they should have their heads blown off.
Of course, this is all just my opinion (and yes, it's just mine).
Thursday, January 12, 2012
T&T 7.5 Creature Feature # 20
The Mighty Trollgod, Ken St. Andre, accompanied by the awesome artwork of Christa St. Jean, returns to TROLL HAMMER with
T & T Characters You Don’t Want to Meet
Bel-Zaratak
Level: 2
Kindred: Demon
Class: Does Not Apply
STR 54
Luck 4
DEX 17
SPD 18
INT 28
WIZ 28
CON 67
CHR 50
C.A. 43
HT 9’6”
WT 380 lbs.
AGE 1300 (that’s how long Bel-Zaratak has been in Trollworld)
Bel-Zaratak is a relatively minor demon summoned by a Naga mage to serve as a household servant. Unfortunately, an earthquake occurred during the summoning ceremony before the demon could be bound—the summoning decagon was broken, and Bel-Zaratak escaped. The demon fled so quickly that the mage was unable to capture and subdue him. For centuries he haunted the northwestern corner of the Naga jungles, far from the sites of Naga power. Eventually he moved further west and found a nameless dungeon to inhabit. Encounters with adventurers taught him much about Trollworld. From that dungeon he began to make excursions into the northeastern part of the Empire of Khazan before it even was the Empire of Khazan. He was recruited to serve as one of Lerotra’hh’s minions during the War of Liberation, and became a personal favorite of the Death Goddess. After the Fall of Khazan in 666 A.K. Bel-Zaratak, disguised as an Uruk shaman, (shapeshifting is a demonic power) entered the city and took residence in the pits below the palace of the Goddess. Bel has become the Master of Exquisite Torment for the Goddess, and is seldom seen by anyone but doomed prisoners and a few of the Palace staff. He likes to emerge sometimes and roam the nighted steets of Khazan in his natural form—tall, thin, fiery-red in color with horns, a tail, and vestigial bat-like wings, eyes two pits of dancing flame, teeth like daggers, terrifying all who meet it, and picking arguments with mages. Over the centuries it has learned a number of human spells—a magic distinct from natural demonic abilities. Bel could be considered a second level wizard, but it is much more than that. Bel doesn’t normally wear clothing, and as it has no obvious sexual organs, no one really cares. It does like to wear wizardly robes and prefers the colors of orange and black.
Abilities: Shapeshifting, Illusions, Flame Touch, Seduction, Discourse, Invisibility.
Weaknesses: Magic, Music, and Arguments. Bel would rather have a prolonged discussion (argument) than even its preferred employment of torturing mortals. He doesn’t like silver much either—the touch of that metal is poison to him.
During the alien conquest of Khazan in 1313 A.K., Bel-Zaratak left the city in company with Lerotra’hh and other refugees as one of Her bodyguards.
Copyright 2012 Ken St. Andre
Art Copyright 2012 Christa St. Jean
~~~
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 the_mystic_fool@yahoo.com and include the words 'Creature Feature' in the subject line.
T & T Characters You Don’t Want to Meet
Bel-Zaratak
Level: 2
Kindred: Demon
Class: Does Not Apply
STR 54
Luck 4
DEX 17
SPD 18
INT 28
WIZ 28
CON 67
CHR 50
C.A. 43
HT 9’6”
WT 380 lbs.
AGE 1300 (that’s how long Bel-Zaratak has been in Trollworld)
Bel-Zaratak is a relatively minor demon summoned by a Naga mage to serve as a household servant. Unfortunately, an earthquake occurred during the summoning ceremony before the demon could be bound—the summoning decagon was broken, and Bel-Zaratak escaped. The demon fled so quickly that the mage was unable to capture and subdue him. For centuries he haunted the northwestern corner of the Naga jungles, far from the sites of Naga power. Eventually he moved further west and found a nameless dungeon to inhabit. Encounters with adventurers taught him much about Trollworld. From that dungeon he began to make excursions into the northeastern part of the Empire of Khazan before it even was the Empire of Khazan. He was recruited to serve as one of Lerotra’hh’s minions during the War of Liberation, and became a personal favorite of the Death Goddess. After the Fall of Khazan in 666 A.K. Bel-Zaratak, disguised as an Uruk shaman, (shapeshifting is a demonic power) entered the city and took residence in the pits below the palace of the Goddess. Bel has become the Master of Exquisite Torment for the Goddess, and is seldom seen by anyone but doomed prisoners and a few of the Palace staff. He likes to emerge sometimes and roam the nighted steets of Khazan in his natural form—tall, thin, fiery-red in color with horns, a tail, and vestigial bat-like wings, eyes two pits of dancing flame, teeth like daggers, terrifying all who meet it, and picking arguments with mages. Over the centuries it has learned a number of human spells—a magic distinct from natural demonic abilities. Bel could be considered a second level wizard, but it is much more than that. Bel doesn’t normally wear clothing, and as it has no obvious sexual organs, no one really cares. It does like to wear wizardly robes and prefers the colors of orange and black.
Abilities: Shapeshifting, Illusions, Flame Touch, Seduction, Discourse, Invisibility.
Weaknesses: Magic, Music, and Arguments. Bel would rather have a prolonged discussion (argument) than even its preferred employment of torturing mortals. He doesn’t like silver much either—the touch of that metal is poison to him.
During the alien conquest of Khazan in 1313 A.K., Bel-Zaratak left the city in company with Lerotra’hh and other refugees as one of Her bodyguards.
Copyright 2012 Ken St. Andre
Art Copyright 2012 Christa St. Jean
~~~
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 the_mystic_fool@yahoo.com and include the words 'Creature Feature' in the subject line.
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
~ the game as it is played ~
In Eald Scōl #s 2 and 3, I discussed Ken St. Andre's Monsters! Monsters! and Tunnels & Trolls 1st Edition respectively. After my recent explorations of T&T1E, I picked up M!M! again and started playing a few solos to compare the two.
I started with Goblin Lake (also by Ken St. Andre). I decided to use the slightly different character attribute modifiers included in the solo to create my goblins, it seemed to give them a better edge. After losing several goblins to Ken's wicked designs, one finally survived, sucked down and spewed out of the dungeon by a whirlpool:
Ogroth, The Lost King of the Fishsquish Goblins
Warrior/Goblin
Level: 1
EP: 385
4'7", 113 lbs.
Lang: Goblin
ST: 13
IQ: 11
LK: 22
CN: 10
DX: 26
CH: ? (7)
SP: N
Adds: +25
Missile Adds: +39
Weapons/Possessions
Flint Dagger (2 dice)
lizard skin loincloth
small net
sack with 100 GP
Obviously, he didn't make it out with much more than his life! Ogroth's survival starts my 'stable' of M!M! monster characters. I've always had a soft spot for goblins, so this was a fun series of adventures, even if most of my scaly little fellows ended up toast.
Next, I sent the following chap to The Blue Frog Tavern (by James Wilson):
Varmun Glorg
Rogue/Half-Orc
Level: 1
EP: 410
9'6", 338 lbs.
Lang: Common, Orc, +1 more
ST: 20
IQ: 15
LK: 13
CN: 15
DX: 13
CH: 11
SP: F
Adds: +10
Missile Adds: +11
Weapons/Possessions
Pole Ax (6 dice)
2 Francesca (2+2)
Sax (1+5)
Scale Armor (4 hits)
clothes, boots
backpack
50' rope
He started without any spells. The game is still in progress, but so far he is doing well, having already accumulated a Death Vortex Blade, a Silver Shield, and a magic 30' green rope. Unfortunately, he also contracted Elephant Foot Curse, not very helpful for sneaking about! I will be returning to the adventure soon to see if Varmun survives. At first, I created another goblin for this one, but it died almost immediately, so I figured the half-orc was a bit tougher and had a better chance for survival.
After Varmun finishes his foray beneath BFT, I plan on running the following roughneck through The Toughest Dungeon In The World (again, by that oh-so-sadistic-solo-writer, Ken St. Andre):
Thonngarrd
Rogue/Troll
Level: 1
EP: 0
12'8", 1400 lbs.
Lang: Troll, Common
ST: 36
IQ: 13
LK: 13
CN: 42
DX: 10
CH: ! (17)
SP: N
Adds: +25
Missile Adds: +25
He will start naked and unarmed, as per the directions to TTDITW, and again, no spells to start with. I look forward to see what is in store for him, as I've heard this is one TOUGH solo. Perhaps I will include a future update of his adventure, as well as the final fate of Varmun the Half-Orc
After having now played both T&T1E and M!M!, I can very much say they are two sides of the same coin, perfect companions to one another. Crossing-over from game to game should work effortlessly, and the M!M! booklet makes an excellent Monster Tome for the early rules. A melding of the two could provide a framework for a very satisfying campaign, solo or GM, Old School style. I've thought of playing through the Arena of Khazan (also by KSA), one of my all-time favorite solos, using the M!M! rules. I also have thoughts towards a T&T1E crossover with Arena of Khazan, further supplemented by a set of gladiator rules I picked up from Ken a while back. That is one of the BEST parts of being a T&T fan, EVERYTHING is cross-compatible from edition to edition, with just a small amount of tweaking, if any. How many RPGs can boast that?
Maybe one day Ogroth, The Lost King of the Fishsquish Goblins, will make the acquaintance of my only survivng T&T1E solo character to date, who made it through Buffalo Castle (Rick Loomis) and Labyrinth (Lee Russell):
Bott Wizer
Warrior/Human
Level: 2
EP: 1876
ST: 16
IQ: 14
LK: 28
CN: 17 (+6 armor hits)
DX: 23
CH: 10
Adds: +36
Missile Adds: +47
Weapons/Possessions
Doric Silencer Sword (3)
Francisca (2+2)
Dirk (1+2)
Self Bow w/ 23 arrows (1+5)
Ringmail (6 hits)
clothes, boots
backpack
compass
131 gold coins
golden apple (5gp)
vial - restores 1 CN
poultice - absorbs 25 hp for 1 fight
Notes
the god Ares has granted Bott 5 permanent combat adds
Unfortunately, there are no legitimate sources of T&T1E, but you can get your own copy of Monsters! Monsters!, and many of the solos I've mentioned, by swinging by Flying Buffalo's website.
~~~
Copyright 2012 Paul Ingrassia
I started with Goblin Lake (also by Ken St. Andre). I decided to use the slightly different character attribute modifiers included in the solo to create my goblins, it seemed to give them a better edge. After losing several goblins to Ken's wicked designs, one finally survived, sucked down and spewed out of the dungeon by a whirlpool:
Ogroth, The Lost King of the Fishsquish Goblins
Warrior/Goblin
Level: 1
EP: 385
4'7", 113 lbs.
Lang: Goblin
ST: 13
IQ: 11
LK: 22
CN: 10
DX: 26
CH: ? (7)
SP: N
Adds: +25
Missile Adds: +39
Weapons/Possessions
Flint Dagger (2 dice)
lizard skin loincloth
small net
sack with 100 GP
Obviously, he didn't make it out with much more than his life! Ogroth's survival starts my 'stable' of M!M! monster characters. I've always had a soft spot for goblins, so this was a fun series of adventures, even if most of my scaly little fellows ended up toast.
Next, I sent the following chap to The Blue Frog Tavern (by James Wilson):
Varmun Glorg
Rogue/Half-Orc
Level: 1
EP: 410
9'6", 338 lbs.
Lang: Common, Orc, +1 more
ST: 20
IQ: 15
LK: 13
CN: 15
DX: 13
CH: 11
SP: F
Adds: +10
Missile Adds: +11
Weapons/Possessions
Pole Ax (6 dice)
2 Francesca (2+2)
Sax (1+5)
Scale Armor (4 hits)
clothes, boots
backpack
50' rope
He started without any spells. The game is still in progress, but so far he is doing well, having already accumulated a Death Vortex Blade, a Silver Shield, and a magic 30' green rope. Unfortunately, he also contracted Elephant Foot Curse, not very helpful for sneaking about! I will be returning to the adventure soon to see if Varmun survives. At first, I created another goblin for this one, but it died almost immediately, so I figured the half-orc was a bit tougher and had a better chance for survival.
After Varmun finishes his foray beneath BFT, I plan on running the following roughneck through The Toughest Dungeon In The World (again, by that oh-so-sadistic-solo-writer, Ken St. Andre):
Thonngarrd
Rogue/Troll
Level: 1
EP: 0
12'8", 1400 lbs.
Lang: Troll, Common
ST: 36
IQ: 13
LK: 13
CN: 42
DX: 10
CH: ! (17)
SP: N
Adds: +25
Missile Adds: +25
He will start naked and unarmed, as per the directions to TTDITW, and again, no spells to start with. I look forward to see what is in store for him, as I've heard this is one TOUGH solo. Perhaps I will include a future update of his adventure, as well as the final fate of Varmun the Half-Orc
After having now played both T&T1E and M!M!, I can very much say they are two sides of the same coin, perfect companions to one another. Crossing-over from game to game should work effortlessly, and the M!M! booklet makes an excellent Monster Tome for the early rules. A melding of the two could provide a framework for a very satisfying campaign, solo or GM, Old School style. I've thought of playing through the Arena of Khazan (also by KSA), one of my all-time favorite solos, using the M!M! rules. I also have thoughts towards a T&T1E crossover with Arena of Khazan, further supplemented by a set of gladiator rules I picked up from Ken a while back. That is one of the BEST parts of being a T&T fan, EVERYTHING is cross-compatible from edition to edition, with just a small amount of tweaking, if any. How many RPGs can boast that?
Maybe one day Ogroth, The Lost King of the Fishsquish Goblins, will make the acquaintance of my only survivng T&T1E solo character to date, who made it through Buffalo Castle (Rick Loomis) and Labyrinth (Lee Russell):
Bott Wizer
Warrior/Human
Level: 2
EP: 1876
ST: 16
IQ: 14
LK: 28
CN: 17 (+6 armor hits)
DX: 23
CH: 10
Adds: +36
Missile Adds: +47
Weapons/Possessions
Doric Silencer Sword (3)
Francisca (2+2)
Dirk (1+2)
Self Bow w/ 23 arrows (1+5)
Ringmail (6 hits)
clothes, boots
backpack
compass
131 gold coins
golden apple (5gp)
vial - restores 1 CN
poultice - absorbs 25 hp for 1 fight
Notes
the god Ares has granted Bott 5 permanent combat adds
Unfortunately, there are no legitimate sources of T&T1E, but you can get your own copy of Monsters! Monsters!, and many of the solos I've mentioned, by swinging by Flying Buffalo's website.
~~~
Copyright 2012 Paul Ingrassia
Sunday, January 1, 2012
T&T 7.5 Creature Feature # 19
Another exciting NPC you can add to your campaign to challenge your PCs, brought to you by the amazing 'Mad' Roy Cram.
Bartimius Buggins
30 year old hobbit
Rogue Assassin
3 feet 6 inches tall
100 pounds
Str 9
Con 32
Dex 29
Spd 21
Int 27
Lck 31
Wiz 23
Chr 22
combat adds 45
Talents
Roguery Lck +5
Knives + Darts Dex +4
Weapons
carries 4 throwing knives and 4-6 poisoned darts
has a chain link garotte
cane sword
Misericorde (weapon of choice for assassinations)
Carries a bag of red pepper to throw in opponent's eyes
Bottle of Curare, bottle of spider venom
Armor
has a suit of woven silk. absorbs 6 hits from piercing or cutting weapons but only 3 hits from blunt weapons.
Spells
Detect magic
TTYF
Hold That Pose
Vorpal blade
Knock Knock
Hidey Hole
Oh Go Away
Glue You
Oh there it is
Little Feets
Bartimius grew up fast in the hard streets of New Mora's slums. He was recruited at an early age into the thieve's Guild, and then, as a teen, into the Brotherhood of Assassins.
He became one of their best. As a Rogue he acquired a significant number of spells working for an evil wizard who needed an amoral assistant. As a Master in the Thieve's Guild and an excellent 'hit' hobbit, Bartie was prosperous and doing well, when the Brotherhood of Death was ratted out by one of their disgruntled members, and he was forced to go into hiding. The stool pigeon was later murdered, it is believed by Bartimius himself.
Bartie is a blademaster, and throws knives and darts with deadly accuracy. If he can sneak up behind a victim, he can use his misericorde to kill the target. He is also a master of disguises. usually as a human child or a dwarf. He has a lot of lairs to hide in and there may be significant amounts of money (well hidden and trapped) in them.
He is vicious, amoral, and vindictive. Several people seeking to collect the rewards offered on him have disappeared or been found murdered.
The city and the Hobbit community have offered a 6000 gold piece reward for him, dead or alive. He will be hard to track down though. Most people who know anything are scared to tell anyone.
Copyright 2012 'Mad' Roy Cram
~~~
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 the_mystic_fool@yahoo.com and include the words 'Creature Feature' in the subject line.
Bartimius Buggins
30 year old hobbit
Rogue Assassin
3 feet 6 inches tall
100 pounds
Str 9
Con 32
Dex 29
Spd 21
Int 27
Lck 31
Wiz 23
Chr 22
combat adds 45
Talents
Roguery Lck +5
Knives + Darts Dex +4
Weapons
carries 4 throwing knives and 4-6 poisoned darts
has a chain link garotte
cane sword
Misericorde (weapon of choice for assassinations)
Carries a bag of red pepper to throw in opponent's eyes
Bottle of Curare, bottle of spider venom
Armor
has a suit of woven silk. absorbs 6 hits from piercing or cutting weapons but only 3 hits from blunt weapons.
Spells
Detect magic
TTYF
Hold That Pose
Vorpal blade
Knock Knock
Hidey Hole
Oh Go Away
Glue You
Oh there it is
Little Feets
Bartimius grew up fast in the hard streets of New Mora's slums. He was recruited at an early age into the thieve's Guild, and then, as a teen, into the Brotherhood of Assassins.
He became one of their best. As a Rogue he acquired a significant number of spells working for an evil wizard who needed an amoral assistant. As a Master in the Thieve's Guild and an excellent 'hit' hobbit, Bartie was prosperous and doing well, when the Brotherhood of Death was ratted out by one of their disgruntled members, and he was forced to go into hiding. The stool pigeon was later murdered, it is believed by Bartimius himself.
Bartie is a blademaster, and throws knives and darts with deadly accuracy. If he can sneak up behind a victim, he can use his misericorde to kill the target. He is also a master of disguises. usually as a human child or a dwarf. He has a lot of lairs to hide in and there may be significant amounts of money (well hidden and trapped) in them.
He is vicious, amoral, and vindictive. Several people seeking to collect the rewards offered on him have disappeared or been found murdered.
The city and the Hobbit community have offered a 6000 gold piece reward for him, dead or alive. He will be hard to track down though. Most people who know anything are scared to tell anyone.
Copyright 2012 'Mad' Roy Cram
~~~
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 the_mystic_fool@yahoo.com and include the words 'Creature Feature' in the subject line.
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