Black Matthias & The Mystery of the Stones, part 1

A Villain inspired by Tom Waits' Black Wings

by Randy
@coffeeswiller

One of my absolute favorite campaigns was set in the Lands of the Diamond Throne, the default setting for Monte Cook's Arcana Unearthed/Arcana Evolved alternate player's handbook. I could gush about that ruleset. It was imaginative, rich, and groundbreaking. It broke from the Tolkien-inspired fantasy that D&D had long been beholden to in interesting ways. In my opinion, this was the first OGL (that's Open Gaming License, the license that allows third party content based on 3rd Edition Dungeons & Dragons) product that really pushed the boundaries. You could say Monte Cook is known for that. But that's another tale for another post. Now I'm going to talk about a campaign I had the pleasure to play in with some great folks.

We had an interesting party. There was a Giant Mageblade played by Julian (one of the authors here at Growing Up Gamers), who was a sort of pyromancer. My wife played a Loresong Faen storyteller, a speaker of the dead, who was on a quest to find some artifacts, and our friend Brady's human Oathsworn of dubious morals who had vowed to protect her. In her first roleplaying experience, our friend Shannon played a Quickling Faen Totem Warrior amnesiac with an unknown past. And my character was a Litorian (lion-man) tribesman fulfilling a promise to his dead sister to scatter her ashes at the four corners of the world (I ran a character because I alternated gamemastering with Julian).

All great fantasy heroes need great villains. Perhaps the villain I am most proud of making was the primary antagonist of this story, Black Matthias. Well, "Black Matthias" was one of his names, of which he had many. Black Matthias was an ancient and powerful Magister, a practitioner of magics strong and dark. And moreover... he was bored. And you may not know this, but ancient, powerful and bored are a troublesome combination.

My inspiration for this guy was a song by Tom Waits, and, to some extent, the musician himself. The song, Black Wings (from the CD Bone Machine), tells a story of an implacable adversary, perhaps the devil himself, incapable of being imprisoned, appearing in dreams, and stealing away his promises. If you haven't heard of Tom Waits, or listened to this song, I encourage you to do that. On a side note, the musician himself is also an actor who has likely appeared in movies you have seen. But I digress a bit.

The heroes became acquainted with him at the end of their first adventure. He showed up in a carriage drawn by skeletal horses to complain about them thwarting his scheme to get a woman lynched by the townsfolk of a backwater village called Lazy Eye. Unbeknownst to them, the whole thing was a bit of a sham to test them, and to see if the faen amnesiac, Laura, had any recollection of him. Then, after brushing aside a few sword blows from the giant, he climbed back into his carriage... which promptly dispersed into a huge pile of maggots. Yes, he was very theatrical.

I'm not sure the players knew what to make of him. From the moment he stepped into the campaign, it was clear from the start he wasn't a good guy. I believe his first line, delivered in his characteristic gravelly rasp, was, "Alright, children... pin your ear to the wisdom-post, 'cause I'm only gonna say this once...". So their first interaction was to get a lecture from a man in a crumpled hat and a suit that appeared to have slept in for days, discussing the inconvenience and impracticalities of having to re-plan the things they've messed up. No threats, no maniacal laughter... not even hostility, really.

So... the other faen woman in the campaign, Kyra, was on a quest for some artifacts called the Sakkar Tolmen Stones [Note: this bit was borrowed from the now-defunct website, DiamondThrone.com, by a user called Black Moria; I'll gladly credit the author if anyone knows him]. In this campaign, these were six smallish crystal pyramids, each corresponding to the six elements of magic: fire, water, earth, air, the green and the dark. Notably powerful each on their own, when put together, they formed a cube of significant power, and unlocked the secrets of their creator, a Magister of the distant past named Sakkar Tolmen... can you see where this is going?

Sakkar Tolmen, in times before the coming of the Dramojh, was a Magister of great power. Aware that his mortal frame would eventually fail him, he devised a plan to achieve immortality and great power. He encased a piece of his soul in each of these six stones (much like a lich would in a phylactery), which he then enchanted into six powerful artifacts. Then... he did something of pure genius: he gave them away. Powerful magisters rarely give away powerful things, or cooperate with each other. Sakkar Tolmen counted upon this to keep the stones from ever coming back together. But this was not enough. His soul was safe, but he needed raw life-force to keep him from living forever in a desiccated husk. He needed a soul anchor.

In terms of the Sakkar Tolmen curse, a soul anchor is sort of a host for Sakkar to feed from, indirectly. After a ritual upon a young creature, that creature enters a symbiotic relationship with him. The details I'll go over in part 2, but the host effectively has a slight Constitution penalty, but gains a slightly longer lifespan. Sakkar, in addition to being "living", may treat the host as an origin for spells and scry upon her pretty easily. A good way to protect one's investment, eh?

So along their journey, the heroes uncovered, bit by bit, pieces of information about Black Matthias. Kyra's research of Black Matthias kept going further and further back. In the Free Cities of the South, he was immortalized in a children's rhyme as Blackbag, a bogeyman-like entity who stole children. In the capital, old records of the times of the coming of the Dramojh told of a wicked arms dealer and war profiteer, captured and tried, yet who inexplicably laughed off every punishment and execution attempt... before walking out of the prison, never to return. More answers, more questions.

Laura, it was eventually revealed, was the current soul anchor. Bits of memories came back to her in dreams. Forgotten friends revealed themselves to her. Cryptic hints were dropped in encounters where Black Matthias allowed himself to be seen. It was really fun unfolding this story and leaving breadcrumbs of clues lying about.

In part 2, I'll hash out the template for both Arcana Evolved and Pathfinder!
In part 3, I'll describe the Sakkar Tolmen Stones!
In part 4, I'll stat out the man himself!

Here's the lyrics to the song that serve as the inspiration (or listen to it):

Black Wings, by Tom Waits


Take an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth
Just like they say in the Bible
Never leave a trace or forget a face
Of any man at the table, any man at the table

When the moon is a cold chiseled dagger
And it's sharp enough to draw blood from a stone
He rides through your dreams on a coach and horses 
And the fence posts in the moonlight look like bones

Well they've stopped trying to hold him 
With mortar, stone and chain 
He broke out of every prison
Well the boots mount the staircase
The door is flung back open
He's not there for he has risen
He's not there for he has risen

Some say he once killed a man with a guitar string
He's been seen at the table with kings
Well he once saved a baby from drowning
There are those that say beneath his coat there are wings

Some say they fear him

Some say they fear him
Others admire him
Because he steals his promise
One look in his eye
And everyone denies
Ever having met him
Ever having met him

He can turn himself into a stranger
Well they broke a lot of canes on his hide
He was born away in a cornfield
A fever beats in his head just like a drum inside

Some say they fear him
Others admire him
Because he steals his promise
One look in his eye
Everyone denies
Ever having met him
Ever having met him
Ever having met him
Ever having met him
Ever having met him
Ever having met him

A Tale of Two Items, or Why I'm Not A Superstar

by Randy
@coffeeswiller on Twitter


Hey there! Has anyone out there entertained the idea of writing for their favorite roleplaying game? I have no doubt that a majority of you just said a huge "YES!" to yourselves. Well, I got news for you. Paizo Publishing, makers of the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, have an annual talent hunt called RPG Superstar.

RPG Superstar is an excellent event, not just for the opportunity it provides, but also for the chance to see the creative contributions of other RPG enthusiasts. I have watched it from the sidelines in previous years, but this year I decided to jump in and try it out.

I'll bet you're asking, "Randy, how did you do? Are YOU a superstar?", to which I'm going to smile and reply, "Not even close!". And that's actually cool with me.

The competition is divided into several rounds, the first of which is to design a Wondrous Item. The actual rules are pretty simple. The item needs to actually be a Wondrous Item. It needs to be mechanically sound. It needs to be costed correctly. And it needs to actually be superstar material. Sure, every roleplaying game needs staples like crystal balls, belts of strength and what-not, but this isn't about making those things. It's about standing out. I'm paraphrasing the rules, of course... they're right here if you want to read them.

Anyway, here is the item I submitted:

Inspires the imagination, doesn't it? 

Orb of Aggravation
Aura strong transmutation; CL 10th
Slot none; Price 500 gp; Weight 1 lb.
Description
This Orb of Aggravation is a 3 inch sphere of dull iron, favored by rogues (many of whom refer to them as Orbs of Escape). It is activated by throwing it at an enemy, to whom it flies unerringly. It then bobs and weaves around the target, striking sensitive areas and occasionally sprouting a hook to pull down trousers or sword belts, or ejecting dust to inhibit eyesight. It performs the Dirty Trick combat maneuver that round and for each of the following four rounds. It attacks with a CMB of +15, randomly bestowing one of the following conditions (roll 1d6): 1-blinded, 2-dazzled, 3-deafened, 4-entangled, 5-shaken, or 6-sickened. Each effect lasts for one round plus one round for each 5 points the CMB roll exceeds the opponent's CMD, and each may be removed with a move action. The orb does not provoke attacks of opportunity, but may be attacked. It has an AC of 16, a hardness of 5 and 10 hit points. After the last attack roll, the Orb of Aggravation crumbles into dust.

Construction
Requirements Craft Wondrous Item, Improved Dirty Trick, telekinesis; Cost 250 gp

I was going for something I considered a "design hole". In this case, it was taking a mechanic introduced after the core rules, the Dirty Trick combat maneuver, and using an existing item, the Whip Feather Token, as a template for a new one. I think I was moving in a good direction with this, but the end result was a rather lackluster item. Especially since it was practically devoid of meaningful, interesting description ("3 inch sphere of dull iron"? Come on!). I rushed my writing a bit, and discarded some good ideas (more later) that would have made it more eye-catching. Additionally, I should have more closely followed the sage advice of Sean K. Reynolds, one of the judges of the competition, a Paizo employee and an all-around nice guy, if you get the chance to talk to him in person.

So, that being said, if I could hop back into a time machine and re-submit this item, here what it would look like:

Scribbles by the author.

Harpy Egg
Aura strong transmutation; CL 10th
Slot none; Price 750 gp; Weight 1 lb.
Description
A Harpy Egg appears to be an iron ingot the size and shape of a goose egg, criss-crossed with grooves in no apparent pattern. When thrown at an enemy within fifty feet, requiring a successful ranged touch attack, the egg separates at the seams to reshape itself into a rough-cast harpy figurine the size of a human fist. It then flies around the target, striking sensitive areas, pulling down sword belts, or spitting iron filings in eyes. For five rounds, beginning the round it was thrown, it executes the Dirty Trick combat maneuver against the creature it was targeted against with a CMB of +10, bestowing one of these conditions (roll 1d6):
1-blinded
2-dazzled
3-deafened
4-entangled
5-shaken
6-sickened
The condition persists for one round plus one round for each 5 points the CMB roll exceeded the enemy's CMD, and may be removed with a move action. The harpy does not provoke attacks of opportunity, but may be attacked. It has an AC of 16, a hardness of 10 and 5 hit points. After the fifth round, the Harpy Egg crumbles into dust.
Construction 
Requirements Craft Wondrous Item, telekinesis; Cost 375 gp

I think that makes it a pretty neat item with a reasonable amount of flavor. The orb was originally almost a "clockwork harpy", but I didn't want to address the "don't you need to wind it?" question, or add a "spend a move action winding it" clause. As it is now, it may still not yet be superstar material, but I like it. It's a straightforward one-shot item designed to harass an enemy briefly, then go poof! and leave no meaningful trace of its existence. I envisioned it primarily as an aid to escaping (imagine hitting a pursuing guard with it!), but it would also be very useful in combat to interfere with one opponent's action economy. I think that if you're a player of Pathfinder, you can come up with a few clever uses for it. By the way, if you do use it, tell me! 

Here's a great image I found on deviantArt that I thought would be a great illustration of how the Harpy Egg might look deployed (although good luck getting one to hold still long enough to confirm!). This is a work-in-progress piece by deviantArt user edsa-m, who was kind enough to give me permission to show this piece. For the miniatures enthusiasts among you (like me!), he made a great video on sculpting feathered wings here. I encourage you to check out his stuff!

Mcc Monster girl Harpy WIP by deviantArt user edsa-m

Another great harpy sculpture I saw is below by artist deviantArt user EvanCampbell. What I like about that one is the action and the face. The expression on the face is a lot closer to what I imagine the harpy looking like while doing her work. He was also kind enough to allow me to display his amazing piece here. Please consider popping over and seeing his work, as well!

Harpy by deviantArt user EvanCampbell

I would like to thank the wonderful members of the Paizo community who took the time to critique my item and offer constructive feedback. I'm not sure exactly how many items were submitted, but many active people spent a lot of their time looking over all those items and giving their thoughts. Even those of you like me who didn't make the Top 32 for RPG Superstar, you're all rockstars to me! I would also like to thank devientArt users edsa-m and EvanCampbell for allowing me to share pics of their Wondrous Items! Thanks, guys! Thanks and appreciation also goes to the site d20 PFSRD, to which all game rule links are pointing to.

Did any other readers participate in the RPG Superstar, either this year or in the past? Let us know in the comments!

UPDATE!
The sculptor of the first piece above, edsa-m, liked my Harpy Egg sketch and decided to incorporate that into a piece he did! Here is a work-in-progress look at that piece:

MCC Monster Girls-Nagja the Gorgon WIP-details by deviantArt user edsa-m

So just to say it again... Edsa is a great guy, and I love his work. Please pop over and check out his stuff on deviantArt!

That's How I Role: Day & Night

By Randy
@coffeeswiller

The Pathfinder character below is one that I custom-made for the winner of an auction for the Jack Vasel Memorial Fund that ran on BoardGameGeek. After winning the auction, he challenged me to make a character that had different powers during the day and at night. He seemed to like what I came up with, which is a Mystic Theurge with an interesting but integrated dual nature. I hope he gets a chance to play this character, and I hope you all like it. During the process of making this, I made use of the D20 PFSRD, an excellent resource for open-source Pathfinder material. For those counting, Devin is a 20-point buy. 

Devin Renzik

Cleric of Sarenrae (Separatist ) 3 / Wizard (Shadowcaster) (Fire Elementalist) 3 / Mystic Theurge 2

STR 8, Dex 14, Con 10, Int 18, Wis 16 [18], Cha 13

HD 3d8 + 5d6 +3  HP  41

BAB +4

Armor Class  20   [+2 Dex, +6 armor, +2 Deflection], Resist Fire 5

Saves Fort +5 Ref +5 Will +11

Skills Knowledge (arcana) +15, Knowledge (religion) +15, Stealth +18, Knowledge (history) +20, Diplomacy +12, Spellcraft +15, Perception +12

Feats  Skill Focus (Stealth), Arcane Armor Training, Scribe Scroll, Eldritch Heritage, Theurgy, Spell Penetration, Blind-Fight

Traits Magical Knack (Wizard), Indomitable Faith

Combat

MW Sickle +4 1d6-1  20/ X2

MW Light Crossbow +7  1d8  19-20/X2

Domains Night (effective level 1^st), Sun

Spells

Cleric [Caster level 5, DC 14 + spell level]: 0—4, 1st—4+1, 2nd—3+1, 3rd—2+1

Wizard [Caster level 7, DC 14 + spell level]: 0—4, 1st—4+1, 2nd—3+1, 3rd—2+1    (Shadow Spells: 3 levels) [Arcane Spell failure 10% if swift action not used for Arcane Armor Training]

Channel Positive Energy 2d6 [4/day, 2d6+3 when used to harm undead, Will Save DC 12 for half damage, channel resistance does not apply]

Wizard spells known:

0: Spark, detect Magic, Read Magic, Message, Open/Close, Mage Hand, Mending

1: Identify, Sleep,  Burning Hands, Dancing Lantern, Grease

2: Dust of Twilight (APG), Darkness, Scorching Ray, Haste, Burning Gaze

3: Dispel Magic, Daylight, Fireball, Twilight Knife (APG)

Languages Common, Varisian, Shadowtongue, Celestial, Infernal, Ancient Varisian

Equipment [33,000gp, expected starting wealth for an 8^th level character]

+2 Shadow Mithril Shirt, Headband of Inspired Wisdom +2, Ring of Protection +2, Scholar’s Ring,  Wand of Cure Light Wounds (50 charges), Spellbook, Silver Holy Symbol, Masterwork Sickle,

Masterwork Light Crossbow, 2234gp

Notes:

The Separatist archetype for clerics’ Forbidden Rites feature  allows the character to take a domain not normally available to his deity, which is how this character has the Night domain (Night is a subdomain of Darkness), but loses automatic proficiency with Sarenrae’s chosen weapon, the scimitar. The Shadowcaster archetype for wizards allows the wizard to store a few levels of spells in their shadow in place of the arcane bond feature.

Character background

Devin’s grandmother Calla was a shadowcaster and a casual worshipper of Zon-Kuthon. A twisted person, she sought to infuse shadowstuff into herself to gain power, but was unsuccessful. Or so she thought. She eventually married and had children, all of whom were a bit sickly and only one of whom survived until adulthood, Umbra. Umbra had little love for her mother, for Calla was aloof and neglectful.

Umbra came to learn that she manifested some slight powers over shadow, which initially frightened her. She eventually came to accept this as harmless, but it did worry her enough to seek counsel from the local temple of Sarenrae. Umbra appreciated their kindness and converted, eventually developing a personal philosophy about the symbiotic relationship of shadows and light, which she later imparted on her son, Devin.

Devin grew up worshipping Sarenrae, and influenced by his mother's beliefs. Though he found his views to not be entirely aligned with the clergy of their provincial temple, he was allowed to study there and eventually become a cleric. Upon ordination, he had all but abandoned his heretical views, but a couple things happened.

First, Devin started to manifest the powers over shadows his mother had. And shortly thereafter Calla died, and he inherited a book from her which turned out to be her spellbook. He sought answers in that book, some of which he found. He also found that he had a knack for the incantations he discovered there. To reconcile this with his faith for Sarenrae, he fell back on his mother's beliefs with fervor, believing himself to be a living embodiment of Sarenrae's dual nature as both the light, and the shadows she creates.

And with that, Devin has taken to wander to seek evidence of his revelations and spread his message. He has already seen in a vision that the chosen weapon is the sickle (which he refers to as "the eclipse"). To this date, he still is unaware of his grandmother's Kuthonite faith, though it would matter little to him. His daily routine, which may differ on the road, is to pray to Sarenrae at dawn and study at dusk.

Good Causes & the Value of "Quirky"

by Randy

Hello, readers!

A couple weeks ago I wrote about an auction on BoardGameGeek for the Jack Vasel Memorial Fund. The Growing Up Gamers/Escapade Games crew stepped up and contributed a couple things, and we're proud to say that with the help of the generous buyers, we were able to raise a little money for this great cause. We hope the JVMF is able to be a force for good and help many gamer families in need for years to come. I hope you all take a moment to look at the JVMF and its mission, and if you are the type who plans charitable giving for your year in advance, consider this as a recipient.

So what did we put up? Well, first, and probably the most interesting, Angie and Julian offered up an opportunity to contribute to their game, Story Realms. The winner of that item is going to be designing a custom Enemy or Ally Lore Card for the game... in addition to getting a copy of the deluxe set (available for preorder here). How cool is that? Not only an awesome game... but one they got to contribute to!

And second, a generous guy took my offer to create a custom-made Pathfinder RPG character to his specifications. I had a lot of fun with this one! I just love making characters. You can see the results of this one here. He gave me permission to share this with everyone, and I hope you find it entertaining. In addition, I want you to consider one more thing.

Everyone has their own skills and passions, and these things are not always easy to put a price on (should one even want to). Sometimes, though, like in the case of this auction, it may be worth the effort to offer up one of your skills as a service, or something you have made, or something else along these lines. I saw a few amazing-looking handcrafted things up for auction, for instance. I just want to point out that you don't need something from a store shelf nor be a game designer to participate in something like this.

I want to challenge our readers a bit, too. When was the last time you made something for someone else, or offered a minor service? How about you try doing that in the next month or so? A lot of people I know are doing handmade holiday gifts. For that matter, many are also offering a variety of services from the practical to the absurd online at Fiverr. Take a little inspiration from that the next time your child's school has a fundraiser auction, or a birthday is approaching, a friend or online acquaintance needs a hand, or even just to make an extra few dollars. And then tell us about it!

What I'm trying to say is that not everything of value has a price, and not everything with a price has a value. We are all unique, special beings with our own quirky skills. Gamers, especially... some of us have been rocking "quirky" for decades. Let's enrich each others' lives, and the ones around us. So... what have you made lately?

2 Ways to Play: The Iron Kingdoms RPG Then & Now... and a Giveaway!

2 days left of on our game giveaway to support the Story Realms Kickstarter.  Today, we will be exploring a game that the entire Growing Up Gamers crew have played and loved: Iron Kingdoms.  This dark fantasy role-playing game depicts a world ravaged by endless battle and devastating machines of war.  It was one of our favorite games to play with D20 System and now a new version is out that much more resembles the mechanics of the Warmachine system.  No one here is more qualified to talk about Iron Kingdoms than Randy, who ran the games we played and has spent countless hours reading about the Iron Kingdoms and painting many miniatures of the games heroes and villains.

By Randy


When I first saw the Monsternomicon, Volume One on the shelf at the local game store, I knew I had to have that book. It was 2002, when Dungeons & Dragons third edition was still fresh and new. I cracked open the book and had my first glimpse of a neat, new world... one that took a step back from the standard fantasy tropes, threw in an industrial revolution that was half steam powered, and half fueled by arcane magic. Welcome to the Iron Kingdoms.


The narrative of the settings is that it is a world at war in many ways. There is the struggle between the nations of the world, as some seek to expand and others try to protect their borders, and their allies. There is a struggle between the forces of progress, and those who would stamp out the smoke-belching factories. Religious zealots, too. These conflicts offers ample plot hooks for all manner of stories you might want to tell and participate in.

The D20 version of the Iron Kingdoms was introduced in a series of modules called The Witchfire Trilogy. The story introduced us to the complex antagonist Alexia Ciannor, and the unholy blade she came to possess, the Witchfire. The Monsternomicon that I mentioned before followed, then a short volume called Lock & Load. After that, it was a long wait for the Iron Kingdoms Character Guide and the World Guide, but the wait was well worth it. Those books are, in my opinion, some of the most well-written RPG books ever to grace my shelves. One of the most memorable campaigns I ever ran was set there. It is really a pity that the publisher, Privateer Press, was far more focused on its wargames set in the same world, although to be fair, the books supporting those offered great source material.

A month ago, my wonderful wife brought me a copy of the new Iron Kingdoms Core Rules home from GenCon. I have been waiting for quite a while on this one, and it is a beautiful book. Full color, loads of art... and a new system. The system is based on the rules of the wargames Warmachine and Hordes, and is even compatible somewhat with them. It marries the character advancement options of previous RPGs with the "wargamey" rules of a tabletop miniatures game. And the execution is good.

I admit to being very sceptical the first time I heard about it. I honestly love miniatures, and have a great time painting them. I use them in other roleplaying games, too, but I wasn't sure that I wanted to be nudged toward being a Warmachine player. I recently just played a battle scene pitting units from Warmachine against characters built from the Core Rules, and I had a great time. It was indeed very much like a wargame, and it certainly shone. We played a combat that would have been insanely complex in the D20 system in a pretty short amount of time; that's a plus. I still have yet to try a more traditional RPG adventure, though I suspect the system's relative simplicity will allow that to run smoothly, too.

So... which is best? Time will tell. The D20 system is very familiar to most roleplayers and lots of sources exist to supplement player options. The new system, with its compatibility with Warmachine/Hordes, allows you to play epic battles in less than half the time of a comparable on in D20. Right now, I like them both. I have already played one combat scene with the new system and was quite impressed. Happy gaming!

...And the giveaway continues!  

Today we are showing off 2 more Game Salute games you can spend that prize money on.  Today we give you 2 games with very unique themes.  Also, we hit 600 backers today!  We will definitely be adding some games to the prize mix.  Keep spreading the word and check back in tomorrow to learn about what loot is going to get added in these final days of the giveaway.

Impact City Roller Derby 

Seriously, how many games have you heard about that are based on the Roller Derby?  In this fast paced board game you try to get Jammer to pass more opposing players than your opponent's Jammer.  You must use strategic movement to pass or block your opponent.  Dice rolls and special cards are used to execute different offensive or defensive plays straight from the flat track derby race.  You can even get dirty and play foul cards which allow you to risk getting caught by the ref as you cheat your way to the win.

Everything Is Dolphins

Speaking of unique, this is a pen and paper role-playing game entirely about dolphins set in a world where there are no humans.  It's also an art book.  The art is bizarre and beautiful.  It comes from a variety of high and low and elsewhere artists.  The game play hovers somewhere between side scroller video game (though it is not a video game), talking animal fairy tale, and triptastic fun.  The art is bizarre and beautiful. 

Challenge Accepted! An interview with Challenger RPG designer David Dostaler

by Randy

Hello there! One of the great things about blogging is getting to interact with amazing people. Recently, we got acquainted with fellow game designer David Dostaler. David is the designer of a roleplaying game called Challenger, which you can read about here and is available for free at DriveThru RPG or Amazon. After reading through his game, we decided to ask him a few questions about the game. We are pleased to share with you what David had to say. Enjoy!

 

1. One thing I noted was that you do not have the Game Master roll dice. I personally like this decision, and I want to get an idea of what you feel this adds to the game, and what, if anything, is lost. What led to this design choice?

Basically it just started out as a way to 'speed up' game play. With no dice rolls for monsters to worry about the game is immensely fast and simple. I know this also raises a heck of a lot of questions like "Well then, how 'do' you roll monster attacks?". Don't worry, all is taken care of in the full Challenger rules which explain it much better than I could here. I would like to say there was an unexpected benefit to this 'speeding up' of the game. All challenges are determined by the players response to them. For instance: in most RPGs the GM will say "Ten ninjas attack you, roll for initiative". In Challenger the GM will 'always' say, "Ten Ninjas jump out at you, swords gleaming. What do you do?" This may seem like a simple or trivial difference, but the game ramifications are actually huge. It lets the players dictate how the game will be played. Will they fight when you thought they should talk? Talk when you thought they should fight? Ignore the challenge? Use skills? All the decisions are in the player's hands. This creates a phenomenally responsive game, but the GM still retains some creative control by determining 'consequences' for inappropriately dealing with challenges in some rare instances. Really, what game wouldn't benefit from players negotiating with the bad guys or using skills instead of a combat? The possibilities are limitless.

 
2. The text of the game really emphasizes the player experience in action and the story, and encourages the game master to run the story the players want. What game systems or gaming experiences inspired you to put such a heavy emphasis on the players' stories?

Good question. Really I'd just say it's myself improving as a GM, writer, and person over time. When I started out (many years ago) all my adventures were pre-planned. Sometimes the players loved them, sometimes they hated them and I didn't know what to do. I would get so frustrated. I created an awesome adventure, the player's avoid it, I try to get them back on track, they resist more. I end up getting mad at them. It's a death spiral. Sometime after about 10 years of gaming it finally clicked: design adventures the player's 'want' to play rather than force them to play the ones I've created without their input. It's never failed. Initially, I would just ask my players 'what do you want to do next adventure?' then design the adventure. I've now reached the point where I can sit down and literally say, "What do you want to do today, guys?" and then whip up an adventure on the fly. The players love it. They can literally do anything, go anywhere, and meet anyone. I love it as a GM because my players are always happy and my adventures are never 'skipped'. I'll sometimes plan out adventure stuff still (everyone does) but the players feel so much in control they rarely, if ever, 'skip' the stuff I've written anymore. It's a great feeling and I think it's a great way to run a game if you're experienced enough.


Also, the 'static' adventures worked great when we were younger. Go in, kill orcs, grab money. Sometimes that's all you need. As we all grew older we didn't want a 'game' so much anymore; we wanted a 'story'. This is why I'm so excited about Story Realms, it's a great idea. When I designed Challenger the concept was definitely influenced by the fact I write fantasy novels and I'm an older gamer (and person). Priorities tend to shift. You don't want a 'game' so much as a 'great story', at least, I and my older players don't. Sometimes, I admit, I still just want to bash a few orcs and grab loot, but I consistently come back to RPGs for the 'story' not the 'game'. While I've more or less quit playing a lot of games as I grew older, RPGs still remain a favorite of mine (even though I have less time to play them and actually enjoy designing them probably as much if not more).


Here's another thing. Every good GM should know GMing is all about getting the players to have fun. The GM has always been an 'older/experienced' role. You don't go around trying to 'win'. You just want the players to have an awesome time. This is similar to a writer wanting the readers to enjoy the story or a game designer wanting the players of the game to enjoy it. All good GMs put the players first. Really, when the players have an awesome time, so do I. I could write the best adventure ever, but if my players don't like it I've still failed in the role of GM (no matter how brilliant I 'thought' my story/game was). Okay, I'm getting all esoteric here so I'll rest my case on this point.

 
3. Something I noted in reading through is a relative simplicity of rules. Despite the fact that there are 40 classes (if I counted correctly!), they seem simple and straightforward enough that you could have a multiclassed character ready to go in minutes. Am I correct in this? How long does character creation typically take, and in your experiences so far, how has character generation in the Challenger RPG evolved from its earliest prototypes?

Ha ha, I was hoping for an 'easy' question. Hm, that's a big question. Yes, I specifically made the rules simpler on each revision (Challenger is many years old now and you don't even want to know how many old copies are lying around my basement and in my hard drive). Initially, long ago, you had to roll for 200 traits for every Challenger character. It was ludicrous, it was insane, it made no sense. I had a lot of fun with it. After about a zillion very fine people (you can see their names in the credits and I tried to send them all free books when Challenger came out in print) helped me out 'a lot' no sorry "A LOT" with the game; it became simpler. What you're seeing is the product of a lot of hard work I can't completely take the credit for.


Okay, yesterday I created a Challenger character on the fly (including grabbing paper an doing minor math) in about 5 minutes. For most people it would probably take closer to 10 minutes (unfamiliar with the system etc.). The biggest thing which will slow you down in Challenger is if you want to check out every single option (some people, including myself, do). Because there are literally thousands of combinations and options this will take you a very long time. I recommend for new players to just go with their gut instincts (fast) and if they want to 'power game' or read 'every single option' they may feel free to do so after they've decided if they love Challenger or not. Some people just like to have the best character and I don't think anyone should be penalized for that (but watch out if I'm the GM. Power Gaming is kind of like saying 'dead/redundant PC in my games. Probably will get a few chuckles).


So yeah, instead of spending half your life coming up with the 'ultimate' character I'd just tell the Challenger GM to 'equal out' the players a bit and let them play the characters they want to. A. faster. B. simpler. C. more fun. D. no one has to worry about being 'upstaged'. However, if you want to make the 'ultimate' character, go right ahead. I've played a few pretty 'mean' characters in Challenger myself and they were a lot of fun to play.

 
4. "From a player’s perspective anything they can actually write down on their sheet is of added value." That's a great quote! One thing I love about Challenger from a player perspective is that there's no limit to the neat treasure you can get, and, from a GM's perspective, there's a maximum benefit you can derive on any given roll... a significant departure from most current RPG's. Can you tell us more about this?
 

Great question. Basically, it started out as a balance issue. I've always been strong into math. In the earliest versions of Challenger I was having 'power' problems which could end up in mathematical disasters. My solution was a cap of +5 to attack rolls (not damage rolls). Inadvertently, this also allowed me to say, "GM's give away as many sweet magic items as you want, it can't imbalance the game."


So far practically no-one's complained about it and some of the players just really love the sweet magic gear. It also takes the game out of the realm of numbers and puts it back into the realm of imagination which is where it ought to be anyway. Sure, your +5 sword might have an attack cap of +5 but you can still have totally awesome powers with it like magma control, cut through anything, or reverse time (at risk of paradoxes).

It also allows the GM to go crazy creating sweet magic items without fear of imbalancing the game. In my old D&D RPGs this was always an issue for me. Should I let the players get this magic item even though it could combo with x bonuses with x item? In Challenger I can just say, "Yeah, go for it, on top of that: why don't we add 'this' to the magic item too?"

5. Okay, here's a big one... how does this game shine? If you were going to say "X is why Challenger is the best roleplaying game out there", what would 'X' be?

Wow, that is a tough one. Hope you don't mind if I cheat a bit. 1. Free, 2. Player-created (you tell me you want it, I put it in the game, Challenger is the product of much greater minds than my own alone), 3. Faster, 4. Simpler, 5. Keeps all of the options despite being faster and simpler and, in fact, adds more, 6. play the character you want from day one, 7. get loads of sweet magic things, 8. GM's: never worry about your players skipping an adventure! 8. Players: never worry about your GM forcing you to do stuff! 9. Has sweet artwork in it I didn't even make so it's awesome (so if you hated the game it would presumably still be worth it to get it just for the art, 10. If you hate RPGs the Amazon version of Challenger has a free comic fantasy novel at the end (sweet, eh?) 11. What else could you possibly want? Okay. Write that down and send it to me via e-mail at: challenger_rpg@hotmail.com. Thanks.

Thanks, David!

I hope you guys enjoyed that! I definitely advise popping over and downloading the Challenger Roleplaying Game. It's a fun read and looks like a blast to play.

The Uncommoner!

by Randy
@coffeeswiller

Here at Growing Up Gamers we oftentimes post content about the Pathfinder game, a roleplaying game we love. Today, we have a special character. He's that hireling who tags along and always has the right item for the job. He's the kobold porter who uncannily has the answer to the riddle that has the party stumped. He's the local boy who wants to be a squire, braves dangers with the adventurers and somehow manages to not be roasted by the dragon's fiery breath. Remember that guy? Well, here he is, in all his extraordinary ordinariness: The Uncommoner!

Uncommoner

An uncommoner is a character who exist to make the world more convenient for the "real heroes". Rare are the legends that assign names to this person. The uncommoner dwells at the edge of notice, and his power derives from some sort of cosmic indifference to him. But that's okay to him; he is perfectly happy to be "along for the ride" and help when he can.

Hit Die: d6

Skills: Profession 3 ranks, Knowledge (Local) 3 ranks

Special: Character may not possess any named class features beyond Weapon and Armor Proficiency prior to taking levels in this class, nor may he posses any racial hit dice. If the uncommoner acquires additional class features from any class other than Uncommoner, he loses all class features of the Uncommoner class.

Class Skills

The Uncommoner's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Handle Animal (Cha), Knowledge (Local) (Int),Perception (Wis), Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), and Swim (Str).

Skill ranks at each level: 2 + Int modifier.

Table: The Uncommoner

Class Features

Weapon and Armor Proficiency

Uncommoners gain no proficiency with any weapon or armor.

Plot Vulnerability (Ex)

An Uncommoner, though very good at avoiding most dangers, is particularly vulnerable to attacks that occur behind the scenes. When more than 50 feet per class level away from any ally with PC class levels, any attack against him is considered a Coup de Grace.

Self-sufficient (Ex)

So long as the Uncommoner is employed by a Player Character, he does not need nourishment of any kind.

Convenience Pool (Ex)

An Uncommoner understands that their continued existence depends upon them not being inconvenient. Beginning at first level, an Uncommoner receives a Convenience Pool. This helps the Uncommoner escape notice, be useful to others and avoid danger. He begins the day with a number of convenience points in this pool equal to half his level + 1 per each ability score that is racially average for him. Here are the effects that he may accomplish with these points:

Errand: So long as the Uncommoner has not performed a hostile action toward anyone the round before, he may, as an Immediate action,  spend one convenience point to be on an Errand. His physical location does not change, but is not considered to be in an Area of Effect of a spell or ability that does not specifically target him.

Slip Away: While taking a Withdraw action, an Uncommoner, as a Free action, may designate any number of squares as not being threatened by anyone at a cost of one convenience point per square.

This Old Thing?: An Uncommoner may produce an item from his gear that was previously unaccounted for at the cost of one convenience point. The item may cost no more than his level in gold pieces, plus 1 gold piece per additional convenience point spent.

Irrelevant: At a cost of two convenience points, the Uncommoner can invoke the effects of a Sanctuary spell. The Will save DC for this is equal to 10 + his current convenience pool total.

Succeed Where Others Have Failed (Ex)

An uncommoner has an uncanny knack for delivering plot-relevant information and bypassing barriers. If the Uncommoner observes a failed skill check by more than one person with PC class levels, he may attempt the same check untrained with a +20 bonus. Knowledge checks made in this way are the result of a "hunch" or "old folk wisdom", and physical checks made in this way succeed "because someone made it easier". He may do this once per day at 5th level, and twice per day at 10th.

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So... that's it! I hope you enjoyed this. Though it is definitely meant as a humorous post, this is a mechanically sound class and can be used as a henchman for any group of Player Characters. A slight revision of the wording (Villian in place of Player Charcaters/PCs) can make this an effective flunky for a bad guy, too. So... then next time it seems like your hireling is fireproof, the barmaid miraculously survives fleeing through a melee or the wagon driver effortlessly solves a sphinx's riddle, know that you are in the presence of an Uncommoner!

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That's How I Role: My Zen Archer Monk!

by Randy

Introducing That's How I Role, a new category of posts. Whenever we post our own content about a classic pen-and-paper roleplaying game that we're playing in, excluding reviews or general discussion, we'll add that label.

Hello! Any roleplayers out there? I hope so. Roleplaying games (RPGs) haven't received a lot of wordcount on our blog so far, and, since it's my favorite type of gaming, I think it's time to correct that. Today, I'm going to discuss a character I play in a new Pathfinder campaign. For those unfamiliar, the Pathfinder RPG is an overhaul of the Dungeons & Dragons version 3.5 rules. If you want to check the rules out, they're available for free here; it's an open source system. A spiffy thing about this new campaign is that it was spawned by a discussion on this blog... and I think that's pretty awesome.

I often get excited when new character making options present themselves. A while back, I picked up the Pathfinder Advanced Player's Guide, a supplement that added options for players, including new classes and further options for existing ones. Some of these caught my eye; specifically, the new Inquisitor class and the Zen Archer archetype for the Monk class.

Seriously, a Monk?!?!

The Zen Archer archetype made me want to play a Monk; I can't really say I had ever wanted to before. Seriously. The core class, though made very interesting in its Pathfinder version, was a very specific type of character. It's a great set of abilities, but the Asian-themed flavor seems out of place in what is typically a quasi-medieval fantasy. The Zen Archer swaps out a lot of the Wuxia-style abilities for archery abilities. I'm not going to detail all the abilities ad nauseum, but the classic Flurry of Blows for this variant is only for attacks with the bow, and at third level they may use the Wisdom modifier instead of Dexterity for bow attacks. Very interesting! A good base for my character.

Nobody expects the Inquisition!

A new full twenty-level class from the same book, the Inquisitor, also offers some great options. The theme of the class is a divine huntsperson who seeks out enemies of the faith. It offers medium combat abilities, a secondary spell progression and a set of abilities called Judgements. A judgement can be pronounced in a battle upon one's enemies, and gives a bonus of some sort (bonus to attack, bonus to damage, increased ability penetrate spell resistance, healing, some others). Additionally, they also get a geat sprinkling of other fun abilities. An excellent class on its own, but I'm using this as a secondary class to "dip into" to snag some interesting abilities that complement my character idea.

A question of race...

For a race, the answer was simple: an elf. Elves are archers, right? Looking at it, it seemed pretty simple. A closer look at the Zen Archer Monk, though, makes it clear that WIsdom is a very important ability score, and elves do not grant a boost to that. Oddly enoughh, a dwarf would be better. Humans are always tempting, as well as both the half-elf and half-orc, since any of those three would allow a boost to Wisdom as well. My concept fits an elf better, though. So that's what I chose. When I think of the portrayal of Legolas in the Lord of the Rings movies, I kind of see this character being that kind of archer (well, later!). So elf it is!

Introducing... Hallyr!

The campaign, set in the default Pathfinder world of Golarion,  this character is in had a quirky twist to start it off: all the player characters had been turned to stone prior to the start. So I felt a little creative license with that to create a character who had lasted walked the earth over a thousand years before. The scion of a noble house, his family believed him to be the reincarnation of the warrior who founded the house. As such, he was trained to be a warrior and was quickly given command of troops when a Gnoll uprising happened. His lack of experience resulted in being ambushed and losing his whole command and left for dead, he was found and healed by a wandering priest of Sarenrae. Ashamed, he decided not to return to his homeland. All he has to remind him of his past life is his bow Malachiel, said to be created by the founder of his house (and named after him), and his sword. He lived among (mostly) humans for the next several decades, living the life of a traveling scholar... until he encountered a medusa some 1400 years ago. That is the story of Hallyr Narcissar... Currently, he has thrown in his lot with some others who had met similar fates and were awakened with him.

At the time I am writing this, Hallyr has just gotten to level three. He has two levels of Monk and one of Inquisitor. A first level version of him can be found here. I'll skip a stat block unless explicitly asked, but that's the current character I'm playing. That's how I role! :) Anyone else playing something they're excited about? Or want to? Who knows, another discussion here on GUG could spark up a gaming group for someone else... and we love to see your comments, anyway!

The good ol' RPG days...

by Angie
My first Dungeon Master

I was first introduced to Dungeons and Dragons as an imaginative 5 (6 maybe?) year old by my ultra cool Uncle Rob. I think he was babysitting my cousin and I and I guess decided it would be fun to take us on an adventure. We were enraptured. We had the attention of a grown-up, fistfuls of dice, and got to use our imaginations. Win! Our games were really just interactive sotrytelling, and complex rules were not a part of it, but that is what made it so amazing for our young little minds. For years after we begged and begged Uncle Rob to play D&D with us at every opportunity, always wanting to "pick up where we left off". As we grew, our experiences deepened. More rules, more devious dungeons, cooler treasures. We got caught in an endless paradox due to a misuse of a Wand of Wishing. We went to "dinner" at Castle Ravenloft and met with Count Straud and his minions. We explored, we mapped out vast dungeons, we fought, we laughed, and we cried. We begged and pleaded and bargained for more more more.

The making of a lifelong gamer

And then came the books! Rob started giving me my own D&D books. "Old" hand-me-downs as new editions came out were amazing and new to me. I would read and read and imagine all the worlds we'd "seen", and all the worlds still out there to explore. I would ponder over the maps and treasures and dream of grand adventures. A few years later, I had the good fortune to find myself living in the same town as my "favortie DM EVER" and he let me read all his books. Even the new ones! We started a little routine where we would walk down to the bookstore together and pick up the new Gazeteers as they came out. Gazeteers were supplements for the world of Greyhawk that were coming out in the late 80's-early 90's, and each one would be dedicated to a specific culture and region of that world. I remember excitedly looking at maps and pictures and talking about the history and culture of the various peoples of the world. The Elves of Alfhiem, The Grand Duchy of Karamekios, The Five Shires, Northern Reaches, Principalities of Glantri, The Dwarves of Rockhome... and many more. I think there were maybe 14 in all? Anyhow, this world came alive on the pages, and each new Gazeteer would bring hours of enjoyment and oodles of inspiration just in the reading of it. The thing I particularly liked about them was the focus on world-building, maps, and culture. Each one attempted to bring to light a unique region and it's people, and this felt like I was peeking into a living, vibrant world. In my opinion, they succeeded in a way in which very few since have.

Bring it back!

What I would like to see brought back into modern gaming is the wonder of exploring a new world through the pages of an ongoing world supplement. Give me rich histories, detailed cultures, more maps than I know what to do with, cities full of interesting and unique characters. Each Gazeteer was like a piece of the world, and that sense of discovery and intrigue of each new one was one of the prime influences on the development of my own worlds and style as I grew up and learned to "play by the rules". It seems like to me that many game supplements now are focused so heavily on the rules and character builds and new player options and less on revealing a world bit by bit. The campaign settings I've read over the past 10 years or so seem to try to give so much and come in with such little depth. I'm sure some people love that, they have all thier own ideas of how to populate the world and it's denizens and don't want detailed in-depth cultures. For me though, I love it when a game product is focused on one thing; some great examples I can think of are Freeport, City of Adventure and Sharn, City of Towers, but those aren't ongoing series' that round out a world, those are supplements focused on exploring a single city. Althought they do that well, what I'd really like to see brought back into modern roleplaying games is an ongoing detailed, rich world that I can look forward to the next installment of. Something I could spend hours looking over maps and discussing histories of fantastic peoples. I really loved that experience of discovering a world with my Uncle Rob, (thanks for all the memories!) and can't wait to pass along those experiences to my own children. Although I've since taught many younger relatives how to play D&D and various off-shoots, I'm really looking forward to exploring new worlds with my own kids, and would love to have a series as detailed and diverse as the Gazeteers were 'back in the day' to discover with them.

This post is part of an ongoing series of shared topics between our blog and Cool Factor 5, so pop on over and see what roleplaying game feature Julian would like to see brought back into games. And as always, feel free to leave a comment, share your experiences, ask questions, or just chat us up. We love you readers, share your thoughts with us!!!

The Game Shelves...

By Randy
@coffeeswiller

Hello, all! I just wanted to share a look at our game shelves. My wife and I have collected board, card and roleplaying games since we've been together. Here's a look at our shelves...

That pic mostly just shows the board games. There's "RPG overstock" on the bottom middle shelf, though our favorite/heavy rotation are on another bookshelf.  Or were... before the shelf broke under the weight (yes, I'm being serious!). Also, in the bottom left, you can see some drawers. This is where we keep our card games, playing cards, dice, and random gaming bits. See stuff you like? Recommendations for additions? Pics of your own collections? Let us know!

Update!

Here's a 2013 update pic: