What I'm trying for September.

Things have happened.

I've been gaming a fair amount, just not blogging. So here's stuff:

Deadlands: Weird West rpg run by Tobias. I'm a big scarred bounty hunter with a whip and a mysterious past. So far I've entangled a werewolf and punched him in the face, and fought a Wendigo with a steampunk mech suit. Loooove the setting. Wish combat was a little faster.

Star Wars X-Wing miniatures: Tabletop minis. I've been Boba Fett in Slave I twice, complete annihilation once and victory the second. Lots of fun, good mix of strategy and luck of the dice.

Celtic D&D: Since I'm always working on homebrew ideas, I threw together four celtic themed classes (warrior, druid, bard, changeling) and ran through the Cairn of the Winter King for a one-shot. Biggest lesson--its hard to play D&D at a brew-pub without it getting silly.

Lands of Mystery: Just started a small Pathfinder game using the map I wanted to try as the setting. I'll post more about it soon. Full of roleplaying opportunity, just trying to push some "old-school" feel on a mostly "new-school" group.

Hero Quest house rules

Played Hero Quest for the first time in years recently. It holds up well. It wasn't boring, but it also didn't require constant attention like most RPGs, so it was good for board game night.

Got me thinking about a few house rules (because that's how I roll):

--If you search for treasure in a room with the fireplace, tomb, or wizard’s desk, draw two treasure cards and pick one. The other is shuffled back into the deck. 

--The fire spells are resisted by a white die, only a black skull reduces damage. (This makes the fire spells about 50% more effective, which seems needed)

 Some hero-specific rules. I’m thinking a hero has to survive one Quest before they can use these special abilities. That creates a penalty for dying that doesn’t currently exist.

--The Wizard can trade one spell card not used for one spell card that has been used, once per quest.

--If the Dwarf rolls at least two white shields on defense, it does a one damage to the attacker (which can immediately be defended against as normal).

--The Elf can move through enemy squares on its move, as long as it ends its move in an empty square.

--The Barbarian can attack two adjacent targets by splitting his attack dice between them.

Game Ideas

I've got a ton of ideas for campaigns to run:

Castle Ravenloft

A one-shot game, at night, with candles and creepy music. Simple narrative rules (stripped down version of Dungeon World). You can be a Knight, a Vagabond, a Priest, or a Witch. You start with a gypsy fortune card reading, then enter Castle Ravenloft to hunt down Count Strahd von Zarovich.

Inglorious Rebel Scum

I have the Stormtrooper helmet & crossbones jacket, and I thought, what if that was a trophy of the Rebels in Star Wars? You’re part of a special forces team, all with a personal grudge against the Empire, behind enemy lines taking out high-ranking Emperial targets. Star Wars Saga edition rules.

Ar ais chun an Teampall de Eiliminteach Olc

Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil with a Celtic twist. Fight the mysterious cults of air, fire, stone and water who are all trying to summon the ancient demon Crom Cruach. Stripped-down D&D with berserkers, shield maidens, druids, bards, and witches.

Barsoom

Explore fantasy Mars. Play a Earthling with super strength in low-gravity, a Red Martian with advanced light technology, a wild 4-armed Green Martian, or a mysterious Thern with 9^th Beam powers. Every party gets a bonus 8-legged dog-thing for free.

Age of Bronze and Blood

The Egyptian d20 article actually got me thinking about an Egyptian campaign, then I remembered I have a setting/campaign book for ancient Mesopotamia. Everyone is a champion of a specific god and gets appropriate magic powers. Search for the lost riches of Ibnath, the city of a thousand gods.

...of Mars

Watched John Carter. Liked it a lot, it didn’t deserve all the hate it got (it also deserved a better marketing campaign). While I’m curious about the books now, I have some quick ideas for a Barsoom-esque D&D game.

Humans are Fighters. Great strength and jumping ability because of Barsoom’s low gravity. Humans would be extremely rare, and would all be exceptional (no “I’m just an everyday guy”).

Red men are Clerics. They are decent warriors, and their technology is often light-based and helpful. An altered “spell list” would work.

Tharks are Rangers. Four arms accommodates two-weapon fighting and they make frequent use of primitive firearms (in place of archery).

Therns are Wizards. Mysterious figures who manipulate events, and seem to have amazing powers (probably advanced technology, based on the 9^th Beam).

No armor, so each class would get some type of defense bonus. High for Humans, medium for Reds and Tharks, and low for Therns.

I want to do something with the dog-creatures (Calots), but not sure how to do it.

Albion Classes

The short version:

Warrior

+2 hit points

If you roll a natural 1 on a damage roll you get a bonus depending on the weapon. 

You take less penalties when wearing heavy armor.

Berserker (Beadurofa)

Enter a rage to do +2 damage, but take -2 penalty to Armor Class. Entering a rage is an action, and lasts until the end of a fight. It takes a short rest to recover from a rage, until that time you are weakened.

Knight (Scildgebrodra / Scildmaegden)

Shield Wall: +2 bonus to AC

Wall of Iron: gain damage resistance 1 (in addition to any armor worn)

Rogue

Sneak Attack: +1d6 damage on attacks if you have advantage. (stealth and bluffing are useful for gaining advantage)

Skilled: Has advantage on checks for stealth, picking locks, disarming traps, acrobatics and bluffing.

Skirmisher: You can take an action in the middle of your move (allowing you to move, attack, and move away, for example). You can also move through an enemy's space. 

Wizard

You can cast one spell per day at first level. You know 3 spells.

Cantrips

Scinnleaeca (Shining One)  

Call of the Otherworld: call a phantom 

--advantage to checks to learn spells associated with phantoms and otherworldly forces.

Wicce (Wtich)

Familiar: Witches learn from an Otherworldly creature in the form of a small animal (something associated with night or death--crow, rat, black cat, owl, lizard, toad or snake). This creature is linked to you (up to 100 feet away). You can see through its eyes (as an action, during which you are blind), and you can cast a spell as if it came from your familiar. If its animal form is destroyed, it returns at nightfall.

--advantage on checks to learn spells associated with potions, curses, and scrying.

Druid

Druids learn through years of studying the earth and sky. You can identify natural plants and animals, tell whether water is safe to drink, and foretell weather to some degree. You can talk to animals, though whether they talk back (or even care) is up to them.

--advantage on checks to learn spells associated with glamour, wilderness, and shapeshifting.

Albion, session one

Crimona the druidess, Fea the Shieldmaiden, and Hürg Thürgen the berserker travelled to the ruined ringfort of Haleford. There they slew a dragon, as well as followers of the Drunes and hobgoblins from the Otherworld. It seems that someone is digging up secrets of Crom Cruach.

The Firedraca of Haleford
hit points 17, Armor Class 8, damage reduction 2, +3 bite 1d6, Fire Breath 2d6 (Dexterity check 13 for half damage)