This a Campaign Development Diary of sorts.
It gives me a place to post and develop my ideas as they fit into my current campaign, and it does so in the critical eye of the Forum.
I encourage feedback, if you have it. Compliments so far have been greatly appreciated.
My current campaign is inspired by just about every cool thing I could imagine, and tied together in a "Dark Tower" style where my PC's will be making dimensional leaps into different custom settings, ala Sliders.
Throughout this thread you will find maps, NPCs, character write-ups, and eventually character illustrations drawn by yours truly. There's alot of material here, so if you are interested, I suggest just skimming through it at first.
As of the begining, my PC's think that they're involved in a "Dirk Pitt/Clive Cussler style" of game where they travel around the "real" world and find cool stuff while fighting baddies... they are wrong as I am a conniving and misleading sort of GM.
I could use some help developing their first "world" though, so if anyone is up for a discussion, feel free to add your two cents. First, let me lay out the basics:
For GM purposes, I've codenamed this first world "The Badlands"--
It's primarily a Wild West style of place-- but the habitable land is being rapidly encroached upon by a Sahara style desert. Geographically it's a blend of the American West, The Australian Outback, The Sahara desert, and the world where Saladfingers resides.
This world is dying. Rotting from the outside in, and human towns and settlements are few and near the center where the typical American West terrain lies. The humans speak of Savages... and my PC's will no doubt assume that they are refering to Native Americans. Again they will be wrong. The "savages" of the Badlands are Moreaus-- these moreaus live much like how the older arabian cultures lived-- a few are nomads living in tents, but the majority live high atop a bluff in a hidden city that is very much like the Hebrew's Masada: Desert Fortress. They are a religeous society following a strange hybrid of the Muslim and Ancient Sumerian faiths-- Similar to Drow, their society is ruled by women (though the men-folk have it much easier than male drow)-- The moreau and the humans do not get along, and prefer to stay away from each other. The humans are racists and the Moreaus just want to be left in peace. The moreaus dress in layers of light breathable material, and are covered up in much the same way as Tattooine Tusken Raiders (or GoGo the Mimic from FF3/6).
The moreau race came to this world via "The Great Ship" and wandered through the land until they found the ruins of the city in which they now reside. The ship itself is a WWII-era ship like the U.S.S. Eldridge of Philadelphia Experiment/Project: Rainbow fame. This ship was used by the Russians in a similar experiment, as well as containing lab facilities for their genetic tampering experiments. The ship vanished from "our" world, and materialized in the dry deserts of the Badlands... toppling over on it's side like a dead fish on the dry arid dust. The few survivors died out, and the first moreaus were freed by a lab tech of middle eastern origin. He gave them freedom, language, society, and a headstart on what will become their religeon.
The flora and fauna of this place are MOSTLY the same as would be found in the west, however, the players will soon discover that this world is much more horrible than they first even could have imagined.
There are giant and aggressive bugs in this world. They mostly live underground, but come out at night to hunt. There is a Frontier Fort on the edge of human settlement that found out the hard way-- They were digging their well deeper when they broke through into a cave system. The cave below the fort were actuallt the home of Roach Thralls, who of course have taken over the bodies of those in the fort. The PCs will be asked if they can ride along to this fort with a preacher who is taking the men supplies... that night they'll learn exactly what is on the menu...
In addition to the roach thralls, I'm using the rad roaches from apocalypse as well as pretty much any other large sized bug (such as a monstrous centipede, or scorpion)-- Other horrible creatures are being imported from the DnD environment suppliment SANDSTORM.
Suffice to say, though my players will first think that they've traveled back in time to the wild west at first... little by little they will realize that they aren't anywhere NEAR Kansas... and they have TONS more to worry about than being scalped by Injuns or killed by bandits.
Their main objective, once it is revealed to them in this place will be to locate a hidden temple and to use an artifact they have in their possession to "conquer" it and being able to open up the doorway to the next world...
It could be some guys' bathroom door-- PIcture the dude sitting around in his underwear eating cheese-curls, when suddenly strangely dressed characters (and they WILL be dressed strange after all the places they will be traveling through) kick in his front door-- walk up to his bathroom,. Shut the door... reopen it, and step into another world. Once the door is shut behind them again, it returns to a bathroom.
Oh, and the players will be hunted down through the different dimensions but Alien-crafted Battle Android Troopers. So if you're that dude sitting in his underwear scratching his head and nuts at the strange people who just disappeared into your bathroom... there's a good chance that the robots would show up shortly after to kill you. Just because. :P
I made the Artifact out of Super Sculpey and spray painted it grey-- The writing is supposed to be similar to ancient sumarian... but as my 1941 linguist PC discovered... it isn't. In fact, he has no freakin idea WHAT it is... and that makes him wonder...
I hope my players don't see that pic otherwise they will want the same kinda stuff off me.
great props.
Basically, I started by drawing the map in pencil. It is going to get wet, so I used India Ink (which is a waterproof artists ink) and a quill pen and inked over my pencilled map sketches-- Once it's ready... it's ready for...
Used coffee grinds. I took the sheet of paper, layed it face down in a cookie sheet, and covered it over in coffee grinds. I added a thin layer of water on top of this. Wait 10-15 minutes, then CAREFULLY rinse your map off. Don't worry if there are minor tears as it will only help the finished look. Another variation for this is to soak the page in coffee or a dark tea. I used the grinds for an uneven sort of feel. I recommend practicing this technique a little bit first. Make yourself some blank "parchment" or something.
The next step is the drying process. Use a clean and dry cookie sheet, and throw down a thin layer of baking soda or powder... THIS is important for two reasons: 1. It keeps the map from sticking on a permanent basis to your cookie sheet. 2. the baking soda give the page an uneven tone and really looks cool. Place the map face up on the pan. Cook it in the oven in the middle rack at about 300 degrees or so. DO NOT WALK FAR AWAY. you will need to check on the map every few minutes to make certain that it's not a ball of flame. When it's dry enough, remove it. You'll now notice that the Baking Powder has stuck to the back of the map. You'll also notice how brittle the map is starting to get. Remove the excess baking powder by using an old toothbrush or something. You map should be smoothish or close enough to it when you are finished. But are you finished at this point? Maybe, but there's more you can do.
Simulate a "life" for your map. I figured that someone, sometime would have used a candle to look at the map. So I dropped wax on it near a corner. Remember, you do not want to obscure importanat images, so use these techniques with care. A little goes a long way, so they say. I folded the map up ans tuck it in my back pocket. I sat on it and walked around with it there for about a half hour. Afterall, depending on how old your map is supposed to be... it would possibly have been folded up a bazillion times over by previous owners.
While it is folded up, I used a lighter to burn along a fold or two. I did this over the sink so I'd have water at my disposal in case of uncontrolled fire. Don't let the flame eat it too much. You don't need HUGE flames to make this affective. As soon as the fire starts, put it out. I used my fingertips to pinch it out, though other might use a moist paper towel or something.
When you've burned it to the degree you wish, (I drew half of a map, and burned the unfinished edge. This made it look as if a large section of the map was forever lost to fire.) it's basically done. However, I dropped just a little bit of Merlot wine on it, and I added some Worsechire sauce. This looked ALOT like dried blood, but it STUNK TO HIGH HEAVEN. I'd have been better off using real blood, either from a finger tip of from a nice bloody steak (if I had one to cook for dinner)-- regardless, you should be done at this point.
If you have any other questions about technique or whatever, lemme know! I'm always happy to share knowledge!
Also Thanks to everyone who had nice comments for my props-- they take alot of time, but my players were BLOWN AWAY. It REALLY aided them in getting into character, and all of the props contained actual useful information which aided the players in figuring things out!
I should start doing this...
Thanks! I'm pretty proud of 'em myself! One of my players was encouraging me to make and sell RPG props on eBay or something. :D So... Here are some of the towns I'm working on for this world:
ECHO - A small spit stain of a town. This should be the first human settlement that my players will come across, (Hopefully in thanks to the map they get from the Bandit cave.) There's no representation of Law in this town. It's located in an area that is surrounded by high rock walls, very loud noises such as an agry mob or gun fire create an echo.. thus the town's name.
BRIMSTONE - I blatently borrowed this town's name from the game Red Dead Revolver. This is a medium-sized town. The law here is corrupt, and in bed with the local crime figures. The atmosphere of this place is similar to the tow that 'The Man With No Name' goes to in A Fistfull of Dollars. There's money to be made... and death to be had.
GHEHENNA - This is a tough land, and I'm trying to portray that in the names that the inhabitants have given to their towns. This is the only human city in the territory. It is the unofficial capital of The Badlands, and is a fairly civil place. Well... civil for a place inspired by the Wild West. There is a small wooden church here where the PC's will eventually meet the Preacher. He will ask the players for help in transporting goods to the Fort. There is a Sheriff in charge of the town, and he is for the most part, and honest sort.
MASAAD - This is the Moreau City. It is hidden atop a high and craggy bluff, out of the prying eyes of the random unlikely passerby. It is a religeous society, and so the temple is an important landmark, as well as a "palace" where the religeous leaders of the city have made themselves a monastery of sorts. I want there to be a single human who lives here and is respected by the moreaus. He has completely turned his back on his own people and society.
FORT ????? - I haven't decided on any good names for this frontier style fort yet. Any ideas are welcome. It stands in a pass that leads to the blasted waste. It's the last human outpost... but of course... only the roach thralls reside there now... it's just that no one knows about it until the PC's discover it for themselves.
I need to decide on important NPC roles, then build the characters to fill them. Any ideas for NPC's or NPC roles is greatly appreciated--
Each town, starting with little Echo, will have missions and whatnot for the players to get involved with. Echo is small enough where they won't be overwhelmed by this new place, and can start getting a feel for the area, the people, and the way of life. I'm trying to come up with introductory missions for the players when they get to Echo... as well as enticement for them to be inspired to do these jobs. Work = Info, Money, Aid, Whatever...
Gallows - Gallows is a town that has been a ghost town now for at least a few years. Dusty. Empty. Full of tumble weeds and very likely home to a few unpleasent critters.
Before you even reach Gallows, you learn why it is named such. There are acres of land leading to the town FULL of windswept hangman's gallows. a couple hundred of them at the very least. Most have been weathered and worn by the areas frequent dust storms that blow through the area. YOu can seee the shredded remains of rope hanging from each. Some, though, still bear the fruit of their last deaths. Dried husks of bodies-- eaten away by the elements and animals. A little digging at the base of many will reveal skeletons beneath the dusty sand, noose still tied around what's left of their throats.
My thinking is that this town was a Judicial sort of place-- Criminals brought here for final justice. Bodies left to hang as a warning to outlaws. It was a Bad Place when it was inhabited-- if only because of the large numbers of deaths in close proximity-- I haven't figured out the 'What Happened...' yet, but whatever did, it lead to the downfall of this place.
I'd like for it to be along my players journey between a Point A and a Point B. When they get there there will be a sandstorm sweeping in on the horizon, and the players will likely be forced to stay for the duration... and that means crashing out in the buildings for the night.
I really want this place to be haunted (in addition to any wild critters that live there too)-- players are stuck there, and have to deal with the supernatural elements... surviving through the night. Mhu-wahahaha!
Evil.I haven't figured out the WHY they need to head through thay area yet... but I'm sure it will be important when I do. :D
I like to use Hex Paper for my world maps. I find that the odd pattern is more appropriate for this sort of thing, rather than use grid graphs. I use those for character scale/town maps.
This is a rough guesstimation of where places are in relation to each other. I have ALOT of work to do, and by the time I'm done, the world may look completely changed from what I present here.
I'm trying to decide where the players will begin, where they will be wandering about while slowing dying of dehydration... and then where the Bandit Cave (which will be their salvation) is located in relation to everything else.
:lightbulb Hmmm....
[EDIT:] Also, if anyone would like, I can send out a great B&W scan I have of some 8.5x11 Hex paper I have-- or maybe I can just upload it for download or something...
Features:
Hot Water Spring Pool. This tepid pool is the centerpeice of the cave. It's hot, but not enough to hurt. It's basically a natural hot tub and the main reason that the bandits have chosen this place. It's a wonderful source of relaxation and bathing, as well as a natural way to heat the cave during chilly nights. There is a natural skylight above the pool that vents the steam. Players skulking around on top of the cave can look down and see what's inside... or at least a small section of it.
Sloping cave entrance leading down. It's not particularly steep. There are large natural boulders that can give cover to both Bandits and Invaders. If I was a bandit who lived in this cave, I sure as hell would set up a trap or two in this entrance. Something that would likely maim my enemies, and would definitely alert me to inbound intruders. What this trap will consist of is still to be determined.
Clean water source for drinking...
Bandits using this cave use it as a hideout, living quarters, and a booty storage area. There will be stacks of crates and barrels placed in alcoves. Again these will give cover to characters, and acts as nice set dressing. Barrels can contain anything from whiskey to gunpowder or whatever it is the bandits stole. Crates contain stolen goods.
I'm thinking the number of bandits holed up here will be three. [One is missing, the PCs found him dead on his horse.] So they are expecting him to return. Players wearing his stuff will automatically be assumed to have been the ones who killed him. The remaining bandits will be family. Two brothers and their sister. Their primary MO is to rob stagecoaches and supply carts. This is really all they need to do to survive comfortably I think. Maybe the dead guy was the sister's lover or something-- after all , hell hath no fury such as a woman's scorn! :D
And... a winding tunnel that leads to a back door. This path would be camoflaged by the bandits to reduce discovery, and again, likely booby-trapped. The cave setting presents the possibilty of deep pits they may have covered up to catch the unwary.
Players will have to decide the best way to deal with these people. They will also need to know right up front that they are indeed bandits so they don't decide to go mosey on up to them with friendly greetings, only to get gut shot a second later. So I think that I will give the bandits a kidnapped victim who's been tied up down there. Players who roll successful Listen checks will learn that these people are not good...
Also, at this point the players should be in desparate need of water. Food they can hunt for, but water is relatively scarce in this world. This will be a good motivation for them to take over the cave, rescue the victim, and generally get to the point that I need them to be.
I can tell you put a lot of time into this stuff. One day I plan on sharing my next campaign on here.
They had no idea what they were in for when I sprung this campaign on them. Especially when I had them watch the movie Sahara in preparation for the game (They are modern day Treasure Salvagers. Diving on wrecks, etc) :D They assumed that I'd run a modern Hack & Slash sort of game. ;)
It's great-- right now their still in their very mundane modern world, trying to figure out who killed their employer (grandfather in the case of one character)-- Their employer was actually an elderly version of a character one of them played in 1941; Henry Loder, discoverer of the Artifact deep beneath a Mayan tomb.
And since it's been on my mind this morning...
The Great Ship - Isn't so great. Its going to be a WWII era Destroyer or something... maybe it was purchased by the Russians. It's an experiment ship, a floating lab of sorts. Very unethical experimentation involved human and animal DNA, creating the original Moreaus in this land. However, that was a good many generations in the past. Now it is home to a colony of D20 Apocalypse Rad-Roaches, who find the dark interior of its hull and the twisting warren of halls to be quite comfortable.
The Great Ship, as the moreaus call it, is also very important to the players as well... When the Artifact gives the The Nudge, it leads them to the ship, and to a specific door inside... This door is their exit into the next setting... (A derelict Star Freighter [PL7] floating in the cold vacuum of space--). I really hope that their exodus from this world is a freaky experience...
In other news... I was thinking about d20 Past adventures, and I was reading up on Marco Polo. I stumbled across this, written from the time he spent crossing the Gobi desert. I though that doing something similar would be very suitable for the PCs journey through the Great Desert Wastes:
"When a man is riding through this desert by night and for some reason -falling asleep or anything else -he gets separated from his companions and wants to rejoin them, he hears spirit voices talking to him as if they were his companions, sometimes even calling him by name. Often these voices lure him away from the path and he never finds it again, and many travelers have got lost and died because of this. Sometimes in the night travelers hear a noise like the clatter of a great company of riders away from the road; if they believe that these are some of their own company and head for the noise, they find themselves in deep trouble when daylight comes and they realize their mistake. There were some who, in crossing the desert, have been a host of men coming towards them and, suspecting that they were robbers, returning, they have gone hopelessly astray....Even by daylight men hear these spirit voices, and often you fancy you are listening to the strains of many instruments, especially drums, and the clash of arms. For this reason bands of travelers make a point of keeping very close together. Before they go to sleep they set up a sign pointing in the direction in which they have to travel, and round the necks of all their beasts they fasten little bells, so that by listening to the sound they may prevent them from straying off the path."
---- Marco Polo, Travels
Spirit voices...
Looks like I may be writing a handfull of ominous GM Post-It's and handing them out to my players every now and then...
For when the PCs first arrive in the Badlands:
Not In Kansas
The PCs are minding their own business and find themselves transported to a strange place. They must figure out where they are, why they are there and how to escape.
Common Twists & Themes: They were brought there specifically to help someone in trouble. They were brought there by accident, as a by-product of something strange and secret. Some of the PCs' enemies were transported along with them (or separately), and now they have a new battleground, and innocents to convince which guys are the good guys.
This is pretty self-explanatory. The PCs will have no clue as to WTF is going on... they will have to wander about, trying to live off the land for a bit...
Until...
Any Old Port in a Storm
The PCs are seeking shelter from the elements or some other threat, and come across a place to hole up. They find that they have stumbled across something dangerous, secret, or supernatural, and must then deal with it in order to enjoy a little rest.
Common Twists & Themes: The shelter contains the cause of the threat the PCs were trying to avoid. The shelter houses a Hidden Base (q.v.). The PCs must not only struggle for shelter, they must struggle to survive. The place is a legitimate shelter of some kind, but the PCs are not welcome, and must win hearts or minds to earn their bed for the night.
The PCs have stumbled upon a bandit's cave. However, they should realize that their chances of survival are slim if they don't get to the life giving elements (such as water and food) inside. PCs will have to deal with this threat, and rescue a kidnapped resident of Echo while they are at it.
Upon traveling to Echo with assistance from a hand drawn map of the local area and the rescued person's knowledge of the topography, they will reach the town of Echo. For the journey:
Escort Service
The PCs have a valuable object or person, which needs to be taken to a safe place or to its rightful owner, etc. They must undertake a dangerous journey in which one or more factions (and chance and misfortune) try to deprive them of the thing in their care.
Common Twists & Themes: The thing or person is troublesome, and tries to escape or sidetrack the PCs. The destination has been destroyed or suborned by the enemy, and the PCs must take upon themselves the job that either the destination or their charge was meant to do when it got there. The person is a person attempting a political defection. Safe arrival at the destination doesn't end the story; the PCs must then bargain with their charge as their token (exchanging money for a hostage, for instance). The PCs must protect the target without the target knowing about it.
Once in Echo:
Manhunt
Someone is gone: they've run away, gotten lost, or simply haven't called home in a while. Somebody misses them or needs them returned. The PCs are called in to find them and bring them back.
Common Twists & Themes: The target has been kidnapped (possibly to specifically lure the PCs). The target is dangerous and escaped from a facility designed to protect the public. The target is valuable and escaped from a place designed to keep him safe, cozy, and conveniently handy. The target has a reason for leaving that the PCs will sympathize with. The target has stumbled across another adventure (either as protagonist or victim), which the PCs must then undertake themselves. The missing "person" is an entire expedition or pilgrimage of some kind. The target isn't a runaway or missing/lost - they're just someone that the PCs have been hired to track down (possibly under false pretenses).
Maybe there's another bandit who's been screwing with the small population of Echo...
Safari
The PCs are on a hunting expedition, to capture or kill and elusive and prized creature. They must deal with its environment, its own ability to evade them, and possibly its ability to fight them.
Common Twists & Themes: The creature is immune to their devices and weapons. There are other people actively protecting the creature. The creature's lair allows the PCs to stumble onto another adventure.
Could be that the creature is a Dire Wolf that is running amuck?
Once they get through in this town they will head off to Brimstone. Once there:
I Beg Your Pardon?
The PCs are minding their own business when they are attacked or threatened. They don't know why. They must solve the mystery of their attacker's motives, and in the meantime fend off more attacks. They must put two and two together to deal with the problem.
Common Twists & Themes: The PCs have something that the bad guys want - but they don't necessarily realize it. The bad guys are out for revenge for a dead compatriot from a previous adventure. The bad guys have mistaken the PCs for somebody else.
Most Peculiar, Momma
Something both bad and inexplicable is happening (racial tension is being fired up in town, all the power is out, the beer supply is drained, it's snowing in July, Voyager still has fans, hordes of aliens are eating all the cheese), and a lot of people are very troubled by it. The PCs must track the phenomenon to its source, and stop it.
Common Twists & Themes: The PCs are somehow unwittingly responsible for the whole thing. What seems to be a problem of one nature (technological, personal, biological, chemical, magical, political, etc) is actually a problem of an alternate one.
Ounces of Prevention
A villain or organization is getting ready to do something bad, and the PCs have received a tip-off of some sort. They must investigate to find out more about the caper, and then act to prevent it.
Common Twists & Themes: The initial tip-off was a red herring meant to distract the PCs from the actual caper. There are two simultaneous Bad Things on the way, and no apparent way to both of them - how to choose?
For these first few "missions" I want the PC's to be left in the dark at how bad and messed up this world is. So no bugs yet. Maybe though, a nomadic Moreau gives them aid at one point. Since it's face will be covered... PC's will still be left in the dark as to the true nature of this NPC... He could be like a prince or something in the City of Masaad... and once they work their way there he can stop the others from outright slaughtering the PCs...
Dunno yet... just brainstorming... :D
EDIT: Don't hold be to this, but wasn't The Island of Dr. Moreau the beginning of Moreaus?
When I first read about Moreau's in modern I was immediately returned to the fun of my gaming roots-- I was a big TMNT rpg game player-- I ran some mutant cats, an Aussie Cuscus, and a ninja Raccoon. Good times!
And of course... The Island of Doctor Moreau-- I think I really should read that as well-- I've only seen the movie versions...
I'm currently working out a map for the Bandits' cave-- I should have something new posted pretty soon--!
The Bandit Gang's Lair
Occupied by four, er... make that three of the meanest sum*****es you'd ever come across. I gotta draw up stats and personality/relationships that these bandits have-- But for now, It's the Marisole the leader and older sibling to her two brothers; Estaban and Enrique. Her boyfriend, Ramone is the dead guy the players find upon arrival to this world.
They're a type of bandit called a "Duster" or a "Dust Pirate". There aren't many of them in the land. Only about four or five groups spread throughout the territories. Their stock and trade is to ambush travelling merchantry and wagons, robbing them of their supplies and killing or kidknapping the men and women who rode in on them.
This group of bandits thinks it's the absolute doo-doo. They've successfully set up shop in a lair that most other bandits would kill for. It has a spring of cool water bubbling up from the earth down one pass, and in the center room below a natural rock skylight; a hot mineral pool, heated by the earth and the perfect temperature for soaking those muscles after a hard day of riding, stealing, and killing.
They keep their horses near the spring in an area of the cave they refer to as The Stable. They throw straw in there and muck it out as much as they feel like (If this was DnD, they'd be of the Chaotic family of values.)-- Horses tied to rock formations jutting from the cave walls.
Another tunnel serves as a storage room. It's in here they keep extra kegs and boxes of their plunder for later use. They are a resourceful lot as they've broken down the used boxes and used the wood and nails to construct for themselves simple furnishings.
Take a look at this map for me, and tell me of any impressions that you get concerning the bandits' lives as it pertains to their home. As I was typing this I realized that these bandits were indeed chaotic, and so I would have probably added more debris around in the caves.
Any feedback, good or ill, most appreciated!
Occupation: Rural (Handle Animal, Swim)
Skills: Bluff +5, Craft (writing) +2, Diplomacy +5, Disguise +4, Gather Information +5, Handle Animal +6, Hide +5, Intimidate +4, Knowledge (Arcane Lore) +3, Knowledge (Current Events) +4, Knowledge (Streetwise) +4, Knowledge (Theology and Philosophy) +4, Move Silently +5, Profession +3, Read/Write Language +1 (Esperanto, English), Speak Language +1 (Esperanto, English), Swim +4
Feats: Brawl, Personal Firearms Proficiency, Point Blank Shot, Simple Weapons Proficiency
Talents (Charismatic Ordinary):
Talents (Fast Ordinary):
Possessions: knife, Rangeland Peacemaker; Wealth +6
Here's a question. I'd like for this encounter to be a challenge for my players. There are four of them all at level 3 (Possibly a low level four by the time they get here.).
What levels should my three bandits be?
I'd like for Marisole to be bathing in the pool when the players enter. If she hears or spots the PC's she will submerge, then come back up under a camoflague of foam near a stalagmite. She has a pistol on the far side of the cave where she will manuever near as soon as she has reason to be alert.
Her brothers will be playing poker or something at the wooden table in the residential nook. They have western style pistols as well (Though I'm changing the manufacturers names in all cases to make this place that much more "off".
Anyway, if someone could lend me a hand with that I'd be very grateful!
-Jace!
Here's the exterior top--
I believe Marisole should be L5 and her brothers L3.This cave could have pits with rattlers living in them,how many westerns feature someone coming face to face with a rattler for dramatic effect?sorry about double post, called away.
No worries on the double post-- You had something different to add each time.
I bust up a L5 version of Marisole and her two brothers then post them here.
I like the idea of having rattlers, however if they get poisoned... that might be a little hard to get over that-- but I need to read up on the venom rulage and make the decision. Thoughts?
I think that these bandit's would have put into place some sort of mechanical trap that would warn them as well as hurt trespassers-- I was thinking something along the lines of a basic arrow trap near the entrance... If I was a bandit, I definitely would create something to alert me to intruders... maybe some twine stretched across various areas that has rattle snake rattles hanging from it-- PC's trip something, and the twine shakes... Thus the bandits get their warning.
I'm going to go with there being bats down the Exit passageway-- this back door is for Quick Escape's Only-- and it's opening will be covered over in brush-- Hard, but not impossible to find. Players who've discovered this pathway may be dismayed to learn that it wasn't as quiet as they once hoped...
Players, succesful in taking out the bandits will have access to their horses... 3 more for a total now of 4. And of course, more supplies-- Pistols, etc...
And a recently owned hideout too, if they so please.
Thanks for your input Taradusis-- I appreciate it!
Occupation: Rural (Ride, Survival)
Skills: Balance +6, Bluff +5, Craft (mechanical) +5, Diplomacy +5, Disable Device +4, Disguise +5, Escape Artist +6, Gather Information +5, Handle Animal +5, Hide +6, Intimidate +5, Jump +3, Knowledge (Arcane Lore) +4, Knowledge (Streetwise) +4, Knowledge (Theology and Philosophy) +3, Listen +3, Move Silently +6, Read/Write Language +1 (Spanish/English), Ride +6, Search +4, Speak Language +1 (Spanish/English), Spot +3, Survival +6, Tumble +4
Feats: Alertness, Brawl, Personal Firearms Proficiency, Point Blank Shot, Precise Shot, Simple Weapons Proficiency
Talents (Charismatic Ordinary):
Talents (Fast Ordinary):
Talents (Smart Ordinary):
Possessions: Bone-hafted knife, Rangeland Peacemaker; Wealth +6
[Marisole Delgado. 26. Leader of of the Delgado Clan, a family based group of Dust Pirates. Beauty rivaled by her brains, Marisole is the one who came up with her gang's MO. Their targets are merchant wagons, and travellers who's belongings and supplies keep the gang alive and well in their wasteland-based hideout.
Marisole and her brothers lost an older brother, named Jorge, to a wasting sickness when they were young. Her parents, intending to bestow the familiy ranch and holdings to Jorge's care when he was grown, realized that Marisole's keen intellect would make her the next likely candidate as the future family head. Her two younger brothers accepted this with no problem as the two were not the brightest stars in the sky... and knew it.
The Delgado ranch was located on the outskirts of old Brimstone, but within years the waste had claimed their livestock, and the VERY meager crops the family had. The Delgado parents vanished. Rumors circulate that they had been killed by a rival ranch family. Other's insist that it was Marisole and her brothers who murdered their own parents. Regardless of the truth, the result was Marisole and her brothers' turning to merchant-piracy to support themselves.
When she was a little girl, she was allowed to accompany her father and her older brother Jorge into the wilderness to search for small group of missing cattle. It was during this trip that they discovered the hot spring cave in which she and her gang now reside.
She met with a young man named Ramone Malechez. Ramone and she immediately hit it off, and soon he joined the gang, sharing Marisole's bed on a regular basis.
Recently though, Ramone has been moonlighting-- He bit off more than he could chew, and choked on it... leading to his descicated corpse riding around on his thirsty horse in the wastes a few days from the Delgado hideout.
Marisole is concerned, but mostly furious. His careless nature, she is sure, will get them all hung.
Estaban Delgado (Strong Ordinary 1/Tough Ordinary 2): CR 2; Medium-size humanoid; HD 1d8+-1 plus 2d10+-2; HP 13; Mas 8; Init +2; Spd 30 ft; Defense 15, touch 15, flatfooted 13 (+0 size, +2 Dex, +3 class); BAB +2; Grap +4; Atk +4 melee (1d4+2/19-20, Knife), or +4 ranged (2d6+0, Rangemaster Peacemaker); FS 5 ft by 5 ft; Reach 5 ft; SQ ; AL Marisole, Enrique, and himself; SV Fort +2, Ref +2, Will +1; AP 1; Rep +0; Str 15, Dex 14, Con 8, Int 10, Wis 12, Cha 13.
Occupation: Rural (Handle Animal, Ride)
Skills: Climb +5, Handle Animal +7, Listen +3, Repair +3, Ride +7, Speak Language +1 (English/Spanish), Spot +6, Survival +2, Swim +4
Feats: Alertness, Animal Affinity, Brawl, Personal Firearms Proficiency, Simple Weapons Proficiency
Talents (Strong Ordinary):
Talents (Tough Ordinary):
Possessions: Knife, Rangemaster Peacemaker; Wealth +6
Enrique Delgado (Strong Ordinary 3): CR 2; Medium-size humanoid; HD 3d8+6; HP 20; Mas 14; Init +1; Spd 30 ft; Defense 13, touch 13, flatfooted 12 (+0 size, +1 Dex, +2 class); BAB +3; Grap +5; Atk +5 melee (1d4+2/19-20, Blue metal knife), or +4 ranged (2d6+0, Rangemaster Peacemaker); FS 5 ft by 5 ft; Reach 5 ft; SQ ; AL Self, Marisole, and Estaban; SV Fort +4, Ref +2, Will +2; AP 1; Rep +0; Str 15, Dex 13, Con 14, Int 10, Wis 12, Cha 8.
Occupation: Rural (Balance, Survival)
Skills: Balance +4, Climb +5, Craft (structural) +3, Jump +5, Repair +3, Survival +4
Feats: Brawl, Improved Brawl, Knockout Punch, Personal Firearms Proficiency, Simple Weapons Proficiency
Talents (Strong Ordinary):
Possessions: Blue metal knife, Rangemaster Peacemaker; Wealth +6
The Delgado brothers are fraternal twins, both gifted with average intelligence. These two happily follow their older, and smarter sister's lead. "After all, she's the one with all the great ideas." The boys grew up working hard on the ranch. They currently enjoy the relative "easy life" that being brigands brings.
Now my bed is calling me. Work is in the morning. Then when I get home I run my weekly Wheel of Time campaign for a different group of players... that is unless my latest addition to the Players Party is still sick tomorrow. Then it becomes a day of dvd & videogame entertainment... Somehow I don't think I'll mind... My MAIN group hasn't been able to meet in over a month due to the player (whose home we game at) not having a single day off from work in that period of time. Poor, poor bastard...
The Key to this campaign is The Artifact. I've had most of the crunchy bits figured out for, well... months now. UNLIKE the Dark Tower series... the doorways do not float erect in space waiting for the Gunslinger to come hobbling along. These doors are specific gateways to each dimension/world. The Artifact will point you in the direction you need to go to get there-- And it will allow it's bearer to "unlock" the door... basically turning an average old door into a temporary dimensional portal. Your bathroom literally could be one and you'd never be the wiser.
One door per world. That is to say, one exit. Once you pass through the door, you are in this new world. Wherever this Artifact seems to have deposited them. There are godlike alien beings who WANT this artifact, and are actively pursuing it through the dimensional space. They send squads of Alien Battle Android Troopers into these worlds (AKA Plot Device to hurry game progression) to hunt the artifact and kill it's current bearers. Being dimensional beings these aliens have been doing business in the World of Darkness, which allows me to convert my evil Demon and my anti-heroic Mage into d20 terms. The Mage is a force for good, while the demon character is there to kill the Mage and to hound the players through time and space. Players do not know where they are going until they get there.
Each world/dimension contains a temple. This temple was created by the same being(s) that created The Artifact in the first place. A Very Important Task awaits the players in each world's temple. Once the task is completed, the Artifact cues the next door, and nudges the players in the direction they need to travel to reach it.
Again this is a plot device. Each world is a short or as long as I require it to be. I want my players to spend a little bit of time in these worlds, so the Artifact will remain largely dormant until the GM decides to wake it up.
The progression of the worlds and times is as follows. This is not written in stone:
Our Earth - 1941 The Prologue. Campaign begins with the finding of the Artifact. It begins to awaken.
Our Earth - Summer 2006. Begin current campaign story line with current ongoing cast. Character's become enbroiled with the mysterious Artifact and come under attack by Alien Hunter Bots. The Artifact saves their bacon by zapping them into the Badlands.
Badlands - Wild West meets Hell. Just a bit nicer.
Zero-G - Players find themselves on a derelict spaceship... with genetically engineered dinos. THEN the ghosts start to mess with them. Likely exit. On the nearby planetary body. It's Event Horizon meets Ghost Ship meets Dino Crisis 3 meets Jurassic Park...
Ice - Players find themselves in arctic-like land inhabited by eskimo celts, and hounded by a wonderful creature creation of mine that my players are sure to love.
Apocalypse Rome - Mad Max meets Waterworld meets Blue Submarine #6 meets Junkyard Wars meets Ancient Rome meets Six-String Samurai.
The Alliance - Red Dawn meets Freedom Fighters meets Invader Zim and the collected Works of Jhonnen Vasquez meets Transformers meets Returner.
Gibson - Feudal Japan meets the collected work of William Gibson and Masamune Shirow meets Blade Runner meets Perfect Dark meets Dark City.
Romero - Zombie World. This isn't intended for a long duration. PC's appear in a fortified house... possibly while it's living defendants are inside. They are nudged to leave the house and treck across the city to find the location of this hidden temple. Then back again.
Labyrinth - Fantasy: Labyrinth meets the Dark Crystal meets M.C. Escher meets DnD meets the Tower of Babel.
And others... not currently thought of...
Eventually the players will have visited everywhere the Artifact sends them, then they will have to confront The Ultimate Badguys who are trying to do Ultimate Badness.
With the Fort's name, I'm looking for something that when heard, it immediately conjures up the mental image of a remote dusty frontier fort in the American West...
A town could be attacked by an odd threat, needlemen who look like saguaro cactus could be lurking around a town and ambushing lone travellers untill enough needlemen are there to launch an attack.
This guy's from the Sandstorm environment book. I had been thinking about using them, too! :D
9 can players die? Perhaps the players can't die because they are UNREAL, when a player dies he goes to the "other-side"(of the door)where he is changed but will some how rejoin the party?
My thoughts on Player Character deaths are thus:
The Artifact is a mysterious and powerful thing... its mystery is exceeded only by its power. The player whose character is the current bearer of the Artifact will be able to cast Cure Lights Wounds or something a set number of times a day. The Artifact would give it's bearer and crew the blanket of Raise Dead for first times deaths, after that it's only Reincarnate-- the players will wake up in the bodies of locals from their current setting, keeping INT, WIS, and CHA of base player character. However, as the GM I will assign their new bodies stats of STR, DEX, CON. Sort of a twisted "Quantum Leap" deal.
Thoughts?
I dont own sandstorm or frostburn,this doesnt look like the old needlefolk though?
I don't think I'm familiar with the old needlefolk. Is it from DnD?
Fort names fort dusty rhodes fort hellenbeck pronounced" Hell and back" just some thoughts.
Ha-ha-- Hellenback's is the name of well-known locals bar down here-- I almost worked as a bouncer for them at one time.
Fort Dusk
Fort Bravo
Fort Colonel Rhoads
the pictures by the threadstarter are just.... scary. Did you draw them, or you copy and pasted them?
Pictures posted in #1 and #37 are mostly linked images taken from the Wizards' Site. Lot's of Art Archives to dig through-- The rest; pictured props and maps, I have done from scratch. :D
I've been taking a breather from the Badlands setting to jump backwards a bit to the immediate portion of my campaign.
Captain Jack Timber is the captain of the modified fishing trawler turned treasure salvage ship called the “Loder’s Folly”. Its home port is in the Florida Keys. Longtime employee of Henry Loder and considered to be “one of his family”.
Jesus Alvarez is Dr. Henry Loder’s Grandson. A wunderkind in his own right, he follows in his grandfather’s footprints. Though he has not seriously focus into any one area of expertise yet, he’s still sowing his wild oats and enjoying life while he can.
Brady Lennox is a former U.S. Coast Guard who recent loss of his family has made him take some time to reflect on his life. He signed onto the crew of the Loder’s Folly “as a favor to Henry Loder”—In reality, Loder hoped that the time on the Folly would give Brady time to heal. Brady’s real purpose on the Folly is to protect the Folly from any dangerous elements—He’s much like a Brock Samson in Training.
Lars Stevenson is a former U.S. Army mechanic and the great-grandson of Carl Lacks. Blonde haired & blue-eyed, Lars is also pale of skin due to the amount of time he spends in the engine room of the Folly. Even when things are running smoothly, he is loathe to spend his time top deck. Though he’s a grease-monkey, Lars also packs a formidable arsenal and the skill to wield it for the protection of the Folly.
As it stands, it's Tuesday August 15, 2006 at around 6PM. My players have just discovered the body of their mentor and employer (and grandfather in one case), Dr. Henry Loder. Handcuffed to the wheel of his sunken fishing boat in the lake. Before reporting this to the town's sheriff, they took a set of keys that Loder had around his ankle.
The police have just informed them that they may head back home, and so they are taking a boat back from the town's dock to Henry Loder's private island on the lake. It's here that another mystery still lays... how to get into Loder's basement bunker to find out what Loder died for.
The hatch is of THICK steel and the bunker is reinforced concrete. It's a panic room vault for special relics and artifacts. The locking mechanism requires the use of four engraved metal discs that are hidden around Loder's island, and a security key. They already have the key, though they don't quite realize it yet (it's on Loder's keychain).
Another key on this keychain is that of Loder's P.O. Box, where the players will find an encoded letter written from Loder to his grandson, Jesus.
Anyone want to decode it?
Wnbdb,
Vo lfd ran anruvep cqvb, cqne bdanyl V rz unru.
Cqnanofan, jn uf efc qrin cqn cvzn ofa gynrbrecavnb.
Cqnan vb re racvortc jqvtq V’in qru ofa cqn snccna grac fo zl yvon. Cqfdpq V rz bcvyy rc r yfbb rb cf jqrc vc ufnb; Cqn Racvortc’b zlbcnal vb nktnnunu feyl sl vcb gfjna. V rz tnacrve cqrc vc vb rc ynrbc anbgfebvsyn ofa nkcneuvep zl yvon. Jqrc fcqna zne uf lfd xefj fo jqf ran bcvyy rb xnne fo zveu reu sful rc zl rpn?
Cqnan ran cqfbn jqf bnnx cqvb racvortc. Qvcyna qvzbnyo unbvanu vc ve cqn 40’b, reu efj cqnan bnnzb cf sn anenjnu vecnanbc ve cqn Racvortc reu zlbnyo rb vc’b snrana, ofa V’in snne rjran fo cqfbn jqf ran crxvep panrc ynepcqb cf uvbtfina zl jqnanrsfdcb. Vo lfd ran anruvep cqvb, cqne cqnl jnan rc ynrbc gracvryyl bdttnbbody, qfjnina V jvyy enina cnyy cqnz jqrc cqnl jvbq cf xefj.
Zl feyl qfgn vb cqrc lfd zl unranbc pareubfe jvyy qrin uvbtfinanu qrb qrggnenu cf zn, reu cf uvbtfina cqn bntanc fo zl irdyc. Fetn vebvun, lfd jvyy oveu cqn Racvortc cqrc V uvbtfinanu udavep zl nkgnuvcvfe jvcq cqn Razl ve 1941. Lfd jvyy rybf oveu zl efcnb fe cqn bdswntc rb jnyy.
Vo lfd ran rc r yfbb fe qfj cf fgne cqn irdyc, gnaqrgb lfd bqfdyu crxn r jryx rafdeu cqn vbyreu cf tynra lfda qnru. V focne bvc rc cqn adveb reu crxn ve cqn oanbq rva. V uf bfzn fo zl snbc cqvexvep cqnan.
Vc vb jvcq panrc bruenbb cqrc V javcn cqvb ynccna, reu unyvina cf lfd cqn tqrapn fo gafcntcvep cqn Racvortc. Cvzn vb inal bqfac. Ryy fo zl qfgn yvnb jvcq lfd.
Yfin,
Pareugfg
rst uno pqv wxy zef gha bcd ijk lm
Loder, being a great collector of "ancient cool stuff" rebuilt a mayan shrine platform on his island. Inscribed in mayan glyphs, Loder has left clues as to the locations of the four inscribed discs for the security hatch. Each is located in a different spot on the island. One is found on the carved angel headstone on his late-wife's grave. Another is found in Loder's island greenhouse. Another at his boathouse. The fourth will probably be located at the shrine at the bottom of a carved pond.
In addition to all of that, they have vengeance on their minds; they will most certainly be looking for the person/s responsible for Loder's death. These guys are members of the Thule Society, and neo-nazis. They are trying to get their grimey mitts on Loder's Artifact as well... The Nazis are still sore over it's loss in 1941...
Fort Matheson, after the writer of "I Am Legend". It could be sort of forshadowing to an intuitive player.
My players, as of this week's game session have finally made it to this Badlands World. So it's time to get back to work. I left my players' characters standing on a ridge surveying their present location, and wondering how they managed to get there...
- I'm going to take the town of Fallen Birch (from d20 Past) and retrofit it into my campaign as the small town of Echo, the first actual town the PC's will run across. The importance of this town is also to really try to sell this "world" as the Wild West of our Past. So no strange elements are allowed in this town. Everything very mundane and period.
- The Moreau Felines in this world really like the company of domestic felines. This affinity of theirs could be compared to the human's love of monkeys! This could bring some interesting social dynamics into play as one of my player dislikes cats... thusly so does his character. There is a good chance of nogoodery being done, and his character ending up in kitty jail!
- Currently working on world map, and dividing up the various terrain features. Next up, creating custom random encounter tables.
The last session before last, they woke up in this Badlands World. I left them hanging ten minutes into their new surroundings until this week.
Last night they began to go about trying to figure out how the hell they got there, and where "there" was.
They'd had some good ideas. Their GPS unit and Sat phone gave them nothing but a "No Signal" response. One of the Smart characters was trying to determine where they could be in the world based upon the flora surrounding them. Typical low thorny brush typical throughout the American West and Through parts of Mexico.
They found the Dead Man on his Horse and went through his belongings-- surprised that everything was either handmade/handstitched or "old" as in the case of the dead man's firearms.
They waited till night to use their navigation skill, to determine where they were at based upon the stars... and they were really disconcerted to discover that they did not recognize the constellations or any othe the stars for that matter.
They pretty much know that they aren't in Kansas anymore. :D
We got together around 11:30 last night-- didn't start gaming until around 12. They set the limit until about 3:30, but when the time came, no one really wanted to call the session at that point-- despite how tired we all were.
That makes me happy. I'm glad that my campaign is a great success so far!
I'm using the Encounter tables found in either the DM's Guide I or II. Wastelandish environment gives low encounter %, which is just fine with me. I want my players to go hungry and thirsty for a couple of days, so that "fixing" that situation will become a high priority for them, thus baiting them into a possibly volatile situation with the Duster gang in their HQ (where there is both water and food). They've shot and killed a Rattlesnake and a small wild Fox of some kind for dinner.
They are travelling with a 2 gallon Water Bladder that they took from the dead man's saddlebags. Though this still won't be enough water as the rules state something to the effect that a human needs to consume at least 1 gallon of water a day or suffer from dehydration rolls.
So my current plan is to have them travelling for about two days before the see the hint of smoke. The smoke will cease after about two hours... but it is likely that my players will continue forth. This, as well as the horse's increasingly excited state should get them to the Duster gang's hideout sometime during the next day.
THINGS TO DO:
- Create a rough hand-drawn map that the banditos used for the immediate area. On it includes the First Town... Echo.
- Outline Echo in more depth. Steal liberally from d20 Past's 'Fallen Birch'. Make it fit this world concept.
- Create a Gather Information chart for Echo and this World.
taradusis, I'm definitely going to use the idea you offered on the giant cat litter box punishment. I think the moreaus would have public bathroom areas cut into the stone and these areas filled with sand. The feline moreaus use this area throughout the day, and in the evening the "sanitation" guys come out with rakes and shovels to clean the day's mess. A common punishment would be to bury someone up to their necks in the morning, and be stuck there during the day.
It would be similar to our Stocks, I guess. If the moreaus were particularly angry with you, you'd get crapped and urinated upon all day long. Wonderful.
This will be fun.
If you have Past, you will see that it is basically the town of Fallen Birch, but it is set within this psuedo-circle of high peaked rock walls... thus the name Echo.
The players, if they Search the living areas of the Dust Bandits' Cave, should find this rough hand-drawn map, complete with NPC spelling error.
This should be enough to get the players from the bandit's cave which is an "X" with a dotted line denoting their trail to Echo. The other lines coming out of Echo to the north and east are roadways.
I've been using low percentages for random encounters. The world they're in is fairly dead and dying, so the animal life is on a decline.
They've been appropriately focused on the survival aspect of the game. Trying to conserve their water, trying to find game. Keep the horse alive and happy. They've been eating small foxes, rattle snakes, and an armadillo.
They haven't done any recon into the cave yet, so they don't have a week of time to think about their actions. That's fine, anyway. It buys me a week to decide what sort of booty has been collected inside and in what quantities.
taradusis, after having played around wiuth rattlers In-Game I'm confident enough to incorporate them into some early-warning systems for the Dust Pirates. I'm also going to use the dust covered blanket covering twigs idea in the main entrance of the cave. This makes the most sense here since the bandits would not need to set and re-set it as an official trap. I am still considering the tripwire triggered arrow attack though. Just because.
Thanks for your contributions thus far, BTW-- I never expected this thread to be a "popular" discussion or anything, and it's already served my purpose as a brainstorming and repository for this campaign. I was able to print up some vital stuff at a friends house while my printer is out of ink. Good times.
ECHO - A small spit stain of a town. This should be the first human settlement that my players will come across, (Hopefully in thanks to the map they get from the Bandit cave.) There's no representation of Law in this town. It's located in an area that is surrounded by high rock walls; very loud noises such as an angry mob or gun fire create an echo... thus the town's name.
The town stands surrounded by sharp knife-like peaks. Like gigantic sharks’ teeth cutting at the sky. They are known as the ‘Echo Daggers’ and are a major feature of the land. One of the many Wonders you could say. These peaks give Echo and its inhabitants shade throughout most of the day. Between 11AM and 1PM are the hottest hours, as the sun beats straight down the Daggers’ Throat, into Echo.
Echo as stated at top, is a small town. . It is home to mostly home to the store keepers, and a few Miners. Some Miners live on the outskirts of town. Wheel of Time fans, think of this as a sort of small Emonds Field.
There is no mayor. No sheriff. Not currently at any rate. The last one, Roy Lemur, is not even 8 days dead. Killed in a firefight with some dusters. He was shot through the head with a mighty powerful shot. Lead punched out the back of his skull and took his hat with it.
Mercenaries, hired by the people to help took over the town. They’ve been running it ever since. The group lives at the Saloon, but their leader lives in the mayors house. Evil Betty? John Betty.
The people of Echo live in fear. They tread carefully in hopes of not ******* their new rulers off. The rulers aren’t completely ruthless, just… temperamental. Currently they’ve ****** off the town because one of the town’s daughters was kidnapped and the new leaders refuse to do anything about it. No rescue. No ransom. Teach those Dusters who the fu’ their dealing with. (This is also when Dead Guy Ramone Malechez got shot)
The leader of the gang had a thing for the girl, and she turned him down. So now she’ll wish she hadn’t. *****. Heh.
The people of the town have yet to even start thinking about what to do about the ruling gang.
The rescued girl tells the players that there will certainly be a celebration in their honor or some such ****. They wont, of course. In fact, the gang are *******s, and are a bit ****** about it. Especially since Lars has a love interest in the rescued girl! Hee-hee!
Her name is Mary Black, daughter of Jack and Sue Bess. Jack was injured in the fight against the dusters. He’s bedridden. He and his wife are furious about the mercenaries dooming their daughter to a horrible life and death.
A lot of town resentment is up over this.
After the party arrives in echo, and spends more than two days in town the gang starts to lean on them to git goin’. Perhaps the players witness a shootout between a gang member and someone else. Mayhaps injured Jack Black. This should serve as a hint as to his relative strength to observant players. Should players attack these guys it should take the group to take on one. This is not something they should take lightly. Larger clips will come in handy. Regardless, the PC’s will be pressured to leave Echo. The gang just doesn’t trust ‘em, and feels uneasy that a unknown group a men have shown up… especially with a rescued girl. This may swing the Echo populace away from their favor.
I've always pictured Gallows to be surrounded by fields of hangmen's gallows. BUilt and aligned in acres, similar to the tombstone set-up of Arlington National Cemetery. The Gallows fields at Gallows the town are one of the most remarkable sites to behold in this world.
I haven't seen Westworld in a really long time, but the thought of a Android Gunman has been in my plans...
The figure above is a character of mine (I dabble in the comics field)-- and I thought that a robot version that looks just like this would be cool. It could have come off of the same ship that the Moreaus came from.
Here's an interesting twist: In Echo, The dynamic there is being borrowed from Seven Samurai and Magnificient Seven-- The townsfolk hired them to help out against the bandits... however, these seven men have taken over the town as theirs now. The Bad Seven Samurai.
John Gamble – Leader of the Gamble Boys. A small mercenary company. Think of them as a gang of killers. The not-so Magnificent Seven. Gamble, as he is commonly called is a former Soldier in the Regulars. Gamble has a moustache and a scruffy beard. He’s dark haired, and looks to be in his early to mid thirties.
Two – A former soldier in the Regulars. Friend of Gamble. He’s a fair shot with a long arm. Called Two by the other gang members for his right-hand man status with Gamble. Not too socialble. Has longish pale blonde hair, and burning pale blue eyes. His flesh is tanned from living under the sun.
George Brewster – Former cowhand, turned mercenary gun for hire. He’s a biggun’ (Tough) and his weapon of choice is a shotgun… He likes to get in close.
Jesse Bull – The Bull, as he is known by his fellow mercenaries, is a mean mo’ fu’— He likes to stab people, and carries around one big honking knife. He and Brewster are bookends of **** and vinegar.
Jerome Briggs – Brimstone Briggs as his name suggests, is from the town of Brimstone in the Known Territory. He caused some trouble in the past when he was younger. His paw were owner of Brigg’s General Supply Store.
Isaac Albaugh – Son of a preacher man, Father Albaugh. He turned from the good book and went into hunting men for gold. Signing on with the Gamble Boys has been good to him so far. He also don’t think much for God neither.
Daniel Barrett – Mad dog Dan Barrett is a known killer. There is a warrant for his immediate arrest in the city of Brimstone.
Those are just thumbnail notes on those guys, so I haven't put that much thought into them. The type of behavior they participate in, in Echo, is chaotic. The townsfolk try to give them a wide berth, almost trying to pretend that they aren't even there... that is when they aren't dodging a thrown object or being shot at.
Gamble, as the Mercenary leader definitely needs a weapns gimmick. Maybe he likes the bullwhip?
Thanks!
Gamble can rely on his own hog's leg. And his military cutlass.
I was thinking that Jerome Briggs could be a firebug. Maybe the trouble he'd been in back in brimstone was setting fire to a general store belonging to one of his father's competitors.
Basically, two (or more) big ships line up and try to get into the best position (upwind of the opponent). Once they get close enough, they release the fleets of blade-carts. And try to destroy the other ship with them, very bad for the PCs if they “just happen” to get caught in the middle of all of this.
What do you think?
Anyway, I’m stopping before this post gets any more rambling.
P.S. nice work
Very cool-- And very bad for forlorn PC's! :D
When I was Dm-ing on an active basis I used to occasionally give the players a break and have the cavalry ride to their rescue?
I forgot that I had two such characters already statted up that will fit the bill nicely-- A pair of Bounty Hunting Bros. I've got to dig for them as I rolled them up over two months ago, but now that we're in their world... I better find them and dust them off--
Ah!--
Jeb & Cliff Burrows. Jeb, the older and wiser is like Eastwood's Man With No Name. Cliff is based off of Red from Red Dead Revolver. Two bountyhunters, in Echo on a claim... Even if their help isn't needed they are a good pair to meet for the PC's.
I might have more of an update if tonights Late-Night session happens.
More planning coming up soon anyway--
The PC's who were standing outside of the cave "when last we left them" sent in their sneakiest and stealthiest. Lars. He made his move silently check, but rolled poorly for his spot... He missed the dust covered carpets with sticks underneath, and he snapped one nice and loud.
Marisole and her brothers hid and awaited to spring upon the intruding PC's. Marisole, in the middle of a bath, was in her birthday suit.
The resulting next few moments went by in a flash. Capt Jack tried to negotiate in spanish. Lars, who's second language is german, "had no idea" and opened fire towards her two brothers, blowing his last two action points with each shot. The first fell, failing an MDS. Marisole opened fire on Jack catching him in the leg.
Jesus, who is still suffering a -4 on his firearm attacks due to his lack of choosing Personal Firearms Proficiency. His shot hit. She failed her MDS. Fell into the water face first. She drowned before she bled out.
Jesus' first kill: a hot naked chick.
They rescued the hostage girl and are staying the night in the cave.
Hooray for Jesus! He's currently role-playing out his characters mixed emotions about the whole situation.
The players may try take out the Gamble Boys if they wish, but after this last gunfight, they may be thinking of not trying to get killed either. They're not "heroes" after all. Not in their own perception, at least. So they may just try to lay low.
However, since the players may all die in a straight out confrontation with the Gamble Boys... I can offer a different path. The Gamble Boys see themselves as the government of this town, so they might try to hire the PC's to run some errands for them. This presents the PC's with the decision to ally themselves with the oppressive dictatorship. What to do... What to do...
Thanks for the comment! I like the idea of wind-powered cart ships-- YOu're right about it not really fitting with THIS world, BUT I think it would be perfect for my Mad Max/Waterworld/Roman Empire world.
Very cool-- And very bad for forlorn PC's! :D
Haven't posted in a while. I'm glad you like my idea. Tell me how it turns out if you use them.
Echo (Thorp): Monstrous (formerly Conventional); AL NG; 40 gp limit; Population 78 (23 children); Mixed (White 25%, Hispanic 50%, Mixed 25%)
-----------------------------------------------
Gathering Information
DC --- Result
5 --- Blah blah blah
7 --- blha blha blha
-----------------------------------------------
~ NOTABLE NPCS ~
______________________________TOWN OFFICIALS
John Gamble (Smart Ordinary 1/Strong Ordinary 2/Charismatic Ordinary 2/Dedicated Ordinary 1): CR 6; Medium-size humanoid; HD 1d6+3 plus 2d8+6 plus 2d6+6 plus 1d6+3 plus 3; HP 45; Mas 16; Init +1; Spd 30 ft; Defense 16, touch 15, flatfooted 15 (+0 size, +1 Dex, +4 class, +1 equipment); BAB +3; Grap +6; Atk +6 melee (1d6+3, weapon), or +4 ranged (1d6+0, weapon); FS 5 ft by 5 ft; Reach 5 ft; SQ ; AL NE, self, his \"Boys\", money; SV Fort +8, Ref +3, Will +3; AP 3; Rep +4; Str 16, Dex 13, Con 16, Int 14, Wis 13, Cha 16.
Occupation: Military (Knowledge [Tactics], Survival)
Skills: Bluff +9, Climb +7, Craft (structural) +7, Demolitions +8, Diplomacy +9, Disable Device +8, Jump +7, Knowledge (Arcane Lore) +9, Knowledge (Business) +4, Knowledge (Streetwise) +6, Knowledge (Tactics) +9, Listen +7, Navigate +6, Profession +5, Repair +6, Search +6, Spot +6, Survival +8
Feats: Alertness, Brawl, Cautious, Personal Firearms Proficiency, Simple Weapons Proficiency, Toughness
Possessions: Leather Coat, weapon, weapon; Wealth +6, Dictator of Echo. Mercenary and leader of the Gamble Boys.
Sigismundo Sanchezos (Charismatic Ordinary 2/Smart Ordinary 1): CR 3; Medium-size humanoid; HD 2d6+4 plus 1d6+2; HP 17; Mas 15; Init +0; Spd 30 ft; Defense 11, touch 11, flatfooted 11 (+0 size, +0 Dex, +1 class); BAB +1; Grap +1; Atk +1 melee (1d4+0/19-20, Knife), or +1 ranged (+0/, ); FS 5 ft by 5 ft; Reach 5 ft; SQ ; AL Self, Gamble, uh... Echo?; SV Fort +4, Ref +2, Will +0; AP 1; Rep +3; Str 10, Dex 11, Con 15, Int 12, Wis 8, Cha 13.
Occupation: White Collar (Diplomacy, Knowledge [Civics])
Skills: Bluff +6, Craft (writing) +5, Decipher Script +4, Demolitions +3, Diplomacy +9, Disable Device +5, Forgery +3, Gather Information +7, Intimidate +5, Investigate +3, Knowledge (Business) +5, Knowledge (Civics) +7, Knowledge (Current Events) +6, Knowledge (Theology and Philosophy) +3, Navigate +3, Perform +3, Profession +5, Sense Motive +1
Feats: Attentive, Cautious, Simple Weapons Proficiency, Trustworthy
Talents (Charismatic Ordinary):
Talents (Smart Ordinary):
Possessions: Knife, ; Wealth +8
Mayor of Echo. Figurehead and puppet to the Gamble Boys.
Roy Lemmer (NE male human strong1/cha1 ordinary), former Sheriff of Echo. Deceased. Murdered by John Gamble and his Boys. Buried in the Echo Cemetary.
__________________________RELIGIOUS LEADERS
Padre Jorge (NE male human strong1/cha1 ordinary), Pastor of Echo’s church. Deceased. Killed by Marisole Delgado’s crew of dusters. Buried in the Echo cemetery near his church.
________________________________TOWN’S FOLK
Ezekial Pine (male human smt1/ded1 ordinary), The town chemist, mortician, and sometimes doctor.
Sparks (NE male human strong1/cha1 ordinary), Pastor of Echo’s church. Deceased. Killed by Marisole Delgado’s crew of dusters. Buried in the Echo cemetery near his church.
Jackal Black (NE male human strong1/tough1 ordinary), Mad dog Malenudo is a known killer. There is a warrant for his immediate arrest in the city of Brimstone.
Sue-Bess Black (NE male human charismatic1/dedicated1 ordinary), Mad dog Malenudo is a known killer. There is a warrant for his immediate arrest in the city of Brimstone.
Mary-Anna Black (NE male human dedicated1/fast1 ordinary), rescued from the clutches of Marisole Delgado's family of bandits, she is town in the company of the PC's and seems to be crushing heavily on Lars Stevenson. She was saught after by Gamble, himself.
Senora Rosa Malechez (NE male human Dedicated1/Smart1 ordinary), Mother of dead bandit Ramone Malechez. She makes the jeans and sells them at the General Store.
NPC (NE male human strong1/cha1 ordinary), Filler information. Filler information. Filler information. Filler information.
_____________________________The GAMBLE BOYS
Dos (NE male human strong1/cha1 ordinary), A former soldier in the Regulars. Friend of Gamble. He’s a fair shot with a long arm. Called Two by the other gang members for his right-hand man status with Gamble. Not too socialble. Has longish pale blonde hair, and burning pale blue eyes. His flesh is tanned from living under the sun.
George Brewster (NE male human strong1/tough3 ordinary), Former cowhand, turned mercenary gun for hire. He’s a biggun’ (Tough) and his weapon of choice is a shotgun… He likes to get in close.
Jesse Bull (NE male human strong1/cha1 ordinary), The Bull, as he is known by his fellow mercenaries, is a mean mo’ fu’— He likes to stab people, and carries around one big honking knife. He and Brewster are bookends of **** and vinegar.
Manuelo Briggs (NE male human strong2/cha2 ordinary), Brimstone Briggs as his name suggests, is from the town of Brimstone in the Known Territory. He caused some trouble in the past when he was younger. His paw were owner of Brigg’s General Supply Store.
Isaac Albaugh (NE male human strong3/bounty hunter 1 ordinary), Son of a preacher man, Padre Albaugh. He turned from the good book and went into hunting men for gold. Signing on with the Gamble Boys has been good to him so far. He also don’t think much for God neither.
Daniel Malenudo (NE male human strong3/desparado1 ordinary), Mad dog Malenudo is a known killer. There is a warrant for his immediate arrest in the city of Brimstone.
____________________________________________LIFE IN ECHO
A small spit stain of a town. There's no representation of Law in this town. It's located in an area that is surrounded by high rock walls; very loud noises such as an angry mob or gun fire create an echo... thus the town's name...
Here's more or less what I've got on my desktop Word right now. If you were to follow some of this information back, through it's development, you'd certainly see alot of changes.
There are alot of things that are placeholder bits of info. Such as Alignment abbreviations. And yes, I use alignments. At least for my NPC's.
I chose Monstrous as the type of government over it's previous status of conventional. Reason being that though Gamble and his men are not the same thing as having a town ruled by an evil dragon... you still have an nasty and deadly group of people who've taken over the town and made it theirs.
We game when all five of us can meet. Each has a full-time job, and half of them work nights, so this particular campaign has been progressing slowly. It BEGAN in this past winter! This calendar represents the game play of the past 4 months. It's sort of fun that Life caught up with the campaign. :D
This calendar has saved my butt-- With what I have here I can recall everything I need from the past 8 or 9 months of playing.
IN CAMPAIGN NEWS:
We were able to meet last night. Played from 12 midnight until about 4:30AM today. The players are STILL IN THE BANDITS CAVE. Though now it's theirs, in a fairness. Jesus Alvarez angered his companions by refusing to study the codex one night. Then he deliberately wasted more time to hold off his big reveal even another day.
They hoped that the Bermuda Codex, once translated by Jesus, using his grandfather's journal and notes, would tell them how to use it, so they can get home... It didn't. It only hinted at a greater purpose.
"So basically, your telling us that this thing is the Key to Hell itself? I say we shoot the damn thing and destroy it." - Lars Stevenson (SMT1/FST2)
I combed through my various resources to choose them, though I haven't complete THIS list. I HAVE handwritten in the last two categories on my own copies. so there.
Type of Area -- d% Chance
Desolate/wasteland -- 5% chance per hour
Frontier/wilderness -- 8% chance per hour
Verdant/civilized area -- 10% chance per hour
Heavily traveled -- 12% chance per hour
Source: D&D Sandstorm
Ashen Husk CR3 pg. 137
Ash Worm CR2 pg. 140
Chekryan CR4 pg. 142
Dire Jackal CR2 pg. 150
Dire Puma CR4 pg. 150
Dire Tortoise CR8 pg. 151
Dune Hag CR4 pg. 158
Dunewinder CR10 pg. 159
Dustblight CR3 pg. 160
Dustform Creature CR?+2 pg. 161
Forlorn Husk CR4 pg. 163
Ironthorn CR6 pg. 166
Porcupine Cactus CR1 pg. 179
Saguaro Sentinel CR9 pg. 181
Scorpion Swarm CR5 pg. 185
Camel, Dromedary CR1 pg. 192
Camel, Two-Humped CR1 pg. 193
Horned Lizard CR1/4 pg. 194
Jackal …… Small Dog Stats
Vulture CR1/3 pg. 195
Giant Ant Lion CR5 pg. 196
Giant Termite CR1/3 pg. 197
Source: D20 MODERN CORE RULES
Bat CR1/10 pg. 231
Bear CR4 pg. 231
Cat CR1/4 pg. 282
Dog CR1/3 & 1 pg. 234
Gargoyle CR4 pg. 237
Hawk CR1 pg. 239
Herd Animal CR2 pg. 239
Horse CR1 pg. 239
Monstrous Spiders CRv pg. 245
Moreau CRv pg. 247
Mummy CR4 pg. 251
Rat CR1/8 pg. 254
Raven CR1/4 pg. 255
Skeleton CR1/3 pg. 256
Snake, Tiny Viper CR1/3 pg. 258
Tiger CR4 pg. 258
Wolf CR1 pg. 265
Zombie CR1/2 pg. 268
Source: D20 MODERN URBAN ARCANA
Bat CR1/10 pg. 231
Big Cat CR2 pg. 202
Boar CR2 pg. 203
Donkey CR1/6 pg. 208
Eagle CR1 pg. 213
Lizard CR1/6 pg. 226
Dire Rat CR1/3 & 4 pg. 229
Retriever CR11 & 13 pg. 230
Roach Thrall CR2 pg. 230
Spider Swarm CR2 pg. 237
Source: D20 PAST
Ghoul, Ancient CR4 pg. 42
Source: D20 APOCALYPSE
Rad Roach CR1/2 pg. 50
Thinking Ant Swarm CR3 pg. 51
Source: D20 MENACE MANUAL
Source: SIDEWINDER: RECOILED
For those of you with the DMG, it gives a max gold limit for towns based on their size. This is to reflect a more realistic economy. You'll see that I've made a conversion to PDC Limt. This is done using the 1 gp = $20 formula to convert GP to $. Then I converted $ to PDC. And using the rules I have in Sidewinder: Recoiled, I found that the PDC of 17 was an appropriate approximate.
So there.
By the time the news boards are up Echo will be done. Descriptions given where needed. Plot hooks. Etc...
Echo (Thorp): Monstrous*(formerly Conventional); AL NG; 17 PDC limit; Population 78; Mixed (White 25%, Hispanic 50%, Mixed 25%)
* Monstrous selcted, due to the treatment and dnager the Gamble Boys present to the town.
Gathering Information
DC Result
3 Savages live out in the Wastes. They kidnap children. Kill livestock. But no one’s seen any around Echo in at least 14-15 seasons.
5 John Gamble and his boys are staying together in the Stone Toad Saloon. It’s become their clubhouse.
6 Echo’s only sheriff, Roy Lemmer, was killed two and a half weeks earlier in a shootout with Dusters. Now Gamble wears the star.
7 Jackal Black, Echo’s Post Rider, is laid up. Because of this mail is not being delivered to Dalton or back to Echo.
7 The town is in short supply of good help. Recent killings in the Duster raids haven’t helped this ratio.
8 The Gamble Boys are Muy tough Hombres. If you plan to tangle with them, you’d better know what yer getting involved in.
9 There are weird markings carved along the bases of the stone “teeth” or “Daggers” around echo. They were probably made by the savages. (Jesus, the linguist PC, will hopefully succeed in discovering the meaning on the passage and will discover the real history of the Echo Daggers.)
10 Gamble seemed to have a thing for Mary Black. However, she spurned him and he turned a blind eye to her plight when Marisole Delgado’s duster’s kidnapped her for ransom. He outright refused to do anything about it.
There were at least two duster gangs that had been attacking Echo’s supply chain. The Delgado’s and another unknown group.
12 Mayor Sigismundo Sanchezos is not at home. In fact, no one has seen the mayor in days. Most people have been told by any one of the Gamble Boys that the mayor had urgent business to attend to out in the hills...
15 The Mayor got a visit from Gamble’s right-hand man, Dos, the night before the mayor disappeared. He is assumed dead.
20 Gamble and Dos are AWOL soldiers from Fort Matheson. There’s probably bounty on their heads.
TOWN OFFICIALS
John Gamble (Smart Ordinary 1/Strong Ordinary 2/Charismatic Ordinary 2/Dedicated Ordinary 1): CR 6; Medium-size humanoid; HD 1d6+3 plus 2d8+6 plus 2d6+6 plus 1d6+3 plus 3; HP 45; Mas 16; Init +1; Spd 30 ft; Defense 16, touch 15, flatfooted 15 (+0 size, +1 Dex, +4 class, +1 equipment); BAB +3; Grap +6; Atk +6 melee (1d6+3, weapon), or +4 ranged (1d6+0, weapon); FS 5 ft by 5 ft; Reach 5 ft; SQ ; AL NE, self, his \"Boys\", money; SV Fort +8, Ref +3, Will +3; AP 3; Rep +4; Str 16, Dex 13, Con 16, Int 14, Wis 13, Cha 16.
Occupation: Military (Knowledge [Tactics], Survival)
Skills: Bluff +9, Climb +7, Craft (structural) +7, Demolitions +8, Diplomacy +9, Disable Device +8, Jump +7, Knowledge (Arcane Lore) +9, Knowledge (Business) +4, Knowledge (Streetwise) +6, Knowledge (Tactics) +9, Listen +7, Navigate +6, Profession +5, Repair +6, Search +6, Spot +6, Survival +8
Feats: Alertness, Brawl, Cautious, Personal Firearms Proficiency, Simple Weapons Proficiency, Toughness
Possessions: Leather Coat, weapon, weapon; Wealth +6,
Dictator of Echo. Mercenary and leader of the Gamble Boys. Former infantry soldier. Both he and Dos originally hail from Fort Mathesson. The idea to just take over Echo came shortly after he and his boys arrived. He and Dos started to hatch the plan that would take out the good sheriff, and place him as the “new” sheriff.
Sigismundo Sanchezos (Charismatic Ordinary 2/Smart Ordinary 1): CR 3; Medium-size humanoid; HD 2d6+4 plus 1d6+2; HP 17; Mas 15; Init +0; Spd 30 ft; Defense 11, touch 11, flatfooted 11 (+0 size, +0 Dex, +1 class); BAB +1; Grap +1; Atk +1 melee (1d4+0/19-20, Knife), or +1 ranged (+0/, ); FS 5 ft by 5 ft; Reach 5 ft; SQ ; AL Self, Gamble, uh... Echo?; SV Fort +4, Ref +2, Will +0; AP 1; Rep +3; Str 10, Dex 11, Con 15, Int 12, Wis 8, Cha 13.
Occupation: White Collar (Diplomacy, Knowledge [Civics])
Skills: Bluff +6, Craft (writing) +5, Decipher Script +4, Demolitions +3, Diplomacy +9, Disable Device +5, Forgery +3, Gather Information +7, Intimidate +5, Investigate +3, Knowledge (Business) +5, Knowledge (Civics) +7, Knowledge (Current Events) +6, Knowledge (Theology and Philosophy) +3, Navigate +3, Perform +3, Profession +5, Sense Motive +1
Feats: Attentive, Cautious, Simple Weapons Proficiency, Trustworthy
Talents (Charismatic Ordinary):
Talents (Smart Ordinary):
Possessions: Knife, ; Wealth +8
Mayor of Echo. Figurehead and puppet to the Gamble Boys.
Roy Lemmer (Deceased). Former Sheriff of Echo. Deceased. Murdered by John Gamble and his Boys. Buried in the Echo Cemetary.
RELIGIOUS LEADERS
Padre Jorge (Deceased)), Pastor of Echo’s church. Deceased. Killed by Marisole Delgado’s crew of dusters. Buried in the Echo cemetery near his church.
FOLK OF ECHO
Ezekial Pine (Smart 1/Dedicated 1. Low-level lab tech in MM pg. 282), The town chemist, mortician, and sometimes doctor.
Estaban Drucker (NE male human strong1/cha1 ordinary), proprietor of the town’s only General Store and Post Office.
Jackal Black (NE male human strong1/tough1 ordinary),
Sue-Bess Black (NE male human charismatic1/dedicated1 ordinary),
Mary Black (NE male human dedicated1/fast1 ordinary), rescued from the clutches of Marisole Delgado's family of bandits, she is town in the company of the PC's and seems to be crushing heavily on Lars Stevenson. She was saught after by Gamble, himself.
Ramone Malechez (Deceased), Marisole Delgado’s estupido boy toy. He got himself killed, and the PC’s found his husk of a corpse. Hurray!
Senora Rosa Malechez (NE male human Dedicated1/Smart1 ordinary), Mother of dead bandit Ramone Malechez. She makes the jeans and sells them at the General Store.
The GAMBLE BOYS
Dos (Dos (Smart Ordinary 1/Dedicated Ordinary 2/Fast Ordinary 1/Strong Ordinary 1): CR 4; Medium-size humanoid; HD 1d6+1 plus 2d6+2 plus 1d8+1 plus 1d8+1; HP 26; Mas 13; Init +6; Spd 30 ft; Defense 18, touch 18, flatfooted 16 (+0 size, +2 Dex, +6 class); BAB +2; Grap +4; Atk +4 melee (1d4+2/19-20, knife), or +4 ranged (1d2+0, whip); FS 5 ft by 5 ft; Reach 5 ft; SQ ; AL Gamble, Self, The Boys; SV Fort +4, Ref +3, Will +4; AP 2; Rep +2; Str 14, Dex 15, Con 13, Int 12, Wis 12, Cha 13.
Occupation: Military (Hide, Move Silently)
Skills: Climb +3, Craft (structural) +6, Demolitions +5, Disable Device +5, Escape Artist +4, Handle Animal +3, Hide +10, Intimidate +3, Knowledge (Streetwise) +5, Knowledge (Tactics) +6, Listen +5, Move Silently +8, Navigate +5, Repair +5, Ride +4, Search +5, Sense Motive +2
Feats: Combat Martial Arts, Far Shot, Improved Initiative, Personal Firearms Proficiency, Simple Weapons Proficiency
Talents (Smart Ordinary):
Talents (Dedicated Ordinary):
Talents (Fast Ordinary):
Talents (Strong Ordinary):
Possessions: knife, whip; Wealth +6
), A former soldier in the Regulars. Friend of Gamble. He’s a fair shot with a long arm. Called Dos by the other gang members for his right-hand man status with Gamble. Not too sociable. Has longish pale blonde hair, and burning pale blue eyes. His flesh is tanned from living under the sun.
George Brewster (George Brewster (Tough Ordinary 4/Strong Ordinary 1): CR 4; Medium-size humanoid; HD 4d10+8 plus 1d8+2; HP 37; Mas 15; Init +2; Spd 30 ft; Defense 16, touch 16, flatfooted 14 (+0 size, +2 Dex, +4 class); BAB +4; Grap +5; Atk +5 melee (1d6+1, club), or +6 ranged (2d8+0, 12 gauge double barrel shotgun); FS 5 ft by 5 ft; Reach 5 ft; SQ ; AL Gamble, Dos, The Boys; SV Fort +5, Ref +3, Will +1; AP 2; Rep +1; Str 13, Dex 14, Con 15, Int 12, Wis 10, Cha 8.
Occupation: Rural (Handle Animal, Survival)
Skills: Climb +9, Craft (structural) +5, Intimidate +3, Ride +7, Spot +6, Survival +6
Feats: Endurance, Personal Firearms Proficiency, Point Blank Shot, Simple Weapons Proficiency, Track
Talents (Tough Ordinary):
Talents (Strong Ordinary):
Possessions: club, 12 gauge double barrel shotgun; Wealth +6), Former cowhand, turned mercenary gun for hire. He’s a biggun’ (Tough) and his weapon of choice is a shotgun… He likes to get in close.
Jesse Bull (The Bull (Strong Ordinary 2/Tough Ordinary 2): CR 3; Medium-size humanoid; HD 2d8+2 plus 2d10+2; HP 24; Mas 13; Init +2; Spd 30 ft; Defense 16, touch 16, flatfooted 14 (+0 size, +2 Dex, +4 class); BAB +3; Grap +5; Atk +5 melee (1d6 S+2, hatchet), or +5 ranged (2d6+0, peacemaker); FS 5 ft by 5 ft; Reach 5 ft; SQ ; AL Gamble, Self, The Boys; SV Fort +5, Ref +2, Will +0; AP 2; Rep +0; Str 15, Dex 14, Con 13, Int 12, Wis 10, Cha 8.
Occupation: Criminal (Move Silently, Sleight of Hand)
Skills: Climb +7, Intimidate +3, Jump +7, Move Silently +7, Sleight of Hand +7, Spot +4
Feats: Cleave, Dodge, Personal Firearms Proficiency, Power Attack, Simple Weapons Proficiency
Talents (Strong Ordinary):
Talents (Tough Ordinary):
Possessions: hatchet, peacemaker; Wealth +6), The Bull, as he is known by his fellow mercenaries, is a mean mo’ fu’— He likes to stab people, and carries around one big honking knife. He and Brewster are bookends of **** and vinegar.
Manuelo Briggs (Manuelo Briggs (Smart Ordinary 2/Fast Ordinary 2/Charismatic Ordinary 1): CR 5; Medium-size humanoid; HD 2d6+2 plus 2d8+2 plus 1d6+1; HP 25; Mas 13; Init +1; Spd 30 ft; Defense 16, touch 16, flatfooted 15 (+0 size, +1 Dex, +5 class); BAB +2; Grap +3; Atk +3 melee (1d4+1/19-20, knife), or +3 ranged (2d6+0, peacemaker); FS 5 ft by 5 ft; Reach 5 ft; SQ ; AL Self, Gamble, The Boys; SV Fort +2, Ref +4, Will +2; AP 2; Rep +3; Str 12, Dex 13, Con 13, Int 14, Wis 10, Cha 12.
Occupation: Blue Collar (Handle Animal, Intimidate, Repair)
Skills: Balance +2, Bluff +6, Demolitions +7, Disable Device +7, Disguise +6, Escape Artist +2, Handle Animal +9, Hide +6, Intimidate +9, Investigate +7, Knowledge (Business) +7, Knowledge (Current Events) +7, Knowledge (Streetwise) +7, Listen +2, Move Silently +4, Navigate +7, Repair +8, Search +7, Spot +2
Feats: Alertness, Combat Martial Arts, Personal Firearms Proficiency, Simple Weapons Proficiency
Talents (Smart Ordinary):
Talents (Fast Ordinary):
Talents (Charismatic Ordinary):
Possessions: knife, peacemaker; Wealth +7), Brimstone Briggs as his name suggests, is from the town of Brimstone in the Known Territory. He caused some trouble in the past when he was younger. His paw were owner of Brigg’s General Supply Store.
Isaac Albaugh (Isaac Albaugh (Dedicated Ordinary 3, Bounty Hunter 2): CR 4; Medium-size humanoid; HD 3d6+3; HP 14+2d8; Mas 13; Init +1; Spd 30 ft; Defense 14, touch 14, flatfooted 13 (+0 size, +1 Dex, +2 class); BAB +2; Grap +2; Atk +2 melee (1d6+0, weapon), or +3 ranged (1d6+0, weapon); FS 5 ft by 5 ft; Reach 5 ft; SQ ; AL Self, Gamble, the Boys; SV Fort +5, Ref +4, Will +6; AP 1; Rep +2; Str 10, Dex 12, Con 13, Int 12, Wis 15, Cha 12.
Occupation: Religious (Knowledge [Theology and Philosophy], Listen, Sense Motive)
Skills: Gamble +7, Gather Information +4, Handle Animal +3, Knowledge (Theology and Philosophy) +7, Listen +8, Ride +3, Sense Motive +7, Survival +8, Treat Injury +7
Feats: Animal Affinity, Personal Firearms Proficiency, Simple Weapons Proficiency, Track
Talents (Dedicated Ordinary):
Nowhere to run pg. 166
Hogtying pg. 166
Possessions: weapon, weapon; Wealth +7), Son of a preacher man, Padre Albaugh. He turned from the good book and went into hunting men for gold. Signing on with the Gamble Boys has been good to him so far. He also don’t think much for God neither.
Skill points: 6
Daniel Malenudo (Daniel "Mad Dog" Malenudo (Strong Ordinary 2/Fast Ordinary 2): CR 3; Medium-size humanoid; HD 2d8+2 plus 2d8+2 plus 3; HP 25; Mas 13; Init +2; Spd 30 ft; Defense 18, touch 18, flatfooted 16 (+0 size, +2 Dex, +6 class); BAB +3; Grap +5; Atk +5 melee (+2/, ), or +5 ranged (+0/, ); FS 5 ft by 5 ft; Reach 5 ft; SQ ; AL Gamble, Self, Money; SV Fort +3, Ref +4, Will +0; AP 2; Rep +0; Str 15, Dex 14, Con 13, Int 12, Wis 10, Cha 8.
Occupation: Rural (Handle Animal, Survival)
Skills: Climb +6, Craft (structural) +4, Escape Artist +5, Handle Animal +3, Hide +5, Jump +6, Knowledge (Streetwise) +3, Move Silently +5, Repair +3, Survival +2, Tumble +5
Feats: Brawl, Personal Firearms Proficiency, Simple Weapons Proficiency, Toughness
Talents (Strong Ordinary):
Talents (Fast Ordinary):
Possessions: , ; Wealth +6)
Mad dog Malenudo is a known killer. There is a warrant for his immediate arrest in the city of Brimstone.
There are some empty Residences in echo, mainly do to some of the recent killings between Duster gangs and the townsfolk.
EXPLORING ECHO
1. Residence
No description given.
2. Residence
No description given.
3. Residence
No description given.
4. Stone Toad Saloon
Marco Spinner, the bartender, is also the owner of the saloon and a coward. He’s behind the bar when the characters arrive.
A character making a spot check (DC 15) notices that a maid has come up to the bartender and is …
(The Map of The Stone Toad Saloon is an obvious scan of the Saloon in d20 Past. I didn't draw it. This is my personal campaign for my home group, not one I'm trying to publish for money. )
5. Saloon Stable & Corral
No description given.
6. Sheriff’s Office & Jail
This sturdy building is two stories in height. The first built of carved stone blocks, the second floor built of adobe mud brick. Bars are on the windows around back. The windows in front have worn wooden slatted shutters. At the moment they are closed. There is a thick wooden door, on it is hand painted sign that simple reads: Sheriff’s Office.
The second floor, the residence of the former sheriff is accessed by a flight of wooden stairs leading up the side of the Jailhouse to where the second floor was installed. A simple wooden door leads into a one room “efficiency” containing a single bed covered in a hand made quilt. Various personal affects. A chest of drawers. A small table. Two wooden chairs. Place settings. A pipe comes up from the floor from the jail below to vent the smoke, and to warm the second floor with the same cast-iron stove downstairs. A rocking chair sits outside on a balcony styled porch. On the chair a handcrafted wooden pipe lays. It is in need of tapping out.
7. Farrier & Stagecoach Office
Acting as the local stagecoach office, horse trader, and farrier (blacksmith), Webson Drake does a lively business.
8. Church of Echo
It is currently vacant. The Padre is dead. Buried behind his church. Folk stil come and sit in the pews to pray for mercy.
9. Residence
No description given.
10. Residence
No description given.
11. Black Residence
Mary Black’s home. She lives here with her ma, pa, and her little hermana. Currently her father is bedridden. Attempting to recover from injuries sustained from going toe-to-toe with one of the Boys.
12. Residence
No description given.
13. Residence
No description given.
14. Residence
No description given.
15. Mayor’s Residence
Mayor Sigismundo Sanchezos is not at home. In fact, no one has seen the mayor in days. Most people have been told by any one of the Gamble Boys that ”the mayor had urgent business to attend to out in the hills...
16. Town Hall/ Assayer’s Office
The building is only open from 9AM until 5PM (except for an hour at noon for chow). .
17. Residence
No description given.
18. Dentist
An incompetent and alcoholic dentist, Esteban Wyatt can be found during his office hours, not in his Dentist storefront, but in the Stone Toad Saloon working on his favorite pastime.
19. Mortician
Ezekial “Zeke” Pine, The town chemist, mortician, and sometimes doctor. Goes by Zeke.
20. Doctors Office (Closed)
21. Vacant Storefront
22. Drucker’s General Store & Post Office
23. Residence
No description given
24. Residence
No description given
25. Residence
No description given
I just added the resulting information for Gather Information checks. I decided to range the information a bit across the scale instead of just assigning a 5 to a bunch of things.Coming up with this information wasn't that easy for me, for some reason. But then I approached it as if a person was asking information of people of various ages and standings.
A DC 5 represented common information that even children would know or have heard of.
DC 10 is common to the Man on the Street.
DC 15 is what you may hear from an insider.
DC 20 Very few people are chosen to know this information.
We couldn't get together this week again. The guy who plays Jesus Alvarez keeps screwing with our ability to meet up. And he never returns calls until the day of a hopeful gaming day... then he doesn't even call me back. He calls another player...
*sigh*
I'm about to put his character into an unexplained and unatural coma, brought about by the Artifact. The other players will be able to play, but will literally have to make up for the slack of a sleeping Jesus. But at least I a have a reason for the coma: I will hand the player a page that has a dream sequence he experienced that will give more clues... so there. I just may have to do this.
So... How's everyone doing these days?
Savage Species? Is this a book I should check out?
I like the idea of an angry ****** off feral grizzly. However, all PC's are now on horseback... so I may have to attempt an ambush by the bear, or work the bear into one of the Echo plots.
I'm working on a real bad***** world map. I'll post it when I'm ready with it.
My players are thinking about trapping the Gamble Boys in the Saloon, and then blowing it up.
As a GM, what do I need to consider pro and con to run this scenario they've cooked up. I believe that they are going to try getting their hands on some black powder.
Any thoughts?
Technology Level is up to 1870's.
Also, I think the gravedigger is going to make the discovery of a subterranean passage, uncovering an ancient culture, now long gone. The inhabitants of Echo will want to cover it back up, being fearful of things deep below the crust of the dust (like enormous bugs).
I'm gonna need to draw up a dungeon, and figure out what it's purpose is. I'm open for options on the latter! Think Sumerian.
So...
I've been mulling over your ideas for a bit since you posted them. I like the waterway... but as this world is in it's fading breath of life (it just doesn't know it yet), I think the waterway should be mostly dried up. Maybe if the characters follow it one way it will slope upwards and emerge. A stream going down into a cave's maw.
I'm still trying to come up with the purpose of the dungeon as it fit with this long-dead culture (The Before-People). A race of beings subserviant to a living breathing diety that used this land as it's playground... then abandonded it. IN FACT, maybe the jerk diety was the one that set up the "curse" that is eating the land like a cancer. The Purpose of my players for being in this world is to learn about this evil diety through what remains of his people's tombs temples and lost cities.
... So an underground prison and sacrificial temple to the evil diety. These acts were committed on this same spot that Echo nows stands... once an unholy grounds for all sorts of cultish woe for the Fallen God.
[ SIDENOTE: This alien/god got nabbed by some holy faction of alien/gods, and was banished/trapped somewhere for his evil doings. Locked away outside of time and space. ]
So long story short-- when designing this thing, It can be ghoulish as hell. Which of course means I can have some fun.
Educate the players while freaking them out. Would anyone know what the shadow creatures from ICO would stat up as? Hmm... I should Google this up...
A living breathing deity ... used [the Badlands] as its playground... then abandonded it. IN FACT, maybe the jerk deity was the one that set up the "curse" that is eating the land like a cancer. ... This alien/god got nabbed by some holy faction of alien/gods, and was banished/trapped somewhere for his evil doings. Locked away outside of time and space.
Really good high-level stuff here. Hints of an entire pantheon of gods/aliens/transdimensional entities. The Fallen God is a tried-and-true plot device (Lucifer, Tolkien's Melkor/Morgoth, etc).
o Did Jerk Blockhead Deity create any other worlds? What has happened to them? What generally happens to a world when its creator-god abandons it or disappears?
o What other gods are there? Is there an uber-God / All-Father?
o Would a particular god habitually create similarly styled worlds?
o Do the gods enforce certain rules for world creation and maintenance?
o Have worlds been created that are totally unfeasible (laws of physics do not apply, 2 dimensional, consist entirely of dog poop, whatever), "test worlds" (big white room like the Matrix loading area), or incomplete worlds?
o What kinds of agents would different gods employ to interact with their creations? (Messiah, burning bush, Kwisatz Haderach, Dragon Reborn, etc)
But the deities in this game have created these side worlds as a "development world" of sorts-- the PC's get to travel through em on their quest.
I just picked up d20 Dark*Matter today, and I'm thinking using alot of the alien/god stuff from there-- in addition to my other research on the intarweb (http://www.crystalinks.com/directory2.html comes to mind...)--
An underground waterway with albino fish,a raft carries the players to a dock and an underground funery complex?Mosaics on walls give clues to future worlds linked to artifact?Bones of an ancient creature(couatl?) ,a ghost appears over the bones and addresses the Artifact,perhaps activating a new power?RANDOM THOUGHTS.
I also like the activation of a new power/ability.
The Artifact will grow in power throughout the duration of the campaign, gaining power and will go from resembling a Minor Artifact to a Major Artifact that will give the PC's enough Power added to their eventual high levels, enough strength to beat the Ultimate Badguy at the end of their Journey.
I'm reading up on Artifacts from the DMG so I can stat up exactly how it works and what it does... or at least use it as a guide for it's creation.
It will grant it's Bearer the ability to cast Cure Lights Wounds up to so-many times a day. Probably enough to cover all player characters once around.
I've also got to write up a "Fever Dream Sequence" for Jesus to hand to him at the start of the next session (whenever I decide I have enough Time again to run it). This dream, and whatever occurs in the Temple of Dhoom below Echo will clue the PC's in to their quest, assure them of a Way Home (eventually), and The Powers That Be. This process will grow as the PC's travel deeper into this world.
In the Temple of Dhoom... the Artifact will zap all of the players, and tie itself to each of their souls. This way it can resurrect and reincarnate them. And if Jesus get's waxed along the way... then the party can continue without his character knowledge. The Artifact will select the next Bearer.
Don't make him a real deity, do something a bit less used. But he should be spoken of as if he's a god.
The deities in this campaign are all spoken [of] as gods, but are in reality some sort of other-dimensional entity.
Right, I just used "god" because writing "god/alien/transdimensional entity" that many times would be a pain in the arse ... so I'll call them 'ghods' instead
Ghods are horribly easy to mis-use in a game context. They should never interact directly with the characters (even if the ghods aren't in-game manifestations of the GM's, it will be very difficult for the players NOT to see them as such), instead they should be used as Tolkien did, as touchstones for maintaining a unity and coherence, and possibly a purpose, to the universe(s).
So there
It is possible for underground rivers to exist under a desert,they can be charted by noticing that some deep-rooted plants are surviving without an apparent source of water.
The plot of Sahara (book and movie) held the underground river as an important link in the discovery of all sorts of plot goodness.
I'm thinking that it would be a great thing to TWEAK HEAVILY (RE: Change all Terminology to fit my badlands setting... and use it as the basis of the Moreau's religeon.)
I really need to create a few needed write-ups and post here. My problem is I've got SO MUCH DAMN STUFF IN MY HEAD that I have a hard time organizing my thoughts into some sort of coherent manner.
So there.
John Gamble – Leader of the Gamble Boys. A small mercenary company. Think of them as a gang of killers. The not-so Magnificent Seven. Gamble, as he is commonly called is a former Soldier in the Regulars. Gamble has a moustache and a scruffy beard. He’s dark haired, and looks to be in his early to mid thirties.
Two – A former soldier in the Regulars. Friend of Gamble. He’s a fair shot with a long arm. Called Two by the other gang members for his right-hand man status with Gamble. Not too socialble. Has longish pale blonde hair, and burning pale blue eyes. His flesh is tanned from living under the sun.
George Brewster – Former cowhand, turned mercenary gun for hire. He’s a biggun’ (Tough) and his weapon of choice is a shotgun… He likes to get in close.
Jesse Bull – The Bull, as he is known by his fellow mercenaries, is a mean mo’ fu’— He likes to stab people, and carries around one big honking knife. He and Brewster are bookends of **** and vinegar.
Jerome Briggs – Brimstone Briggs as his name suggests, is from the town of Brimstone in the Known Territory. He caused some trouble in the past when he was younger. His paw were owner of Brigg’s General Supply Store.
Isaac Albaugh – Son of a preacher man, Father Albaugh. He turned from the good book and went into hunting men for gold. Signing on with the Gamble Boys has been good to him so far. He also don’t think much for God neither.
Daniel Barrett – Mad dog Dan Barrett is a known killer. There is a warrant for his immediate arrest in the city of Brimstone.
Ever getting around to statting these guys up? I know you're busy.
I apologize for my poor organization skills, regarding this thread--
I statted up those characters using the NPC generator found at http://www.rpgobjects.com/index.php?page=generator
My biggest problem was and is determining my NPC CR's-- I never know if my badguys are too tough, or not enough... you know?
My INTENTION for the Gamble Boys was to create a group of people who would likely crush the players in a straight up fight-- I've had NPCs tell the players that these guys are TOUGH... and thankfully my players (Four lvl 3's)picked up on that. Their current plans are to trap them all inside the Stone Toad Saloon and blow the place up with barrels and barrels of black powder-- If they have trouble with this, then they might try the time-honored "Divide and conquer" option.
Even though I'm supposed to be studying... I CAN'T HELP but think about this campaign... Heh heh...
Psi, you posted a comment back when we were trying first forum change-over... about the Stable area being located in the same part of the cave as the Fresh Water Spring...
Yeah, I dunno what I was thinking. Dumb place to put it considering the "clean" issues. I have a tendency to miss some REALLY OBVIOUS things sometimes... It's my bane as a GM! lol
The end result would be the utter and complete destruction of the angry idol boss thing... as well as the temple structure-- The destruction of the idol creates some sort of crazy implosion of the evil energy... imagine a bubble of evil popping-- The town of Echo is built, essentially, on the temples roof.
Say goodbye to Echo.
Town in need of saving from selfish mercenaries? Not anymore.
*Ka-blammo*
Bits and peices of this feel a lot like Trigun.
Yeah.... Trigun is pretty Awesome. unrealdave had tried for the longest time to get me to check it out, and when I finally did; I didn't regret it. Amazing series.
And on that note, in the development of this world Trigun has come up alot in discussion. I love to take elements of various things and cram them all together-- I borrow alot. :D
Was there anything in particular about Trigun that you would like to see explored and spun into this campaign?
I have been trying to come up with an LOGANS RUN style arcology for a fantasy world I'm designing...
How's that working out for you, BTW?
This long forgotten location is thick with dust. Perhaps dustform creatures pop-up here, like the shadowy enemies in the videogame Ico. The dust-shadows should follow the players into a space they could get an advantage… unfortunately for the dust-shadows, they are meant to suck. I rule that bludgeoning is sufficient to disperse the creatures, as in Ico. This way, I can throw a bunch at my players to initially freak them out, but give them a clear edge that it wouldn’t deter them from further… deeper exploration.
Walls are carved with intricate patterns, designs, frescos, and statues. Depicting the bloodlust of the evil god. Depicting scenes of the badlands ancient civilization. Very Shadow of the Colossus-esque in style. Players ideally will glean a lot of legendary info that will serve them well as the campaign continues to unfold.
The temple structure is entirely underground, directly below Echo, as it turns out. At one time the temple had one or more doorways leading into its structure, now all long sealed and forgotten. The well of Echo is the only opening to the temple below, though no one even realizes this. The well leads down to a ceremonial sacrificial chamber in which the pool of water was prominent.
During the time of its operation, the Temple Beneath the Teeth housed members, priests, and prisoners or the Cult of the Evil God. The priest sect lived in a private area adjoining the temple areas. The servants and soldiers lived away from the priests, but close to the prisoners of the evil god cells. There are still A LOT of things I’m trying to work out. Roughing out various sections and taking ideas from ancient temple structures.
Prisoners by the scores were executed in sacrifice to the Evil God at this spot. Spirits of all who died here are still tied to the stone, doomed to roam the halls like a supernatural breeze.
The players may need a Nudge by the Artifact that Jesus Alvarez carries. It wants them to see this place. To learn its secrets. To face off against Evil?
Dunno.
That’s what’s on my plate these days…
These would then be brought to the unholy temple beneath the teeth to spend their remaining days in darkness, torture, and finally death by beheading. The blood would collect in carved channels that would take it to a trough that would run down into a very deep pool of water containing a large carved statue of the Fallen One. The severed heads would roll down the sloped funnel like edge and into the pool--
--which is of course Echo's current water supply. Even though it was a century or two earlier... that's still gross. :P
...My thoughts on the artifact in your game is that it is a guide to transmogrify the holder into a higher being? If knowledge is power and the artifact is guiding the players to self-knowledge,is it acting like the philosopher's stone of alchemy, and transforming the players from lead(ordinary beings) to gold (outsider template?). Every quest transforms the pilgrim, the grail may be metaphysical?
That's actually not too far from the truth of what I might try to acheive in this game.
Have you ever seen the flick "Thirteenth Floor"? If you haven't, check it out-- Part of this oncoming ramble was partly inspired by that movie. If you've seen it, you'll understand for sure.
I'll try to sum up the overall scheme of things of what I'm trying to achieve.
Rambling commence:
World 1. This is the world the PC's were born, raised, and began their adventuring in. This is the world that you and I live in, theoretically. This is where the Artifact was placed by the gods. this world exists, because the gods created it... it is the most complex video game ever invented. It was created to run simulations in. Eventually, the gods entered this space through the use of an avatar (A Video Game Character). They used this world to do experiments and to play god by tampering in the genetic material of some of the indigenous species. Humans were created, and the different gods created them after their own image. Each god had his or her group of people, and the races were created in this fashion. Each god was responsible to teach his followers how to survive and to communicate with each other. Periodically, these cultivated and bred like dogs to acheive the positive traits the gods required. Now because this world is a video game, and the gods master hackers or whatever, they were able to apear in any form... explaining many fantastic descriptions of the gods appearing as beasts or dragons. This was done primarily for control sake. A god with a strange appearance was more intimidating, and therefore gained greater control over its flock. Eventually the gods took off, and the humans were left to develop on their own for the most part.
World A, B, C, D... These other worlds exist mainly as test worlds. Gods set these side projects up to run their own simulations. The Badlands aka World A, belonged to a criminal god. His people worshiped him. But died out when he didn't bother to log on for too long. He stole some people from the American Southwest, and dropped them into the world, and has enjoyed watching them suffer in the crappy ecology... Then he got imprisoned by righteous other gods. The Moreaus came through on a Philadelphia Experiment style accident. The humans whose science ship broke into this dimension contained the moreaus. All were stranded. The humans who survived died out with their last survivor. The moreaus are able to procreate and have lived here for a few generations now. Longer than the current human TexMex residents. This world now exists to introduce the PC's to the personality of this Fallen God. He's a Big Evil Twisted Meanie, and even now... he has forces moving to try to locate the Artifact so they can use it to free their boss.
The Real World. This is the world the gods come from. It might be alot like ours, except more real? The scientists who developed thje Galaxy Simulation Program access the "game" by wearing some sort of headset that transfers their concience into the avatar body on the simulation world "Earth".
I was thinking that the players can get to the point where they leave the simulation worlds, and enter the Real World by jumping into the body of someone who is hooked up to the sim. The PC would wake up in the drivers seat in this new body, thus putting them in the final world they need to do stuff in in order to save the day.
Crazy crazy stuff. But possibly pretty cool if I can pull it off--
An underground waterway with albino fish, a raft carries the players to a dock and an underground funery complex? Mosaics on walls give clues to future worlds linked to artifact? Bones of an ancient creature(couatl?), a ghost appears over the bones and addresses the Artifact, perhaps activating a new power? RANDOM THOUGHTS.
The "well" sacrificial pool, I think, will be fed by an underground waterway with albino fish, and maybe crabs. The more I ponder the temple, the more I think I'd like to incorporate it.
Medieval Players Manual published by Green Ronin, has some interesting stuff inside. Rules for writing books (intended for writing Medieval Texts, really... but easily convertable.), amongst other things. But one of these things covered are Relics. Relics just aren't "really old things"-- but are the remains of a saint. Like a finger or a femur. Secondary relics are the personal tools or property of a saint.
Anyway... while reading through this, this morning I got the idea to incorporate a Relic Laden world-- Maybe I can pull this off in this world, since the TexMex folk are pretty pious.
I had the image of a market bazaar filled with colorful booths manned by colorful merchants. Each booth is FULL of crazy and strange relics. A PC could easily buy these. And in some cases the Relic could give the PC's a modifier in certain situations.
Rows of dried toes, each wearing a slim gold ban engraved with the saint's name. Hanging from a leather strap.
I haven't run a session in a while due to work, so my players have had time to talk about the game, and one of them joked about killing everyone in town "just to screw with" me.
That's funny. In a way, we share the same plans.
BUT, now it's back to the GM grind for me-- I figure I'll run next session in aprrox. two weeks. Into the Temple Beneath Echo...
...unless of course they kill everyone.
You could try a Fungle,a jungle made of fungi and strange plants like shriekers and violet fungi.Suppose the players destroy their escape route out of the labyrinth under echo,they come to a vast underground fungle where mushrooms tower 60 feet or more.The players realize that the only way out is to climb a mushroom and reach a hole in the ceiling,the hole is dripping with the sewage the fungi grow in.The hole leads to echo's sewer system and the players must break thru somebodies toilet to get back to the surface world?Things to think about include:does the mushroom break if overloaded?,does the hole have iron rungs that are slimey or rusted thru?Who's toilet do they break thru?Does this give the PC's a crappy reputation?Just some random thoughts.
I think I might save this idea for someplace else-- I actually had thoughts of incorporating concepts from the old arcade game CENTIPEDE... Thoughts of giant bugs in this world, led to running through a handful of similar scenarios in my noggin, and Centipede came to mind.
Once the PC's get into the Dry Mist, they will encounter Large or Huge shrooms that will try to eat them.
OR...
I can save the fungle for the enourmungous space ship they get on after this current Badlands dimension. Either way, I can certainly utilize something. Thanks!
Residents of Echo utilize outhouses, in keeping with the Old West feel I'm striving for. No sewer system to speak of.
In the event of the destruction of the Temple below Echo-- The PC's will have been teleported to safety, a few miles away. All they will see is a plume of dust and smoke. Once was echo is now a smoldering crater of rumble and destruction. Players looking to find survivors will find only one. James Gamble, leader of the Gamble Boys, legs crushed under a boulder.
My players will likely kill him. Well, at least Lars would. Unless he wants him to suffer. If they don't , then maybe Gamble will beg them to kill them.
Either way, he tells them that any survivors were taken away by the "savages" into the desert.
PC's may decide to treck off after them, in hopes of a rescue. I'm figuring that the moreaus will figure out they have a tail (Pun non-intentional), and set up a trap. Hopefully taking the PC's prisoner, and taking them back to their mesa-top city.
If the PC's are wily, then they will likely follow-- then fromulate a plan to get into the city.
At this point, the moreaus are completely covered in desert garments, so the PC's should not be wise to their true nature-- Hopefully I can spring that on them a little later.
The Moreau city is like Old Jerusalem & the Jewish Stronghold Masada blended together. Seen Planet of the Apes? It's like that... but with cat-people instead of primates.
So I had this image in my head of the PC's walking through an alley, and a cat comes up to Lars, and begins to rub up against his leg.
Lars' player isn't too fond of cats-- I'm almost counting on him to kick at it or something. It would be during this act that he is caught by cat people, and punished for his crime.
Buried up to his head in the community litter square. From Dawn till Dusk. Water supplied sparingly.
So I got to sink the hook a bit deeper:
The last session left off with the PC's bunking down with Mary's family-- the Artifact Bearer, Jesus, is laid up recovering from gunshot wounds. Night.
Now I had originally considered having some sort of earthquake take place in the early morning hours (caused by the Artifact's close proximity to the Temple dungeon below).
The town's grave digger is swallowed by a pit that opened below him, in the grave he was digging. He lies trapped, with a broken leg. If he was a friend of Mary's family, the players would feel obligated to a degree to assist.
Another thought I had somehow involved getting Mary to go down there, and the PC's having to go after her. A quick explanation could be that she followed after a child that wandered away, and the two become lost.
Another option; a couple of the Gamble Boys go down into the hole to investigate. The PC's decide to play "Divide and Conquer" and kill them down in the darkness in order to even up the odds.
A more direct, and less-free-willed variant would be that the Artifact gives them a nudge to go investigate-- After all it has business to attend to.
I would like to say your ideas are wonderful.
Thank you very much! I wonder sometimes if this thread is of interest to many people, and I'm glad that you checked it out!
I even developed a vice town where the PC's went in. One came out with a drug addiction and the other contracted Lycanthropy (rat) from a local prostitute it was all laughs.
I really like the idea of a vice town. Maybe the somewhat nearby trade town will fit that bill!
I might just use that idea about the artifact. Thank you again!!!!!
Take it! The Artifact works nicely for me as a plot device and as a way to keep my players in check. It's real handy--
Your welcome, and thanks back at ya!
Also, if you have any thoughts or ideas-- This thread is open for discussion!
I'm still trying to come up with the purpose of the dungeon as it fit with this long-dead culture (The Before-People). A race of beings subserviant to a living breathing diety that used this land as it's playground... then abandonded it...
... So an underground prison and sacrificial temple to the evil diety. These acts were committed on this same spot that Echo nows stands... once an unholy grounds for all sorts of cultish woe for the Fallen God.
...when designing this thing, It can be ghoulish as hell. Which of course means I can have some fun.
Educate the players while freaking them out. Would anyone know what the shadow creatures from ICO would stat up as? Hmm... I should Google this up...
OKay, here's what I've got so far. I've made up a Room List for the Before People's Dark Temple below the town. Keep in mind this is essentially a rough list of rooms for me to consider while drawing up the dungeon map. I may change stuff while the drawing is going on...
LEVEL -1
BARRACKS
Beds, blankets, sleeping pallets, personal chests, sacks of food, waterskins.
WORK CHAMBER
Anvil, fire pit, hearth, tool shelf, hammers, tongs, coal bin, grind stone
ARMORY
Weapons racks, barrels used to hold javelins, spears, pegs set into the wall to hold armor, mostly leather, swords, arrows, other stuff.
DINING CHAMBER
Dining table, chairs, utensils
GUARD ROOM
Stools, weapons rack, brazier, table chairs
LIVING CHAMBER
Fire pit with stools, bedrolls, fireplace, small cache of food and water, tapestries
MINOR TEMPLE
Alter, pews, tapestries depicting images from the diety’s myths, holy texts, candles, large holy symbol carved from stone.
STORAGE
Boxes, crates, barrels, sacks containing dried meat, vegetables, salt, mummified meat, torchesm, rope, iron spikes.
LEVEL -2
WELL
Buckets, barrels, waterskins, stairs carved into the floor descending to water level
HIGH PRIEST’S CHAMBERS
Scrolls, symbol inlaid in mosaic, workbench.
GRAND TEMPLE
Grand alter, pews, holy symbols, frescoes depicting god myths, sacrificial pit to burn offerings
ROPE BRIDGE
If I was trying to protect something, I’d stick it on the other side of a rope bridge.
TREASURE VAULT
Treasure chests, cabinets and racks
TROPHY CHAMBER
Battle standards, bones, sundered weapons and armor, taxidermied beasts.
POOL
Watersource. Cerimonial purposes.
LEVEL -3
TORTURE CHAMBER
Iron maiden, manacles set into the walls, shelves carved out of the walls containing bladed torture devices. Thumbscrews, a wooden rack.
INDIVIDUAL CELLS
Chains set in the walls, straw on floor, water and waste buckets.
SLAVE PENS
Chains set in the walls, straw on floor, water and waste buckets.
PIT
Pit traps chute into a large slave pen. PC’s trapped here can try a couple of way to get out. Rope or by screwing around with some crazy gate contraption.
CREMATORIUM
Ancient ash and charred bone fragments.
LEVEL -4
CRYPT
Stone tombs, urns of ashes, minor altar to death god, sarcophagi, mystic sigils, and holy symbols carved into walls
MINING
Tools, pits, piles of rocks and dirt. Shackles and bones.
In the jewish faith there's a temple that every male is supposed to visit at least once in his life and deposit a silver coin as a symbol of his faith.As these silver coins became more scarce as time went by money- lenders would charge a hefty price for them,a person from the sticks would be charged a years pay and this so angered jesus that he went nuts and trashed some stalls at the temple. If you have offering coins that look like the ARTIFACT and activate an oracular device what happens if the players feed the ARTIFACT into this talking statue or whatever?:lightbulb
I am very familiar with this tale (A lifetime of christian schooling...:twitch
.During the Prologue of my campaign, the PC's had to do something like this to trigger a door. They had to take pots of gems and pour them into the open mouth of a fat bellied death god while they explored the Mayan tomb of King Chaca'Poya.
I'm afraid that if I add another "eating" sort of thing, it may unintentially be concieved as some sort of theme. Though down the road this may come up. Like putting a large stone quarter into huge stone jukebox. lol!
I sat down and busted out this draft of the history of this setting world. I also came up with a REAL name to use instead of the development codename: badlands. The name of this place is the Futile Crescent. It's inspired from the old biblical lands "Fertile Crescent" as well as the rouch shape of the occupied regions.
The Before People were human. There were two major factions. The Evil Cult of Dhoom and the Cliff People. For reference, I am using the Mythic Vistas book; Testament, and treating the Cult as the Babylonians and the Cliff Peeps based on the Canaanites for culture sake.
The continent was called The Fertile Crescent (Now known as the Futile Crescent). And the Cult ruled by force and by fear. They conquered and killed in the name of their Fallen God. The cliff people built a bluff-based city, to hide and protect themselves from the Evil Cult.
The Cult of the Fallen God, using slave labor, dug and constructed the pinnacle of their Worship. The Temple beneath the Teeth (Now sometimes called “Echo’s Basement” by myself and other). This subterranean structure is five levels deep. It contains housing for slaves and slave masters, and was an active site of death and torture.
Their Fallen God granted them favor for the bounty of souls that had been reaped at the site. But then, he seemed to have gone away. The land began to decay at a more rapid pace. Finally, the priest of the Fallen God pulled it all together for one final ceremony. The Sealing of the Site with all souls entombed therein… to serve as a spiritual battery in case the Fallen God should return and need them. Maybe for resurrection… maybe for breakfast.
Two centuries pass, and the Fallen God once again stirred in the land. Having long lost interest in his now dead followers, the Fallen God now amuses himself with a group of transplants stolen from the “real” world. People from the American Wild West era. He grabs them, towns and all, and drops them into his world; the Futile Crescent.
A few generation have passed, and the people have mingled together racially and socially. They aren’t sure what has happened to them and they struggle to survive. Even now their lives are nearing their end. And they’re not alone. A civilization of Cat Moreaus shares the land with them. The moreaus arrived in a Philadelphia Experiment style accident, aboard a Top Secret Experiement lab ship, a few decades earlier. They moved into the former Cliff People's city. They've formed a strange religeously based society-- a cross between Islam and Voudon. They've as a race become particularly in tune with the land and the spirits that roam it.
The Futile Crescent is haunted. The souls of those who died often are trapped, as their soul cannot leave this dimension.
We're scheduled to play this evening when everyone gets off of work. Good thing today is my day off!
I've been busy. I woke up around 10:30AM CST today, and have been busting out the dungeon map for tonight's session--
Here's what I've gotten done so far...
It's a quickie-- but I'm pretty happy with it-- Harsh deadlines always get things done with me.
I've got two more levels to go. I will post those, when I post a completed dungeon. I plan on numbering, lettering, and coloring the finished map so it will look nice and pretty-like for this thread.
EDIT: I just spotted an error on the third sub-level map. The stair notations "DN" are incorrect, and should be read as "UP"... At least the two that lead upwards to their counter-parts on the Second sub-level.
The Artifact has made it's feelings known to Jesus, and he's responding similarly.
The shadowy spirits will attampt to grapple PC's and drag them to the ground-- at which point other will try to assult the helpless PC. They aren't meant to be deadly, per se-- but they need to make the players particularly uneasy--
At the end of Ico-- you face off against the Queen, who is also shadow based, but has significant control over her form--
If I can get stats for her-- I might tweak them to fill the role of the High Priest's Shadow-- the BBEG so to speak for The Temple of Dhoom.
After the boss battle in the Final Rest chamber... the place starts to crumble...
EDIT:
Good news! I was looking through UA and found the Ash Wraith (on page 201)-- This is easily tweakable into exactly want I want, gameplay-wise. A little switch-up on the description... end bingo.
I've listed baddies by dungeon level and placed the levels in order of descent, with Echo placed above:
Town of Echo
================
LV1 - Temple Domestics
Free of Indigenous Baddies
---------------------
LV2 - UnHoly Grande Temple
A handful of Ash Wraith variants stalk the ancient halls here
---------------------
LV3 - Prison, Torture, & Blood Sacrifice
Ash Wraith variants galore, as well as a handful of ancient zombies*
---------------------
LV4 - UnHoly Crypt, Incinerary, and Diamond and Coal mine
A stripped-down Cadaver Collector, with a smattering of Ash Wraith variants -- miniboss of sorts.
---------------------
LV5 - The Final Rest Chamber
This is the BOSS chamber-- the empowered undead spirits of the high priests that sacrificed themselves in this chamber gather up in form to stomp on the intruders as some sort of Big Mean Ash Wraith variant... OR-- the 8 skeletons laying on their altar slabs get up and attack? Dunno. Hopefully I still got time.
Cadaver Collector
* I was thinking about placing a magic dagger in the temple for the players to find that is a stripped down version of another magic dagger... Basically, if a foes is killed with this dagger, they will come back as a zombie in 1d6 rounds. The dagger wielder has no special control over them, nor immunity from their attention. The zombies are standard MM fair; non-curse spreading. It would basically be more of an annoyance, but it could be useful. I was also thinking about limiting the number of dead raised per day (1 per wielder's character level?). The zombies found are remnants of the dagger being used LOOONG ago, all that's left on these badboys is leathered sinew and tattered and cracked skin.
Why not put it with a couple of zombies instead, which of course would be impaled on the CC. Every round after the PCs are detected, they can make an escape attempt or something like that. (also making it worse when they start attacking a character who gets impaled alongside the zombies)
You're putting the scaled down CC with other stuff?!? Cripes!
Why not put it with a couple of zombies instead, which of course would be impaled on the CC. Every round after the PCs are detected, they can make an escape attempt or something like that. (also making it worse when they start attacking a character who gets impaled alongside the zombies)
Yeah, I guess that IS a bit much... but I'm thinking that I can pit it against the PC's without any friends WITH IT at the time-- But I really like the zombies Idea... so I may just go with THAT-- hah!
EDIT: Another thing I'm already planning on doing is completely redrawing the level he'd be on-- I may be able to come up with an interesting sort of terrain feature that could assist the players... i.e.- spaced rows of crypts or something-- make the battle somewhat like the Metal Gear Solid deal when you face Vulcan Raven in that icy container room...
I'm also going to strip out some of that impale damage too-- I want to challenge my PC's, but not slaughter them.
EDIT2:
Here's a concept sketch I'm using for my race of feline moreaus that the PC's may be meeting in the next few sessions.
My objective Plot-Wise is for the players to realize their role in this epic quest they've been "given". I think this is a cool way to do it.
Here's basically what they will hear/see:
As the Bearers of the Artifact, you have inherited an ancient quest. To stop the evil god from rising to power, the Artifact will illuminate your Path. It is along this Path that you will encounter Keys, that will unlock your destiny. The Artifact will assist you in any way it can, but it is not to be a crutch. You work with it, it does not work for you.
Something to that affect. They will also see/hear about the War Between the Gods, and about the Fallen God and his role. They will learn that there are a series of these "pocket dimensions" that they must visit in order to aquire additional keys.
I was thinking about placing a magic dagger in the temple for the players to find that is a stripped down version of another magic dagger... Basically, if a foes is killed with this dagger, they will come back as a zombie in 1d6 rounds. The dagger wielder has no special control over them, nor immunity from their attention. The zombies are standard MM fair; non-curse spreading. It would basically be more of an annoyance, but it could be useful. I was also thinking about limiting the number of dead raised per day (1 per wielder's character level?). The zombies found are remnants of the dagger being used LOOONG ago, all that's left on these badboys is leathered sinew and tattered and cracked skin.
I'm basing the dagger off of the Dagger of Eternal Unrest in UA (pg. 135)
Sickle of the Dread Reaping*
The curved blade of this weapon shimmers with dark colors, but it appears black in anything but the brightest light, such as sunlight. The blade has been etched in ancient Akkadian.
If successfully translated it reads: Those slain by thine hand shalt never have rest.
The handle is one piece, carved from the bone of... something. It gleams pale white, and is adorned with carved images of the Fallen God, and those subserviant to him. It's pommel contains a large black onyx gem. This gem turns a deep blood red the moment the Sickle of Dread Reaping takes the life of another. The ancient cult used this relic to perform a particularly unpleasant sacrifice.
The sickle has a +2 enchantment on it, It is also considered to be "unholy".
Three times a day, if the sickle is used in a successful kill, coup de grace or otherwise, the blade will cast 'create undead' on the victim, turning them into a zombie. The wielder of the Sickle has no special powers over the zombies, nor any sort of special protection.
Unholy:
An unholy weapon is imbued with unholy power. This power makes the weapon evil-aligned and thus bypasses the corresponding damage reduction. It deals an extra 2d6 points of damage against all of good allegiance. It bestows one negative level on any good creature attempting to wield it. The negative level remains as long as the weapon is in hand and disappears when the weapon is no longer wielded. This negative level never results in actual level loss, but it cannot be overcome in any way (including restoration spells) while the weapon is wielded.
Type: Artifact (magic); Caster Level: --; PDC: 42; Weight 3lbs
Damage: 1d6+2(x2); Range: --; Slashing.
*I'm not sure what to call the thing. Regardless, the players will likely never know it's "real" name anyway.
I might just drop the "unholy" aspect of it though-- I think that creating zombies that rise and attack the players sucks enough as is, you know? That, and even though I've required my PC's to take alignments in their allegiance, it is just a rough idea of what their character's moral stance is.
Maybe vary the undead a little?Have a "wet"zombie hide at the bottom of a pool or burst out of a barrel the players disturb?Include a ghoul from UA,they talk more than D+D ghouls and don't have a paralysis attack?How about a ghoul carrying a "chainsaw of the maniac"?,technically it's a magic item but a ghoul who says"I'm going to carve you like a turkey" and then starts up a chainsaw would be memorable?If the ghoul is far enough away from the players and takes a round to start up the chainsaw the players should be able to defeat him before he really does carve them?Random thoughts
Taradusis, I'm glad you post all of these off the wall random Ideas-- they cause me to think in different directions. Keep it up big guy!
I have some BIG plans for Zombies, ghouls and such.
My players will be travelling through a zombie-ridden world, I've codenamed: ROMERO.
The players will either appear outside of a barricaded house, surrounded by zombies, and ghouls... OR the more likely ENTER into this world will be some room INSIDE the barricaded house, so that when the survivors inside, who have been there for weeks, will have random unexpected guests appear IN THEIR BATHROOM. Those PC's are gonna have a real tough time trying to explained to a bunch of already frazzled Zombie Apoc Survivors how they just "appeared" in their pantry, or whatever. Good times.
Now that you've mentioned it, I will certainly incorporate the Chainsaw of the Maniac in this world. Too damn good to pass up, you know?
The zombies that will appear in this Temple will be only a handful of dried husks. There because of their doom due to the Sickle of the Dread Reaping-- and because I only really want them there as a warning to the destructive nature of the Temple (Cadaver) Collector.
Doom Hag- From Menace Manual
CR 6 Big Nasty Smart and Undead.
...In the old penny dreadfuls cowboys never ran out of bullets and only stopped to reload for dialog purposes, suppose you created the INFINITE HAWG-LEG, a pistol that never runs out of silver bullets or lead bullets? Imagine a gun that appears in your hands when you snap your fingers, a good way to win quick-draw contests?
Before the PC's leave this world, I was thinking about hooking them up with a magic western-style pistol. Maybe one of the guns they're currently wearing get's imbued. Nothing too boonish though-- Maybe like a +2 or something like that.
...How about a hat with a sharp,silver brim. the hat can be thrown like a chackram like the villain ODDJOB...
This is completely doable in the vision I see for this world. Maybe not to the extent of what you proposed, but who knows. I like to let thoughts pickle for a while in my brain.
And in other news...
Yesterday I sat down, scanned in the top three FINISHED floors of this dungeon, and colored them up with my Wacom.
The players have completely explored the first floor, and will most likely be heading into the depths of the temple at the start of the next session.
As of yet... they haven't encountered anything... hostile or otherwise, in this place. That's about to change.
This Is the first level. Directly above this floor, about 40' straight up is the little Wild West-esque town of Echo.
Players entered through a hole in (A.) the Minor Temple's ceiling.
Going down Stairs 1. brings you down to this floor. This is the "Holy" floor. The priests lived and worshipped on this floor. Their treasure is also kept on this level... across a VERY old rope bridge. The Soot Wraiths start to hit the PC's as they explore this place. Also, the Scythe of the Dread Reaping is found on this floor. Probably some other cool stuff, most likely. The circular chamber G. opens in the center to give a view of the sacrificial chamber below. Directly ABOVE... W A Y up is the opening to Echo's well.
SubLevel 3. Below the "holy" floor is the torture & sacrifice level. Thousands of souls perished in torment here. The Soot Wraiths are out in much larger force here. They are, after all, the very souls that died here.
Chamber F. slopes steeply down into the water. Below the waterline are the time-bleached skulls of those who were beheaded in this place. This is also the only source of water for the people of echo. Yea! Skulls and cursed water! Hurray!!
I wasn't happy with the remaining parts of the dungeon, so I have to draw them from scratch. The only room that will make the transition is the Crypt Room the PC's will face and fight the Temple Collector in. Also on that same floor-- ancient incinerator pits. And a diamond/coal mine dug by prisoners.
The only room on the final floor, the one below the crypts, will be where the BBEG will be found. I'm thinking of something that shares properties with the Soot Wraiths... but much more sentient and in control. Bigger, Meaner. Able to monologue in akkadian. You know.
HERE'S the thing. I must have been stoned or something when I was making these maps, I'm not exactly sure which scale I was going for.
SO take a look at these three, and tell me if you think I should call it at 5' squares ot 10' squares.
Thanks!
P.S. DRAW MY MAPS AND/OR PUBLISH MAP BOOKS :P
I would suggest 5ft if you are going for the creepy catacombs feel, or 10ft if you want giant ruins feel.
See what I'm getting at?
Also, the Third sub-level is the Happy Death, Torture, & Sacrifice Summer Camp of Doom level. Rooms A, B, C, D1-20, H1-21, J1-21 are all where captured Mesa People are kept as blood sacrifices to the evil cult's evil god. LARGER cells would be nice, and when the PC's get to this level... full of the signs of pain, humiliation, torture, and death... and associated with the 10' scale size-- The Horror that went on here is just that much greater... literally.
Plus the Temple Collectors have room to pick up the pieces.
E. is a tried and true ancient torture chamber, with rack, and very uncomfortable chairs.
G1-6, and I1-6 are Akkadian versions of 'Hostel' murder rooms. Blood/Pain rituals take place here. As a result the walls and floors are splattered black with ancient blood.
Heading down steps 4. will take you to the mines, the crypts (where the Temple Collector Encounter will take place, and an ancient incinerator.
Below this floor, beyond the crypts, is the chamber of The Final Rest. The 8 high priests came down here after everyone else in the temple had been killed. Each sat upon his own sacrificial alter, drew a sacrificial knife to his own chests. They each in turn gave a littel chant of some sort and plundged it into their heart. The last, the highest of the high preists, sealed the place with his final death.
When the PC's enter this chamber, they will have a few moments to check out the scene, to get an idea of what happened before the Spirit of the High Priest, empowered by the souls of his equally dead compadres comes a knocking.
I like the idea of him communicating to the PC's, but it is chaotic evil, and cannot be trusted.
I'm still not sure of the form it will take (i.e. - what creature stats the PC's will be facing). The Doom Hag is cool, but isn't particularly suited for this style of encounter. I would want to have it creeping around and screwing with PC's for awhile, using all it's sneakiness to its advantage.
The chamber is large and circular. There are evenly spaced pillars circling around the outer portion of the room. Sacrificial altars are places around the room like the positions of a clock face. The creature will manifest in the center.
Beyond that, I'm not too sure. BUT whatever happens down here the temple needs to "self-desruct" allowing the Artifact to warp the PC's to a safe distance outside and away... and so they can watch the implosion of the temple from a safe distance outside of Echo... because when the temple goes... so does the town.
Think about the movie Fallen, but the spirit needs dead bodies instead of live ones. Once the PCs dispose of the bodies in whatever method you deem appropriate, the spirit must either make it's way to a nearby corpse (such as one of the PCs who may have died during this encounter), or die if it can't reach a suitable host in ?d? rounds.
For the High Priest's spirit, we could stat-up a new type of incorporeal undead that has to use a host (non-animated corpse) to interact with the material plane. This way, it's got all the Priests in the room to hop between.
Think about the movie Fallen, but the spirit needs dead bodies instead of live ones. Once the PCs dispose of the bodies in whatever method you deem appropriate, the spirit must either make it's way to a nearby corpse (such as one of the PCs who may have died during this encounter), or die if it can't reach a suitable host in ?d? rounds.
I think those two cents are worth at least 50 cents.:P
I like that idea. It gives a "puzzle-like" aspect to this BBEG encounter. I think this is completely doable... So... where do we start? :D
EDITNESS:
Right, so here's a random thought. There are a total of 8 skeletal corpses, including the corpse belonging to "High Priest Bob".--
- We could have it so that each priest corpse that gets inhabited give the spirit a different sort of attack or power/ability. Maybe tied into the dagger sticking out of each priest's chest cavity?
- Could the daggers be the solution to defeating this boss somehow?
And remember... when the BBEG dies... this temple starts to collapse, as well as everything above it. Hurray!
Stay tuned...
The priest corpses could be their own monster with no extraordinary abilities (besides being, you know, animatable corpses).
The daggers stuck in the chest cavities of the priests could each imbue the given priest with a special FX/psionic ability.
Defeating the High Priest of Bob's Spirit as it takes over the corpses involves either killing the priest body and removing the dagger, then breaking the dagger on that specific priest's sacrificial altar. (note: This puzzle might be a little diabolical unless you give a hint. Perhaps some shards of an already destroyed dagger that can be found with a high DC Search or Investigate check?)
Anyway, turns out the thing that's really diabolical is the High Priest Spirit, who from the very beginning planned out this entire ritual. No doubt the PCs will be happy to figure out the trick to beating the spirit, only to discover when they smash the final dagger, that a true physical avatar of the High Priest Spirit is summoned in the center of the chamber.
...The priest corpses could be their own monster with no extraordinary abilities (besides being, you know, animatable corpses).
The daggers stuck in the chest cavities of the priests could each imbue the given priest with a special FX/psionic ability.
Defeating the High Priest of Bob's Spirit as it takes over the corpses involves either killing the priest body and removing the dagger, then breaking the dagger on that specific priest's sacrificial altar. (note: This puzzle might be a little diabolical unless you give a hint. Perhaps some shards of an already destroyed dagger that can be found with a high DC Search or Investigate check?)
Anyway, turns out the thing that's really diabolical is the High Priest Spirit, who from the very beginning planned out this entire ritual. No doubt the PCs will be happy to figure out the trick to beating the spirit, only to discover when they smash the final dagger, that a true physical avatar of the High Priest Spirit is summoned in the center of the chamber.
All very valid ideas--
Well I don't have any place giving out ideas here but...
Sure you do-- And those were good ones--
A multi-staged BBEG fight-- Good times.
Keep up suggestions-- any and all--
Someone once said, "There is no such thing as a bad idea. It depends on how you handle it."
The cult basically went Jim Jones, and killed themselves after killing off the last of their sacrifices and slaves. This was done to Seal the Evil Magic of the Temple or something.
This is where you could incorporate the Sickle of Dread Reaping as a story element (in addition to whatever else you wanted to use it for).
The spirit needs a NON-animated corpse, right?
Perhaps the daggers stuck in each priest was only the FIRST step of the ritual. To complete the ritual, maybe the corpse containing the spirit needs to be animated by the sickle?
- PC being attacked by the High Priest kills it with the sickle (should be a one-hit kill), thus bringing the Dark God into corporeal form.
Now you've basically got a Divine-magic based Lich.
...thus bringing the Dark God into corporeal form...
A cool idea, but it breaks my metaplot. The Dark God is going to be faced MUCH later--
The problem with the Dark God, is that he is trapped in the Phantom Zone or whatever-- The Artifact has the power to free him or defeat him once and for all... though this is something the PC's will be learning in the in-game weeks to come. His minions are searching for the world the Artifact took them to. It hid them in the Dark God's own world.
All the priests knew is that their diety didn't seem to be listening to them anymore, and the world was beginning to die around them. All this because their god got busted by the feds and locked away.
Perhaps provide an NPC with an allegiance to the dark god who will lie to the PCs in an effort to trick them into using the Artifact to free the dark god instead of destroying him.
(kinda like in Metal Gear Solid)
This way, there are two ways the plot could go, depending on which action the PCs take.
Ah, groovy.
Perhaps provide an NPC with an allegiance to the dark god who will lie to the PCs in an effort to trick them into using the Artifact to free the dark god instead of destroying him.
(kinda like in Metal Gear Solid)
This way, there are two ways the plot could go, depending on which action the PCs take.
I follow-- The Using of the Three Keys scenario-- I am definitely aiming to use this scenario actually.
Here's a quick recap of the larger picture:
No worries-- Any and all ideas will be considered. I've been developing this campaign for over a year now, so I've thought through a Good Bit of this thing. I haven't even dusted off the Back Story... which I will when I get a chance to type it up. It has alot to due with genetically culled humanoids, ancient astronauts, common gods, Niburu, aliens, Ancient Sumeria, and robots.-- It will actually make sense when I get a chance to make it make sense--
Now my bed is calling me. Work is in the morning. Then when I get home I run my weekly Wheel of Time campaign for a different group of players... that is unless my latest addition to the Players Party is still sick tomorrow. Then it becomes a day of dvd & videogame entertainment... Somehow I don't think I'll mind... My MAIN group hasn't been able to meet in over a month due to the player (whose home we game at) not having a single day off from work in that period of time. Poor, poor bastard...
The Key to this campaign is The Artifact. I've had most of the crunchy bits figured out for, well... months now. UNLIKE the Dark Tower series... the doorways do not float erect in space waiting for the Gunslinger to come hobbling along. These doors are specific gateways to each dimension/world. The Artifact will point you in the direction you need to go to get there-- And it will allow it's bearer to "unlock" the door... basically turning an average old door into a temporary dimensional portal. Your bathroom literally could be one and you'd never be the wiser.
One door per world. That is to say, one exit. Once you pass through the door, you are in this new world. Wherever this Artifact seems to have deposited them. There are godlike alien beings who WANT this artifact, and are actively pursuing it through the dimensional space. They send squads of Alien Battle Android Troopers into these worlds (AKA Plot Device to hurry game progression) to hunt the artifact and kill it's current bearers. Being dimensional beings these aliens have been doing business in the World of Darkness, which allows me to convert my evil Demon and my anti-heroic Mage into d20 terms. The Mage is a force for good, while the demon character is there to kill the Mage and to hound the players through time and space. Players do not know where they are going until they get there.
Each world/dimension contains a temple. This temple was created by the same being(s) that created The Artifact in the first place. A Very Important Task awaits the players in each world's temple. Once the task is completed, the Artifact cues the next door, and nudges the players in the direction they need to travel to reach it.
Again this is a plot device. Each world is a short or as long as I require it to be. I want my players to spend a little bit of time in these worlds, so the Artifact will remain largely dormant until the GM decides to wake it up.
The progression of the worlds and times is as follows. This is not written in stone:
Our Earth - 1941 The Prologue. Campaign begins with the finding of the Artifact. It begins to awaken.
Our Earth - Summer 2006. Begin current campaign story line with current ongoing cast. Character's become enbroiled with the mysterious Artifact and come under attack by Alien Hunter Bots. The Artifact saves their bacon by zapping them into the Badlands.
Badlands - Wild West meets Hell. Just a bit nicer.
Zero-G - Players find themselves on a derelict spaceship... with genetically engineered dinos. THEN the ghosts start to mess with them. Likely exit. On the nearby planetary body. It's Event Horizon meets Ghost Ship meets Dino Crisis 3 meets Jurassic Park...
Ice - Players find themselves in arctic-like land inhabited by eskimo celts, and hounded by a wonderful creature creation of mine that my players are sure to love.
Apocalypse Rome - Mad Max meets Waterworld meets Blue Submarine #6 meets Junkyard Wars meets Ancient Rome meets Six-String Samurai meets guitar hero meets Gladiator meets Desparado.
The Alliance - Red Dawn meets Freedom Fighters meets Invader Zim and the collected Works of Jhonnen Vasquez meets Transformers meets Returner. (Added: Bionic Commando as well. :D )
Gibson - Feudal Japan meets the collected work of William Gibson and Masamune Shirow meets Blade Runner meets Perfect Dark meets Dark City. Large elements of Urban Arcana to be included. Disney's Gargoyles and Castle Ravenloft blended. And I'm thinking that David Bowie is in charge of this world. '...Dance magic dance...'
Romero - Zombie World. This isn't intended for a long duration. PC's appear in a fortified house... possibly while it's living defendants are inside. They are nudged to leave the house and treck across the city to find the location of this hidden temple. Then back again.
Labyrinth - Fantasy: Labyrinth meets the Dark Crystal meets M.C. Escher meets DnD meets the Tower of Babel.
And others... not currently thought of...
Eventually the players will have visited everywhere the Artifact sends them, then they will have to confront The Ultimate Badguys who are trying to do Ultimate Badness.
The players will be zapped through a series of worlds-- some will be longer than others. Each world will present new challenges, and more of the overall plot to the PC's--
The PC's don't realize it yet, but the entire fate of the universe lies with their ability to keep the Artifact out of the hands of those who have an allegiance to the Fallen God. I have a demon possessed hitman who is the active hand of these bad interdimensional beings. Part plot device/Part real threat-- Kyle the Demon is trying to get his hands on the Artifact, and he and his crew of alien B.A.T.s will show up to hound the PC's shortly before the PC's "jump" to the next world.
Another Dark Tower style element I've decided to use is... various villians who the PC's have run across, but allow to live, MAY be recruited by the Demon "Kyle" for his search through the worlds.
Example: The PC's may be in the Cyberpunk Gibson World, and 'Dos' of the Futile Crescent shows up with his bullwhips, and sniper rifle... Along with a contingent of B.A.T.s.
I'm playing fairly loose, tightening up the plot lines as players move along. This is a pretty epic campaign-- It will literally take a couple of years in real life to complete. We've been playing already for nearly a year now, and I put one years worth of brainstorming and background creation before that.
I could totally stick clues as to the "power" or weakness of each animated-husk-with-dagger-in-chest. in the BBEG fight. My players are Old-School DnD'ers mostly, and they tend to leave not a stone untouched. They will find the clues, but whether they know what to do with the clues is another thing all together.
Like in Room A1. The PC's could find a tablet inscribed by the priest describing something he was was into or whatever-- this could clue the PC into doing a certain tactic?
I dunno-- just some random thoughts of my own--
(fire against cold, cold against fire, etc...)
Perhaps there is a specific order that the corpses must be destroyed in...
or... uh...
hmmmm...
Mega Man?
Man... I'm just stalling out here this morning... (Of course, I need to go hop in the shower and go to work.)
So... possible solutions to this problem, or alternative options for this fight altogether? After all, pretty much nothing is completely set in stone until it's run. And with the PACE my PC's are going, I probably have about two sessions to go through before they actually get to the Final Rest Chamber, at least. Our group's scheduling sukcs these days, so it could still be a few weeks before we drop this encounter on them.
IN OTHER NEWS:
OKay, so we have this group of Magificient Seven-like mercenary gunmen who've taken over the town of Echo. CERTAINLY they would be curious as to what these new-comers want, and after word gets to them that they've gone down into a new shaft that leads into some kind of crazy temple thing... they'll certainly want to react.
My thoughts on this is that their leader Gamble sends a small group, maybe 5 in total (One of these men is written to die down there, a planned victim of the Soot Wraiths.)--
So the PC's will have to decide how to contend with an agressive group of dirty gunmen looking for them, as well as the Soot Wraiths. By the time they get to the Temple Collector or even The Final Rest chamber... the Gamble Boys will have been dispatched. (Both Gamble & Dos are left out of this on purpose, so they make appearances later.)
I've got to get in that shower now.
George Brewster
George Brewster (Tough Ordinary 4/Strong Ordinary 1): CR 4; Medium-size humanoid; HD 4d10+8 plus 1d8+2; HP 37; Mas 15; Init +2; Spd 30 ft; Defense 16, touch 16, flatfooted 14 (+0 size, +2 Dex, +4 class); BAB +4; Grap +5; Atk +5 melee (1d6+1, club), or +6 ranged (2d8+0, 12 gauge double barrel shotgun); FS 5 ft by 5 ft; Reach 5 ft; SQ ; AL Gamble, Dos, The Boys; SV Fort +5, Ref +3, Will +1; AP 2; Rep +1; Str 13, Dex 14, Con 15, Int 12, Wis 10, Cha 8.
Occupation: Rural (Handle Animal, Survival)
Skills: Climb +9, Craft (structural) +5, Intimidate +3, Ride +7, Spot +6, Survival +6
Feats: Endurance, Personal Firearms Proficiency, Point Blank Shot, Simple Weapons Proficiency, Track
Talents (Tough Ordinary):
Talents (Strong Ordinary):
Possessions: club, 12 gauge double barrel shotgun; Wealth +6), Former cowhand, turned mercenary gun for hire. He’s a biggun’ (Tough) and his weapon of choice is a shotgun… He likes to get in close.
Jesse Bull
The Bull (Strong Ordinary 2/Tough Ordinary 2): CR 3; Medium-size humanoid; HD 2d8+2 plus 2d10+2; HP 24; Mas 13; Init +2; Spd 30 ft; Defense 16, touch 16, flatfooted 14 (+0 size, +2 Dex, +4 class); BAB +3; Grap +5; Atk +5 melee (1d6 S+2, hatchet), or +5 ranged (2d6+0, peacemaker); FS 5 ft by 5 ft; Reach 5 ft; SQ ; AL Gamble, Self, The Boys; SV Fort +5, Ref +2, Will +0; AP 2; Rep +0; Str 15, Dex 14, Con 13, Int 12, Wis 10, Cha 8.
Occupation: Criminal (Move Silently, Sleight of Hand)
Skills: Climb +7, Intimidate +3, Jump +7, Move Silently +7, Sleight of Hand +7, Spot +4
Feats: Cleave, Dodge, Personal Firearms Proficiency, Power Attack, Simple Weapons Proficiency
Possessions: hatchet, peacemaker; Wealth +6), The Bull, as he is known by his fellow mercenaries, is a mean mo’ fu’— He likes to stab people, and carries around one big honking knife. He and Brewster are bookends of **** and vinegar.
Manuelo Briggs
Manuelo Briggs (Smart Ordinary 2/Fast Ordinary 2/Charismatic Ordinary 1): CR 5; Medium-size humanoid; HD 2d6+2 plus 2d8+2 plus 1d6+1; HP 25; Mas 13; Init +1; Spd 30 ft; Defense 16, touch 16, flatfooted 15 (+0 size, +1 Dex, +5 class); BAB +2; Grap +3; Atk +3 melee (1d4+1/19-20, knife), or +3 ranged (2d6+0, peacemaker); FS 5 ft by 5 ft; Reach 5 ft; SQ ; AL Self, Gamble, The Boys; SV Fort +2, Ref +4, Will +2; AP 2; Rep +3; Str 12, Dex 13, Con 13, Int 14, Wis 10, Cha 12.
Occupation: Blue Collar (Handle Animal, Intimidate, Repair)
Skills: Balance +2, Bluff +6, Demolitions +7, Disable Device +7, Disguise +6, Escape Artist +2, Handle Animal +9, Hide +6, Intimidate +9, Investigate +7, Knowledge (Business) +7, Knowledge (Current Events) +7, Knowledge (Streetwise) +7, Listen +2, Move Silently +4, Navigate +7, Repair +8, Search +7, Spot +2
Feats: Alertness, Combat Martial Arts, Personal Firearms Proficiency, Simple Weapons Proficiency
Possessions: knife, peacemaker; Wealth +7), Brimstone Briggs as his name suggests, is from the town of Brimstone in the Known Territory. He caused some trouble in the past when he was younger. His paw were owner of Brigg’s General Supply Store.
Isaac Albaugh
Isaac Albaugh (Dedicated Ordinary 3, Bounty Hunter 2): CR 4; Medium-size humanoid; HD 3d6+3; HP 14+2d8; Mas 13; Init +1; Spd 30 ft; Defense 14, touch 14, flatfooted 13 (+0 size, +1 Dex, +2 class); BAB +2; Grap +2; Atk +2 melee (1d6+0, weapon), or +3 ranged (1d6+0, weapon); FS 5 ft by 5 ft; Reach 5 ft; SQ ; AL Self, Gamble, the Boys; SV Fort +5, Ref +4, Will +6; AP 1; Rep +2; Str 10, Dex 12, Con 13, Int 12, Wis 15, Cha 12.
Occupation: Religious (Knowledge [Theology and Philosophy], Listen, Sense Motive)
Skills: Gamble +7, Gather Information +4, Handle Animal +3, Knowledge (Theology and Philosophy) +7, Listen +8, Ride +3, Sense Motive +7, Survival +8, Treat Injury +7
Feats: Animal Affinity, Personal Firearms Proficiency, Simple Weapons Proficiency, Track
Talents (Dedicated Ordinary):
Nowhere to run pg. 166
Hogtying pg. 166
Possessions: weapon, weapon; Wealth +7), Son of a preacher man, Padre Albaugh. He turned from the good book and went into hunting men for gold. Signing on with the Gamble Boys has been good to him so far. He also don’t think much for God neither.
Skill points: 6
Daniel Malenudo
Daniel "Mad Dog" Malenudo (Strong Ordinary 2/Fast Ordinary 2): CR 3; Medium-size humanoid; HD 2d8+2 plus 2d8+2 plus 3; HP 25; Mas 13; Init +2; Spd 30 ft; Defense 18, touch 18, flatfooted 16 (+0 size, +2 Dex, +6 class); BAB +3; Grap +5; Atk +5 melee (+2/, ), or +5 ranged (+0/, ); FS 5 ft by 5 ft; Reach 5 ft; SQ ; AL Gamble, Self, Money; SV Fort +3, Ref +4, Will +0; AP 2; Rep +0; Str 15, Dex 14, Con 13, Int 12, Wis 10, Cha 8.
Occupation: Rural (Handle Animal, Survival)
Skills: Climb +6, Craft (structural) +4, Escape Artist +5, Handle Animal +3, Hide +5, Jump +6, Knowledge (Streetwise) +3, Move Silently +5, Repair +3, Survival +2, Tumble +5
Feats: Brawl, Personal Firearms Proficiency, Simple Weapons Proficiency, Toughness
Possessions: Wealth +6)
Mad dog Malenudo is a known killer. There is a warrant for his immediate arrest in the city of Brimstone.
Looking at the stats of the Gamble Boys that will be heading down into the Darkness Below Echo after the PC's, I'm thinking that I should probably kill off Briggs as an example of Soot Wraith nastiness. Especially since he's the toughest. I'll be nice to my players this once. ;)
The others will split up foolishly, and look for the PC's (and TREASURE!!!!)-- where the PC's will be able to manage their executions fairly easily.
Besides, why bother setting up the Gamble Boys In-Story if the PC's won't even get a chance to tussle with them? I mean, once Echo's been imploded, and there is nothing left of it or the Evil Temple below but a crater... They won't get that chance. And I KNOW they would love to. Especially the PC named Lars. He's bloodthirsty.
The magic weaknesses were intended to be used with the magic powers of the daggers. Take the daggers, and now the PCs have some minor magic with which to dispatch the priests.
One nitpick... Jesse Bull is statted out with a Hatchet for a melee weapon, but in his description you mention a big honkin' knife. :p
The magic weaknesses were intended to be used with the magic powers of the daggers. Take the daggers, and now the PCs have some minor magic with which to dispatch the priests.
Good point on the Hatchet-- I think I'll keep the hatchet, and drop the knife-aspect--
Now the idea about the daggers--
THAT is great.
Ideas about how best to impliment that?
You give each Priest an Elemental Focus (if necessary, work it into the backstory as a requirement for sealing away the evil magic by invoking the power of each element), and each dagger will have a different elemental magic enchantment. The high-priest should have Positive Energy as his focus (killable with the Sickle of Dread Reaping). The dagger in his chest should be something akin to a Holy dagger. Each priest killed themselves with their own dagger. (the fire priest killed himself with the fire dagger, etc...)
When the High-Priest's spirit enters one of the corpses, the priest's power is activated as well. (example, the fire priest bursts into flames, but of course, is immune to fire damage - all unarmed attacks/grapples against the fire priest result in fire-damage for the attacker).
To defeat them, you must use the appropriate dagger/magic/weapon.
Perhaps the daggers prevent the High-Priest's spirit from entering the body, so nothing happens until a dagger is removed, next round, the daggerless corpse is possessed by the High-Priest's spirit. (when the PCs come into the room, you could tell them about the multitude of voices whispering in an unknown tongue)
The big trick is making sure that the High-Priest is the final one. Perhaps by requiring each other dagger as a key to unlock his coffin? (this is also a good method of making sure the PCs don't walk away with the daggers)
That could be the fun part too. They come into the room, and see the priests all around with their daggers in their chests and symbols above their heads (or marked on the daggers/on their heads/wherever). Then they see the coffin of the high-priest with a series of holes and symbols. They figure they gotta play a typical Resident Evil puzzle, but once they start pulling daggers, it's CHAOS!!! :D
This first image, shown above, was an original concept drawing for the Final Rest Chamber. This room is at the BOTTOM of the temple levels.
Directly above is some Abbey related image found via Google Images at some point in the past. What I specifically like about this, is the addition of the extra rooms.
Rather than a coffin, we could seal the High Priest up in a room, and put the puzzles on the stone door?
I'm cool with dropping the ammount of priest corpses down to, say four. Fire/Earth/Air/Water... right?
Perhaps we use a "time delay" on the awakening-- allowing PC's to pull ALL of the daggers, but before they are able to use them to unlock the adjoining chamber?
We can add EXTRA magic-less daggers-- placing them in the rooms of the Priests up on the Second Level-- these daggers would be additional keys needed for the door... so when the players get down there, and they see the ancient dead arranged around them on stone altars... they will realize what they may need to do at this point. Use the plain (i.e non-magical) daggers on the door, but there are four remaining slots... one for each corpse/dagger in the room.
As usual, I'm running a bit behind getting ready for work, so I'll have to bounce-- It occured to me j0lt, that you and I are likely on opposite schedules. My morning is your night, and vice-versa.
I'll catch ya later!
I've been thinking about the elements/energy types, but they just aren't clicking right... But SOMETHING along those lines... If you go with just the 4 basics, it'd be Fire vs Water, Earth vs Air, but you could also go with a more planar motif: Law/Chaos, Good/Evil, or even the energy types for damage: Fire, Cold, Acid, Sonic, Barry Manilow Music, etc...
Where's this temple situated? Maybe find something from the real mythology of that country? (if it's Peru/Inca I've been doing a bit of research)
I like the idea of a time delay... One example could be that it takes the spirit a full round, or even 1 minute to possess the corpse. What happens if one of the daggers is placed in the door? Can they remove it, or does it become locked-in?
Wait. There's only one spirit, so it can only inhabit one body at a time, right? Or does each body get it's own spirit?
Re: extra dagger/keys. Dunno, could work...
High-Priest in a separate room would be even better, especially with the puzzle on the door.
I've been thinking about the elements/energy types, but they just aren't clicking right... But SOMETHING along those lines... If you go with just the 4 basics, it'd be Fire vs Water, Earth vs Air, but you could also go with a more planar motif: Law/Chaos, Good/Evil, or even the energy types for damage: Fire, Cold, Acid, Sonic, Barry Manilow Music, etc...
Where's this temple situated? Maybe find something from the real mythology of that country? (if it's Peru/Inca I've been doing a bit of research)
I like the idea of a time delay... One example could be that it takes the spirit a full round, or even 1 minute to possess the corpse. What happens if one of the daggers is placed in the door? Can they remove it, or does it become locked-in?
Wait. There's only one spirit, so it can only inhabit one body at a time, right? Or does each body get it's own spirit?
Re: extra dagger/keys. Dunno, could work...
*Shivers* Barry Manilow...
The Temple and the Cult are stylistically inspired by Ancient Sumerian/Babylon culture-- But this temple is not even in OUR world. It's outside, in it's own pocket of time and space.
An alternate dimension, quite literally.
It's Tuesday: I need to prep for my Wheel of Time session. People will start showing up soon.
I'll think about stuff, and see if I have anything of interest to add later on tonight.
Each priest, when possessed, essentially becomes a half-elemental (I'm sure there's a D&D template SOMEWHERE)!
Gaining the appropriate subtype & immunities/weaknesses.
It's an easy way to do things without having to build your own class/template/race/whatever.
I decided to draw up the map for the next floor in pieces. I redrew the concept map for the Temple Collector Battle. Pretty happy about with how it came out.
In addition to the crypt battle room & puzzle, this floor will also contain the coal/diamond slave mine, and the ancient furnace rooms which were used for heating as well as incinerating the bodies of the dead captives.
One of my friends suggested that I save one of the Gamble boys to be impaled upon the back of the Temple Collector.
...Speaking of Temple (Cadaver) Collectors, I'm changing the visual up on this badboy for flavor sake--
It will be made of carved black stone, it's body is bipedal and bulllike. Human arms. It's head, made of gold and human:
Metal plates, with the huge spikes will still be jutting angrily out of this things back, and it's still 12' tall...
If all else fails, you could always just use medium-sized Elementals from the Monster Manual, just describe them as being more humanoid.
Of course, it has to be in a book that I don't have. :/
Aha! I knew there was one somewhere!
Of course, it has to be in a book that I don't have. :/
Good news-- I got my hands on those pages via a buddy of mine-- so we have that template to apply. The priests have been dead for around 200 years, so I'm thinking we use a skeleton as a base creature? And we would be using the INT of the High Priest (HP)anyway, right?
Another thought-- double up on elements. 8 skeletons in all, NOT counting the High Priest who is behind Door Number One. This way, there are two of each element represented and it mixes things up a bit. Especially since the PC's will be facing each half-elemental/skeleton/whatever one baddie at a time, to represent the HP moving from one to another...
I guess the HP himself would be some kind of psuedo-lich?
Looking forward storywise... PC's defeat the HP, and the psychic-backlash of it's death and the stored power of the temple... makes the temple implode... causing most of the town of Echo to collapse into the depths of the ground.
The PC's get teleported to a relatively safe distance away thanks to the Artifact. However... they awaken, some time after the implosion. They see what's left of the Spires of Echo about a mile away, and a huge plume of dust and smoke rising up from it's center.
PC's likely actions would be to investigate, and see if anyone in town needs help. Character Lars has a recent romance with Mary Black, the echo townsgirl the party rescued back when...
They will find the crushed form of John Gamble, dying but not dead yet. Spitting blood, he will answer whatever questions the PC's throw at him. He informs the party that Mary, along with some of her family as well as some other towns folk were captured by a band of moreaus who came to investigate the incident.
Hopefully, the PC's give a crap, and will try to go after them to perhaps enact a rescue. This can either take place at a moreau camp along the journey back to their hidden city upon the mesa, or there-- at the city, and adventure within.
If they decide NOT to save the girl and her people... then they will likely head north, towards the trade town Mary's Paw talked about. If they go that route, I'll have to come up with something that furthers the point and theme of this world for them to encounter.
Things that I want to have happen before I give my players the Exit from this world.
Here in no particular order:
- The journey to the Hidden Temple in the north... built by the good gods... and the creator of the Artifact. In this place, the PC's will get to interact with a hologram or something and learn the larger scope of their quest. The "rules" so to speak.
- Escort mission with a pastor to deliver goods to an old frontier fort-- turns into a nightmare thanks to roach thralls.
- Saladfingers
...
Gotta bounce--!
Good news-- I got my hands on those pages via a buddy of mine-- so we have that template to apply. The priests have been dead for around 200 years, so I'm thinking we use a skeleton as a base creature? And we would be using the INT of the High Priest (HP)anyway, right?
Another thought-- double up on elements. 8 skeletons in all, NOT counting the High Priest who is behind Door Number One. This way, there are two of each element represented and it mixes things up a bit. Especially since the PC's will be facing each half-elemental/skeleton/whatever one baddie at a time, to represent the HP moving from one to another...
I guess the HP himself would be some kind of psuedo-lich?
Yeah, a divine magic-based lich of some sort would fit just right. Perhaps some Acolyte levels before the Lich template?
Looking forward storywise... PC's defeat the HP, and the psychic-backlash of it's death and the stored power of the temple... makes the temple implode... causing most of the town of Echo to collapse into the depths of the ground.
The PC's get teleported to a relatively safe distance away thanks to the Artifact. However... they awaken, some time after the implosion. They see what's left of the Spires of Echo about a mile away, and a huge plume of dust and smoke rising up from it's center.
PC's likely actions would be to investigate, and see if anyone in town needs help. Character Lars has a recent romance with Mary Black, the echo townsgirl the party rescued back when...
They will find the crushed form of John Gamble, dying but not dead yet. Spitting blood, he will answer whatever questions the PC's throw at him. He informs the party that Mary, along with some of her family as well as some other towns folk were captured by a band of moreaus who came to investigate the incident.
Hopefully, the PC's give a crap, and will try to go after them to perhaps enact a rescue. This can either take place at a moreau camp along the journey back to their hidden city upon the mesa, or there-- at the city, and adventure within.
If they decide NOT to save the girl and her people... then they will likely head north, towards the trade town Mary's Paw talked about. If they go that route, I'll have to come up with something that furthers the point and theme of this world for them to encounter.
Things that I want to have happen before I give my players the Exit from this world.
Here in no particular order:
- The journey to the Hidden Temple in the north... built by the good gods... and the creator of the Artifact. In this place, the PC's will get to interact with a hologram or something and learn the larger scope of their quest. The "rules" so to speak.
- Escort mission with a pastor to deliver goods to an old frontier fort-- turns into a nightmare thanks to roach thralls.
- Saladfingers
...
Gotta bounce--!
...Saladfingers... *shudder*
Psudo-lich= Huecuva in MMII...
I don't see them in MM2.. or the other MM's either for that matter
Would you drop a page number on me?
Are you sure it wasn't in the BoVD or Fiendish Codex?
If you use a Lich, the destruction of the Lich's Phylactery could be the catalyst for the collapse of the temple and town above.
I remember that monster, but it's not in MM2.
Are you sure it wasn't in the BoVD or Fiendish Codex?
If you use a Lich, the destruction of the Lich's Phylactery could be the catalyst for the collapse of the temple and town above.
Fiendish Codex, was the correct answer-- and a template to boot!
I'm going to read through both creature descriptions and see what I think--
In the meantime, feel free to debate-- As you can see from the development of this BBEG battle-- it's changed quite alot from the "Fight the More Powerful Soot Wraith" it started out as--
Deekin, what do you think would work better for this?
Also, this is how I'm figuring the BBEG battle sequence:
FIRST players pull the daggers from the half-elemental, priests' skeletons. They use them on the door, the door opens. The spirit of the High Priest comes out... like a wind, or maybe like one of those spirits at the end of Raiders. Floon-- INTO a skeletal body, and it rises up doing battle with some elemental based powers. The PC's pull the daggers out of the doorway--
It goes from body to body using their powers, as each are destroyed in turn-- It zooms back into the chember whence it came to animate it's own body at this point-- and the PC's kill it.
What are your opinions on this sequence?
I'll be adding this thread to the usefull links list under settings..unless it needs to be put else where
Cool with me-- Thanks!
Vsually,I like the idea of kill the BBEG,he vanishes into thin air and it turns out that the altar he was standing on was the tip of a helmet worn by a gargantuan being that begins to rise from the earth and do a "godzilla" on the town of echo before marching off into the sunset.The players have to deal with the fact they freed this weapon of mass destruction?
I was thinking I might use this for a later on world-- I have this idea that the PC's are going to need to find the component robots to build "Voltron" and to fight mano-a-mano with a Colossus from the game Shadow of the Colossus.
But this not for this world...
Cool with me-- Thanks!
sorry it took so long
I'd imagine that SOMETHING like that is in one of the books... any ideas where?
My idea is that the PC's could come across it in the Moreau adventure-- probably as a statue on a pedestal in a shrine or something. It comes alive, and attaches itself to the PC's-- being a self-appointed mascot of sorts. An R2D2 or Golden Owl of the Gods* style of creature.
*
sorry it took so long
No worries!
The Huctiva was in the Fiend Folio. My mistake. I have too many books.
Also, this is how I'm figuring the BBEG battle sequence:
FIRST players pull the daggers from the half-elemental, priests' skeletons. They use them on the door, the door opens. The spirit of the High Priest comes out... like a wind, or maybe like one of those spirits at the end of Raiders. Floon-- INTO a skeletal body, and it rises up doing battle with some elemental based powers. The PC's pull the daggers out of the doorway--
It goes from body to body using their powers, as each are destroyed in turn-- It zooms back into the chember whence it came to animate it's own body at this point-- and the PC's kill it.
Hrm, sounds good, but I don't see why it would zoom out to a lesser body first before using it's own body.
The way I envisioned the scene playing out was as follows:
1 - PCs pull the dagger(s) from the skelepriest(s).
2 - When they approach the door with any daggers, the priest(s) whose daggers are near the door awaken and attack.
3 - PCs fight and kill skelepriests
4 - Once the skelepriests are dealt with, PCs open the door and face the high priest. If it's a Huecuva, they destroy it and the temple collapses. If it's a Lich, they destroy the Lich's Phylactery and the temple collapses.
For the stone cat, mix and match the properties of a Cat with those of an Animated Object.
Hrm, sounds good, but I don't see why it would zoom out to a lesser body first before using it's own body.
I had considered that, even as I was typing it, but I figured I'd keep going anyway--:D
My "fix" for this was that the HP spirit either wanted access to the elemental powers, first-- in hopes of wearing the PC's down... I never said mine was a good fix, though :P
And those Animated Objects come in REAL handy it seems... I'll have to remember them more often. That's exactly what the "living" cat statue would be.
Sweet.
The door to the High Priest's tomb is a ward preventing his spirit from returning to his body! (I have a template in the works for a spirit that's been separated from it's body that can explain the mechanic)
The High Priest's spirit has been floating around the room with the skelepriests for who knows how long waiting for a corpse to inhabit. It's goal is to open the door using ANY corpse it can.
When the PCs start pulling daggers, it waits because the skelepriests are undead and it can't enter their bodies (or bones as it were). The skelepriests attack because they've been charged with guarding the door. Once they've been destroyed, the PCs open the door, the High Priest's spirit returns to it's body and then tries to kill the PCs to use their blood as a sacrifice to the dark god.
Now here's the catch. The High Priest is devoted to a dark/evil god. The priests of this temple are of a neutral order who's name roughly means Keepers of the Balance (you can use a symbol like scales to represent them). The group of skelepriests were sacrificed in the manner that they are to prevent the dark god's High Priest from reviving said dark god.
Whaddya think?
I got it! I had this glimpse of brilliance on the way home!
The door to the High Priest's tomb is a ward preventing his spirit from returning to his body! (I have a template in the works for a spirit that's been separated from it's body that can explain the mechanic)
I like the ward idea—I was thinking of something similar, but the reverse maybe. Keeping the spirit inside. Of course this negates the “possessing” spirit idea we’ve been working with, but I like to keep options open when I can. When brainstorming I try to come up with three versions of any way of doing something, just to forced me to have variety-- :pile:
The High Priest's spirit has been floating around the room with the skelepriests for who knows how long waiting for a corpse to inhabit. It's goal is to open the door using ANY corpse it can.
When the PCs start pulling daggers, it waits because the skelepriests are undead and it can't enter their bodies (or bones as it were). The skelepriests attack because they've been charged with guarding the door. Once they've been destroyed, the PCs open the door, the High Priest's spirit returns to it's body and then tries to kill the PCs to use their blood as a sacrifice to the dark god.
This works well—the guardian aspect. I was really starting to lean in this direction recently myself. This also alloys for more zaniness to ensue while the PC’s try to figure out which Skelepriest to take out and with which knife.
Now here's the catch. The High Priest is devoted to a dark/evil god. The priests of this temple are of a neutral order who's name roughly means Keepers of the Balance (you can use a symbol like scales to represent them). The group of skelepriests were sacrificed in the manner that they are to prevent the dark god's High Priest from reviving said dark god.
You lose me on the catch, NOT because it isn’t a good idea, but because of what the priests were after by sealing the temple, and going Jim Jones from there. ;)
The priests followed a ritual, that by killing off everyone inside the temple, would trap their energy inside the place, and store it there—like a Unholy Spiritual Energizer battery.
With the intent that when their Dark God returned, he could regain the strength he no doubt would need by taking it from his temple. They don’t believe that they, being small and helpless mortals as they are, are capable of “freeing” or raising their god. They can only offer their spiritual essences as a fuel when he frees himself. 
With that being said… they aren’t even sure what HAPPENED to their god.
They only know that things started going downhill fast—and their god wasn’t stepping in like he used to do.The Half-Elemental priests may have sacrificed the HP before sealing him inside the room, which is the focus of the energy thing. Perhaps his stone slab is Evil Quartz or something. The Priests then said their own rites, and killed themselves on their own altars. When the last had died… there was a silence in the halls for over two hundred years…
Maybe the HP was sealed in alive…
the Evil of the place keeping him aware all these years.
) no but seriously just from reading what little of this thread i had time for, you are the most awesomist GM ever, i want to play in your game very very badly.
i play with kinda hack and slash power gaming people, the one super creative GM we have isnt very flexible when it comes to what the PCs wanna do, its his world and you WILL follow the plot line or he takes his ball and goes home. i try and be creative when i run but people lose interest with indepth plot, and im sick of running cool games. i want to play in one.
i am going to try and read most of this thread but i dont think i will, ill just try and keep up with future instalments. and maybe i can help with some input in the future.
keep up the great work.
p.s. that pic of the andriod gun fighter in the cowboy hat is awesome
Big thanks on the big compliments! When I first posted my first Badlands thread, I was afraid that it would be looked upon as a reaccuring board annoyance. I suppose that still may be the case to some, but I've been glad to have the interaction for the development of things here. I have a tendancy to bite off more than I can chew, with some pretty ambitious ideas and scope. It's BOMBED on me in the past when I first was learning the d20 Modern System.
Here's an moderately interesting example:
I present, my overlyambitious, cool, but doomed to fail PbP campaign from 2004
HOW TO FOLLOW THE ACTION...
« Thread Started on Apr 24, 2004, 5:13am »
-------------------------------------------------------------
Blitzkreig, for those of you who are unaware, was the prototype adventure for this site. It's very steeped in the feel of the PhobiaVerse*--
Anyway, in order to read this game/story which is IN PROGRESS, first you need to know HOW to read it.
1 - Act I - "Into the Heart of Darkness"
2 - Act II - "A Brief Interlude"
2A - "Gear & Back again"
2B - "Going Solo"
2C - "Echoes in the Shadows"
3A - "Investigating the Scene of the Crime"
3B - "Body of Evidence"
4 - "Comparing Notes"
The letters denote an internal order, usually where the party has split into the separate threads--
If you are following along IN the story, you will see, in red, where it has been noted other threads continue the story. So be sure to pay attention!!!
« Last Edit: May 19, 2004, 10:14pm by The Dispatcher »
*[The PhobiaVerse is the name given to my comic book universe that I crafted over a period of years. That's just development. I will begin drawing the comic sometime when I decide to...:P ]
Jacemachine's Overly-Ambitious RPG By Message Board Attempt from 2004--!!!
Mind you, anyone who reads the game threads-- I had never even tried to run a PbP style of game, nor have I yet to play in one. Sadly the game died due to varying player dedication. Some players rushed along too fast for their friends.
Thanks again!
And big thanks to the rest of you as well-- I would have a REALLY hard time trying to make this as good as it can be by myself.
The door to the High Priest's tomb is a ward preventing his spirit from returning to his body! (I have a template in the works for a spirit that's been separated from it's body that can explain the mechanic)
The High Priest's spirit has been floating around the room with the skelepriests for who knows how long waiting for a corpse to inhabit...
I had a thought... if we go with the roaming spirit angle, we can say that the spirit has been floating throughout the ruins, and not just the Final Rest chamber-- We could use the spirit of the HP to screw with players, doing ghostly things-- Not too, much... subtle perhaps... with it's ability to do more and more the closer the PC's get to his chamber...?
I had a thought... if we go with the roaming spirit angle, we can say that the spirit has been floating throughout the ruins, and not just the Final Rest chamber-- We could use the spirit of the HP to screw with players, doing ghostly things-- Not too, much... subtle perhaps... with it's ability to do more and more the closer the PC's get to his chamber...?
Not a bad idea, I like it!
==> The Spirit is invisible to the human eye. It is detectable as a particularly cold area in the air. Its passing can sometimes feel like a cold breeze has blown through an otherwise still hall. It is incorporeal. It spends its endless days and nights wandering aimlessly throughout the halls and chambers of the long dead temple/tomb. It is bitter and rife with madness. The ritual that securely chained it to this place, and with it a great deal of energy due to the souls of those sacrificed here on that final day. All for their Fallen God.
==> Keyhole/daggerslits in doorframe around door are inscribed with Elemental symbols. These will correspond with the colors of the gemstones that are set into each daggers hilt. Either we go with the daggers used to self-sacrifice each priest actually IMBUING their undead selves with those Elemental abilities....
==> Pulling the daggers from the dead will not invoke their wrath. Nor will tickling them. Attempting to smash and/or scatter the bones will result in their immediate awakening and attack.
Thoughts on any of these?
My idea about them attacking the PCs outright was based on my assumption that the skelepriests would be mindless undead.
However, since they are aligned with the High Priest, I'm guessing they wouldn't stop the PCs from opening the door. That being said, maybe they could be empty bones, which the priest could raise as undead, or they could just wait for the fight to start, then rise and join.
==> Pulling the daggers from the dead will not invoke their wrath. Nor will tickling them. Attempting to smash and/or scatter the bones will result in their immediate awakening and attack.
In the above I was thinking about a possible fix to the possible problem of my PC's just coming in and smashing them as soon as they see them. My Modern set are old DnD'ers, and one of them a fairly paranoid hack'n'slasher.
The pulling the daggers part, I was thinking only because I'd want some sort of delay... but then again, wouldn't it be fun to have the dry corpse spring the heck up in a players face, as soon as he did so? It might be fun to do, but I typically like the building of suspense and dread. If I did it it would because I was deliberatly playing against my GM'ing style, I guess.
That being said, maybe they could be empty bones, which the priest could raise as undead, or they could just wait for the fight to start, then rise and join
This plays into what I was thinking-- I figured the spirit of the High Priest would do everything in it's power to prevent the PC's from aqcuiring access to the door where his body is kept... and maybe a huge evil quartz crystal of doom. If the PCs get to this room, Game Over... man. At least for the Dark God's Coppertop.
It could be the HiPrst's spirit that "stirs" the Soot Wraiths in his attempts to thwart the PCs-- Maybe he somehow wakes up the Mad Temple Collector from a construct hiatus so it goes after the PC's. Once the PC's enter the Final Rest we could either use the Skelepriests in the original way, with the HP's spirit using them in turn to fight the PCs-- only then to return to his body as a last resort, because now the PC's are at his side, and could ruin EVERYTHING. He could slip back into his body even before the PCs actually open the door, so he could be WAITING for them with a surprise attack.
At the moment I'm thinking that this is the best tactic, and it explains the reason he uses his body last. Is this version any better in your opinion(s)?
I figured the spirit of the High Priest would do everything in it's power to prevent the PC's from aqcuiring access to the door where is body is kept... and maybe a huge evil quartz crystal of doom. If the PCs get to this room, Game Over... man. At least for the Dark God's Coppertop.
It could be the HiPrst's spirit that "stirs" the Soot Wraiths in his attempts to thwart the PCs-- Maybe he somehow wakes up the Mad Temple Collector from a construct hiatus so it goes after the PC's. Once the PC's enter the Final Rest we could either use the Skelepriests in the original way, with the HP's spirit using them in turn to fight the PCs-- only then to return to his body as a last resort, because now the PC's are at his side, and could ruin EVERYTHING. He could slip back into his body even before the PCs actually open the door, so he could be WAITING for them with a surprise attack.
At the moment I'm thinking that this is the best tactic, and it explains the reason he uses his body last. Is this version any better in your opinion(s)?
Actually, that works a lot better (and easier) than my idea, which was kind of the opposite. In my brainstorm, the HighPriest wanted to be freed, and the skelepriests didn't want that. That would've made EVERYTHING more complicated tho.
The HighPriest controlling everything to try and stop from being freed would not only make more sense, but it would also make it easier on the GM.
I found a Bone Creature template in the Book of Vile Darkness-- I thought that perhaps it may be more appropriate instead of the Skeleton template for the Half-Elemental guardians in the Final Rest.
I think that the Huecuva template is pretty appropriate for what I'm after. The Huecuva creature stats are a bit too powerful for the PC's after all they will have gone through to get to this point. I'll dumb it down for them so it can be killed fairly easily-- likely with the Stabby-thing of the Dread Reaping.
I'll build up stats for these things and post 'em-- that way they can be correct.
I'm still jealous of your players.
edit: DUDE! Your players could TOTALLY sabotage the skelepriests with the Sickle of Dread Reaping!!!
It turns a corpse into an ORDINARY ZOMBIE, right??
about what level are your players now??
joekap--
I'm originally from Philly (just outside of Philly, actually)-- These days I live on the Gulf Coast of Florida. I manage a Quiznos. :P
I'm pretty damn beat from this week. My store brought in almost $3000 in business yesterday... today thankfully was tame in comparison, but I'm beat. Tomorrow is my day off-- I'll work on the game then...
Oh! And my players are at third level. They should be leveling up sometime soon, if they live.
They should though-- The Artifact will bring them back from the dead ONCE. If they die a second time, they will wake up in a new body of a recently killed person somewhere else, and they will only keep their INT, WIS, & CHA-- As this new person they'd need to find and convince their still living friends. if they die a THIRD time, they are DEAD, and will need to roll up a new character who is a native of their current dimension location.
Concievably, by the time they get towards the end of this campaign, their original characters may all be dead, and in their place a Cowboy, a Cyber-Punk, a caveman, and knight.
Who knows-- what a long strange trip... it will be.
The Sickle of Dread Reaping only creates zombies from freshly killed living folk
What does it do to old piles of bones, or undead? (the answer to this will determine how easy/hard it will be to off the HiPriest)
What does it do to old piles of bones, or undead? (the answer to this will determine how easy/hard it will be to off the HiPriest)
Regular damage, I guess-- but regardless, for our purposes, we can say that this weapon has a powerful enchantment upon it that ALSO just happens top be real good at killing the HiPrst's Corpse.
Sickle of the Dread Reaping
The curved blade of this weapon shimmers with dark colors, but it appears black in anything but the brightest light, such as sunlight. The blade has been etched in ancient Akkadian/Babylonian.
If successfully translated it reads: Those slain by thine hand shalt never have rest.
The handle is one piece, carved from the bone of... something. It gleams pale white, and is adorned with carved images of the Fallen God, and those subservient to him. It's pommel contains a large black onyx gem. This gem turns a deep blood red the moment the Sickle of Dread Reaping takes the life of another. The ancient cult used this relic to perform a particularly unpleasant sacrifice.
The sickle has a +2 enchantment on it. Three times a day, if the sickle is used in a successful kill, coup de grace or otherwise, the blade will cast 'create undead' on the victim, turning them into a zombie that will rise in 1d6+2 rounds. The wielder of the Sickle has no special powers over the zombies, nor any sort of special protection.
Type: Artifact (magic); Caster Level: --; PDC: 42; Weight 3lbs
Damage: 1d6+2(x2); Range: --; Slashing.
Again, thinking of terrain... maybe the bust open the chamber to where the Coppertop and Guardian Priest Huecuva are at-- I was thinking about lots of pillars, to play a little Cat & Mouse around...
My PC's have little-to-no magic protection-- Any recommendations for dealing with this? Maybe hook them up with some protection-based booty, before they get too deep. Maybe stone amulets of protection against the elements-- gotten from the rooms of the half-elemental priests. That's a quick fix. Any other ideas in regards to this issue?
Instead of giving them more little bits of protective loot, how about an NPC guide-type character who can cast some kind of protection spells and what not?
Pillars =
Instead of giving them more little bits of protective loot, how about an NPC guide-type character who can cast some kind of protection spells and what not?
I can always use the Mary girl-- she's expressed a sincere interest in her religeon to the PC's -perhaps she's a low-level cleric-like character...
but i was always a fan of the retreat healing pool. like a spot the players can open up via a puzzle of some sort, that offers a healing or protective buffs if they go back to it and make some kind of sacrafice there.
eg: a locked chamber that they have to solve a puzzle or riddle to open , inside is an elemental altar that if they sacrafice ...something, money, ammo, blood(HP) they get a protection aura or something. or maybe the effects of a magic potion of some kind.
that way the players have to solve something to get the buffs. they cant take it with them when they leave, and it cost them something.
not sure if it fits in with your temple but just a thought.
I've scanned through your pages of threads. There's a treasure trove of information in here. I was wondering if you are considering a .pdf of all this into a campaign setting/adventure arc.
Excellent work.
Had some thoughts on the space habitat.Suppose the habitat was a toroid(doughnut-shaped) and was being rotated so that centrifigal force could provide gravity.If you made the inside of the toroid 2 miles wide and 1,000 miles long that would give you 2,000 sq. miles of map to play with.
someones been playing HALO
but i always did like that idea. the space doughnut thingy. and like in HALO you could have different climates/ environments throughout the doughnut with walls between them.
Nope, Give them some potions. Magic potions don't spoil, and that fact that they are single use lets you give the PC's a quick boost of power without long term balance issues. A few potions of Cat's grace, Bull's Str, ect, plus some potions of Bless, Divine favor, Sheild of faith.
I like the single-use aspect. Long term balance issues can suck.
not sure how your group got here or whats happend up until now(thread is to long :headexplo )
but i was always a fan of the retreat healing pool. like a spot the players can open up via a puzzle of some sort, that offers a healing or protective buffs if they go back to it and make some kind of sacrafice there.
eg: a locked chamber that they have to solve a puzzle or riddle to open , inside is an elemental altar that if they sacrafice ...something, money, ammo, blood(HP) they get a protection aura or something. or maybe the effects of a magic potion of some kind.
that way the players have to solve something to get the buffs. they cant take it with them when they leave, and it cost them something.
not sure if it fits in with your temple but just a thought.
I like this idea, but I’ve been trying to consider how to mix it into the… uh… mix. Maybe a blending of Deekin’s potions idea… a side room shrine with potions…
The pup tent of healing,only one person can sleep in it at a time but they heal at a higher rate than the norm?Also comes in the form of a sleeping bag(or fart sack as the kids call them).
I think I’m going to hold off on giving out any more magic items for a little bit. I may hook the PCs up with that later on in another world.
Had some thoughts on the space habitat. Suppose the habitat was a toroid (doughnut-shaped) and was being rotated so that centrifigal force could provide gravity. If you made the inside of the toroid 2 miles wide and 1,000 miles long that would give you 2,000 sq. miles of map to play with. If the floor of the toroid is a botanical garden for the aliens you could include a wide selection of freaky plants (giant sundew, man-eating venus flytraps, pitcher plants, assassin plants).BEE SWARMS-bee swarms are needed for pollination and provide honey and beeswax for the crew.RABBITS-rabbits help to control vegetation and provide meat, furs for crew.SQUIRRELS-squirrels help to reduce vegetation and spread seeds/nuts and provide the crew with fur, meat.RAPTORS-raptors are chicken -sized predators that hunt in packs of 20--50 and follow the party relentlessly.(think of the scene in Jurassic park where they kill the straggler.).raptors provide meat, leather and eggs to the crew.ROBOTS-robots are controlled by the main computer(HAL?) and gather material from the gardens and carry it up ladders attached to the walls.MAIN COMPUTER-the main computer is running the ship whether the crew is alive and awake or not. The party has to trek around the ship till they figure out they should climb the robot ladders and get to the hub…
…basing the idea on 2001:a space odyssey and rendezvous with rama, books that predate halo by 2 or 3 decades. The scale I proposed fits fairly well on graph paper, and can be up or down-sized well. Separate sections might be difficult to maintain? The players may have a hard time finding environmental suits on a ship maintained by robots, lets see what jacemachine thinks, he may still be working on the Romero/zombie world and didn't mention whether he had picked up LIBRIS MORTIS yet, watching 2001 or reading rendezvous with rama might not gibe with his creative schedule.
For my Space section, I’m really leaning towards Event Horizon… but if you were to say, replace the nearby planet with a Halo-shaped space station such as you propose… that’s a possibility. I’ll chew on that a bit, see how it tastes.
I haven’t picked up LIBRIS MORTIS yet—I had it in my hands, and I decided to put it back. In fact I haven’t bought anything recently… not even X-Mas giftage. Yes. I know it’s too late now. I’m also looking to buy the Fiend Folio too, and my regular store has been out.
Jacemachine,
I've scanned through your pages of threads. There's a treasure trove of information in here. I was wondering if you are considering a .pdf of all this into a campaign setting/adventure arc.
Excellent work.
Thanks for checking it out—It’s an excellent example of how I develop any story really—Things change drastically between pages, ever-evolving—It’s nice having extra brains around to pick at.
I had actually considered maybe repackaging my campaign and releasing it as a pdf. It’s HUGE, and it will use bits and pieces from every Modern book released so far.
I have plans to type up a synopsis of How We Got Here for you guys to read.
What I might end up doing is posting campaign chapters—starting with the playable prologue that takes place in 1941, and sets up the entire campaign. If I do that I will certainly need to help retrofitting that part in order to take advantage of the lessons I learned while running it.
and i agree with the idea that players should buy therre own damn books. in our D&D group you must have your own players handbook or make a character you dont need to reference the book for. as a DM i like to have a book handy with book marks in needed places to reference during the session and i dont want people asking me to look stuff up for them or sayinfg hey let me see the main book for a secound. we have one player in particular who for the most part is as dumb as a box of rocks and he insists onplaying wizards and the like but refuses to right any of his spell info down, so every time its his turn its :let me see the book for a sec" so he can see what his spell does. and if he dosent have access to the book he just guesses (poorly i might add) at the effects. and it pisses me off to no end as a player and a DM when it happens (to the point of threatining physical violence)
but i dont like players having all the cool source material (like Monster manual, liber mortis) because this lends to meta gaming " oh thats just a [u]insert monster here [u] we can handle that easy" and takes away from the suprise factor of creepy monsters with my own discriptors.
im ranting now sorry
The changes I am making to your overplot.
The pocket universes are seed universes, captured and kept from developing into independent universes by the Big Evil Guys so they could use them for their amusement. Because they can not grow, the seed universes are decaying and dying.
The Artifact is a reality virus created by the Big Good Guys before they died out. It was intended to cut all the doors between these seed universes so that they can develop as the Creator intended.
The doors are mobile, they open and close in what appears to be a random fashion, as the seed universes rub together. However they always use a doorway as you described as that is just plain cool. Hello apartment bathroom.
The doors open when seed universes come to close together. This often happens close to anacronisms, like your WWII Destroyer in the desert.
The Artifact gathers power from the friction of the seed universes rubbing together, and becomes temporarily more powerful/self aware the closer the party is to a door. Other than that the Artifact is going to function much as you described it has several CLW a day, one rez per character, one reincarnation, the character who posses it is aware of universal doorways when they appear.
As The Artifact becomes more powerful it is more easily tracked by the Big Evil Guys. They do not physically travel to the seed universe, rather they take over creatures that exist in that universe, overwriting them with certain characteristics. Like Butterball and Nickleplate if you have read Tad Williams book Otherland. So Butterball is always huge and hulking no matter who he inhabits and Nickleplate always has shiny lenslike eyes.
The Artifact must be brought to the original universe of the Big Bad Guys and it uses the players to do so.
Thanks for the great ideas, and for sparking what I believe will be a wonderful campaign my players will remember for a long time.
on the shrine room with potions: i dont like giving out potions they can take with them if they dont use them, say they get lucky and dont need to heal or dont need the buffs. then they take the potions with them....you forget about them then the secret stock pileing begins. i think the mystic fountan idea is better if ya dont want to give out MIs that way its a use it while your hear cuz ya cant take it with ya when you go thing.
I don't mind actually-- I'm stingy enough that PCs don't have too much that would shift the balance of power. The majority of stuff I plan for them to have will be mundane gear from the different dimensions. A few powerful thingamabobs... but I've learned the lesson that an old GM learned when he gave my bastard sword specializing fighter a sentient evil vorpal bastard sword
And i agree with the idea that players should buy therre own damn books.
Personally, I like to own things. If my players chipped in money, the books, would also be theirs. I have a good enough job, and I like buying stuff. If I didn't spend my cash on gaming books, I'd spend it on videogames, or any number of other inconsequentials. :D
Now if I move, the books move with me... and presumably on to my next gaming group.
I own two copys of the Core Rules, and I bought another for a friend's late Christmas Gift. I'd rather people own their own copies of some things.:D
but i dont like players having all the cool source material (like Monster manual, liber mortis) because this lends to meta gaming " oh thats just a [u]insert monster here [u] we can handle that easy" and takes away from the suprise factor of creepy monsters with my own discriptors.
The creatures in my campaign, with the exception of the expected mundanes, are pretty tailored-- At least visually.
Great ideas and I am stealing many of them.
The changes I am making to your overplot.
The pocket universes are seed universes, captured and kept from developing into independent universes by the Big Evil Guys so they could use them for their amusement. Because they can not grow, the seed universes are decaying and dying.
The Artifact is a reality virus created by the Big Good Guys before they died out. It was intended to cut all the doors between these seed universes so that they can develop as the Creator intended.
The doors are mobile, they open and close in what appears to be a random fashion, as the seed universes rub together. However they always use a doorway as you described as that is just plain cool. Hello apartment bathroom.
The doors open when seed universes come to close together. This often happens close to anacronisms, like your WWII Destroyer in the desert.
The Artifact gathers power from the friction of the seed universes rubbing together, and becomes temporarily more powerful/self aware the closer the party is to a door. Other than that the Artifact is going to function much as you described it has several CLW a day, one rez per character, one reincarnation, the character who posses it is aware of universal doorways when they appear.
As The Artifact becomes more powerful it is more easily tracked by the Big Evil Guys. They do not physically travel to the seed universe, rather they take over creatures that exist in that universe, overwriting them with certain characteristics. Like Butterball and Nickleplate if you have read Tad Williams book Otherland. So Butterball is always huge and hulking no matter who he inhabits and Nickleplate always has shiny lenslike eyes.
The Artifact must be brought to the original universe of the Big Bad Guys and it uses the players to do so.
Thanks for the great ideas, and for sparking what I believe will be a wonderful campaign my players will remember for a long time.
I would comment item to item here, but frankly I like just about everything you've come up with-- Very cool alternatives and takes-- PLEASE let me know how the campaign goes-- I may decide to borrow a few ideas for myself. One of my ideas with this campaign was "Here I am with this binder FULL of previous Jacemachine handled RPG characters from varying systems... I could totally give them new life as NPC's and because I've played them before, they are sure to be fairly unique and more thought-through than some other NPCs."
Only problem was conversion-- White Wolf, ADnD, RIFTS, so on andf so forth... but that hurdle was crossed over a year ago.
Kyle the DEMON character I played in a White Wolf game is an Agent of the Big Black Evil. He's fallen angel of death, in the body of a hitman. He is given a contigent of interdimensional Battle Android Troopers with cool electricity-spewing arc guns and laser sabres. Joining him for the ride, will be foes he's plucked from the different world's.
In the Players corner, taking the role of introductory guide through the Basics ala Gandolf (Or Moiraine and Lan for tWoT fans!) is a Mage of mine from the World of Darkness. Ex-con, car thief. He's travelling with the former female companion of that guy with the vorpal bastard sword from Hackmaster... converted to UA.
Now, what I've been up to for the past few days...
Other than working at work; I've been trying to write up interesting descriptors for the rooms in the temple. The next session can be called for any day now (possibly Saturday), and I need the next two floors typed up and ready to go-- this includes adding interesting features, and stuff for the PC's to find. Also, the story of the temple and the people that built it will be explored further through ancient texts and murals and such.
Any interest in adding to what I've done?
Help me diversify, and place mundane items if you want.
If any of you are, lemme know-- I'll post the numbered room descriptions and map again.
god im such a cry baby
Very cool alternatives and takes-- PLEASE let me know how the campaign goes-- I may decide to borrow a few ideas for myself.
Thanks.
I am playing with the idea of giving the temple under Echo an Aztec theme.
A Macuahuitl of the Dread Reaping sounds fun.
To plaguerize your text.
A heavy wooden club 25 inches long fringed with cutting blades made from obsidian. The obsidian shards of this weapon shimmer with dark colors, any person reflected in the stone appears as a dead and rotting corpse. The wood is carved in ancient Aztec glyphs. If successfully translated it reads: Those slain by thine hand shalt never have rest.
My player are never going to know what hit them as I have told them we are playing a shadow chasers game.
I think as the PCs move from world to world I will have the symbols in the middle of the disk change.
was that made on paint or something??i like it and would like to steal it.
...and for sparking what I believe will be a wonderful campaign my players will remember for a long time.
What do you think of the idea of my PCs running into NPC versions of your PCsin my game... and Vise Versa in yours. We could exchange character sheet info, and brief personality write-ups (i.e. How the PCs run the characters typically.) When the PC's have killed the other party, How we use these characters is widely up to our own individual plots, but it would be certainly cool to tell our players that they just waxed the PC's from the Other Group.
I'm fully expecting my PC's to cobble together a wide array of gear from the different worlds, so your PCs may have some interesting stuff to pick through if they search the bodies.
Just a thought! :D
What do you think of the idea of my PCs running into NPC versions of your PCsin my game... and Vise Versa in yours. We could exchange character sheet info, and brief personality write-ups (i.e. How the PCs run the characters typically.) When the PC's have killed the other party, How we use these characters is widely up to our own individual plots, but it would be certainly cool to tell our players that they just waxed the PC's from the Other Group.
I'm fully expecting my PC's to cobble together a wide array of gear from the different worlds, so your PCs may have some interesting stuff to pick through if they search the bodies.
Just a thought! :D
i would love to, but my campaign is not going to start for months. I have to run them through an Eberron version of Red Hand of Doom first.
What's gonna happen if they decide to do something like work together?
:D I would likely use them as Evil versions. The Evil Forces of Doom and Naughty Doings, in an attempt to capture the PCs Artifact, send dopplegangers of the Alternate Universe party after them... Think of them as Evil Star Trek Characters... just without any of the superflous facial hair indicative of evil alignment...;)
i would love to, but my campaign is not going to start for months. I have to run them through an Eberron version of Red Hand of Doom first.
I started developing this campaign about a year before I actually started running it. I began the campaign with the Prologue set in 1941. This is when they found the anacronistic Artifact deep in a Mayan tomb in a lost city. I gave them pre-generated PC's at level 5, to showcase some of the abilities they could look forward to building towards. This was also their first Modern game, and they have limited d20 experience at best. (Our main game with this group had been Hackmaster for about a two years.)
I had the players create third level characters, and I told them I wanted them to create members of a boat crew that did treasure salvage. I also had them watch the movie Sahara (based on the Dirk Pitt novel) to get them in the mindset I wanted them. The characters were to be relatives or family friends of the characters used in the 1941 portion, for ease of GM planning, and transferring the Artifact from the old guard to the new.
Not quite a month of game time has passed... but throughout this past year, I've spun them around so hard they have no idea what is coming next.
LONG STORY SHORT-- :P This campaign will be rolling for some time yet... I'm in no hurry.
My PCs are at level three still... let me know when you like for me to grab their stats, so you can plan encounter CRs.
yeah ill see what i can contribute
Sweet-- I'm running through a few of the important features, things I know I want in the rooms... I'll post soon with what you guys will need.
I am putting together an introductory adventure designed to introduce my characters to The Artifact, some of the villians, and lead them to the first Door which will lead to the Badlands ala Jace.
I am going to post it here, if that is alright. Any and all ideas and feedback are welcome.
----------------------
First. There is a good chance the characters my party plays will not know eachother when the game starts. So I need a reason they are together, and a time ingame for them to introduce themselves.
Second. When I write for my adventures I write a "best case" senario which gives me a starting point to extrapolate from when my players get creative.
Third I was looking for a title for my campaign. As I post teasers on the forum one of my players runs for our little group. I was thinking of a journey so I hit the thesarus and decided to use Odyssey. A little bland so I hit up google and found an album entitled Odessey and Oracle by The Zombies.
Perfect. It was written by Zombies. . . there is my campaign title and I will pull lyrics from a few of the songs to lay red herrings for my players.
Fourth I use Tiddlywiki to make campaign notes and I am pasteing them here spelling mistakes and all, sorry about that. ;)
Here is the info I will be giving my players.
Background
The world your characters know is exactly like the world we live in.
When the adventure starts you are all riding on a Greyhound Bus that is traveling from New York, New York to Las Vegas, Nevada. The opening act of the game will be on I-80 Between Des Moines, Iowa and Omaha, Nebraska. It is 4 AM.
The Bus has passed through New York, Cleveland, Chicago, and Des Moines. Your character could have gotten on at any of these points. The final three stops are Omaha, Denver, and Las Vegas your character could be going to any area around these spots.
The PC's who got on the bus at NY have been on the bus for around 20 hours. The bus has another estimated 17 hours to go to LV
You have one carry on with you one the bus, and up to two other luggage items in the storage compartments of the bus. Pack realistically this is not the normal D&D you are used to playing, I doubt 10 foot poles are items your character would normally take with them. ;)
---------------------
Here is how I see things unfolding
Act 1
The Wheels on the Bus Go Round
* A Bump in the Knight The old guy gets hit
* A pickup arrives, police arrive?
* The yokle and the accountant get taken over
* Artifact gives warning
* The Red Shirt Dies
* Run through the corn
* Chase to the barn need an anacronism
* First Door is Found
Opening scene The Wheels on the Bus Go Round
The last stop the Greyhound made was Des Moines, two hours ago. At that point your new driver introduced himself as Juan Menero. He looks to be abour mid 40's and is wearing the standard grey uniform and blue tie as the two previous drivers.
It is now 4 AM and as you drift in and out of sleep you hear snatches of music from the Juan Menero's small portible radio.
...hope you're feeling better baby
Thinking of me while you are far away
Counting the days until they set you free again...
...You're coming home soon!
Walking the way we used to walk
And it could be so nice...
We're talking the way we used to talk...
The DJ comes on mentions that the song was "Care of Cell 44" by the Zombies
Note to GM: The song being played is Care Of Cell 44 by the Zombies from the album Odesseey and Oracle. Lets have this figure into the game later on, perhaps the Door out of the Badlands is found in Cell 44 of the Russian Ship.
Things for the GM to do:
Stat up the Bus Driver Juan Menero and the other passangers, need at least one red shirt.
Think about who else is traveling along the highway at that time of night and might stop.
Trucker? Local in a Pickup? Highway Patrol?
Scene 2 A Bump in the Knight
Suddenly Juan swears "Meirda!" as he slams on the breaks. The bus lurches.
Make a Balance check DC 10 to see if you keep your seat
If failed the character is prone on the floor.
The sound of squealling tires fills the bus.
Just before the bus comes to a halt you hear a meaty thump from ahead.
Juan stares straight ahead gripping the wheel with white knuckles
After the cacophony of the busses stop the sudden silence is unnerving. The radio pops and hisses and a voice starts singing out of it
. . .It's a mistake going back
They tell me that nothing's the same ever again
But when you walked through the door
It was just like. . .
Without removing his eyes from the road before him, Juan turns off the music and grabs the CB radio. He calls dispatch and in a paniced voice asks them to send the cops.
What do you do?
More info for the GM
Nothing of the road ahead can be seen from where the PCs are sitting, They will need to stand and make there way to the front of the bus. When they get closer to the front windscreen they will see the following.
The Knight
Bathed in the illumination headlights is the broken form of a large man. Blood oozes from his mouth. His dark black overcoat is torn and the shirt under it looks silvery and metalic in the artificial light.
He moves slightly reaching toward the bus in a silent gesture of need.
More info for the GM
When the PCs leave the bus and move closer they see additional information about the man.
The Knight
The man is critially injured, from the strange angle of his legs and the amount of blood pooled under him you are amazed he is even concious.
He is large with broad shoulders, He looks to be about sixty years old, his face covered in a white beard and flowing white hair. His outfit is . . .odd. . .to say the least. The black overcoat is ordinary, one you would see anyday on the street. However, as you get closer you notice the shiny metalic shirt is made of chainmail links,it extends past his hips and has a red cross on a field of white attached above his left breast. A tooled leather belt is over the mail, and holds a sheath with a large knife, an empty canvas sidearm holster, and a large leather pouch. His wears leather sandals laced up his calves over old worn blue jeans.
More info for the GM
When he was his by the bus the Knight was holding his handgun, a Spot DC 17 will see it laying 30 feet up the road along the median.
With a Knowledge History or Knowledge Religion (DC 15) the PC can recognize the cross symbol as being a symbol of the Knights Templar, circa 1100 AD
The Knight
When he becomes aware of the PC the knight will reach out toward them with one hand and futily attempt untie the pouch attached at his waist. If any of the PCs have outward christian iconagraphy or crosses the knight will address that person first.
The man gestures to you weakly with his left hand, as his right fumbles with the straps holding the pouch to his belt
His lips begin forming words, but no sound is coming out. He closes his eyes for a moment then opens them again and seems to summon strength from withing. He speaks.
These are the rules. Never stay in one place too long. Find the doors. Trust the Oracle. Run fast, they hunt for you now.
With a surge of strength the man rips the pouch from his side and presses it into your hands. As the pouch leaves his hands the spark of life leaves his eyes and he falls down dead.
Things Yet to Do
* History and name for the knight
o he might return as a spirit advisor contained in The Artifact
* Equipment the Knight has
o What besides The Artifact is in the pouch
+ A medical kit?
+ Papers?
+ Bible?
o What type of knife, and gun did he have
-------------------
I have been thinking about Butterball and Nickleplate alot and I think will make them up as templates applied to a base creature. For these opening scenes they will be taking over other passangers in the bus and perhaps a police officer or a local who stopped in a pickup truck.
So the PCs will be attacked by an accountant with something similar to the feral template when Nickleplate is around, and a template that makes any character more brutish when Butterball is about. More on that later.
Just how long has YOUR version of the Quest been going on for? I mean, with all the variable seed worlds, who to say that this hasn't been ongoing for a millenia?
I really dig that alien font you've got there-- any possible way I could get my hands on it somehow?
Also, sorry I haven't been around. I've been sick as a dog since the First. I've missed work for three days now, and I had to bail on running THIS campaign last night because of it.
I think I rounded the corner though. My fever broke last night, and I have slightly more energy today.
I've been trying to work on the game, but I haven't been able to make much progress.
Hey-- What if the knight was actually a former bearer who the Artifact brought back in a recently desceased knight's body?
Just how long has YOUR version of the Quest been going on for? I mean, with all the variable seed worlds, who to say that this hasn't been ongoing for a millenia?
In my version the quest has been going on a long long time. I read somewhere that some ancient people believed the farther an object traveled the more magically powerful it became. The Artifact needs to change the multiverse, so it needs to "charge up" for a long time by traveling.
I was actually thinking the knight was Brady Lennox the last living member of your group.
As far as the seed universes go, they are not the only universes in the multiverse. There are many fully developed universes as well, such as ours, the big evil guys, and the dead good guys universes.
I really dig that alien font you've got there-- any possible way I could get my hands on it somehow?
Sure, I have it as an illustrator EPS file, I can mail it to you if you send me your email in a private message.
Also, sorry I haven't been around. I've been sick as a dog since the First. I've missed work for three days now, and I had to bail on running THIS campaign last night because of it.
I think I rounded the corner though. My fever broke last night, and I have slightly more energy today.
I've been trying to work on the game, but I haven't been able to make much progress.
Glad you are feeling better, I just figured I wrote to much,in that last post.
Glad you are feeling better, I just figured I wrote to much,in that last post.
Not quite so yet-- The flu I had left me with a bacterial infection in my lungs--I've either got Bronchitis or Pneumonia. Hurray.
Suffice to say, I'm miserable, and a miserable Jace is a non-productive Jace.
I feel horrible.
In other news, Taradusis I am happy to announce that I've bought both the Fiend Folio and Libris Mortis. Good stuff.
Happy to add them to my personal collection.
Brains in jars...
Brains in jars...
Psionic Brains in jars.
Look ant the Brain in a Jar's Mind Thrust ability. Compare to Psionics power Mind Thrust. The Brain is psionic.
Quinn: A Priest who is interested in the occult and likes his whiskey. Working towards Occultist.
Jane Doe: A dropout Medical Resident who wants to work at a gallery selling expensive crap to people with too much money.
Janet Doe: A Archeologist who needs funding for new excavations under an ancient Mayan temple.
John Doe: A Demolitions expert trained by the military who can blow up things real good.
The nice thing is they can all make characters as they want, and I do not have to corral them into a backstory that explains why they are all together. I have told them they are on a bus, and to come up with a reason why. By the end of the first session I am going to have shoved the characters, and if they play their cards right a nonfunctional Police Cruiser, through the door into Jace's Badlands.
Of the four only the player playing Quinn has fleshed out his character. One of the items his character has is
An 2002-era Dell Latitude d600. No built-in wifi, so Quinn carries around one of those annoying PCMCIA adapters that looks like it's asking to be snapped off when in use. It is pretty much used for doing research online, but it does have some PDFs and photos of ancient books, some of Quinn's writings, and other research material.
I was trying to think about how The Artifact communicated with the players and how I could give the Occultist his "free" scrolls when he levels. On some worlds the free scrolls with not be an issue but on a spaceship filled with dinosaurs where the heck do you get arcane scrolls?
I am working with the following stipulations about the artifact.
1. It is very very powerful even early in the game as it has been traveling for ages.
2. If it releases even a trickle of that power it can be tracked by the Big Bad Evil Guys. This is why they show up when the characters are close to a door. It has to reveal itself to find the door. Occasionally it "pings" reality before shutting itself back down.
3. If it stays inert the BBEG can not track it.
So, when the characters first get The Artifact is releases a little bit of its conciousness into the laptop, so it can communicate with the PCs. It is not in the laptop it has cloned a tiny part of itself that can answer basic questions and give limited information. Perhaps artifact lite, uses the AIM program. I have one of those old Latitude computers here at home with the wireless doodad. Maybe I will set up an aim account and communicate with the players as The Artifact through that.
Having The Artifact subvert the computer also allows me to let the Occultist find his few "scrolls" as text documents on the laptop. It is a bit more time consuming to boot up a laptop than to find and open a scroll in your backpack so I will have to take that into account during combat.
Finally the laptop will now draw power from the same place as The Artifact and there is no need to worry about its batteries running out.
I would also like The Artifact to communicate the history of this multiverse more completely. Which is why the characters will be going to the catpeople city, Jase talked about. The old temple there acts as a faraday cage, allowing The Artifact to use more power without being traced by the BBEG.
Re: The BBEGs. If you have ever read The World Of Tiers books by Philip Jose Farmer. His villians are the decendents of a very advanced race who can create new pocket universes. The decendents are decadent and can still use the machinery to make these universes but they no longer know why it works. I think my BBEG will be along the same vein.
Here is one of the player writeups. FYI Jove is the name of the Catholic God in the game world, as several of the players find it easier to divorce the game slightly from reality.
Jove, you have brought me into the time of trial. Find me worthy that I may be a herald of a new age, for the things you have whispered to me are coming to pass. That hole in the floor that Joe fell through... that must have been a door like this one. And I peered through it but did not have the faith to be tested then. I did not see what was on the other side. Michael... Arnie did. Arnie had the faith, he acted upon it, but the church did not have faith in him. So now, I am being tested, I see that which I have known in my heart. Will the church abandon me as they did my brother before me?
I should have known this was coming back in New York, but my head was too muddled with whiskey to recognize Carmen. She is the one who helped me recover the Talisman of Cihuacoatl near Tlacopan. She stepped out on faith to support the church her world fell away from her. Arnie stepped out to help the world and his church fell away from him. We are all broken spirits, trying to do well in this world that abandons us.
And now we have abandoned the world.
Somewhere in the midst of the cornfields of Iowa, my world began to fall away from me. The bus driver, who wouldn't let me sleep with his music, hit a pedestrian--at 4:00 in the morning. I shouted for a doctor, and made my way out, grabbing the offices to perform extreme unction. And well I did, for the man dying was--Jove, highlight the truth of these words--a crusader. Armed with a sword and... a gun.
And armed with an artifact, perhaps the one I have been seeking, for lo, it whispers to me. Jove, is this you, the synthesis of the arcane and modern?
But as with all good things, evil seeks them out. An accountant on the bus was possessed with demon. He came to confront me, and I began to see the faithful gathering around--a doctor, a soldier, and Carmen. Before long, there were guns on the scene, lots of guns. We stood up to the demon with nickleplated eyes until the soldier (Jacks, I think he called himself?) shot him through the head. The demon left his body, but another came, this one monstrous and veiny, a beast who appeared to have dined on nothing but steroids and butter for eons.
And then you spoke. Electric blue. The police car, blue lights flashing. We the faithful ran, even as the butterball demon ate the police officer, even as the nickleplated demon possessed the bus driver and came back for us. We drove in the police car, and you provided direction. We listened, Jove, we heeded your call.
And you took us, Jove, you made the world to fall away from us.
Wherever we are, I will remain faithful. For fourty days we will thrive in this wilderness, this desert that you have placed us in. The time of trial is coming. Under this new sky, with my brother Jacks and sisters Jaime and Carmen, protect us and keep us strong. Make us to resist the temptations that are coming.
And after this time of trial, help us find the door back home.
In the second edition archives they have the 2ED maztica setting in pdf form?It includes things like jaguar knights and machatl weapons?Makes a good reference and is a free download,It has 300+pages so I reccomend against a printout!!
Thanks, there is a buried temple I was going to give an Aztec/Inca theme. I will be sure to give this a look.:D
I am really jazzed today, this was the first time our group tried Modern and I noticed the two players who have the hardest time getting into character in D&D were able to step right into character in Modern. It was a nice change.
Here is one of the player writeups.
Dude, that's some seriously good prose!
You read Gibson?
Sorry I've been absentia as of late-- I'm recharging my brain.
However, I need to get off my rumpus and finish this damned temple. The shear volume of rooms I face has been a bit on the overwhelming side. Especially when I owe it to my players to deliver on consistent, good set dressing and detail.
I've also got to nail down what vital MetaPlot information I need to deliver to the PC's in this place before they destroy it; this will be down through ancient clay tablets to be translated by Jesus, as well as tile murals, and carvings.
I know that I want to show a brief history of the temple dwellers, their worship of The Dark God, and their conquering of the Crescent, ending with the sneaking in, and sacking of the Mesa City. This last part a VITAL clue for the players, who will be armed with this "random bit of trivia" when they actually get to the Mesa/Moreau City. They can find the secret tunnel that leads within the walls that the Moreau Cats don't even know about.
Like I said though-- I've been recharging my brain. My players and I've been nusy with work and life lately, so I was taking advantage of it to rest.
My problem is that I'm into too many things. lol!
Keep posting! That is an awesome account!
I wish I had written that bit, but credit to my player who has a way with words. Me I usually steal stuff from others. ;)
Speaking of stealing. I know it is a bit of an anacronism, but my players will most likely find a ruined chapbook by T.S. Eliot with the following phrases still legible.
A heap of broken images, where the sun beats,
And the dead tree gives no shelter, the cricket no relief,
And the dry stone no sound of water. Only
There is shadow under this red rock,
(Come in under the shadow of this red rock),
And I will show you something different from either
Your shadow at morning striding behind you
Or your shadow at evening rising to meet you;
I will show you fear in a handful of dust.
It seem to fit the Badlands.
I'm running the game session this evening. I'll let you know my progress.
I like your idea for the second universe the PCs will be traveling through, but I am going to change it a bit.
The players will arrive in a steaming overgrown jungle, trees soar hundreds of feet above them, the canopy so dense that they can not see the sky.
They notice that twilight and dawn are very short affairs, it goes from day to night with very short transitions.
Give them a few land-of-the-lost type adventures. Have them meet some natives (kobolds who function as ewoks?) who view the PCs as children of the gods. The kobolds talk about the arch of the world, the line of the sun, the world wall, and the gates of heaven.
Have them discover a crashed futuristic shuttle craft with skeletons of humans in it. Each human wearing an indestructible bracelet, the PCs will later learn the bracelets work as a keys to the gates of heaven, allowing them to pass through what would otherwise be solid matter and enter the deserted futuristic areas of the spaceship at the north and south caps.
Eventually the PCs make their way out of the dense jungle to a cliff where they can see the land spread beneath them. They lift their eyes to the horizon, and keep lifting as there is no horizon line. The landscape rises above them, circles around them and comes down behind them. Looking straight up they can see lakes and rivers, jungle and plains. To the north and the south they can see huge walls, capping the cylinder. And above them half way to the landscape on the other side of the cylinder is a line of plasma running from one world wall to the other. As they look up the plasma tube pulses and dims, night has fallen on this ancient generational spaceship.
(why isn't anyone running this game where I live!?!)
Just watch out for the Flood, Leadfeather. :P
(why isn't anyone running this game where I live!?!)
I will be happy to come run it for you, you pay for airfair for me an my spouse. ;)
Session got cancelled last minute, but I still made good use of the time between 10AM- 3PM yesterday. I'll be posting the finished room listing for level two.
Boo! on the cancelled. Yay on the coming posting. I am blessed with a group who plans their playing time well in advance, and has never cancelled within 72 hours. I am really bummed, I was looking forward to reading an account of you game.
The group discovered that things aren't quite what they seem. I threw a Forlorn Husk at them, the cowboy they found dead when they arrived. It was a bit hard, but it kept up a steady stream of comments about moisture and water, thereby hopefully giving them a clue on how to fight it. After the horse and then Quinn the priest died, they starting thinking beyond frontal attack, and lured the creature to the water spring behind the cabin. It kept losing its will save and was forced to drink every round, giving them time to destroy it.
Quinn used up his free artifact res, while he was dead the artifact gave him some information. Quinn had a fun time convincing the other three party members that he was not another Forlorn Husk when he rose, especially as one of the first things he did was ask for water. :D
They stripped the police car down, which was fun, and have now journied 6 days in the wilderness. The session ended with them outside the Dusters cavern.
Here is the write-up from Quinns player. I should be getting a write-up from Jamies player also later this week, and will post it.
Day 2
When you walked through the wilderness, Jove, I understand that you were tempted by the Demon. I understand that he offered you power, acclaim, physical comforts... I understand that you stood up to the Demon, turned away his offers for help, and thus fulfilled the prophecies.
I must ask, Jove, were you attacked by the walking dead? Did bodies rise like forlorn husks, animated by a damnable thirst, seeking your blood? Did they suck the very essence out of your life, before they ended your life?
Jove, did you ever see that?
Day 3
My companions complain of thirst. They do not know what true thirst is. I have a thirst motivated by the Demon, a thirst in my very soul. Were it only a cup of water could quench it!
Day 4
I was dead, and I have risen. I am in the wilderness. Am I...
(entry ends)
Day 5
Jove, forgive me my pride.
Three days have passed, and I haven't ascended to sit at the right hand. Jove, again, have mercy. Three days--how many Hail Mothers does that translate to? Forgive me, seven and seventy times. I haven't even allowed myself to think what happened three days ago yet.
It started innocently enough--night fell, and a theory was confirmed. The strange pattern on the back of the artifact matched the stars in the sky. The survivalists in the group set out to find a "North star" of this wasteland to navigate by. In the meantime, the rest of us made a plan to explore--one of us would ride out until we could only barely see the firelight, then, as Jax would say, "make a perimeter." Although I'm sure his perimeters generally involve more sharp sticks and guns.
Ride out until one can barely see the light... hmm.
I was elected as having drawn the short straw--apparently, I've been too nice to the horse. I rode for a few hours, but saw no signs of civilization. Returning, I found Carmen and Jax at the fire, and they both told me that Jaime was off in the darkness of the shack watching the stars.
Then she screamed.
I rode back (why couldn't Jax have been on the horse) as quickly as I could. The forlorn husk of the cowboy was attacking her, seeking her water. I tried to distract him, to take him to the oasis where he could have his fill (and we could send him back to Hell), but made a priority to draw the gun (Jove, why did you give me that gun?), and Jax and Carmen showed up and started shooting.
There seemed no way to distract him with the musclebrains there, so I joined the fray. (Jove, why does the gun you gave me not work? Please understand these questions are not of your will--they are of my own limited understanding.) The husk, how can I say this, the husk drank the horse, then turned to me.
Jove, I'm pretty sure I died.
Was that you, in the body of the Crusader, who gave me back my life?
Jove, I will try not to fail you again. Empower me.
Day 5, evening
My faith has been rewarded; I knew Jove pointed us in the right direction when he sent us to this place, and now we have come across water--and in the distance I swear by my priesthood I see a pillar of cloud in the desert. Once we have recovered a bit, we will make way toward it.
Day 6
Thank Jove for the water we found last night.
The morning after the husk attacked, Carmen, Jaime and Jax went into survival mode, and stripped down the police car for anything that might carry water--the radiator reservoir, the vinyl seats, there was even talk of taking the gas tank! Jaime made a sledge from the trunk and seat belts, and Jax continued tinkering with electronics (he is handy--he made a compass that didn't work, but it's brokenness was confirmed by a formerly working compass Carmen had)
I thought we had gathered enough water for fourty days--or at least thirty-eight more, but we drank a trunks' worth of water in only four. If not for the stream, I don't know what we would have done.
But still, this thirst is nothing. I would wish for a dry tongue every night for a thousand lifetimes if only to forget for a moment that forlorn touch upon my very soul.
I've been digging through my hard drive looking for that hi-res map, and I'm starting to thing it doesn't exist. I may have dumped it to free up drive space.
Tell me about your players thirst. Did they balk at how much water they've drank? How do you handle water and running out? I think I've been too lienient.
In other news, my group's main reason for game hiatus is Matt (Jesus) is getting married tomorrow. The lead up caused alot of delays.
I've thrown alot of detail into the second sub-level, and have begun to do the same for sub-level three. I really want this place to feel lived-in and "thick"-- I'm not excatly sure how I want to do the room write ups-- mostly they're just items/furnishings lists, as assigned to each letter/number code. I was trying to enlist the help of a real-life buddy in this description conversion, but he never answers his phone. Ever.
It's been alot of work going it alone. I will certainly post what I have, and hopefully any number of you can help me out. If not so be it.
ALSO-- For encounters on the second sub-level I will be pitting players against 2 of the Gamble boys. A third will be heard dying (killed by the vengeful Soot Wraiths) when the next session starts, and the players will likely investigate quickly. They will learn that they aren't alone, and in acting so, will keep them on their toes from here on in. In addition to the 2 that are on this second sub-level, there are another 2, who have split up and are wandering the level deeper... in search of fortune and glory. The PC's will have to keep watch out for trouble with the Gamble Boys, but also need to contend with the Soot Wraiths as well. Thankfully, the SW's will be fairly easy to defend against, if prepared with melee weapons that do bludgeoning damage-- torches, clubs, butts of guns. Immune to slashing, piercing, or ballistics damage. Keep an eye on your friends, and beat on the shadowy things as soon as you see them. Don't let them team up and grapple you into a pin. Then you've got problems unless you get help quick.
The forlorn husks seem like pretty effective encounters-- Any GM tips for running them? Any personal tweaks you've used?
sweet deal--
Tell me about your players thirst. Did they balk at how much water they've drank? How do you handle water and running out? I think I've been too lienient.
The PCs spent a day at the shack, where there was a small fresh water spring. They had two 2-gallon leather water jugs that they liberated from the horse of the dead man. I mentioned to the players that over the course of the day the PCs drained the jugs twice.
The week before I also copied and pasted the following true life survial stuff from a web site, I changed the amount of water from the true site so it matched the amount in Sandstorm.
Deserts are defined by their lack of water. Learn to ration sweat, not water. By staying in the shade, limiting activity to cooler times such as night and using your available water, your chances for survival increase greatly. Sipping water does not get it to the brain and vital organs. Take a good drink when you need it. People have been found dead from dehydration with water in their canteens. Also, do not rely on "parlor tricks" such as solar stills as a primary source. These will often produce more sweat digging the hole than is obtained from water gained. Learn to locate water through areas of green vegetation, flights of birds, converging animal trails and digging in the outside bends of dry creek beds. Javelinas and burros are excellent at finding water and digging it up in creek beds. Best of all, plan ahead, and allow two gallons per person a day.
They stripped enough stuff from the police car to hold 10 gallons of water when the jugs the cowboy had were included, I forget off hand what it all was, but it was rather creative. All the ziplock baggies from the evidence kit, several tanks from the engine etc. They also made a sled out of the trunk door so they could pull the items on it and have less chance of having the ziplocks burst.
Each day I had them mark off how much water was used up, and after they ran out I applied the sandstorm rules and started giving them nonlethal damage. But I had then take the nonlethal damage from dehydration like you would in D&D not Modern. It could only be recovered with rest and rehydration.
As to finding water I had the survival expert roll each day and on a decent DC (forget the number atm) they found X amount of water from plants, or a dried river bed that they could dig down into etc.
I also pointed out the "Sipping water does not get it to the brain and vital organs. Take a good drink when you need it. People have been found dead from dehydration with water in their canteens." part of the above quote so I got no arguments about the PCs drinking less than they needed. If they did they would still get dehydrated.
The players seemed to enjoy the challenge. They ran out of water completely once and took a days worth of damage before finding more. They then spent a day recovering at a seep they found that gave them 1 gallon of water an hour.
Now they are recovered and back down to 2 gallons of water as they stand outside the Dusters cave.
After the Dusters, I am going to have the land become slightly more hospitable as they move toward the "civilization" of Echo.
Now they are recovered and back down to 2 gallons of water as they stand outside the Dusters cave.
After the Dusters, I am going to have the land become slightly more hospitable as they move toward the "civilization" of Echo.
I used taradusis' suggestion for using rugs, covering areas covered in brittle branches and twigs. This was covered over with the dust that accumulates everywhere here in the badlands. The PC sent in to investigate missed it, and snapped some twigs-- the player immediately thought he was about to trigger a pit trap, not realizing the damage was already done.
Marisole Delgado was taking a bath in the spring, but alerted she will move quickly behind one of the pillkar-like stalagmite/tites to hide. She grabs up her gun, and gets ready to use it. She is certainly Hostile towards the interloping PC's.
Her brothers, tucked away in their shared room playing a game of poker on the rock they like to use as a table, may or may not hear the warning *snap*. If not they will stay put until they do hear something worth investigating.
Maria Black is tied with her back to a stalgmite/tite pillar.
There is a bounty of stuff to be found in this cave, as the Duster's have plundered a good number of caravans on the trade routes near Echo. They have and use alot of "oriental" carpets-- the cave is made much more like a home with the plentiful thrown addition of the carpets. Flour sacks, barrels and cases of whiskey. Whisky bottles. Clothes. This is where the PC's re-outfitted their characters to fit in better. All disregarded full-conversion in dress, but added to or replaced articles of clothing. Hats. Gunbelts... etc...
This is the head of the Fallen God as depicted in my version of the temple. I tweaked with a Bull's Idol head to create it.
sweet deal--
The forlorn husks seem like pretty effective encounters-- Any GM tips for running them? Any personal tweaks you've used?
The forlorn husk CR4 was a challenge for them on several levels as a level 2 party. First they have never run a party without magic before, and the husk has I think DR 5/magic.
I played up the aspect of the husk cursing its thirst and harshly snarling "I will quench my thirst in your blood" In the hopes they would realize that luring the husk toward the spring might work to their advantage.
It took them the death of a horse and a party member to realize this, well the party member who died realized it right away but as his character was dead he nicely sat back and let the other players figure it out by themselves. ;)
My advice would be, if your players seem overwhelmed by the frontal attack of the husk let it kill and drain a horse first. Puts the fear in the players to watch a horse become dessicated in two short rounds as several of the husks dry open wounds knit themselves closed.
Other than that I am pretty much going to run the encounter the same way you set it up. Although they might find one or two anacronis items in the cavern loot. Items from 1940 and 1950 Russia. Items that originally came from the Russian ship out in the desert.
Modern Write-up #1
I must have gone insane. So much has happened in the last few days that is outside of any realm of possibility that I’m either insane or the world is nothing like I thought it was. At this point, it’s more comforting to think that I might be locked away in an institution and this is all a massive delusion.
I was on the bus to Las Vegas, on my way there to take a job in an art gallery. We were a couple of hours past Des Moines, and almost everyone was asleep, when the bus hit something. I went out to the road when someone shouted for a doctor and found a priest bending over a man dressed something like a middle age crusader. As I was examining him, he pressed something into the priest’s hand and said something like “keep moving, find the doors.” It all seemed very strange to me, but I was much more focused on his physical wounds than his interaction with us. He was injured quite badly, and died during my examination.
I had just given up trying to resuscitate the crusader when someone started screaming for a doctor from inside the bus. Apparently someone was having a seizure. My memories are foggy about this part. I think I must have gone into shock, but I remember that the man who had the seizure, the bitter accountant I’d been sitting next to, sort of flowed off the bus in a cloud of black smoke. The smoke rolled off him and curled around his limbs. His glasses had gone completely reflective, and he had a huge smile on his face. He kept asking us for something, some relic or something. I surmised that it must have been the item the crusader gave to the priest. I heard more and more commotion in the bus—screaming and shouting—but I was too focused on the creature in front of me to pay much attention. He was so wrong, so not human, that I almost can’t describe it.
A few other people were with me at this point, the priest, whose name I later discovered was Quinn; a woman named Carmen; and an ex-marine, Jax, plus the bus driver. Eventually guns were pulled and we were able to kill the creature, but as he succumbed to his injuries, a black cloud pulled out of his body and floated away. The creature had left and the accountant returned. Carmen and I tried to attend to him, but as we were doing so, the black cloud occupied another victim and the whole encounter started again. By this time, I was able to see a monstrous form in the bus. I was horrified to realize it was eating the remaining passengers. I have never felt terror like I did then.
Jax had been transporting weapons in the luggage hold and he found his guns just as a state police officer pulled up. The officer screamed at Jax, we screamed at the officer, and finally he saw what was happening as the grotesquery forced its way off the bus. We ran for the cop car, knowing that we could never survive an encounter against those monsters. Quinn and Jax were already badly injured, and the cop was killed before he could get in the car, but the four of us were able to escape.
As we were tearing down the road being chased by the monsters in their bus, I noticed strange blue text on the computer monitor giving directions to us. Quinn kept yelling to follow the blue, so we followed those directions. We ended up racing down a dirt road toward a barn with the doors wide open. Quinn kept screaming that the barn was blue and that we had to go faster. We roared into the barn at about 60 mph. All of us lost consciousness.
In the meantime, I'm still fleshing out the Temple below Echo. And in that vein, here are fleshed out versions of the Gamble Boys that I am including as encounters in the Temple itself.
Isaac Albaugh
Isaac Albaugh (Dedicated Ordinary 3, Bounty Hunter 2): CR 4; Medium-size humanoid; HD 3d6+3; HP 14+2d8; Mas 13; Init +1; Spd 30 ft; Defense 14, touch 14, flatfooted 13 (+0 size, +1 Dex, +2 class); BAB +2; Grap +2; Atk +2 melee (1d6+0, weapon), or +3 ranged (1d6+0, weapon); FS 5 ft by 5 ft; Reach 5 ft; SQ ; AL Self, Gamble, the Boys; SV Fort +5, Ref +4, Will +6; AP 1; Rep +2; Str 10, Dex 12, Con 13, Int 12, Wis 15, Cha 12.
Occupation: Religious (Knowledge [Theology and Philosophy], Listen, Sense Motive)
Skills: Gamble +7, Gather Information +4, Handle Animal +3, Knowledge (Theology and Philosophy) +7, Listen +8, Ride +3, Sense Motive +7, Survival +8, Treat Injury +7
Feats: Animal Affinity, Personal Firearms Proficiency, Simple Weapons Proficiency, Track
Nowhere to run pg. 166 (sdwndr:rcld)
Hogtying pg. 166 (sdwndr:rcld)
Possessions: Peacemaker, lasso, Harper II Rifle, leather rifle scabbard, tobacco (1 oz.), corn husk rolling papers, custom boots, fancy holster, gloves, canteen, cowboy hat, cloth overcoat, fancy spurs, men’s plain suit, compass, bandanna, (3) days rations, 8 oz. tin (tea), oil lantern, 30’ hemp rope, (42) bullets; Wealth +7
Skill points: 6 to spend before he's fully ready. Bounty Hunter levels are from Sidewinder:Recoiled.
George Brewster
George Brewster (Tough Ordinary 4/Strong Ordinary 1): CR 4; Medium-size humanoid; HD 4d10+8 plus 1d8+2; HP 37; Mas 15; Init +2; Spd 30 ft; Defense 16, touch 16, flatfooted 14 (+0 size, +2 Dex, +4 class); BAB +4; Grap +5; Atk +5 melee (1d6+1, club), or +6 ranged (2d10, Harper twin barrel shotgun); FS 5 ft by 5 ft; Reach 5 ft; SQ ; AL Gamble, Dos, The Boys; SV Fort +5, Ref +3, Will +1; AP 2; Rep +1; Str 13, Dex 14, Con 15, Int 12, Wis 10, Cha 8.
Occupation: Rural (Handle Animal, Survival)
Skills: Climb +9, Craft (structural) +5, Intimidate +3, Ride +7, Spot +6, Survival +6
Feats: Endurance, Personal Firearms Proficiency, Point Blank Shot, Simple Weapons Proficiency, Track
Possessions: club, Harper Twin Barrel shotgun*, cowboy boots, Denim Overalls (handmade), he has a leather pouch worn at his side containing (24) shotgun shells, Tobacco (1 oz.), Shoulder sling (shotgun), gloves, pocket knife, pouch of jerky, straight razor, crackers, canteen, 25’ hemp rope; Wealth +6.
* Harper Twin Barrel uses the stats and description of the Remington-Whitmore M1873 Pg. 142 of Sidewinder: Reloaded. Stats found on Pg 135.
Manuelo "Brimstone" Briggs - Recently Deceased
Manuelo Briggs (Smart Ordinary 2/Fast Ordinary 2/Charismatic Ordinary 1):
Occupation: Blue Collar
Possessions: blue-metal knife, peacemaker, shoulder holster, cartridge belt, (42) bullets, shirt, trousers, (2) socks, straight razor, cigar, suspenders, military boots, bandana; Wealth +7),
"Brimstone" Briggs as his name suggests, is from the town of Brimstone in the Known Territory. He caused some trouble in the past when he was younger. His paw were owner of Brigg’s General Supply Store.
Jesse Bull
The Bull (Strong Ordinary 2/Tough Ordinary 2): CR 3; Medium-size humanoid; HD 2d8+2 plus 2d10+2; HP 24; Mas 13; Init +2; Spd 30 ft; Defense 16, touch 16, flatfooted 14 (+0 size, +2 Dex, +4 class); BAB +3; Grap +5; Atk +5 melee (1d6 S+2, hatchet), or +5 ranged (2d6+0, peacemaker); FS 5 ft by 5 ft; Reach 5 ft; SQ ; AL Gamble, Self, The Boys; SV Fort +5, Ref +2, Will +0; AP 2; Rep +0; Str 15, Dex 14, Con 13, Int 12, Wis 10, Cha 8.
Occupation: Criminal (Move Silently, Sleight of Hand)
Skills: Climb +7, Intimidate +3, Jump +7, Move Silently +7, Sleight of Hand +7, Spot +4
Feats: Cleave, Dodge, Personal Firearms Proficiency, Power Attack, Simple Weapons Proficiency
Possessions: hatchet, sheath, peacemaker, derby hat, trousers, cowboy boots, cloth overcoat, plain holster, gloves, (6) matches, plain spurs, compass, oil lamp, flask of whiskey, cartridge belt (holds 50, has 28 rounds), leather shoulder bag, hunk of cheese; Wealth +6.
Daniel Malenudo
Daniel "Mad Dog" Malenudo (Strong Ordinary 2/Fast Ordinary 2): CR 3; Medium-size humanoid; HD 2d8+2 plus 2d8+2 plus 3; HP 25; Mas 13; Init +2; Spd 30 ft; Defense 18, touch 18, flatfooted 16 (+0 size, +2 Dex, +6 class); BAB +3; Grap +5; Atk +5 melee (+2/, ), or +5 ranged (+0/, ); FS 5 ft by 5 ft; Reach 5 ft; SQ ; AL Gamble, Self, Money; SV Fort +3, Ref +4, Will +0; AP 2; Rep +0; Str 15, Dex 14, Con 13, Int 12, Wis 10, Cha 8.
Occupation: Rural (Handle Animal, Survival)
Skills: Climb +6, Craft (structural) +4, Escape Artist +5, Handle Animal +3, Hide +5, Jump +6, Knowledge (Streetwise) +3, Move Silently +5, Repair +3, Survival +2, Tumble +5
Feats: Brawl, Personal Firearms Proficiency, Simple Weapons Proficiency, Toughness
Possessions: vest, trousers, military boots, pocket watch with chain, socks, peacemaker, (42) bullets, Mirror, comb, bone-hafted knife, gold hoop earrings (2), torch, flint & steel, (5) nails, ; Wealth +6)
Mad dog Malenudo is a known killer. There is a warrant for his immediate arrest in the city of Brimstone.
I enjoy using the avatar generator found HERE for creating NPCs. The simplicity of face gives the players enough to work with, and plenty for them to imagine further.
SOOT WRAITH - The cursed undead spirits of those sacrificed against their wills to the Temple Below Echo's fallen god.
LEVEL 2
A. PILLARED HALLWAY
130’ x 30’/20’
Smooth, flat, fitted stone floor-- covered in dust. Walls inlaid with mosaic tiles; blues, yellows, reds, blacks-- creating varied patterns.
8 torches sit in wall brackets.
14 pillars line the walls, 7 on each side. Each is inlaid in mosaic tiles--
I still have to figure out exactly which parts of the backstory I want to reveal on these pillars.
PILLARS:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
There are 6 entrances in this hall-like room. 1 at the north end, 1 at the south. And two to the west and two to the east.
B1. PRIEST OF FIRE’S ROOM
10’ x 20’/10’
Smells like an ancient furnace.
Smooth, carved stone floor-- covered in dust. Walls whitewashed, and carved smooth. Covered in soot.
2 torches sit in wall brackets.
Ceiling has heavy amounts of soot
Alcove-style shelves containing personal items, some relevant clues to the nature of the occupant.
There is a key that unlocks the boxes in a clay pot on a shelf. Search DC 12.
Old clothing is on the floor. A few robes, a dark red color. A burlap robe lays in the corner near the foot of the stacked chests. Everything is singed, and sooty.
A large-sized alcove in the rear of the room is where the remains of the priest’s spacious bed. Ashes, make it look like an oven or fireplace. Heavy soot covers the inside of the alcove, streaking up in tendrils up and out and to the ceiling.
A charred medium-sized lump lies amongst the ash. Examining will reveal that the nature of the lump is a human skeleton, burned, and covered in thick layer of carbon ash. Detailed examination will tell that the sex of the skeleton was female.
[She was a purification sacrifice in the ritual the fire guy performed, prior to his own ritual suicide. She didn’t have a good end.]
A burnt sack, containing melted gold (approx. 8 nuggets worth) lay in the bed, under the ashes. Search DC 20
A fitted stack of old wooden chests stand in a corner near the door. They are locked. The key is in one of the clay pots on the alcove shelves.
Chest 1: Brimstone Necklace, smells of sulfur.
Chest 2: Flint & steel, oily cloth fragments. Smooth stones (5 marble sized.)
Chest 3: Melted candles pooled at bottom. A clay figurine covered in wax.
B2. PRIEST’S ROOM
10’ x 20’/10’
Smooth, carved stone floor-- covered in dust. Walls whitewashed, and carved smooth.
A large bed sits in an alcove in the rear of the room. Remnants of bedding cover it.
A wooden shelf, containing knickknacks:
- small stone figurines, large elliptical carved eyes.
- a leather & stone bead necklace
- A small wooden box, Akkadian writing (tea leaves) contains powdered plant matter.
- A long clay pipe, thick with ancient resin.
A wooden box, contains an old leather belt pouch. Inside are 2d4 gold nuggets. And 1d4 blood red jewels.
B3. PRIEST OF WATER’S ROOM
10’ x 20’/10’
Smooth, carved stone floor-- covered in dust. Walls whitewashed, and carved smooth.
Mosaic on one wall: Depicts falling water, like that of a fountain.
A large bed sits in an alcove in the rear of the room. Remnants of bedding cover it.
Wooden stool with three legs.
Wooden table.
A wooden crate containing Ancient clay tablets and writing stylus.
[Memoirs, depict a relaxed mellow priest. It contains the events of his last evening before his ritual suicide.]
A dry fountain, hidden panel?
A cracked leather pouch containing 2d8 nuggets of gold.
B4. PRIESTS ROOM
10’ x 20’/10’
Smooth, carved stone floor-- covered in dust. Walls whitewashed, and carved smooth.
A large bed sits in an alcove in the rear of the room. Remnants of bedding cover it.
Wooden chests, cabinets, containing rotted stacks of old garments.
3-legged wooden foot stool. A small table with a clay lamp sitting on it.
A bronze bell
Bone comb
Water basin, clay
Crap bucket
Filth
Animal skins, hanging
Woven hemp carpet on floor.
B5. A PRIESTS ROOM
10’ x 20’/10’
Smooth, carved stone floor-- covered in dust. Walls whitewashed, and carved smooth.
A large bed sits in an alcove in the rear of the room. Remnants of bedding cover it.
Wooden chests, cabinets, containing rotted stacks of old garments.
3-legged wooden foot stool. A small table with a clay lamp sitting on it.
Feather mattress- filled with gold and black feathers. A breadbox containing 2d8 gold nuggets.
B6. PRIEST OF AIR’S ROOM
10’ x 20’/10’
Smooth, carved stone floor-- covered in dust.
Walls whitewashed, and carved smooth.
A large bed sits in an alcove in the rear of the room. Remnants of bedding cover it.
Horn décor, a carpet of large yellow and black feathers woven together sits in the center of the room., a colorful mosaic depicting a gradient blue sky topped with stylistically curly clouds. Birds fly. The ceiling contains a astrological map of the sky. Astrologers tools? Bird-feather fans adorn the wall opposite of the mosaic. A little clay figure of a bird in flight rests on a shelf.
Wind chimes made of bone, hang. A hanging bird skeleton in flight
A mummified corpse hanging by the neck in the corner of the room, a stool on it’s side.
B7. PRIEST OF SPIRIT’S ROOM
10’ x 20’/10’
Smells like ancient incense and dust.
Smooth, carved stone floor-- covered in dust. Walls whitewashed, and carved smooth.
A large bed sits in an alcove in the rear of the room. Remnants of bedding cover it.
Tablets of dreams. Spirit Rings dangle down from hooks on the ceiling. They are dream catchers, really.
Tatami-style straw mats cover the floor. A bronzed pot sits upon a bronze stand in the center pf the room. In the pot is the leavings of some incense. (FORT save DC 15)
A crystal ball, sits in a wooden chest. The key is found in a night stand. A Dream Ring is also in the night table.
B8. A PRIESTS ROOM
10’ x 20’/10’
Smooth, carved stone floor-- covered in dust.
Walls whitewashed, and carved smooth.
A large bed sits in an alcove in the rear of the room. Remnants of bedding cover it.
Wooden chests, cabinets, containing rotted stacks of old garments.
3-legged wooden foot stool. A small table with a clay lamp sitting on it.
Desk with 1 drawer: bone dice, small stone idol of a sleeping bat, carved out of black stone.
B9. PRIEST OF EARTH’S ROOM
10’ x 20’/10’
Smooth, carved stone floor-- covered in dust.
Walls whitewashed, and carved smooth.
A large bed sits in an alcove in the rear of the room. Remnants of bedding cover it.
It’s dusty, with a coating of dirt across the stone floor. Dirt in the bed. Collected in corners of the room. Creations of clay adorn the room, small figurines of animals and things, arranged on the shelves. Small clay pots. A small section of wall seems to have been patched over. A statue stands in front of it in an attempt to obscure it from a cursory examine.
Potters wheel, clay water basins containing clay silt. Pottery tools, cabinet.
A large sloppy clay figure stands in one corner, inside is a mummified female with clay in mouth and throat. A sacrifice.
B10. A PRIESTS ROOM
10’ x 20’/10’
Smooth, carved stone floor-- covered in dust. Walls whitewashed, and carved smooth.
A large bed sits in an alcove in the rear of the room. Remnants of bedding cover it.
Wooden chests, cabinets, containing rotted stacks of old garments.
3-legged wooden foot stool. A small table with a clay lamp sitting on it.
Debris, cobwebs, dead spiders, scrolls about the Dark God, and a creation story. A bucket.
C. WELL
50’ in diameter
The well shaft is 30’ around.
Buckets, barrels, water skins, stairs carved into the floor descending to water level. Moist air. Cool, clammy. The stairs descend in a spiral down the shaft, carved from the stone walls of the well. 60 steps down is the water level. The water is clean, clear and if one is to shine light into it, the well, extends down beyond the extent of the light.
Buckets, torches, a lantern
D. HIGH PRIEST’S CHAMBER
40’x30’
Scrolls, symbol inlaid in mosaic, workbench, a bed sits in the back. Tapestries on the walls depict various blood rituals for the Fallen God. A carved bas relief adorns the rear wall. Closer inspection reveals that it is hung, in stone slabs, on the wall. Transported and displayed in this room, but created elsewhere.
Scrolls on animal skin parchment
Mosaic on floor
Bed
Tapestries, 3
Carved bas relief on wall around door.
Alcove shelves hidden behind tapestries, contains:
Private altar
Brazier w/ sulfur
Small statue
Bench, wooden
Water basin, dry
Blankets, clay bottles.
Dead monkey chained to the wall, near it is uneaten nuts in broken bowls. As in almonds or peacans or something... just so we're on the same page on that one.
E. ROPE BRIDGE
30’ x 90’
The walls slant downwards at a steep angle, and terminate with the hard floor, scattered with large rubble. A few skeletons lay about the stones. Obviously killed by the impact of the fall. 20’ fall.
(Refer to pages from Dungeon Craft for rope bridge ruleage.)
E1. Secret Door
There is a secret door on the opposite end. (Search DC 20 to find it.)
F. TREASURE VAULT
40’ x 50’
Treasure chests, cabinets and racks, Golden bull mounted on a wooden pedestal inlaid with gold.
G. CIRCULAR OVERLOOK
140’ x 140’/40’, 80’, 100’ <- Surface
A great gaping hole fills the center of this roughly circular room. Taking a look around you see walls that jut into the room, giving it a GEAR feel.
G1. STORE ROOM
20’ x 20’
2 tall clay urns: dust/ dust
A large clay, lidded pot: A viscous oily liquid. Smells sour and burnt.
2 shelves: wooden boxes containing clay beaded jewelry, bracelets, necklaces. Clay bottles of old lamp oil / Box containing ceremonial spear heads (sharp). Rolled unused animal parchment, a clay box with beaded earrings.
G2. STORE ROOM
20’ x 20’
Wooden chest, contains old folded blankets
2 cabinets: priestly vestments, and golden holy symbols in both.
G3. STORE ROOM
20’ x 20’
Barrels, of coal
Casks of ancient blood-wine, rancid, poisonous.
Crate containing bones, human.
G4. STORE ROOM
20’ x 20’
1 cabinet - broken hanging door, a mini-shrine to the dark god. Candles, and gold, and bones. Beads, and necklaces draped over the idol.
1 shelf - a series of pots, they contain powdering remains of human organs, hearts, livers, eyes… etc.
Waterskin, old
Jar of scented resin
Dagger, golden w/ sheath.
Round writing stone
G5. GRAND PORTAL
A great big doorway. Wooden, and carved: It’s an Akkadian version of Rodin’s Gates of Hell.
H. GRAND TEMPLE
90’ x 130’
30 pillars, 15 a side.
Huge Idol, 50’ x 30’ area
Grand alter, pews, holy symbols, frescoes depicting god myths, sacrificial pit to burn offerings
H1. HEAVY LOCKED DOOR
Description to be added.
H2. IDOL CONTRAPTION
This is a super-heated baby-cooker. The charred remains of its last sacrifice is still in the metal spoon. This is like the old Molech worship... except with a spoon.
The wheel moves the metal arm, to position the metal spoon over the large burner.
I. INNER TEMPLE ENTRANCE
20’ x 70’
18 Pillars.
J. INNER TEMPLE HALL
50’ x 90’/20’
6 Pillars.
Grand alter, pews, holy symbols, frescoes depicting god myths, sacrificial pit to burn offerings
J?. STORED SACRIFICES
Roll on the table below for most stuff.
In one of the ancient carved wood chests, there is a pale glow. In it are clay jars, molded in the shapes of various animals; A bull, a Bird, A Cat… each of these gives a bardspell-like power-up, temporary of course.
Table not yet included.
K. HOLIEST OF HOLIES
30’ x30’/10’
4 pillars
3 Tapestries
Golden Chest (locked)- contains SPECIAL GM ITEM -- Sickle of the Dread Reaping
Please read through this and offer any suggestions you have that could make this better-- THIS ISN'T COMPLETELY DONE YET, but it's close enough if I needed to run the game tonight... with the exception of the pillars, and a few Resident Evil style FILES to be found throughout the place; in the form of tablets, scrolls, etc...
The Badlands West-World
(a.k.a. The “Futile Crescent”)
The Temple at Echo
Not listed in any sort of sensible order at this point.- JT
- The PC’s are exposed to the physical impact of the Fallen God. His absolute vileness and depravity.
- The creation story of the F.C. -- How the Dark God created it in a day by using stolen code (stolen seeds)-- he populated the world with creatures and people literally taken from other god’s worlds. This angered the other gods. The Dark God trapped them there, cut off from their own gods.
- The Former Akkadians gained favor in the eyes of the Dark God for their whole-hearted campaign to overthrow the little world, and to slaughter as many enemies to the sacrifice of their dark god.
- The Temple at Echo was built by the DG. It was found by a wandering priest who founded the DG cult and based it there. The Priest needs a name and a statue. He is buried in the holy crypts (Temple Collector Battle Room.)
- The People of the Mesa as they were known to the Evil Templeers, had an impregnable fortress city high atop a Mesa-- it was hidden from the ground, and the path upwards well concealed and easily defendable.
- One Day… The Cult captured a young girl(or a young couple), and she was tortured into (him) revealing the secret tunnel… thus bringing utter ruin to her people, as the Cult snuck into the city this way and laid it to waste, capturing or killing all inside.
- One Day… enemy deities arrived, The DG arrived, and a mad-crazy battle took place-- the affects of the battle affected the landscape, creating the area of the desolate mist. The DG was seemingly vanquished-- the enemy deities constructed a protected temple in the North.
- The cult Jim Jones’ed themselves in hopes of helping their god. Thus locking their temple, and sealing the souls inside until the DG can return… using the collective souls to recharge himself… somehow.
The Artifact Shrine
(DO NOT CONFUSE WITH TEMPLE AT ECHO)
This is the overall goal of the Artifact in this world; Get the PC’s here, and then to the Exit Gate.
The Artifact unlocks this shrine, allowing passage into it for the first time since it was created out of the solid rock of the mountain.
Players will enter the inner sanctum, and once again use the Artifact to activate the temporal multi-media experience. Character’s feel completely disoriented, as if they are on shrooms or something. Everything swirls, around them as the experience kicks in-- like a out-of-control merry-go-round on it’s way to hell. Then, everything stops, and the walls begin to static, then shimmer-- then images begin to appear, as if each wall was a gigantic movie screen.
Also, standing in their midst, are life-sized 3d representations of the enemy deities*. One walks immediately to the door, and begins to act as if he is watching for something. The other addresses the person holding the Artifact (he’s keyed into addressing its location) all players experience the ability to interact-- the god is able to change his appearance-- he does this if the PC’s inquire who he is. He never really gives them a good answer, but the shifting visages change from one ancient god to another-- across pantheons-- He’s the same god-role in every religion.
He gives the PC’s the rundown. The Artifact is the key, it will lead you to similar shrines, spread across different worlds-- each warded against entry, and waiting for the PC’s to get there-- they need to flip a switch or complete a puzzle, or something at each temple to activate it. They need to pick up something and travel with it at each temple. Inserting a key received at one temple, into the keyhole at the next? This process, acts on a series of interdimensional switches that need to be locked down in order to permanently shut-out the evil dude. His followers want to stop this process, and get their hands on the Artifact, because it has the ability to locate, and in theory, free their boss.
The Fallen God is worse than The Devil, or (Quinn’s “Demon”) or any other representation of evil. He was written out of time and history after he was sealed away. He's the evil that's so evil, other evil doesn't like talking about it.
* Enemy Dieties is how these particular gods would be viewed by the locals who worshiped the fallen god. In actuality, they are good aligned dieties.
en media res...
Scenario
1. Undead lives under the village of Echo and is poisoning the well, calling children and adults down to him for sacrifice to his dark god.
2. A gang of outlaws has taken over governance of the village of Echo, run the town through terror and intimidation and done nothing to stop the disappearances. The gang his responsible for the deaths/disappearances of several of the leaders of the town. The outlaws were originally mercs hired to help fight the dusters, but they decided there was more wealth in owning the town.
Twist the Tale
* Parents are shackling their children at night in an attempt to keep the "kidnappers" from getting them, several older adults have taken to doing the same to themselves.
* A portion of the town thinks the new "government" of the town is responsible for the missing children. Perhaps they think they are selling them as slaves to the "savages"
The Stimulator, Foil, Detective, and Driver
Stimulator Ideas
1. Barefoot child in ragged pants at the well who offers to water the PCs horses for a few coins. Jamie notices that the child has a band of raw skin around his ankle. The child when asked about it refuses to speak about it. It is from the manacle his father has him wear at night.
PCs can ask around and find out the name of the father if they want to question him. He will be surly and insist the strangers "mind their business not his" but he has the best interest of his child in mind.
2. If Jax decides to see the blacksmith/farrier about getting a set of tools to make bullets. The blacksmith will be working on a number of manacle sets. Describe the manacles as small.
3. Quinn while giving mass at the chapel is approached by an old woman asking for confession. During the confession she asks for forgiveness for forgetting to lock her granddaughter in at night. Then breaks down weeping.
4. Carmen, There is a bare knuckle fight held each night at the saloon for the enjoyment of the "government" Carmen and Jamie are encouraged to attend by several of the gang. Perhaps Carmen can surprise the men and win a little coin by participating in the event. It would also be a good way to account for all the gang being in the saloon when one of the children goes missing.
5. Several of the modern guns peak the gangs interest, the first offer to buy them, then offer to compete for them in a bare knuckle fight, then try and steal them, then are willing to kill for them. Perhaps this is some of the motivation for several of the gang to follow the PCs into the tomb, attempt to kill them and take their stuff.
6. Jack Bess and his wife, Jack is layed up recovering from a confrontation with the dusters who kidnapped his daughter. Very upset that the "government" has done nothing to recover her.
7. The mayor is missing. The gang members laugh and say he had a pressing engagement elsewhere
8. Roy Lemur, is not even 8 days dead. Killed in a firefight with some dusters. He was shot through the head with a mighty powerful shot. Lead punched out the back of his skull and took his hat with it. Interviewing *insert name here* has knowledge that the powerful shot came from one of the outlaws guns, not the dusters who were hung for it.
9. The preacher died/went missing several days after the sherrif died, the last one to see him was. . . The preacher was the other person who knew that the outlaws not the dusters killed the sherrif, he was silenced and buried in s a shallow grave in the cemetary after confronting the leader of the outlaws. Digging up his grave, could perhaps cause the cave in that leads the PCs to the underground temple.
Foil
1. A child disappears when all of the suspected villians are in the saloon, proof that they did not do it.
2. Reserch/Investigation shows that all of the villians were elsewhere when one of the victims disappeared
3. Research / investigation shows that the disappearances started after the PCs arrived in this world. This ties into the meta plot (evil is stronger/focused when the PCs are around. This requires that the PCs stay out in the desert longer, perhaps encourage then spending some time in the cavern of the dusters. Recovery time.
4. Several graves have collapsed from below
The Stimulator, Foil, Detective, and Driver. Would you go into detail about these as they pertain to plot threads, etc... when you get a chance, of course.
* A slight lie-- The PC's have not realized that their watcher a couple of nights into the badlands, was a spirit. The PC's assumed that it was a native american.
The session kicked off with the recapping of the events leading up to the current moment. The PC's noticed the Gamble Boys' footprints in the dust leading down the stairs, then moved cautiously from here on in. ONce they hit the second floor down, they found it strangely lacking in any sort of dust. This presented a problem as well, as the footprints were no longer able to be followed... not on the stone floor at any rate.
I recreated various rooms using the varied shapes from D&D Dungeon Tiles and D&D Dungeon Tiles II: Arcane Corridors. This ended up being an incredible boon to the nights session, and the Soot Wraith combat went particularly well. As PC's explored deeper into these rooms, I would lay down more pieces to expand the rooms, to represent areas being revealed by torch-light as the PC's explored deeper.
My d20 Modern Custom Minis worked out excellently.
The rope bridge is where the PC's ended up after slowly making their way through the Pillared Hall, and finding the dead Briggs laying on his back in an offshoot corridoor.
We wrapped up around 11:30PM last night with the PC's having decided to use the .50 caliber "key" to open up the door across the rope bridge.
Good times.
I decided that somewhere in all the loot the Delgados have accumulated the players will find a black and white photograph of this Russian naval officer.
Let's see what they make of that.
*Snip*
Thank you for sharing that-- I'm going to place it in the possession of the Mesa City Moreaus!
I've been using the newest Ravenloft as a template, and reworking my notes, giving them a much more polished feel. We should be gaming again this week, and I'm focusing on the areas the PC's are getting involved in immediately.
[FONT="Arial Narrow"]subLEVEL 2
Site Properties
The following general properties apply through the Temple below Echo unless otherwise noted in a room or encounter description.
Walls: The construction of the finest kind, hewn stone, covered with plaster or tile. Climb DC 26.
Floors: The flagstone floors are smooth and level.
Ceiling Height: The majority of ceilings on sublevel 2 are 15 feet high.
We played last week, and I just recieved the writeup from the player of the priest, Quinn. By his own admission
Quinn is shaping up to be the sort of arcanist who he used to delight in debunking. Right now, he is thrilled to find a church and perform mass, because it feels like the first normal thing that has happened in a week. However, the more he gets into things, the more "mystic" he will become.
This is part of why I am playing fast and loose with predictions. I'm going to treat every little clue--espescially the obscure and/or arcane--as a sign of my calling. When I'm right, I'll play it up, and when I'm wrong, I'm guessing I will have predicted so much that the other players might not be able to keep it straight. And the more mystic/obscure I become, the less likely I am to be "wrong."
Just so you know, I do see Quinn as someone who might go off the deep end. Don't be surprised by anything he does--I'd rather lose him as a character to further the story. I might even turn him over to you at some point as a crazy pseudo-villain, if that would work for your story. I'm having a lot of fun playing him--this is one of the first times I've felt like I'm running a character in a story, rather than seeing a story build around a character (I think that distinction makes sense).
A few things. I allowed him to swap out one feat as Quinn is becomign something he did not expect. He has taken a feat that allows him to use Mage Hand 3 times a day and dropped Personal Firearms Prof.
I also wanted some way to allow him to become an Occultist without having to spread arcane scrolls around the gameworld, especially on worlds that are themed as normal or sci fi. So the character one evening discovered his old Dell laptop now contains an unnamed icon of a tree. Clicking that tree opens a folder full of an infinate number of unnamed files, each one contains the text of a random document written at any time in human history. A random sample would find things like a list of taxes payed to the emporer in the year of the feathered serpent, writting in anciten mayan hyroglyphics; a paper on Columbus written by a 5th grader in 1976; and a page from the diary of Crowly. During the night spent in the bandits cavern Quinn found a text file that gave him the mage hand ability. With enough research he can find other "scrolls" on the laptop.
Here is my players write-up of the last session.
Day 7
When I was a child, my faith taught me that I was shaped by Jove. My life, my identity; these were gifts given to me at the time of my creation. As I grew, I learned that I had a hand in who I became; Jove created me, and I made choices that were either according to Jove's will or not.
But what if the choices I make are Jove's will? What if the decisions I make shape the universe?
We followed the pillar of cloud. If it was a manifestation of Jove's presence to his faithful, then I am certainly a part of Jove's plan--what we found there was not for the light of faith. A group of bandits had taken residence in a natural cavern with a hot spring. Jamie and I approached with civilized tongue, but were shot.
(Interestingly, it seems I cannot die. I did not see the Crusader this time, but a bullet nearly penetrated my heart, and still I write. It is becoming ever more clear that I am Jove's chosen.)
Jax and Carmen killed or chased off the rest of the villains--the Delgado family, I think they were called. Jax diffused a container of dynamite, and a child of Jove was found bound in the back of the cavern. She told us of a nearby town (Jove provides!), and the party rested in the cave for the night.
Jove criticized his followers on earth when none of them would remain awake with him. Jove, I am faithful. I read the words you provided me on my computer, I read your infinite library. You have blessed me with your hand, your hand that abides by my will. Jove, I am your hand in this world! I control your hand in this world!
My prayer life is faltering, but I now begin to realize that prayer is for the weak. Jove, I am your story being revealed to a new generation. Jax and Jamie and Carmen are my disciples.
Day 8, morning
Forgive me, Jove. I am in the wilderness. I am being tempted by the Demon. I will resist the temptation. I will not use the power of the invisible hand. I am your follower, Jove, you are the leader. Forgive my ego.
Day 8, evening
The girl, Mary Bess, has warned us of savages, and now we have seen one. An animal-like human, wrapped like my ancestors in the desert, fighting a giant ant-lion. We saved him, Jove, I willed your hand to save him. It is clear to me now, the power I feel is your hand, it is not a temptation from the Demon. The savage, who is an agent of the Demon, will try to tempt me.
I showed the hellion a photograph of a USSR naval officer we found in the Delgado's caves, and he broke his spear and gave me the pointy end. It is clear that he recognized me as an agent of Jove--he responded in hostility and fear, but dared not strike me.
Jax has the point of the spear. It is critical that we do not use it, for it is a gift of the Demon.
Day 9, afternoon
The town of Echo. It has a church. A catholic church. Thank you Jove, for returning things to normal.
I preformed Mass, which felt... normal. Even if one of the thugs of a sheriff in this town interrupted things. We established ourselves, asserted ourselves, and let the name of Jove be sounded in the town.
Strange things are happening--children bound to beds at night, people going missing. Some of it is the work of human hands, some of it seems to be the work of the Demon. I have been called here to put a stop to it.
I found some poetry of Elliot today. I could have sworn that The Wasteland was published in the 1920s, but here it is, on the bookshelf. The book belonged to the old priest, he sees Echo as the red stone, and warns of the shadow that lay beneath. If we do not confront this shadow, it will overtake us.
Day 9, evening
I'm not a fighter, but I thought Carmen was. We all agreed to go to the saloon to assert ourselves a little more--after we walked in, I realized I was not in the right place. The locals were fighting, and it appeared that we could get Carmen in a fistfight to prove how tough she was. But when we got her in, she just sat there. She is the anti-Simon. We're going to have to do something about that.
The law in this town, the Gamble Boys, are sinners. Their redemption will come in a wash of blood. They have told us to leave town--wherever we leave, we will take them with us. Jax is talking about ways to end them peacefully--apparently, they are wanted in the nearby town of Brimstone. But we are called and empowered to stop them, and find out what is hidden in this shadow.
We have dynamite, guns, and the hand of Jove on our side. Who can stand against us?
Even now, the graveyard calls me. I sense that there are secrets there, secrets that the Demon wants to hide from me. I will find those secrets. I will follow the Mayan runes straight into the depths of Hell, and confront the Demon himself. I am the chosen one of Jove, the wielder of Jove's hand, I cannot be killed. I cannot be stopped.
Who's the Bearer of the Artifact in your party? Is it Quinn?
I'm enjoying this collective developement of this world so far-- We've alot to work with now.
I AM WORKING TO COMPLETE THE WORLD MAP of this dying Seed 'Verse... I should have it up this week.
In other news, I picked up the Hidden Crypts tiles and the DnD book Dungeonscape from my local store. Both are coming in real handy as I round out the development of this temple. I am certainly looking forward to seeing your dungeon as well!
Eventually her ability will grow. She will be able heal more damage to another PC by taking it into herself. 1d8 +X d8 where Xd8 is the amount of damage transfered from her patient to herself. The first time this happens it will be accidental, she will heal a gunshot wound, and take Xd8 amount of damage herself as the same wound opens on her body as it closes on the patients. It should be interesting to see how she reacts.
I am trying to give each of the characters unique items or abilities early in the game that scale as the game progresses. Similar to the Weapons of Legacy but much less formulaic.
Quinn has gotten the infinite laptop which will extend his ability to research and learn.
Jamie has gotten the ability to heal, above and beyond her normal treat injury skills.
Jax, whose player is working towards gunslinger will find two legacy six-guns. One forged from a shard of Mjoilner, Thor's Hammer and the other cooled in the blood of Loki at its forging. Their abilities will grow but to begin they are minor. Punor, the gun of Thunder is immovable by anyone except its rightful owner. If anyone tried to move it it is like moving the earth itself. Loftur, the gun of mischeif slips from the hand of any but the rightful owner, it is like trying to grasp a fistful of water. Powers will grow from there.
Carmen is the melee smash, streetfighting archaic weapon user. I am still considering what to give her. As she might go the makeshift weapon route or might go archaic sword route. I have considered giving her bracers of some sort, perhaps inspired by Wonder Woman. But I have not been inspired yet.
Quotation found in the temple
All men are born condemed.
To suckle the breast of Death
A feather flutters to the Earth
There is no reason in His song
His breath stills all souls
Plagerized from Glen Cook
Nine days ago when the characters entered the Badlands, a pulse of negative energy awakened the evil below Echo. Each day since then the high priest has been gathering sacrifices to fuel the ritual that will raise the temple to the surface.
Simple Wooden 1in.thick, 2 hardness, 5hp
Good Wooden 1in.thick, 2 hardness, 7hp
Stone 4 in. thick, 8 hardness, 60hp
Lock 12 hardness, 20hp
Hinges 8 hardness 20hp
Room A: Temple Top
Combat Modifiers dark PC must supply their own light Low space, 1/2 speed, -2 light weapon, -4 1hand weapon, 2hand unusable, ranged any.
The earthen tunnel created by the collapse of several of the graves behind Echos church suddenly opens up, Your torch illuminates a slanted slab of white rock 4 feet from the a floor made of smooth, flat, fitted red stone. The ceiling appears to be the same stone as the daggers surrounding Echo. Lifting the torch higher you see that the slab has fallen on and is supported by a small stone building and an altar. It appears the stone fell with some force at some point in the past as the building and altar are shattered and cracked.
Soil and sand have fallen down all around the slab leaving an open area roughly 50' x 40'
To the west and north the floor drops 30 feet until it meets the earth walls of this strange cave. It appears there were stairs to the south but they are buried in soil after a few steps.
The lower part of the altar is mesoamerican bas-relief of an enormous reclining fat man, whose mouth opens in a smile showing rows of shark-like teeth. His eyes glitter blackly in the torch light. There are channels carved into the sides of the altar, all lead toward the open mouth. The altar is 8 feet by 4 feet.
Twenty feet behind the altar is the small stone building, it is partially crushed but an opening remains. All vertical surfaces of this building are covered with mesoamerican hyroglypics. Soil has poured in covering the east end of the room, a steep stairway leads down into darkness.
Traps Fall down the side, DC 10 balance check if standing at the edge, due to the age of the stone. 2d6 damage sliding down wall, reflex save DC 15 or the unstable soil wall that slides down will bury the pc up to their chest in soil. DC 20 Str check to get pulled out,made by both the trapped pc and the pulling pc if they do not tie it off. 15 minutes of digging, multiple reflex checks to not cause another avalance of soil.
Treasure Two shards of obsidian pried from the idols eyes.
NEED TO ADD Things that can be gleaned from study of the hyroglyphs.
Room B: Second floor
Combat Modifiers dark, light rubble in light crosshatch DC +2 balance / tumble heavy rubble in dark crosshatch move 1/2, DC+5 balance tumble. DC+2 move silently.
At the foot of the stairs your torch illuminates iron bars directly ahead and to the south. The bars rise from the floor to the ceiling 20 feet above. Every ten feet sits a large stone pillar. Carved into the pillars are more hyroglyphs, they depict endless lines of victims being slaughtered by men holding wooden clubs with serrated edges.
Behind the bars skeletons and the mummified remains of the many dead is illuminated by your torchlight.
Something scurries at the edge of your vision
Inspection of the bones, and the mummified remains by someone with medical knowledge (Jamie) will show the these people were slaughtered with slashing clubs.
When the high priest declaired that the "god" had left them and that the only way to get him to return was the sacrifice of all living creatures on the temple grounds, he turned the guards loose on the prisoners in this room. The slaughtered them all, and started on the prisoners in the small back rooms. Getting about half way through the back rooms before stopping, and heading down to their own deaths below. Half of the rooms in the back have corpses of victims killed by violence, the other half have corpses of victims who died from dehydration/starvation.
Enemy The violent deaths here have given rise to Tomb Motes Libris Mortis p128. The tomb motes can fit between the bars, the PCs cannot. The tomb motes get 3 actions a round.
The motes will attempt hit and run tactics, moving through the bars, attacking, then back through the bars to saftey. If that fails they move out of the light of the torch and attempt to hide among the corpses to attack when the opportunity arises.
These motes have also been used by the undead high priest, to spy on the town of Echo and to lure children to the graveyard for capture. The priest casts a spell on the mote to make it look like a limping puppy or some such thing.
Some Motes will try and make a break, or sneak down the stairwell to report to the priest.
This back corridor is free of bodies, both walls are lined with closed doors Good Wooden 1in.thick, 2 hardness, 7hp each door has a small slot at the bottom
The motes can move in and out of the rooms through the slots. And do so in the first 2/3 of the rooms where victims were slaughtered. The temple guards closed the doors after killing everything in each room.
The last 1/3 of the doors were starved/died of dehydration. There is a forlorn husk in the last room. A PC who listens at that door can hear DC 10 can here muttering "Thristy soooo thirsty, what moves outside, things that quench?"
Similar to what you've begun to do for your PC's, I've intend to do something where they get special stuff or abilities-- In some worlds, the powers might be tied to THAT specific world. Losing powers sucks though, but that's life. They'll get new ones or something.
I need to add the Darkness rules to my write-up. Keep things simple for me.
I believe if all goes well, I will be running The Artifact on Friday night after work. I'm still adding cool touches here and there. Trying to get a thicker sumerian feel.
What is going to kick my rump, no way around it, is coming up with the messages/letters/orders/records the PC's will find throughout the temple. Most of them will be relevant to what's been going down, down at the temple. Others there for show and dress. It's time-consuming.
You know-- I am absolutely blown away by how many years my group has been playing this campaign. We started in the Fall of 2005... and here it is Spring of 2007. Wild.
It's been a great time so far, and I'm really pleased with how it has played out so far. I think, time allowing of course, that I am going to go back through my old notes and knock together those first three chapters that led up to the Badlands/Futile Crescent.
NEED TO ADD Things that can be gleaned from study of the hyroglyphs.
This one is a bastitch, IMO.
But then again, I have trouble with the organization of my thoughts.
Carmen is the melee smash, streetfighting archaic weapon user. I am still considering what to give her. As she might go the makeshift weapon route or might go archaic sword route. I have considered giving her bracers of some sort, perhaps inspired by Wonder Woman. But I have not been inspired yet.
There is a game called Eve Of Extinction, it may provide some inspiration. Short version= you wield weapon with person's spirit in it. It can transform into any melee weapon (and a crossbow), the weapons also have special abilities.
I really like that mage hand idea.
I'm 98% certain that the game will not take place this weekend. Boo.
Just a little surprised by my parties actions.
They stole the medical bag from the town doctor's apartment, then after the others had left, the priest set fire to the building that houses the doctor's office, the dentist, and the chemist.
They then went to the graveyard while the town was in an uproar and found a way into the temple.
I am debating how much of the town will be burned to the ground if and when they rescue all the captured children.
I guess Echo just asks for destruction. :P
I'm awaiting this week's schedules-- We're again waiting to hear from Matt.
I should kill his character... lol-- j/k
Several of the Gamble boys survived the blast and are in the temple also.
I believe a few more buildings will be gone when they arrive back on the surface, and the Regulators (the police / military) of Brimstone will have sent a detachment to find out why there has been no Express from Echo for a month. And will be restoring what passes for Law to Echo. Those rich mine owners want their payments.
You day sounds much more fun.
They stood there facing the intricately carved wooden door. They could see the fallen god's face, bisected at the center of the double doors, wicked teeth smiling, or grimacing.
"What's behind door number one?" Lars said into the darkness.
"My money's on it being a goat." Brady replied in a dry tone.
Captain Jack peered into the darkness behind them. The rickety rope bridge disappeared just outside of the group's circle of light. No movement. No sound. But then again, those... creatures could be on you in a moment's notice and you wouldn't even know it. "Lars, take a looksie at the door's lock, would you please? Jesus, help me watch our rear."
"On it, Cap'." Jesus agreed.
The sounds of Lars and Brady screwing around with the lock mechanism seemed almost like gunshots in the complete silence of the tomb. Still no signs of trouble from the back of the chamber.
"Two things, Captain." Lars said dusting his gloved hands off upon each other, "The lock had been recently screwed with before we got here. Second, we jimmy'd it open."
"Your welcome." Brady interjected towards Lars, who gave him an indifferent shrug, but with a sarcastic smile."
They turned to face the doorway.
"Ready?" Asked Brady. He then attempted to kick the door open. It's impact was momentarily deafening. The heavy door rattled in it's frame, but still it remained closed. The fallen god's expression seemed to mock them.
Seconds later, Brady pulled at a carved wooden handle. The door opened out, towards them.
"Sorry." Brady muttered.
"Careful, Lars." Jack said. Lars nodded his response, then reached into the room with his torch. His head followed, and his initial scan showed no one, or thing waiting just behind the door or in the space near it. He took a cautious step forward, and caught a glimpse of something...
Gold?
His body moved forward, almost robotically, as curiosity overruled caution. The warm glow of the torch revealed...
The plundered riches of a treasure hoard lie before you. A quick scan of the room reveals piles of golden and silver coins spilling over ancient baskets. Statues, urns, weapons, musical instruments, ancient chests, and many objects still buried among the coins and other items. Some sparkle with precious gems or metal, while others appear crafted well, if somewhat mundane. A large stone idol of a bull sits mounted on a heavy wooden pedestal; both bull and pedestal are inlaid with gold. Beautiful and grotesque mosaic murals cover every wall. It depicts a bloody battle, with a high walled city atop a wide mesa in the background.
His eyes picked out a carved bone flute, and a large gold inlaid wooden harp... a flicker of movement from behind the bull idol.
"Brady!" He breathed over his shoulder as loud as he dare, "Movement".
Brady moved into the room behind him. Lars tossed his torch towards the stone bull. It landed just past it, with an audible 'thock' as it hit the flagstone floor.
The torchlight revealed the rear wall of the room. A long wooden rack ran the length, and more treasure spilled from ancient baskets. The large bull idol loomed against this in dark silhouette. The weight of darkness clung to the right and left corners of the room. And no sign of anyone or anything.
Brady handed his torch to Lars and withdrew his maglight.
"You go right, I go left?" Lars suggested. Brady responded with a nod, and the two men moved towards the opposite corners of the room, following the walls as best they could. Heaps of treasure and ancient chests impeaded easy movement.
Lars rounded a corner and an explosive blast thundered through the chamber. For a moment, the room lit up as the flash of a shotgun blast took him from behind. He noted, oddly how he could see his shadow on the wall as it happened. The after image stayed with him, as he flew prone to land on his face. Hard. Then the flame of pain blossomed acrossed his back. It was momentary though, as he passed out he thought, Is this what dying feels like?
Jesus and Capt. Jack had been guarding the entrance to the chamber, staring back into the ropebridge room. Looking cautiously for the shadowy dust and soot creatures.
Darkness makes it difficult to discern the exact shape and size of this room. A pit looms, extending into the darkness. A very old rope bridge, tied to the stone edge, goes off into the darkness to the south. Wooden poles jut from stone holes in the floor, the bridge’s rope railing is tied off here.
Scanning the walls, one can see raised carvings in the stone off large cats, presumably lions, or perhaps leopards, as spots are visible.
The sound of the blast seemed like an explosion of thunder, it echoed out of the chamber, and into where the Capt. and Jesus were. The shout of "Lars!" came from Brady. The two men moved as one, their years of familiarity, allowing them to work in silent harmony. They reached the door and peered inside, looking for trouble. None presented itself.
They could see Brady taking cover by the legs of a large golden statue of a man. He motioned towards the oppposite corner of the chamber and there they could see Lars' prone body sprawled over a pile of golden coins. His torch, once Brady's, laying a foot from him.
The two men made their way into the room. Guns drawn, they were looking for any sign of trouble.
A bald, mustachioed man tried to creep by behind treaure piles, behind Lars. But when he realized he was spotted he sprinted the rest of the way to take cover behind the bull idol. An old-style double-barrel shotgun visible in the torchlight.
Jesus immediately rushed forward towards the inert form of Lars. He slid in the last few feet, using Lars as cover. He pointed his gun towards the bull.
"Lars, you still with us compadre?" No answer. He dared not take his eyes off the bull to check for vitals just now. Out of his periphery he saw Jack rush towards the bull idol, and vanish behind it.
Captain Jack was surprised to discover another man completely standing directly in front of him on the other side of the bull idol. Jack had originally intended on shooting the bald bastitch, but his shot now went wild as he managed to dodge a swipe from this new opponent's hatchet. The lead slug caught itself in the man's right foot. He grimaced in pain, and his eyes took on a murderous gleam below the brim of his black derby. He rushed forward despite the pain in his foot, his long black hair flowing out behind him like a widow's veil. He swung his hatchet again at Jack. It's wicked blade slicing the air inches from Jack's chest. Jack fired a second time, and the man took the shot in the chest. Gasping in horror, he clutched at the bleeding socket as the hatchet left his grasp and fell to the treasure covered floor. He followed a moment later with an ignoble thud.
Mustachio jumped around the bull on Jesus' side. He fired a shot and managed to catch Jesus in the rear calf with shot. As he rushed by though Jesus returned fire, and the slug from his grandfather's Colt M1911 sunk into the flesh of the man's leading foot. It immediately collapsed under him, and he fell to his knee. Another shot took him from across the room, as Brady lit up from the muzzle flash of his weapon. Amazingly the shot didn't put him down, and he struggled to get to his feet. Jack, however, was now standing over him. His Glock pressed against the back of the bald man's scalp.
"It's done. Drop it." The captain ordered. The man, defeated, conceeded. His shotgun fell harmlessly to the ground beside him with a clatter.
Jesus checked for Lar's pulse...
...
More, More to come.
"It's done. Drop it." The captain ordered. The man, defeated, conceeded. His shotgun fell harmlessly to the ground beside him with a clatter. Jack kicked the gun away, then Jack and Brady tied the man up.
Jesus checked for Lar's pulse. It was weak, but thankfully, still there. Ignoring his own wounds, he began to do what he could for Lars. Fortunately, he was wearing body armor, but Lars still took alot of shot. Lars stirred, "Did anyone get the number of the bus that hit me?"
"You'd better start talking." Jack told mustacio. He pressed the barrel of his gun against the man's bald skull, and cocked it.
"Si! Si! I'll talk!" Mustacio pleaded.
Brady moved about the room, kicking at the piles of treasure. Stopping now and then to examine something that stood out to him. Jesus, having patched Lars up as best he could, now turned the attention of his first aid kit to his leg wound.
"Who sent you down here?" Jack questioned in even tones, however a low rage boiled under the surface.
"Gamble! Gamble sent us!" The man sold out his boss quicker than a nun sings praise to mother Mary. It disgusted Jackson Timber, this man's lack of spine.
"Did he tell you to kill us?"
Silence. Jack dug the barrel into his flesh harder.
"Nope. That was our doing. All's he wanted was for us to see what you were doing. We done figured you were after treasure. Appearin' like we was right, senior."
"Was it your idea?!" Jack, enraged, shouted.
The man shook his head in disagreement. "No senior. It was Bull's idea."
"How convenient for you that your friend is dead." Jack said dryly.
A bright flash accompanying the thunderous roar of Brady's handgun from the rear of the chamber startled everyone. "He is now if he wasn't yet already." Brady announced.
"How many of you are down here?" Jesus asked as he began to stand. His wound was raw and painful, but he could stand. It could have been much worse. Lars too now was standing, but leaning against the bull idol for support.
"Cinco." Was the man's response. The people of 'Suck-World' spoke some sort of crazy "spanglish" language mix.
"Only three of them left now, counting this moustached piece of excrement." Brady offered.
"What do we do with this guy?" Jesus asked.
"We could always leave him tied up in here and shut the door behind us. Not likely that he would be found." Lars suggested. He was examining the bone hafted flute.
"Brady." Jack said, "Why don't you decide?" Brady nodded, a grim looked etched across his face.
The men took a handfull or two of treasure as they left the chamber. A few moments after Brady followed. He shut the door. Jesus noted the fresh blood on his boots. He was putting his knife away.
Until next gaming session...
The party was holed up in the house of the dead preacher, in Echo, and argued for a while about what to do next.
The Bess girl came around midnight and told them that her brother had disappeared, this makes the 10th child to go missing, one a night since the party's arrival in the a Badlands.
The party decided they had to rescue Billy, but first they needed supplies.
They found and convinced the owner of the General store to open late at night. This aroused Gambles boys, and he sent one to watch their movements.
The shopkeep overcharged them for the inconvienence of midnight shopping, and informed them that several of the items they wanted would have to be special ordered from Brimstone, once the mail was again going out.
The party, stepped out the back way, and argued for a bit about how important a medical bag would be to their survival. They agreed to break into the doctors apartment, since he was drinking at the saloon, and steal his bag.
On the way Jamie saw movement in the shadows and time was spent making sure they were alone.
The bag was stolen, and Quinn, after everyone left, became convinced a distraction was needed on this side of the town. So, he set fire to the back of the doctors office, the one connected to the dentists office, the doctors apartment, the chemists shop, and the chemists apartment. (Quinn is slowly going mad and becoming sure that HE is the chosen one and any actions he takes are correct. The player is doing this quite well and does not expect Quinn to survive much longer)
With a fire set, Quinn catches up to the party, and the party heads toward the graveyard, where Jimmy was last seen.
They discover that the grave of the previous sherrif has been disturbed recently, and further more the ground all around that grave has been pockmarked with many many small holes. (These holes are the exits that the Tomb Motes are using to come into Echo and work the evil dead priests will.)
They notice a fiery glow from the other side of the saloon, and hear men calling "FIRE! wake and form a bucket brigade" But ignore it, except for some suspcious looks at Quinn from the three other party members. Breaking out the picks and shovels, they purchased from the General Store. They begin digging. Going only a few feet down they find the body of the preacher, looks like he was shot in the back of the head. Moving the preacher they find the casket of the sherriff. As a second member of the party jumps down. The weight of his landing causes the casket to shift, downward. All of those little holes have destabilized the area and a massive sinkhole over 15 feet across, collapses downward, causing the party, several coffins, tombstones, and bodies to fall into it towards a now revealed 3 foot high earthen tunnel leading downward.
The party enters and eventually finds themselves at the top of a buried temple, exploration and conflict develop.
Seeing a faint light behind them the party figures it for the Gamble boys, and decides the best way to handle them is to BLOW UP the only exit they know about in the hopes of catching the Gamble boys in the cave in.
This is done. The HUGE rock ceiling previously described by the GM shifts and settles from the blast, collapsing 3 feet down leaving only a one foot gap between the floor and the now much lower ceiling. (Wonder what that did to the graveyard and nearby Church.) The whole temple shudders and shifts, dust filling the air, no sneaking around now. The party assumes that the Gambles must be dead now and decends down the stairwell.
They fight tomb motes and witness a wave of evil that reverberates against their soul like a bass speaker reverberates against your body. They see an uncountable number of corpses shudder and shake becoming animated for several seconds each time a pulse of evil happens.
They get hurt, they rest. 3 days until the ritual to raise the temple happens. (Although, they do not know that)
They decend into a massive room with hundreds of cages filled with corpses and skeletons. Some of the corpses and skeletons are animated many are not. They explore and find hyroglypics telling history of the temple. They are ambushed by two of the Gamble boys. George and Manuel. The Gamble boys are ambushed by several zombies. Manuel dies off camera, in the dark, with only his screams being heard by the party. George fights on. Suddenly more zombies arrive and it is a three way fight between George, the party and the zombies.
Carmen dies, and has the Crusader tell her she can go back but once. She says "I do not want to go back if I am just going to die again" But eventually stiffens her resolve and returns to the land of the living.
The party is triumphant, George runs off into the dark.
Session is ended
Session two starts.
The party is injured and rests, the party is attacked by more zombies. The cages above them rattle and the corpses in them scream in hunger. The party decides this is "not a good place"
More zombies, three sticks of dynomite, a missed throw by Jax and Quinn is knocked down. Zombies tear the unconcious Quinn apart. Quinn awakens to the Crusader. GM wonder if perhaps he needs to scale back the encounters. :P
Quinn choses to come back one more time, although his body is to weak to ever house his spirt again. Luckily there is a fresh corpse provided by Manuel.
Quinn comes back, does not tell the party who he is, convinces them that he really is Manuel and that he died and the Crusader appeared to him and offered he life in return for service to the artifact. Jax and Jamie bought it, Carmen was untrusting of the man who just recently opened her gut with a shotgun blast. Quinns body is carried for a while.
They move down a huge hallway and discover Phosphorent Dire Maggots. Fight win, move on.
Manuel complains of headaches if the artifact is more than 10 feet from him. After much good roleplaying they party decides to let him carry it. Quinn/Manuel now fully mad begins to formulate a plan. Obviously these other members of the party are not choosen as he is and are only a weight around his neck.
The party discovers a room with the history of the battles between the temple people and the mesa on a city people and studies them.
The party find a room with a well and sets up defenses for the evening.
In the middle of the night a tomb mote is discovered spying on them. It is hurt but manages to escape before it is destroyed. (More information has now made its way to the undead priest, and the ritual to raise the temple to the surface is one day closer)
It is now Manuels turn to keep watch and not one in the party objects to this new member doing so. He succeeds in moving away without awakening anyone.
The party awakens Manuel and the artifact are GONE.
End of second session
--------------------------------
Quinn/Manuel at the player request is now an NPC. I think he will escape the temple but be captured by the Regulators, who have now come to Echo to restore law and order. Strangely they were patrolling the nearby area when they saw a massive fire, upon investigaing they found that Echo was being run by Gamble. Gamble escaped. But at least one of his men, Manuel is ging sent to Brimstone for trial. The artifact is going also as part of his effects.
Here is the writeup of the last two sessions from Quinns player.
Day 9, night-Day 10
The Bess boy has been kidnapped--I see Jove's hand in this. For the unbelievers would not deign to follow me into the shadow below this red rock on their own, but now that they have the chance to play the hero, they will not be stopped. And we must hold true to Jove's oracle and find the door; I believe the door will be found in the shadow on the fortieth day--I know it will.
We gathered supplies at the shopkeepers after midnight; the Gamble boys patrolled the town. I, the weak, wanted to confront the strength with which they oppress the town; the strong refused. I suggested we free Sam, the captive forced to fight Carmen. I the meek sought justice, the forceful of will refused. I suggested we go to the graveyard to find the entrance to the shadow, I the fearful sought righteousness, the brave hid in the shadows.
Who are these disciples of mine? It is no wonder that Jove's work on earth was cut short.
It took a lot of convincing, but we got Jax to break into the boor of a doctor's house to take his medical bag--the medical bag that would save the lives of Jove's servants. These idiots I travel with complained, like the betrayer complaining about expensive perfume given to Jove! And all the while, the Gamble boys moved about us, ambush was imminent. It was clear that I must be Jove's hand to complete our mission.
So, after we left, I set fire to the doctor's house.
Jove's will, not mine.
We went to the graveyard, and as I prophesied, we found the entrance to the shadow. We entered, we were followed. (Now had Jax prepared the traps I recommended, we would have been fine.) We found a strange flat stone room, Jax collapsed it with dynamite to deter the pursuers.
The stone room had a staircase going down into a larger stone room. This room was full of corpses, and strange tomb motes of rotting flesh which attacked us! The Demon's agents sent to stop us, this time abandoning their human guises and bandying about in their necrotic forms. We prevailed over this evil, relying on Jamie's Jove-given healing powers. Jamie collapsed, and we camped among the corpses for the night.
On the tenth day, one quarter of the way to my ascension, we moved down. A larger room--this structure seems to be some kind of buried ziggurat--this one with corpses hanging from the ceiling. Corpses speaking, in a language I could barely comprehend! The room contained a large statue of the fat sharkmouthed god depicted in the top room. As we inspected this, and the runes on many pillars, Manuel and George B., the corrupt "law," attacked us! They must have survived the blasts upstairs, which likely means the tunnel wasn't collapsed.
They killed Carmen, but the Crusader sent her back--she must be more useful than I thought. Overcome with righteousness, I moved in to gun down George.
Then the zombies attacked. I was overtaken, but Jamie took on my wounds, by the power of Jove.
The zombies killed Manuel, and George got away. By Jove, I will hunt him down and end him.
Day 10, time unknown - Day 11
I pursued George Brewster through the forsaken temple, but my doubting disciples struggled over what to do and slowed me down. As they struggled to carry the fallen body of Jamie under the canopy of corpses, more zombies came and attacked us! Because Jax had struggled so much to light dynamite in the past, I thought I'd make it easer for him; I lit a cigarette and held out the cherry for him.
The blast was bigger than I thought.
I indistinctly remember being eaten.
And then the crusader, again. I'm beginning to doubt this man, whether he is a faithful servant of Jove (like I), or if he is just another fallen apostle. He told me my body was broken, and told me I could go back into another body if I so desired.
Jove, praise you, you have given me this opportunity to serve you. For I can go back to retrieve the relic from these bumbling simpletons and secure it for our greater glory! And I can do so in a body they won't recognize!
Fooling them was easy enough; I took the body of Manuel, the corrupt lawman. I spoke Spanish, which enough of them understand. I told them of the "vision" I received before a man with a sword sent me back into this world to help them secure the relic. They ate it up. Jax seemed to have doubts, but that could be addressed--one way or another.
We moved deeper into this subterranean structure, and were attacked by a giant maggot. I fell, Jamie revived me, then fell herself. An opportunity! I grabbed her body and told the brawn to hold the maggot back. I fled, intending to retrieve the Oracle from Jamie when Jax and Carmen were distracted, but Carmen got a lucky shot and brought the beast down.
I did resolve something of the situation; I feigned a disabling headache that was mysteriously healed by my proximity to Jamie. The idiots gave me the relic to hold! Now, it was just a matter of waiting.
And my time came soon enough. After the party spent a lot of time investigating some old sculptures depicting gods and gates and wars--something that would have interested me greatly before I knew the Oracle--we made camp in a room with a well. Four short hours of sleep, and my watch came up.
I walked away with the Oracle.
Now, I just need to get out of this cursed temple.
It's time for them to gain an Artifact Boon.
When next we meet, Jesus Alvarez who is currently the Artifact Bearer, will be gaining a new ability Cure Light Wounds. I will give Jesus' handler a slip of paper reading: An obscure verse from the bible pops into your mind, and your realize that it seems to have been put there by the strange stone disc that is in your possession. That verse for reference is Matthew 8:7 for any that are interested. I didn't have a handy KJV so I 'netted the verse on a virtual concordance of some sort.
Do you think he'll know what to do?
ALSO, the party has now just reached the 4th level of experience-- What would you recommend for Jesus' casting level for this spell-like ability, that is granted to him be the Artifact?
I told my players a sterilyzed version of how Quinn screwed over the party, and they thought that it was great. My group's parties have a tendency to have PCs who double-cross each other regularly. This party however, is a pretty tight unit-- Almost family-like. Lars could turn on them all at any time though. He GM's our Hackmaster Campaigns, so it's to be expected. ;P
After she entered the temple I also let her try to heal them again as many times as she likes, however she takes the amount of damage she heals as damage to herself after the one free heal.
An example. Jamie is down to 5 hitpoint. Quinn gets shot and Jamie attempts to heal him, even though she has already healed him once today. The second attempt succeeds, very well and she gets to heal him 2d8+3 (CMW) I think she rolled a 10 after she did that I told the player.
"You feels the life energy flow out of you and into Quinn, Quinns bullet wound closes and an identical wound opens on Jamies chest. You take 10 points of damage as you fall unconsious."
Then I let this new "faith healing" damage return at the rate of 1 point per minute. Slow enough to not be usable in combat, fast enough to allow the party to continue. The group is used to D&D and I am slowly weaning them from kick in the door methods of play. Besides I have been throwing almost all +1 or +2 encounters at this group, they need the help.
As to Quinn/Manuel. While the party is down in the temple, A group of Regulators has rolled into town and started to return law and order to Echo. Quinns player and I are having a one on one session Monday. If Quinn escapes the temple, a big if. There is a good chance he will be arrested on the surface by the Regulators, at that point he becomes an NPC as the player wants to rejoin the party as a new PC. Manuel and all his personal effects will be held at the Echo jail for two days then sent back to Brimstone for trial and most likely hanging.
The captain of the Regulators that just rolled into Echo is a law and order type. All effects found on Manuel, and any of the other living Gamble gang will be send on to Brimstone. It is up to the judicial system of Brimstone to return the Artifact to any who claim rightful ownership.
The party can try and take it earlier through stealth or force but that has repercussions as well. Their other option is to wait for the trial, and Jamie can try out her charms on the judge.
Quinn/Manuel will most likely escape at some point before execution, that darn mage hand is better than a broom handle for grabbing keys off of a prison wall, and become an thorn in the side of the party. He knows about the Mesa City at this point and might head that way if he escapes. Might even worm his way into the good graces of the savages there, and play Wormtonge to the parties Fellowship.
I have to finish this damn dundeon up too, so I can turn my attentions to other aspects of this campaign.
- Brimstone, as conceptuallized, was built in a large bowl-shaped impression in the side of cliffs. The town is multi-teared, and each Wild West style structure is built tight against the cliff wall behind it. Inside each building is much larger, as the rear of the building interior has been carved out of the natural rock. Brimstone, actually was the first town I started to brainstorm when I first started to daydream up the badlands. It was going to be called Gehenna.
Brimstone, as conceptuallized, was built in a large bowl-shaped impression in the side of cliffs. The town is multi-teared, and each Wild West style structure is built tight against the cliff wall behind it. Inside each building is much larger, as the rear of the building interior has been carved out of the natural rock...
This is still EXTREMELY rough. A half-hours work, maybe. BUT it's enough to convey what I'm going for. Brimstone is supposed to be a pretty happening place... at least, as far as being in the Futile Crescent.
Wish me luck!
Matt joined us tonight, and gained the CLW ability at session start. I secretly slipped him the sheet of paper with the biblical verse about Jesus the Christ healing some guy.
Amusingly acted out:
Jesus Alvarez - "Lars, come before me."
Lars Stevenson: "What?"
JA - "Get down on your knees."
LS - "Uh, I don't think so."
Begrudgingly Lars gave in, and Jesus used Lars' Cure Charge up for the day.
More Exploration. They find scrolls and a chained up dead monkey. Then... the big@55 Temple of Dhoom itself, complete with Gigantic Idol used in sacrificial baby rites. They found both shut doors, and headed back towards the B chambers.
I dropped three images on Brady Lennox, as per his newfound Premonition ability.
- A large green glowing crystal
- A desicated face of a long dead priest staring at him, face to face
- A door with five colored keys sticking out
He kept these visions to himself. But swayed strangely as a result. I pulled the player aside, and told him these things in private, so the other players think something more sinister is at play, and have started to watch Brady more carefully.
They entered good ol' Azhat the Great's chamber. Opened Chest number 1 with the key the Brady found. They found the Brimstone Necklace as well as the Well-Preserved Flame inscribed/etched Bladed Khopesh.
End of session.
I'm thinking about giving Mage Hand to the Capt.
Mage Hand
Transmutation
Level: Brd 0, Sor/Wiz 0
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Target: One nonmagical, unattended object weighing up to 5 lb.
Duration: Concentration
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: No
You point your finger at an object and can lift it and move it at will from a distance. As a move action, you can propel the object as far as 15 feet in any direction, though the spell ends if the distance between you and the object ever exceeds the spell’s range.
Any ideas for some sort of special ability I could bestow upon our gun-happy Lars?
Seriously though, how about something like Detect Magic, or Detect Undead?
Here is his writeup.
Day 11
Stealing down the hallway, I made my way back to the long tunnel, back to the room of the dead. The second room of the dead, I suppose; Jove, what evil was wrought in this place? But on the way, I caught a glimmer of phosphorescence in the hallway--if it was another dire maggot, I would not have been able to face it myself. Jove told me to go back and look for another way, and he rewarded me richly for my faith. Listening at a door deeper in the temple complex, I heard a whimper--it could only be the sound of George Brewster, the infidel who Jove commissioned me to slay.
And here I was, looking like his friend. Jove rewards the just.
I walked in to the room, and quickly explained that my mind had been broken by the zombies--"I don't remember much, and I also have some strange memories that I know aren't mine." Jove, I didn't lie, I keep your commandments. George was injured enough (and scared enough) that he believed me. I contemplated slitting his throat. Realizing that that action could start a fight that I might not win, I made a better plan--I told him of the large gems in the idol's eyes, and suggested we steal them. If I shot him a few times while he was climbing, it would be an easy kill--but then Jove spoke through George to remind me that we would have to dig our way out. I regarded the slave that Jove had provided me, and decided he could die later. We made a plan to get out of there.
I considered using George to kill my disciples, sleeping back in the well room, but I decided that Jove had picked them for some strange reason, and that their destiny was not yet fulfilled. Let Jove do with them what Jove will--perhaps it is Jove's desire that their flesh be feasted upon by the tiny demons that inhabit this place.
George and I made our way though the phosphorescent hallway. He pointed out that he had first come through here in the dark, and did not encounter a dire maggot--so, we extinguished our torches and ran through the tunnel.
We made it back to the temple, in the room of suspended cages. Jove had stilled their souls; clearly, Jove had only awakened them to harry my disciples so that I could escape. I mis-read Jove's cues and tried to save Jax, Carmen, and Jamie, and that is when my life left my old body. Jove, forgive me, I will be faithful.
Unfortunately, George's mind was on the gems. Such was my penance; for trusting my disciples over Jove, I would have to recover the gems from the relic myself. Fortunately, Manuel's body proved a much better tool for feats of strength than my old body had. I scrambled up the 40 foot idol, slipping a few times, but Jove guided me and I succeeded. For my efforts, I was rewarded with the revelation of a tunnel that would make retrieving the gems easier.
My penance completed, George and I continued out of the tomb. We crawled through the room that Jax had collapsed with dynamite, and began the work of digging.
I convinced my slave to arm me with his shotgun. It was useful for killing him.
I hope George Brewster enjoys his gems.
I dug my way out of the temple and into a grave. I rested here.
Jove, you brought your chosen one out of the grave. Jove, I was dead, and I walk again on the earth. Jove, I am your chosen, with me you are well pleased.
I am a bit worried that your first action was to have the military of Brimstone arrest me and take away the relic, but I will trust your plan. I must admit my lack of faith when that scientist-looking type with the archaic camera gadget took the relic, but he was too much of a buffoon to know he held true power in the palm of his hand, Jove, thank you for clouding his mind.
Interesting, someone called him "Erasmus." A sign, perhaps, or a devil in saint's skin?
The artifact is out of my hands, but I feel its presence near me. I will hold it again. I will rule this earth, and all others. They may crucify me, but I will rise again. My powers will only grow. Jove, the first time you sent a carpenter, this time, you send one who will wields the fires of Hades in his very hand. I will not fail you.
I might swipe the Erasmus character concept for a Badland's NPC-- Let me know more about this character if you could, please?
One of the things that I think I enjoy most about there being two concurrent campaigns based on the same basic material, is that it really represents the concept of multiple dimensions and worlds.
My Badlands and your Badlands are alternate dimensions of each other, technically in game context, if you think about it.
I like that.
Brimstone
This is a preliminary rough sketch of the Ring of Fire. I'm going to have the bare knuckle brawling/fight club stuff going on in the back.
This Saloon is famous the Territory over. It's something of a Marvel to Behold to the folk of this world.
I have begun a thread for the Next World over on the Future boards to begin WAY EARLY development on the next world.
I invite you all to join in any development discussion that will occur there.
In the meantime, the Badlands had PLENTY more to get working on, so I will continue as much as I can, time allowing.
... however my dungeon under Echo is themed quite differently...
This guy Grimgrin (Mecha of Progress Level 0 to 4/ d20 Past Forums) has a pretty cool DnD setting called Stone Empires for download on the main page.
http://grimgrin4488.tripod.com/
This is my Stone Empires Campaign. It makes extensive use of "Unearthed Arcana" material and is based in the Pre-Columbus Americas...
From my quick scanning of the .pdf, I like what I see. All sorts of goodness.
I dunno if you will continue the Aztec theme for any other ancient ruins of the Futile Crescent, but this could prove quite useful to you.
Now if only I could dig up a good d20 Sumer reference somewhere... ;)
True Seeing
Divination
Level: Clr 5, Drd 7, Knowledge 5, Sor/Wiz 6
Components: V, S, M
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Touch
Target: Creature touched
Duration: 1 min./level
Saving Throw: Will negates (harmless)
Spell Resistance: Yes (harmless)
You confer on the subject the ability to see all things as they actually are. The subject sees through normal and magical darkness, notices secret doors hidden by magic, sees the exact locations of creatures or objects under blur or displacement effects, sees invisible creatures or objects normally, sees through illusions, and sees the true form of polymorphed, changed, or transmuted things. Further, the subject can focus its vision to see into the Ethereal Plane (but not into extradimensional spaces). The range of true seeing conferred is 120 feet.
True seeing, however, does not penetrate solid objects. It in no way confers X-ray vision or its equivalent. It does not negate concealment, including that caused by fog and the like. True seeing does not help the viewer see through mundane disguises, spot creatures who are simply hiding, or notice secret doors hidden by mundane means. In addition, the spell effects cannot be further enhanced with known magic, so one cannot use true seeing through a crystal ball or in conjunction with clairaudience/clairvoyance.
I was thinking that maybe True Seeing would be a handy ability for Lars perhaps. Should I have it have limited uses per day like a spell? Or perhaps use it as a GM activated ability for plot-furtherment?
Is it too powerful?
EDIT: maybe some sort of magic thing-a-ma-bob that he could use, perhaps. I just don't want this to be something I regret booning my PC's with as a GM.
Gm activated to further the plot. And from the character's perspective, imagine entering a town where the king/mayor is, say, a Shapeshifter, and only the one character can see it like that. Maybe he'll think he's going crazy?
I was kinda leaning that way myself. As it stands, the PC's will be getting other abilities that they will be able to control...
And since we're on the subject of abilities and control, we played last night, here's the run-down:
PC's started the evening we're they left off-- in the priests' residence hall of the second sub-level.
At the end of last session Jesus and Brady were checking out three chests, and had just found a magical fire khopesh. Jesus is rapidly losing space in his backpack, and had to leave the scrolls and clay tablets in the Scribe's chamber.
Outside this room, they faced a trio of Soot Wraiths. These things are immune to ballistic, piercing, slashing... damage. So the PC's have taken to swinging torches as clubs. Lar's grabbed one of Jesus' cache of clay tablets and had tried to use it as a club. "Clay Tablet C" survived the encounter in thanks to Lars' poor attack rolls. The last Soot Wraith escaped backwards through a wall.
PCs high-tailed it out of there and returned to the Pillared Hall. It was here that the other PCs heavily encouraged Jesus to attempt to experiment with his ability to heal (cast CLW), so he, uh, touched himself and was healed up some. Then Capt Jack and Lars cajoled him into trying to heal Lars for a second time this day.
He did, and Jesus' own wounds reopened as he took damage-- transfering his own life-energy into healing Lars... who was sarcastic and amused by this turn. It didn't do much for Jesus' mood as he fell to his knees in the Hall. Then some really great in-character discussion took place lasting a good twenty minutes or so. The continued their exploration, and found the well/cistern chamber. Brady lost his footing and almost fell in if it were not Jesus' catching his shoulders. They drank, and filled up their water canteens, skins, and bottles.
They got to the cavernous chamber that is directly below Echo's well, and as they were exploring it noticed a bucket being lowered on a rope. They dug around in the store rooms here, and Jesus' finger-rolled a clay idol of the fallen god off the shelf to smash it.
Then the group backtracked and headed down the stairs to the prison level. Capt Jack stuck his torch through a barred window in a heavy cell-block style door, and peered inside. I pulled him aside and told him that he sees about a dozen sets of white glowing eyes peering at him from a dozen soot wraiths.
He backpeddles, and anounces to the group what he's seen.
They start to get completely unerved when they begin to claw at the door and stare at the from the opening, fighting amongst themselves for position to see the PCs.
The PC's head back upstairs, completely freaked, and as they do, they hear a gunshot and a shout from the prison level below.
They hear Maddog Malenudo calling out Isaac Albaugh's name.
They bluff him over into the stairwell, where he spots Brady hiding around the corner at the top of the stairs. Everyone rolls initiative, and Lars leaps forward to shoot at Maddog. Maddogs Fast ordinary DEF pays off, and in the ensuing gunfight, he makes a tactical retreat down the stairs and back to the prison level. Brady and the rest follow after, running full-till down the corridors.
Maddog pulls off a high Hide check and ducks into one of the cells, and Brady is mad that his 17 result didn't succeed. PC/GM reality versus rules discussion kicks in, and I satiate Brady on the matter with my explanation.
They roll spot checks and find that they are surrounded by Four Soot Wraiths who are closing in.
END SESSION.
The PC's wiped out the Soot Wraiths, but not before both Lars and Brady were drained of some STR... temporarily of course.
Mad Dog tried to sneak away in the darkness, but was spotted. The Players had been rolling poorly in the Diplomacy department, so Mad Dog ended up getting blown away.
Exploring deeper, they discovered the beheading chamber, and the source of the town's well, the pool of water with the hundreds and hundreds of skulls underneath.
It elicited the appropriate disgust from my PC's. That makes me happy.
The found the crypt and they fought the Temple Collector. I had used the Huge Animated Object stats as recommended, with the size lowered to Large. I gave it only impale, and lowered the damage.
My PC's prevailed, but I had made a show of bringing blank d20 Past character sheets with me, just in case. It terrified them but this group of experience dungeon crawlers, made pretty much all the correct tactical decisions. After it died, they looted the body of Isaac Albaugh, who'd been impaled on the creature's back since that encounter's start.
They've just entered the Chamber of the Final Rest....
I need to get to work on generating the next step for my PC's.
The Artifact's Escape Warp ability will leave the PC's a bit disoriented, and with lost time. A few hours will have past, when the PC's wake up on the desert floor, a mile or so from Echo.
Echo is cratered, and the PC's find only John Gamble, alive-- pinned beneath some rubble. Shaving cream still on his partially shaven face.
If asked, he will reveal that the survivors had been snatched up by the savages. He will ask the PC's to end his misery.
Presumably, the PC's will go looking for the kidnapped townsfolk, but they might try to head to Dalton, the relatively nearby trading town/outpost.
So I've got to generate some travelling adventure that spans over a couple of days or so. If they go after the Savages and the captured Echo Folk, then their eventual destination is the Mesa City.
GIMME SOME IDEAS, if you've got 'em!
The Savages had been travelling nearby when Echo went bye-bye. They took Mary and like five other survivors... or something. The savages are riding on FF-Style Riding Birds, and so will be leaving large bird tracks. The Echo folk will be tied at the wrists, and tethered to the birds' saddle horns. The Savages themselves will be on foot only while initially capturing the Echo folk, and then only sporadically as necessity requires. The point of this ramble is FOOTPRINTS. As the PC's track, or attempt tracking, they will mosty be following the tracks of the birds and of the EF. They will find the savages' own paw tracks, occasionally, and this may present a mystery to the group.
Other than that bit right there, does anyone have any encounter ideas for the journey?
EDIT: I used an NPC I named Simon Belmondo, who was loosly based off of Leonardo DiCaprio's character from 'What's Eating Gilbert Grape'. He works for the General Store guy. I'm adding him to the list of survivors captured.
Leadfeather, anything new in your world?
My friend Joel Fiffer just died on Wednesday. He was unique in the world, due to his medical condition. He lived to age 25. He died at home in his sleep.
He was a frail little guy, and he loved gaming more than anything else. He is sorely missed.
He was not a PC in my Modern Game, but he'd been playing my Wheel of Time Game for a little over a year. I've known him for at least four years.
The PC's are IN the Final Rest chamber, looking at the five skelly's-- Things in the Echo temple should be coming to an end, then it's back above ground
After they are 'ported out of the collapsing temple, they will wake up early the following morning-- this will buy the Savages enough time to get a nice headstart.
PC's are LIKELY going to follow after, to try and save some villagers. But then again, knowing my crew-- maybe not.
ENCOUNTER IDEAS:
- Backtracking Savages: These guys decide to see who if anyone may be following the main group. They will certainly be on the lookout for the PC's.
- Ashen Husks: Fun. Er, just one husk, but it will still be fun.
- Dire Beast: Random goodness.
The Futile Crescent.
I'm sorry this version took so long... this is the correct and accurate map for this setting.
At one time, the Futile Crescent was fertile, and it was a crescent shaped continent alone in a sea. After time, the seas have completely dried up, and now all that remains is a great sea of desert.
A horse travels three hexes in a day. A man on foot just one.
Are the PCs aware of the ship yet?
Great map, as always!
Are the PCs aware of the ship yet?
Thanks man,-- No-- the PC's haven't travelled very far. The ship will literally be their last stop in this setting, and they won't know it exists until the day they are travelling through the sea of sand, and see it sitting on the dry baked earth.
They're gonna be like... "Wha--?"
I'm totally gonna tap you when I start development on an upcoming "japanese-influence" world-- Human and moreaus. Usagi Yojimbo, Seven Samurai, Lone Wolf & Cub, etc...
Do you know of a Usagi Yojimbo character named "Jei"? He's one of my all-time favorite characters out of any and all genres. He is a samurai and his personal weapon is his black-bladed yari.
I've also been working on a PrC just so I can design Usagi Yojimbo properly! Niten-Ichi Ryu - the ultimate daisho PrC.
I've found that mythology is sometimes like an onion. You get the flimsy papery outside that most people know about, but as you peel back the layers, you get closer to the original ideas behind them.
To me, that's the most fascinating thing I've found about Mythology-- You track these stories and dieties back through different cultures, and you realize that they are all talking about some of the same things, but their own culturally unique ways.
The Great Deluge. People credit it to the Bible. It's often known as Noah's flood or the biblical flood. However, the Epic of Gilgamesh from Sumer is far, far more ancient. Both figures who survive in a great boat deal with birds looking for signs of land, and a few other coorelations exist as well. The tales are very similar making me feel that a "Whisper Down the Lane" scenario is in place. The story changes to fit the new culture.
This is why in the telling of Atlantis, the Atlanteans all have Greek names-- it had been culturally supplanted, so that the story flows more easily amongst it's new target audience.
In this campaign, I'm taking the idea that the god that deals with the seas in one culture such as Poseidon is the exact same guy in another culture, such as Njord for the vikings.
I've also been working on a PrC just so I can design Usagi Yojimbo properly! Niten-Ichi Ryu - the ultimate daisho PrC.
Sweet deal! Usagi RAWKS~!!
In this campaign, I'm taking the idea that the god that deals with the seas in one culture such as Poseidon is the exact same guy in another culture, such as Njord for the vikings.
And it's the respective clerics who must convince the people to believe that come up with the revised name/story/etc...
Sweet deal! Usagi RAWKS~!!
Yes, yes he does.
This campaign has had a lot of firsts for me, I learned the d20 Modern system while running, and I'm still learning it-- I'm trying to use the templates and such, and it's kinda annoying the first time you do it. At least it is for me, but then again; sometimes I'm an idiot. :P
Not only that, but I need to come up with events immediately following the destruction of Echo and the Temple below...
At least I completed the MAP-- I'm happy with it, so I'm sticking with this one. I haven't included the purple haze but that's only because I still have plenty of time to think about it.
Like this concept doodle I drew at some indeterminable time in the past year. All ideas I wanted to throw into this setting:
- Giant Roaches
- Moreau/Savage
- Crazy centipede thing
- Final Fantasy style "Riding Bird"
- Weird giant mushrooms that eat the unwary that pass below its cap.
- Cowboys
And here's some old map sketches... REAL early stuff here.
The one guy is married now, and when he often can't make it, his buddy doesn't want us to play without him.
I'm about ready to quit gaming with them altogether.
Such a shame seeing as how we've invested over a year of RL into this thing.
Oh well. It's been fun I guess.
I've got a new campaign I do now on Tuesday nights, in a setting I've been developing literally over the past 18 years. The setting of my comic book world. AKA, the Phobiaverse.
I may continue working on the campaign here, this campaign that is. Just so after all is said and done, i can collect it in a pdf or something in case anyone is interested.
Between now and then I will likely clean up alot of the first few posts that I made, and format what we've worked on up till this point.
Either that, or keep Jesus around until the character dies through normal random means.
I've bought alot of time to develop the heck out of this, so If you've been lurking forever, and would like to contribute any ideas-- I'll happily listen. I may not decide to go with your idea ultimately, but then again, who knows?
I need to clean up my first few posts, and add in some sort of Psuedo Table of Contents.
I still need to stat up the elemental skeleton priests AND the Hucuva-Lich-Esque Final Encounter for the Echo Temple.
EDIT (ADDITION):
My players officially refer to this setting as "Suck World"-- They despise it.
Now that's both good and bad IMHO. Bad because if you don't like where you're at, it decreases the fun of the game for you.
So I'm going to try livening this world up some from here on in. Add more water sources.
Does anyone have any experience with creating random encounter tables? I wouldn't mind any pointers ya got.
Does anyone have any experience with creating random encounter tables? I wouldn't mind any pointers ya got.
Easiest way to do it is by area or situation.
List up all the kinds of encounters that are appropriate, then assign them a % number.
So I'm going to try livening this world up some from here on in. Add more water sources.
Does anyone have any experience with creating random encounter tables? I wouldn't mind any pointers ya got.
if i understand this world correctly there is alot of dimentional instability??? if so you could have random "holes" open to other worlds.....ones with water!!! yay water... but like all of a sudden BAM! water hole in the desert, this will give them drinking water and also the added drowning hazard in the desert if they dont see it or if it pops in under them. you could have a random section of the woolrd do this more than others , so it is a source of water waiting to be discovered. or at random times the sea of sand could go through some kinda time warp to when it wasnt dried up.
we are walking though the desert and BAM we are swiming!!!!
or the hole could open in the sky and dump water on them aswell.
Have an Npc clue them into the fact they need to progress?I'm reminded of that line in the Gunslinger where the dying boy tells Roland"There are better worlds than this one".Actually a good line to steal
actually that is a really cool line to steal, but the line was actually "go on, there are other wolrds than this" just before roland dropped jake into the darkness and continued after the man in black...
that part gives me goose bumps every time i read it.,.... best books ever!!!
I only recently discovered the beauty that is the Dark Tower series and have been inspired to run a similar themed game. I have been doing some work on my next campaign and fell into a impasse of sorts when I remembered a map of yours which is what fueled my attempt at finding this thread.
Before I decide to start contributing though, I would like to know if you have any plans on doing so as well? If not for your own campaign then how about with the aim of creating a stand alone setting with these sorts of themes in mind. I plan on having the whole of my campaign taking place in this wastelands sort of setting and I believe allot of people from this thread could brain storm together to make a custom setting of sorts. (Something along the lines of what Scrittiblak has done with his Elysium Nebulae setting. But maybe not as hardcore in-depth seeing as we would'nt have a whole universe to develop.)
Maybe we could use elements from this excellent starting point that is Jace's Badlands and begin a new thread in a more organized manner akin to Scrittiblak? (With Jace's express permission or, barring that, begin anew)
Thoughts, comments?
Bah.
I could start running this thing tomorrow if I needed too--
Take a looksie at my Siggy too-- Ive included links to the other parts of the Badlands game-- Well, badlands is actually just a part of a larger game. The Artifact Campaign--
Feel free to keep developing stuff-- I intend on cleaning up my first few posts on this thread in order to... well... clean it up.
I have been toying around with how to start things off for my pcs. I am going to have 3 of them.
What I've thought of was to create a place much like your Badlands area but implement a little more to the world in terms of tech. Not necessarily making it steam-punk, But certainly incorporating some elements. So there would be a steam-engine and such. Anywho.. I was thinking of starting them off waking up in various positions in a graveyard. Possibly having amnesia of how or why they are there. One would wake up in an unburied shallow grave, another on the floor with a broken noose around his neck, etc. I imagine the graveyard looking similar to the one in "The Good the Bad and the Ugly" but a little more diabolical in the sense that there are gallows all around and such with corpses in various stages of decay.
I have too many bits of plot and such floating around in my head to actually have a reason for them to begin play like this, but I find it interesting none-the-less. Maybe they got on the wrong side of some group like Gamble's? I also thought maybe I'd have the players unwittingly be Revenants or something, a cool idea but the issue of balance arises. As in what abilities this would denote and such.
In any event, I am also thinking of whether this "Graveyard" is near a town like Echo or is in a far off remote location. (Maybe people are superstitious of the dead? Maybe its not so much superstition as much as fact that the dead can be dangerous.) Or maybe have it not near a town but near a Steam engine line. Or possibly even have a stop right near the Graveyard. (Maybe they built a stop there so they could bury their dead far away from civilization, etc etc.) How weird would that be? To awake from "death" only to see a train pulling in after you have gathered your bearings/met the other survivors.
Feel free to comment/make suggestions. Thats why I'm posting here really, to brainstorm and hope that some random thing I post can help someone else out.
[EDIT] Forgot to mention, though my players do not know, I plan to spring up all manners of creepy/horror elements into the game. Maybe not in the first few sessions but I believe that'll make it all the sweeter. I am going to run it as a pseudo realistic western (with some over the top action sequences that I'm well known for in my games) But hint at no paranormal activity. Also the horror stuff I speak of is not just having like... zombie enemies and such but implementing subtly wrong events. Or if it is overtly wrong/paranormal it will be in a manner that is not clichéd and is probably weird as hell / beyond comprehensible explanation. For example; I plan on using your tomb but with no shadow creatures in it. In lieu I will be hounding the players with a Breaker's supernatural power. The breaker will be nowhere near, and the players will have no way of learning what the attacks are at that point in the game. (I have not read any of The Dark Tower yet, but I have perused the DTwiki which learned me on a plethora of interesting things. A great resource for inspiration/ideas if there ever was one. To the uninformed, a breaker is slang term for a psychic. But in my game I am expanding this to include anyone with a supernatural power. Many of which I will be making up for specific boss type characters.) This particular Breaker can turn stone into flesh/biological material, forming all sorts of appendages. However, the breaker can only "see" by forming an eye or some such. (So a perceptive player may notice an eye on the ceiling!)
I have all kinds of things planned for this campaign written in a composition notebook I take with me to work and jot down any random thought I have. Problem is, I have to string these things together... my bane. Which is why threads like this help me so so much.
A place like Gallows would have a grave yard for sure. Possibly large cuts in the ground intended for mass graves, and whatnot.
Criminal elements of the Crescent would certainly find a use for a place like this.
But that's just my thoughts.
My original idea for this setting was to have some sort of steam train-like tram system. Somthing suspended on a track that is at least 20 feet above the ground.
For safe travel across the wastes whi8le the bugs are about.
I ended leaving it on the cutting room floor though. It didn't seem as practical as I'd have liked it to be.
Futile Crescent
AKA: "The Badlands"
These locations corespond to the map found at Post #302
Artifact Shrine
This is the party’s ultimate goal, here in the Badlands. This shrine is located beyond Gallows in the North.
Once the PC’s get here, they will be treated to an elaborate Explanation of ‘What The Hell Is Going On?’. This is where they learn that their mission is very important.
Bandits Cave
Marisole Delgado and her two brothers use this hot spring cave as their home and hideout. They store the stolen goods from their attacks on merchants’ caravans. When the PCs arrive, they have a captive Girl from the neighboring village of Echo.
Brimstone
This town is built in a quarry-like area; multi-tiered and carved out of the stone. The rich live near the rim, and the poor live at the bottom of the Brimstone Bowl. Building built up against the stone wall often expand into the rock itself, giving a false impression of the size of the building. The largest (and most popular hang-out, The Ring of Fire Saloon looks no bigger than a shed from outside, but the interior is cavernous, capable of housing up to a hundred men.
Dalton
The Tent City of Dalton is where the merchants gather to trade. It’s like a giant sprawling flea market that is always going on. If it can be sold, it can be bought here.
Echo
Far to the south, the town of Echo is under the tyrannical rule of seven mercenaries the town had hired to protect them from the Dust Bandits.
Below this town is a dark, dark secret long forgotten.
Fort Matherson
A frontier style fort on the inner rim of the crescent. The Regulars, a military force based out of this fort have a bit of a bug problem. In fact, the problem is that they’ve all been taken over by Roach Thralls. Hurray! PCs staying the night will find themselves invited to dinner.
Gallows (Ghost Town)
You know when you’ve reached Gallows. For acres surrounding the ghost town there are nothing but dust-weathered wooden gallows. Many with scant remains still hanging from their nooses. PCs will arrive here just as a NASTY dust storm arrives, forcing them to take refuge.
However, something wicked this way comes. And it’s been living in Gallows a long time.
Ghehenna
Not much thought has been put into Ghehenna. It’s open for development.
Great Ship
Originally this was a Russian ship during WWII. In addition to various lab experiments that took place aboard the ship, it was transported away in a Philadelphia Experiment like situation. Leaving it to sit in the Sea of Sand. The Moreaus came from here originally.
It is now inhabited by a colony of Rad Roaches.
It is also the location for the Artifact’s EXIT from the badlands.
Hope
Commonly known as No Hope. It’s a crime filled town, with virtually no law.
Mesa City
This is an ancient city that the feline moreaus have been Living in for a few generations.
Oasis
This town is talked about by many, but few have actually seen it. It was laid to waste by an attack by giant bugs that wanted access to the water found there. No one seems to know this though, as those who have made the journey recently have been eaten by the new insect inhabitants.
Sea of Sand
A great sea of desert completely surrounds the Futile Crescent. Strange things have been seen out there. No one has ever desired to explore beyond the horizon. The Great Ship can be found out here.
Who knows what else…
Sheol
Another town that I have a name for and little else.
Temple Below Echo
Long ago, the Fallen God who had actually created the world of the Futile Crescent, was worship by an evil; sect of people who enslaved the world. To His honor, they escavated the Temple below where the town of Echo lies today.
His ancient Evil is sealed away here. The PCs are called to destroy it by the Artifact.
Its also encouraging seeing your quick responses even though this thread is ancient. Its nice seeing a guy who offers support for his projects even if they've been on hiatus a long time. I tend to drop things if they have been on the back-burner to long.
As to the Steam engine idea I had, I decided that having it running through every town is not a great idea. It takes away a certain... feel from the campaign. Makes it easy to get around which detracts from certain aspects I'm looking to incorporate. Or maybe... if I expand the Crescent it can be used effectively. I dunno, I need to start small. When I start thinking on a global scale is when things fall apart.
My players called it SUCK WORLD though. They HATE the lack of water.
Heh.
I'm thinking about dropping Matt/Jesus from the campaign.
Who wants to give me an out with him?
And this has happened on a LONG, CONSISTENT basis. Maybe its not his fault but the point is... he can't make it... so there can't be a game. So whats the point of "waiting" for him? Has he expressed interest in continuing? If not move on. Tell him though.
Also as to the "Suck World" comment. Do they seriously hate the world? Or the game in general? Because it seems amazing to me.
They like the campaign, but they really feel the pressure of being in the Badlands...
Which is the response I want I guess. It makes the setting more real to them if there is a palpable anxiety underlying the surface.
I have only played in a campaign once, and it was pretty fun. So I know a change of pace can be nice. But I ran an Apocalypse campaign a year ago which lasted about 5 months. We played about 40 something sessions each lasting an average of 10 hours each. It was also the first campaign that I ever ran which featured an actual ending. (I was living in my own house being paid for by my father, my friends would come over every weekend and we would play basically non-stop... some of the funnest times of my life. Now I have to work for a living, so I have less time to think about gaming.) It was a HUGE success which we still talk about to this day.
In a way I'm haunted by that campaign's success, as I have yet to run a game that has gotten close to its caliber. I have run a Future campaign which i dropped due to player in-fighting, a Dark Sun campaign which was going well that I dropped due to lack of interest as the SECR book was coming out. (I never even did anything with it) And.... I ran one session of another apoc campaign which I mentioned of being interested in running to a player of mines and was promptly forced into running. (It went pretty badly)
So now I'm pulling an actual effort to run a good campaign. And I won't run it till its damned ready.
[EDIT Wait wait, I just caught that. D20 Modern Ravenloft? Can you give me a brief description of that? I'm curious.
And its good to hear you plan on picking this back up. Hopefully your players will be keen on this.
Six d20M characters going up against Ravenloft. Two PCs a piece. One 6th level one 7th level.
I have a couple of threads for it, one here in Modern, another in the DnD world.
It's been fun, but honestly-- I think we're gonna get our asses handed to us. But who knows? Right?
I'm going to take this opportunity to invite any and everyone over to the Past Forums for a reinventing of the Prologue to the Artifact Campaign.
I wouldn't like playing more then one PC though. I have enough of that kinda stuff as a DM. Know what I mean? But fun is fun. And your assessment of getting your asses handed to yourselves sounds accurate. (If I know my Ravenloft correctly, some Count will decimate some of your group sooner or later.)
I'll try to include content in my posts from now on. (Or at least subject matter relating to this thread's subject.)
insert seg-way
hey you never did post the sub levels of your temple beyond 3. could you hook those up for a loving fan of your work such as myself???pretty please with sugar on top??
Halo 3.
Give it a week or three and I'll be able to be a normal contributing member of society again. (That said I'm not a huge halo fan but... my brothers live in Puerto Rico and its nice being able to have fun with them.
).
In the meantime, I'm still fleshing out the Temple below Echo. And in that vein, here are fleshed out versions of the Gamble Boys that I am including as encounters in the Temple itself.
so check it out, in my version of "the bad lands" the dusters in the cave made a deal with gambles boys, (because Mary Black turned down gamble) to allow them to raid if they take mary away and "teach her a lesson". but when Ramone goes back to pay Gamble he gets ambushed by Gambles men but manages to escape only to die on the way back to the cave.
i also used the avatar generator you used Jace and made one for Dos and Gamble, i used paint to ad some scars to gamble. ill post them here to show you as soon as i figure out how.
Senior "Dos"
He's very dark-skinned from being in the sun. His body is wiry, and scarred. He goes around topless just as often as not. He also owns and wears a wide-brimmed cowboy hat.
Gamble
Leader of the Not-So-Magnificient Seven.
I'd like to see your versions!
I use http://www.imageshack.us/
After uploading, copy the address found down in Direct link to image. Once you have it, use the Insert Image tool here on the forum and post it. If the image is particularly large, it is considered good manners to hide it behind a Spoiler Block.
John Gamble – Leader of the Gamble Boys. A small mercenary company. Think of them as a gang of killers. The not-so Magnificent Seven. Gamble, as he is commonly called is a former Soldier in the Regulars. Gamble has a moustache and a scruffy beard. He’s dark haired, and looks to be in his early to mid thirties.
Two – A former soldier in the Regulars. Friend of Gamble. He’s a fair shot with a long arm. Called Two by the other gang members for his right-hand man status with Gamble. Not too socialble. Has longish pale blonde hair, and burning pale blue eyes. His flesh is tanned from living under the sun.
and later you said Gamble should have some scars from getting lashed so i came up with this...
and he is the evil leader guy so i just had to go with the eye patch...i mean cmon. :D
and i used micro soft paint to add the scars.
and i figured him for a smoker..but had to edit the cig to make it look kinda like a hand rolled smoke.
then there is this fella...mine isnt that different there.
unfortunatly in that avatar maker the goatie dosent fit around any of the mouths so i had to do some editing to make it fit. but here you go. and i pictured him having slicked back hair. i think he would be the most likley of the group to be well groomed. blonde hair being rare in the badlands and all, he would probably attrack the chicks and keep id styled neatly and such.
i did notice that all of the gamble boys have facial stubble...how fitting being they are bad guys...;)
i hope im not violating any rules, but like i said it is only partially based on them..here we go.
Gallows
Gallows has been a ghost town for at least 10 years now, dusty and empty. Full of tumble weeds and very likely home to a few unpleasant critters.
Before you even reach Gallows, you learn why it is named such. There are acres of land leading to the town FULL of windswept hangman's gallows, a couple hundred of them at the very least. Most have been weathered and worn by the areas frequent dust storms that blow through. You can see the shredded remains of rope hanging from each. Some, though, still bear the fruit of their last hanging. A little digging at the base of many will reveal skeletons beneath the dusty sand, a noose still tied around what's left of their necks.
This town was the center of the justice system in the futile crescent for a long time. A Judicial sort of place, criminals were brought here for trial and if needed execution. Bodies left to hang as a warning to outlaws. It started out as a good and righteous place, but like most things in this dieing world it fell to corruption. Before it was named Gallows by the folk of the badlands it was called Folsom, but as time went on and more and more of the hang mans devices were left with their gruesome warnings of stern punishment, folk just started calling it Gallows. The residence, the law fearing folk that they were liked the way it sounded, and the name stuck. Most people of the badlands don’t even remember that it had any other name.
Then came the five nastiest judges ever to hold court in Gallows, these men were corrupt to the very soul, sentencing people to hang for even the minor offences, all the while “inheriting” the land and belongings of those hanged. after a few years of their bloodthirsty self serving reign it soon became apparent to the folks of the badlands that no one could get a fair trial in gallows, and being sent their was a death sentence. Most respectable law men refused to even honor the authority of the once proud center of the judicial system. The town began to suffer, as folks were afraid to visit or even deliver supplies. Soon folks got fed up with the evil tyrants and the normally law fearing residence turned lynch mob and hunted the judges down and hanged them all. Feeling that their justice system had failed them, the once righteous people of Gallows abandoned the town as it was a horrible reminder of their fall from grace.
This ghost town is now inhabited by the tortured spirits of those who died here unjustly, who sometimes animate an old corpse or manifest as an apparition or spirit of any variety found in the Urban Arcana book. This area is ruled once again by the corrupt judges, their souls rotten to the core these evil bastards are back from hell haunting this place. They rise nightly hunting down anyone who gets close and hanging them for their “crimes”.
The judges appear as humanoids with dark hooded cowls hiding their features carrying big revolvers with wicked blades attached under the barrels.
Undead judges
Medium undead: HD 12d12; HP 78; Mas -; init +6 (+2 Dex, +4 improved init); Spd 30ft; Defense: 12, touch 12, flat-footed 10 (+2 Dex); BAB +6/+1; Grap +11; Melee +11/+6; Ranged +8/+3; (with 2 weapons fighting feats: Melee +9/+4/+9/+6, Ranged +7/+1/+7/+3 or a combo of the 2) Or (Melee +9/+4/+9, Ranged +7/+1/+7).
Damage: Guns 3d6 19-20x3 or scythe 1d8+5 19-20x3; FS 5ft by 5ft; reach 5ft; SQ Arcane weapons (revolvers), Damage reduction (10/salt or special-see below), Dark vision (60ft), Fast healing 10, Fear aura (DC 19), Undead, Weaknesses (see below); SV Fort +4, Ref +6, Will +10; Str 20, Dex 15, Con -, Int 14, Wis 14, Cha 18
Skills Hide +6, Intimidate +8, Knowledge: civics +10, Listen +6, Move silently +6, Profession +6, Ride +6, Search +4, Sense motive +6, Spot +6,
Feats Point blank shot, 2 weapon fighting, Shot on the run (even w/out the pre-recs), Quick draw, Improved 2 weapon fighting. Or 2 weapon fighting, Spring attack (w/out the pre-recs), Power attack, Cleave, Great cleave (for the ones who like melee combat more)
Arcane Revolvers These deadly weapons are single action revolvers made of dark red-ish (almost black) metal with a mirror finish, if inspected closely one can see visions of hell and tormented souls reflected in the metal. Under the barrels are large scythe like blades. These magical guns are automatically reloaded at the beginning of the round after they have been emptied (effectively never running out of ammo). These things are left behind if a judge is permanently killed.
Weaknesses
Day light banishes these beasts back to hell, until night fall. Salt (rock salt rounds) over comes their damage reduction and fast healing abilities, also they can not cross a line or circle made of salt. In addition, weapons wielded by a sworn law man also over come their damage reduction and fast healing.
Fear: The speaking of their true names strikes fear in their evil hearts requiring a will save DC 25 on a failed save they flee for 1d4 hours, if unable to flee they suffer -2 moral penalty to attack and damage rolls as well as savings throws they may return after the duration expires. This trick only works once a night.
Aversion to law: symbols of law (badge of a real law man, holy symbol of a lawful god, scales of justice etc) repel these wretched bastards, they must make a will save DC 25 or they can not approach within 1d4x10ft of the source, once more they can not even look upon those holding such items.
Although using any of the above methods a person can kill the judges they will rise again the following night in the town of Gallows and attempt to hunt down their killer. The only way to keep them down is to hang em high.
the stats can be lowered if my group isnt tough enough when they get there... but im thinking in addition to these guys (maybe just one)...there are spirits and zombies too.....i love zombies.
so what do you think Jace??? anygood??
Desert chicken: these odd animals are a cross between a large bird and a dinosaur. They are used as riding animals through out the Fertile Crescent. They are sought after mounts due to the fact that they are very well suited for desert travel, they can go almost a week with out needing water and can eat just about anything. Their speed over long distances is equal to that of a light horse but they have a great ability to sprint short distances at greater speed although their carrying capacity isn’t as good as a horse. Their appearance is that of a 2 legged lizard with small vestigial wings. Their backs are covered in small bright colored (usually red) feathers while their under belly is covered in molted grey scales. The coloration of their feathers varies, each one denoting a different breed. Red: common (no change in stats); Green: +2 to natural armor, +2 BAB; Yellow/Gold: +10ft to base speed, double sprint duration; Blue: can go twice as long without water (rare); white: scent and dark vision special qualities, +5 to survival (very rare).
It is also rumored that a dark purple and silver coloration exist with other special (magical?) abilities, but these are usually discounted as tall tales.
These creatures are hard to breed and there for expensive, the only people who seem to have an abundance of them are the Desert savages.
Desert chicken
Large animal; CR 1; HD 3d8 +9; HP 24; Mas 17; init ; Spd 60ft; Defense 12, touch 10, flat-footed 11(+1 Dex, +2 Nat -1 size); BAB +2; Grap +10; Atk +6 (1d8 bite); FS 10ft by 10ft; Reach 10ft; SQ low light vision, speed burst (can sprint at +30ft for 3 rounds) resistant to thirst (can go 6 days w/out water with no ill effect); SV Fort +6 , Ref +4 , Will +1; Str 19, Dex 13, Con 17, Int 2, Wis 10, Cha 10;
Skills: Balance +3, Climb +7, Jump +7, Survival +2, Swim +5.
Feats: None.
haha every time i think about these things i give a little chuckle...i just picture clint east wood in the outlaw jose wails, riding into town on a big chicken lizard thingy:D
THE ARTIFACT TEMPLE
The temple is completely sealed off-- there is no visable entrance, and the wall face seems to be seamless.
The Artifact, of course, is the key. Just by it's presence to within 20' of the front will make the doorway appear, the rock morphs and forms the door.
Mea-Ruur, Female Cat Moreau. Hedonist, voluptuous, sensual. An adventurer for sure, but a little lazy to get motivated. Blue Eyed, Grey Tabby.
Met’met, Female Cat Moreau. Stern, serious demeanor. A respected elder. Heart of gold though. Green eyed, Grey Tabby.
Mrt'aeo, Female Cat Moreau. Young, full of life and spunk. Brave and fierce. Orange Eyed, Calico-van.
Mya'Arr, Male Cat Moreau. Strong in build and in heart, but timid in social circles. Blue Eyed, Smoky blue medium hair (russian blue).
Mau'Aew, Male Cat Moreau. Mya'Arr's younger brother. More outgoing and friendly, just as capable a warrior. Blue Eyed, Smoky blue medium hair (russian blue).
-------
More Random Notes:
The BIG reveal of the Artifact Campaign is that All existence as we know it is a Multiverse Program in which Earth and it's universe exist only as intricately elaborate simulation. Smells like the matrix? So do alot of things! Read on anyway!
The Artifact is a GameShark of sorts, that contains a algorithm that will lead the PC's through the Multiverse, visiting these smaller, less developed "realities" or "worlds"-- These other worlds were private test worlds created to try out different code before implimenting it in the Main Reality.
In this case, God is not A being, but a GROUP of beings; computer scientists, they developed the Multiverse Program so that they could run tests, and perhaps even try to figure out how THEY came to be.
The members comprising God came to hang out on earth, much the same way that we visit and interact with MMORPGs... a simulated coded based body was created. They came to earth, and directly interacted with the species that they had created. Teaching, and leading Man.
Some of the gods were good, other were evil, and enjoyed corrupting what others had created.
Eventually the gods closed up shop, and closed-off reality allowing only minor visitations to check in on things. This is why the world has not SEEN a god in quite a while.
Each god had it's role. Water gods, Harvest gods, etc... Gods whose domain was the elements were the men and women who were responsible for the actual CODING of said elements. A Computer Programmer, whose screen name was Neptune for example did all of the water effects.
Gods were able to visit the various tribes of man developing around the world. They often changed the appearance of their avatar to more comfortably match those that the god was currently interacting with.
this explains all the DIFFERENT pantheons. In actuality there were MUCH fewer gods, and they resurfaced again and again in the lore of the different tribes.
The Fallen God whose personal world is the Futile Crescent aka The Badlands was one of these original gods-- and if he wasn’t then he was an extremely proficient hacker who got in through a back-door and enjoyed wreaking havoc until his access was cut-off and his access became EXTREMELY limited.
The Artifact can be used by by his virtual followers in any of the world's to break the code keeping him out, and allow him to come back and play. This time though--- He plans on destroying the Multiverse Program to get even with the members of God. He's obviously a vindictive Black Hat hacker.
FURTHER READING:
Simulated reality
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simulated_reality
The Fabric of Reality
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fabric_of_Reality
eXistenZ
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EXistenZ
The Thirteenth Floor
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Thirteenth_Floor
Virtuosity
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtuosity
The Artifact contains a well defined Algorithm that will lead the PC’s through the various worlds. The PCs will grow in their knowledge of the device. They will be able to control where to go next.
for the cat folk are they all different stages of morues?? and does their stage define their place in cat people society???
They are supposed to all be Overt Moreaus. They have a very loose society based around mutual respect, and religeous beliefs. Though not all are religeous, they have no problems really with those that are. They don't have any sort of central government, but each family unit is responsible for the actions of their own. Crime & Punishment may be handled by a small group of the wisest of the Ka*, but only in situations that are not able to resolve themselves. Alpha cats rule!
The above cats are all based on mine and my buddy Frank's-- Their names are derived onomatopoeiatically from the styles of "meows" that each of the cats have... though I've taken some liberties in the creation of said names.
* Adult Feline Moreaus of the Mesa City call themselves "Ka" and they call their young "kits".
How useful is Skill Emphasis (Survival) here?
Very. Food and Water are scarce.
) long time no badlands... i intro my group to the furtle crecent in 2 weeks man...im totally geekedI'm at work currently, so I'll post up a link to the file when I get home. It's in excell format. So any help with fleshing out the list would be appreciated. I am also working on a mundane/survival items list. That I think I'm going to need a bit of help on. Things such as rope, canteens, packs, farsights, etc etc.
sorry to hear about the burn out, i hate when that happens.
Anyone know a good place to host files for free?
Ok. I'm back now. Got sick of all the other crap I've been doing. I am gearing towards my new campaign (First campaign I'll have run in a few months) and am pretty hyped. I will have all new players except maybe 2. So thats cool too (unless they turn out to be ass hats). I'll be adding my own creations and such as I said I would be doing a month or so ago. I have a weapons list for use in the era, but its a little sparse. Also I'm not a historian on western era tech or bullet calibers but I did do my research on wiki. I decided I only wanted to use a few different calibers of ammunition even though there are literally hundreds of variations and such. This is for simplicities sake when it come to finding ammo and the like. Some people hate such methods, me and mine don't (most don't even know the difference between a .38 and a .32 )
I'm at work currently, so I'll post up a link to the file when I get home. It's in excell format. So any help with fleshing out the list would be appreciated. I am also working on a mundane/survival items list. That I think I'm going to need a bit of help on. Things such as rope, canteens, packs, farsights, etc etc.
When I started to develop this particular Artifact setting, I special ordered SIDEWINDER: RECOILED-- This book is built using d20M, and is FULL of good crunchiness. Buy it.
The equipment list is a few pages long, and is pretty good. It is lacking individual descriptions for a good many mundane items.
I'm still resting up my brain, but I may be able to pick this campaign back up soon, but I need to write out Jesus Alvarez-- Matt got married and he and his wife are having a kid soon. I seriously doubt that he'll be back, which sucks.
Jesus Alvarez is the current Bearer of the Artifact. But it could easily be any of the PCs. Possession is all it requires, and a period of time is required for the Artifact to start synching with you.
At which point it starts to talk to you in you head on occasion.
I have to pull together some of the cooler areas of the Futile Crescent, and find some sort of compelling hook to take them through them on their way out of this land, something that incorporates all of my random ideas.
the just entered a town that is untoched by the apocalypse....but every thing seems to be from the 1950's....after being put up for the night, they are attacked by the cult like towns folk. they run....they hide, they find the remains of Nazi carl from the prologue....(creepy). in carls belongingds they find the remains of a journal, saying something about the good DR. getting them "trapped here". but not to much in useful info.
they are found by the towns folk but they escape into the woods.
they find a ghost town in the woods but all but everyone except the medic, decides to go steal a car and try to leave. the medic stays behind and starts exploring the ghost town.
the rest of the group hot wire a truck from a local farm and start driving....they come across a burned out mansion and decide to loot it. and that is where we left off....
I'm sorry I've not been contributing-- I've been a little on the burnt out side still-- recharging the mental batteries, but I understand that you have your badlands beginning coming up--
What exactly would you like from me, and I'll see what I can do. You wanted to drop them near Gallows?
i have the chain of events set up like this
1.) they pop in near a crappy old shack, inside they find the remains of a TS elliot book with the "fear in a hand full of dust" poem...(cuz i think it just sounds wicked cool)
2.) they hear the sounds of a horse near by, and they find dead bandito fella, he is shot (by the not so magnificent 7 of echo). and the horse has cuts as if it was attacked by a wild cat (see #3).
3.) back tracking the horses path they hear the sounds of battle. they find what some robed people (desert cat folk) fighting off what look like rock covered sabertooth tigers (same things that cut up the horse...neat clues n stuff) robed folk are dead except 1 who is beat up badly. if the group steps in and save him he runs off before they can chat (or even see that he is a cat man)....(this will come into play later)
4.) bandit cave and rescue of Echo girl stolen by the bandits. as it turns out the echo bad asses struck a deal with the bandits because gamble was mad at the town girl for turniong him down, and to cause a diversion so he could get rid of the sherif. group prolly wont put that all together but...it makes sense to me.
5.) they go to echo....and the temple under it.
6.) echo sinks into the desert, desert folk take survivors. group finds gamble pinned in rubble, he tells them about the desert folk taking the survivors. even offers to help track them, if they free him (doubt they will go for it)
7.) track desert folk, find mesa city (maybe) and find out they are cat people. the probablly get captured by them, but are pardoned for their crimes.....If they rescued that cat man from encounter #3....told you it would come into play :D
or they are offered a job (if they didnt save they guy in #3) if they do said job they are set free with the echo folks.
8.) dalton...not sure what happens here...maybe meet travelling priest who hires them to escort him safley to brimstone, then maybe to fort mathews to see whats up with the people there....or maybe to oasis because people there are disapearing and what not....
9,10 and 11.... fort mathews on the way to gallows...gallows.... then the artifact temple...
12.) go to the great ship... maybe stopping to get info on it from cat folk...maybe.
somwhere in there between 11 and 12 they are going to have to run from the andriod guys...led by demon Kyle (im thinking he will be a half demon gunslinger guy, with some cyber attachments) and i think im also going to use his older (dumber more savage) full demon brothers...they will be adaptations of characters sugested by leadfeather from tad williams otherland... Butterball and Nickleplate and they will be trying to get the artifact before their "weak half breed" brother.
i have everything i need for 1-6....but i need some mesa city stuff for sure, im thinking that the city itself is huge but mostly un-used as of yet because there arent enough cat people to fill it, and it once belonged to the good guy race that lived in the furtle crecent so im thinking unexplored dungeouns and stuff inside the citys un-used parts but those i can make up on the fly and/or use some old dungeon maps i have laying around.
im thinking dalton dont really need a map because in my mind it is mostly a tent/pavillion town or merchant village with very few perminent structures.
i have the map for brimstone but it really dosent have stuff on it but thats ok really....
i think i also got a your map for fort mathews (i think).
but for gallows im thinking in addition to the large section of hang mans devices they should have a large prison type structure mostly because when this was the center of law they needed a place to hold every on for trial (before it became corrupt), also large work farms near by for those who didnt get hung. as for the prison i think it should be large and mostly under ground or built into a mountan side... and im thinking large maze of tunnles where daring prisoners could try to "escape" into...but they were full of peril and or monsters, and no prisoners have ever to been known to make it out alive...maybe the first massive bug nest was in the depths of these caves or something... the caves n stuff i dont need maps for because i can make them up, or use maps i have for random dongeons. but the city itself i would like to have a map for. if you could throw a quick scketch together maybe i can work off of it and then throw it back at you and back and forth untill we have A killer cool map... same for other maps...
i know you been burnt out, and i dont want you to do my GM work for me or you to feel like im spungeing off of you or to make you feel pressured or anything.
i would like to work with you, i think you are a super man of creativity and GMing but i dont want to steal all your stuff, i would be honored to work with you and help out as much as i can...to aleve some of your burnt outed-ness.
feel free to e mail me directly (as it is easier to read on my mobile phone) so we can work stuff out. ill private message you with my address....
thanks again for all your hard work...you rock...and roll....all day long sweet suzie.
\m/ <<<
they all go back to the ghost town to find the medic but cant, an aged and injured Dr loder shows up and hands of his belt pouch containing the artifact and his journal...just then crazy towns people show up on one side of the ghost town, and just up the other end of the street is a crazy texas chain saw masicre mutant that they ran away from a few days before getting trapped in this crazy town.
so the group is trapped in the middle...what to do.....so they run into the old store front and down into the secret door they found, there they find the body of harrison bones!!!!
they run down the secret tunnle that exits into an abandon house and they find there medic hiding there. they watch from a window as the towns folk and the leather face like mutant fight. the cultists win with heavy losses....2 of my group decides to attack the cult members while they are weak so they sneak up to the cultist but then FREEZE!!! a robotic voice comes from behind them, and low and behold they find them selves on the busness end of a large bore hightech gun... held by the stranger in the trench coat from the prologe KYLE the half demon bounty hunter guy....they dont know that ofcourse and he is wearing invironmental armor so they dont even see his face... the towns people are freaking out they dont know who to shoot, a stand off insues, then 2 towns folk get possese by kyles older brothers chrome eyes and fatty fat
chrome eyes is a variant of a whistling feind from the menace manual and the fatt one is a gluttony feind i made up. i fight ensues
Dr loders ghost saves one of my group from some android soldiers, then they run, to the burnt out mansion and into a glowing door.....and bam!!! we stoped there.
not this tuesday but next tuesday they my players enter the badlands!!!!!! im so excited i cant friggin wait.
i even have a new player joining them, he is going to be a native of the bad lands. i think he is going for weapon smith type guy with a long rifle....
i stated the badlands residents like so....
they gain skill points as a non-human (basically -4 at first level - 1 per level) as to represent the lack of formal(or even half decent) education, but they all get survival as a perminent class skill, and they get an extra feat chosen from, guide, endurance or animal affinity. i threw animal affinity in there for those that want to be like horsemen...or chiken riders...i dunno.
I have to revamp BOTH of my major campaigns now, thanks to both sets of players. Boo-urns.
In the meantime, I started up a Zombie Campaign! Hurray! Mindless killing!!!
they go down to the room with the corpse collector 2 group members got impaled and both failed their MAS saves and sat the rest of the battle out in a coma attached to the back of the construct. the fast soon to be gunslinger from the badlands and the strong soon to be more levels of strong (i dont know he dosent wanna be an advanced class) played tag with the collecter till they finally brought it down (actually using the terrain to their advantage).
they mamaged to pry one free and heal him enough to walk out to town, the smart hero was still stuck.... with some tinkering they managed to disasemble the construct and were able to drag a spiked corpse topside to the echo doc....er i mean mortician :D he rests in a coma now till next tuesday yay!!!
the damn weather has prevented us from playing as much as we planned, one guy drives here from west virginia to work and then comes to play and its been kinda snowy so he dont like staying out late.....i think he is a sissy girl about it.....;)
The terrain is DEFINITELY the advantage in the Temple Collector room. A frontal fight will get you killed every time.
MY VERSION of the Sythe of the Dread Reaping was intended to kill someone, then bring them back as a zombie (...bRAinzZz.....)-- it was a cursed object, with an EVIL allegence.
We lost one of my group permantly, he got married, and now has a newborn baby.
I need to replace his ass. I might promote a worthy member from my "rookie" group (the guys who play Black Isle).
Which of the Gamble's have been in combat so far?
...and finally...
The rope bridge-- LOL!!! My guys tied rope to themselves and lowered themselves DOWN. Then they just walked across the bottom, facing off against a couple of the shadow people.
None of my PC's have gotten too close to death yet. Very smart veteran players!
What's coming next after the temple? What should I be thinking about for you?
the way i had it set up the gamble boys were in the treasure room while the group was searching the temple...Isaac and Brimstone briggs were in the baby cooker room as the group entered Isaac was hiding while a soot wraith killed Briggs. the group killed the wraith and caught Isaac tryin to sneak away....
one of my players is a gun smith/ desert guide from Dalton...he is in echo with a possie that is tryin to figure out why no mail has come from echo in a while....he met the group and went into the temple so being the good guy (the only one BTW) when they caught Isaac he insisted they not exicute him and took it apon himself to take him top side to the possie....unfortunatly Dos was watching the entrance and head shot Isaac to prevent him from talking....then he almost killed my guy.... but as i said they just straight up avoided the treasure room for no good reason...so the gamble boys were sneaking in and out stealing all the treasure (thats what the group gets for not searching the whole level before going down to the next). so the group only came in contact with them while they were on their way out with the last of the loot... and then it was only George Brewster....my fast hero made the mistake of sticking his head up into the cave Brewster was in and got a face full of double barrel shot gun blast.... barley survived...but then the y all got out and the possie (that was pinned down by Dos in the saloon) moved on the mayors house but the Gamble boys skipped town with all the loot....so the possie left the next morning to track them leaving a mean ******* behind as acting sherif.....
the group finally defeated the temple woke up a mile away went back to the rubble of echo found the new sherif pinned (since gamble is gone) he told them about the savages they managed to heal him and tracked the savages (completely forgetting the clues about the mesa entrance) they got lost around the mesa for 2 days then got captured by the cat folk. but as things started looking bad the son of the high preistess came forward to speak for them because they saved him in the desert when they first arrived in the badlands....
so now they are on their way to dalton with an ******* solder left behind in echo, mary black and her younger brother and the high preistess's son from the mesa.....
the good guy gunsmith gave the sycle to the cat folk to destroy and its off into the desert yay!!!
Thank you Joe for keeping this alive-- I check this at least once a week-- and I am still available to answer questions of offer opinions--
My player Frank REALLY REALLY wants to play this game again, but my group is locked into RAVENLOFT-- As soon as it's over though there is a GOOD chance that we will return to the BADLANDS and the Epic Tale of The Artifact.
Matt who played Jesus is LOOONG gone-- Married w/ a baby. I understand of course-- Real life is MUCH more important that Role-Playing. And being a father and husband tales precedence over ALL, IMHO.
I'm going to try recruiting a replacement for him, but if I can't get someone the four shall continue as Three.
Jesus will fall to the same fate as The Crazy Priest and Steal Away with the Artifact and be turned into an NPC. So be it.
Lars, Capt Jack, and Brady will have to hunt him down, AND the Artifact.
What are your plans for Dalton?
also i was thinking of having some andriods show up or something...i wanna try to hook them into going to brimstone so they can meet up with a priest heading to the fort....then after the bug fight its onto the gallos and the temple....im kinda going to wing it i think...i seem to run better games that way....
but if you come up with something you think would be good to throw in there let me know.
I plan on starting a Badlands game myself very soon with in the next month or so, but first I need to get DMGenie setup and flesh out some of the stuff.
As I got to the end of the thread I was worried that it died and was happy to see that it still alive and well. Keep up the great work guys and I'll let you know how my game is going once I get started.
Jace, I have begun copying your map of the Fertile Crescent in CC3 if you guys want I'll post a jpg of it when I'm finished.
but yeah keep us informed on how your game plays out, i think it would be interesting to see where different groups go with the story.
and post the map if ya can i would like to see it when your done.
I lost it a while ago, and found it as I was sorting through old notes!
We just wrapped up Ravenloft and we'll be starting a M&M game here in a week or so. Right after that we make a return to the Badlands--
The PC's are still in the Chamber of the Final Rest... at least in my game they are. ;P
j0lt and I have been turning this campaign on it's head in a rewrite we're doing, we've started on the prologue, but we should be in the Badlands before or around the time that my group picks it up again.
cool i would love to get hold of it after revamp... let me know if there is anything i can contribute. im not sure if i am going to be able to continue running for my current group....the host's girlfriend is having a baby.... my one friend just got a hella good job so he cant screw it up by being out late... and i just got the job offer of my dreams (sort of) so things might get lost...o well i will run it again for another group if i have to....its too good a campaign to let collect dust.
Thanks for your high opinions! :embarrass
this is one of those campaigns that would only get better, the more familiar the GM is with it-- Because we're making much of it up on our own, we're not technically THAT familar with it-- but we as GM's and game developers learn ALOT from our mistakes and can improve so the Next Time the Artifact resurfaces... It's an even TIGHTER game!
I think that I'm going to incorporate an element into the "Artifact Mythos" --If a GM wishes to avoid The Prologue, Bermuda, AND Loder altogether... the story is this:
The Artifact takes it's Bearers into The Path (the trail through the worlds to the end of the game)-- when they fail at the Mission. The Artifact, now free of the Mayan Tomb, and having passed through the hands of a few sets of Bearers can teleport itself back into the Modern World, and can be found by the next group of PC's.
HOOKS:
* Bill finds the Artifact in a Curio Shop in NYC. The shopkeeper doesn't remember it but happily sells it to Bill.
* Sarah receives a mysterious parcel from a family member who lives across country. It contains The Artifact.
Of course soon after getting one's hands on the Artifact-- it's beacon-like presence alerts it's hunters and the chase is set!
yeah so not sure when if ever ill get back to it.
im actually starting a true 20 scifi horror game loosley based in the world of the video game mass effect. i am going to keep all the stuff in the artifact camp. close in my mind waitiing for a chance to run it again as i think it is the best campaign idea of all time.
I started it AGAIN with a NEW group of players, however, it fizzled as two of this new group just stopped showing up to gaming.
Hurray.
This new version was paced differently, and the port of Santa Boca was a much more interesting place complete with a Nazi presence, and shady NPCs everywhere...
But as I run the campaign, I find that this Prologue USUALLY takes TOO many game sessions to complete-- and the players become more emotionally entrenched with their characters than they need to be.
Through various discussion, debate, and development he and I have now come up with the rough layout of a ONE night Prologue.
This one starts with a bit of expository read-up by the GM. Intro Narrative and an accounting of events that lead up to the moment that game plays starts.
Then the players begin, at the foot of the Mayan temple that they needed to find the Artifact in.
I've cut out ALOT of the flavor of the journey and the travel-- but I have a problem as a game creator-- I build too big. I'm too damn ambitious for my own good, and that alone keeps me from completing anything.
"OMFG!" some of you might say, "You took out (insert story element here)!"
*shrugs* Well... Put it back in yourselves! I'd like for the Artifact to be modular enough that various things can be shoved in here and there at the GM behest. Good GM's add their own personal touch to most modules they run anyway-- at least the really good ones do.
It is my goal to plan the Artifact out, based on expected sessions. Assign a section of game to a certain ammount of nights-- then look to fill each of those nights with the highpoints that you need to make the session a success. We're basing the new version of the Artifact off of this design principle.
JoeKap-- Sorry to hear that your game fizzled and sputtered. I'm really pleased that you enjoy this adventure so much-- Perhaps I'll consider running an OpenRPG version of it sometime in the near future, and I'd be happy to have you as a player.
its fantastic, i truly envy your players, great Jove if you were my GM I would pick a gaming session over real life any time! lolI'm also staggered by just how much you do, three campaigns at once at one stage was it!? damn...... thats some feat, I had trouble DMing one adventure and playing a Ravenloft char at the same time (i ended up backing out of the RL after the first session I miss my werewolf ranger lady....
) also I suffer from the 'hyper GM' disorder where i can't focus on one adventure for too long before starting a new one, needless to say my old group got tired of rolling character sheets pretty quick.I have been creating a game world for the past month now (and reading your thread at the same time) and a strange amount of similarities seems to have arisen in one of my badlands areas..... weird that
I'll probably end up throwing my ideas onto this board at some stage for anybody to have a look at and critique but just wanted to say I love this setting of yours and as one D/GM to another; I salute you sir!
I'd love to see what you can add to this thread!
***
Also, as you SHOULD be aware, the Badlands is technically the 3rd Chapter of my Artifact Campaign.
I'm currently looking to recruit players for a PbP version of this beast. More information can be found here: http://brilliantgameologists.com/boards/index.php?topic=3905.0
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So there!
would love to help out on future expeditions I tried the dino/starship thread but it's either been archived or killed somehow because my browser wont show it
anything you specifically need help on?
also I'm signing up for the Pbp if you'll have me