Moving To My Own Domain (Please Update Links)

Howdy folks. After all this time using WordPress.com – and, amazingly, all this time semi-actively producing and not abandoning the blog – I’ve decided to move over to my own domain.

All of the content you already know and love, and everything else I’ll be writing, can now be found at:

http://strangestones.com

So please update your links and rss feeds and such as appropriate.

While I’ve got no ill will towards WordPress.com per se, I don’t like the whole “we put ads on your site and make money (however little) off of your creativity” thing. Yes, I know it’s a free service and they need to bring in cash, but it just rubs me the wrong way. So, given that I’m already paying for more hosting than I can eat and I have the skills to run my own WordPress site, I’ve decided to move along.

I’m pretty sure I’ve got everything set up so that you’ll barely notice a difference, though if you should happen to find anything amiss, drop me a comment and I’ll address any weirdness as needed.

So thank you, WordPress.com. You made it nice and easy to get started on this little venture. I’m afraid I’ve just grown up enough that I don’t need your hosting anymore. But lord knows I do love your software, so we’re not exactly “over and done with.” Cheers to you and cheers to me 🙂

P.S. I won’t be taking this site down in the foreseeable future, so if you’ve bookmarked or linked to anything, you won’t be left out in the cold. This is about making a good thing even better, not making things worse, after all!

BRP Character: Zoria Lee Dabney

Wherein your humble scribe presents an NPC for use with Basic RolePlaying.

Known throughout the territories by several different aliases (including Daisy Lee Zeider, Miss Dinah, and “The Preacher’s Daughter”), Zoria Lee Dabney is a card sharp and confidence trickster of the highest order. She’s equally at home bilking drunken farmers out of a portion of their crop’s profits as she is drawing to an inside straight. She has very few scruples and will happily lie, cheat and steal her way through every town she rides into. And if she gets caught, well, may the good Lord protect the ears of the well-meaning sheriff who locks this filly up – she cusses like no sailor ever dreamed of cussing.

STR 11 CON 15 SIZ 9 INT 13 POW 13 DEX 16 APP 16
Hit Points 12 Major Wound 6 Power Points 13

Damage Bonus: none
Weapons: Derringer 55%, damage 1d8
Knife 65%, damage 1d3+1
Armor: none
Skills: Bargain 30%, Brawl 50%, Dodge 60%, Fast Talk 75%, Gaming 75%, Insight 45%, Knowledge (Religion) 25%, Sleight of Hand 55%, Perform: Acting 55%, Ride: Horse 55%, Spot 50%

LL/AEC Rogues Gallery: The Company of the Crow

Wherein your humble scribe presents another entry in an irregular series of Adventuring Parties for Labyrinth Lord/Advanced Edition Companion. These characters are all 1st level, were granted maximum HP (Advanced Style), and have a bare minimum of equipment. They were all created with 3d6 for stats, more often than not in order.

Calling themselves The Company of the Crow, this group of adventurers has yet to make a name for themselves beyond the tavern where they met. And the jail where they spent the next week. And the stables where they were forced to clean up after the horses they attempted to steal. They are a rowdy bunch, but deep down inside most of them mean well. Who knows what adventures await them? One thing is certain, though: they have snappy head gear.

Dai / Half-Elf Fighter/Magic-User/Cleric 1/1/1 NG
Head Gear: A samurai helmet with a crow-faced mask
STR 14 INT 16 WIS 15 DEX 10 CON 11 CHR 10
HP 7 AC 4 Gold 5
Spear, Hand Axe, Light Crossbow & 10 quarrels, Chain Mail, Shield, Wooden Holy Symbol, Spell Book
Cleric Spells: Cure Light Wounds, Resist Cold, Sanctuary
Magic-User Spells: Magic Missile, Message, Shocking Grasp

Halima / Elf Magic-User/Thief 1/1 CG
Head Gear: A tall conical hat that spirals as it climbs
STR 5 INT 17 WIS 8 DEX 13 CON 16 CHR 8
HP 7 AC 7 Gold 96
Long Sword, Dagger, Short Bow & 20 Arrows, Leather Armor, Thieves’ Tools, Spell Book
Magic-User Spells: Floating Disc, Magic Aura, Magic Missile

Urdis / Human Fighter 1 NG
Head Gear: None save his amazing curly mane
STR 16 INT 10 WIS 10 DEX 11 CON 13 CHR 9
HP 11 AC 5 Gold 10
Bastard Sword, Chain Mail

Raelah / Human Cleric 1 LN
Head Gear: An open-faced helm adorned w/ antlers
STR 10 INT 13 WIS 16 DEX 9 CON 10 CHR 10
HP 8 AC 4 Gold 13
Morningstar, Sling & 10 bullets, Chain Mail, Shield, Silver Holy Symbol, 1 flask of Holy Water
Cleric Spells: Command, Cure Light Wounds, Light

Jundomek / Dwarf Fighter/Thief 1/1 NG
Head Gear: A conical helm topped with a crimson tassel
STR 14 INT 12 WIS 6 DEX 13 CON 16 CHR 12
HP 10 AC 7 Gold 73
Hand Axe, Short Sword, Dagger, Leather Armor, Thieves’ Tools

BoL Character: Tov Reuel

Wherein your humble scribe presents yet another Barbarians of Lemuria character he put together as an NPC for use in his own (highly-derivative) Kaalmuia setting. More will follow at highly irregular intervals.

Tov Reuel is an itinerant, muscle-bound seller of religious tokens and artifacts from the plains of Zaar. He has traveled far and wide across the face of Kaalmuria, and learned many things – not least which is that he is somewhat less than graceful and possesses no skill with ranged weaponry.

Tov has a distinct weakness for the ladies and will happily spend nearly every Sha’im he has on a chance to revel in their affections. Further, though he has precious little skill at creating poetry, he is entirely unashamed of his meager abilities and will happily make up whatever doggerel he can think of and apply it to any circumstance he faces.

Essences
Lifeblood 13
Hero Points 5

Attributes
Strength 3
Agility -1
Mind 1
Appeal 1

Combat
Brawl 1
Melee 2
Ranged -1
Defense 2

Careers
Merchant 2
Scholar 1
Priest 1
Rogue 0

Boons
Mace Fighter
Learned: Legends

Flaws
Landlubber

Languages
Zaaric, Thaxian, Lyrian, Common

Equipment
Zaaric Mace, d6+3
Light Armor, d6-2

The Mob Rules

Good lord this screams gaming to me. Probably because it’s on the Heavy Metal soundtrack, which I listened to an awful lot when I was a young geek.

Oh, and in case you haven’t noticed, I’m posting things like this over at Tumblr, partly as an experiment and partly because I like the interface over there.

In any case, the main content will continue to live here, so you don’t need to worry that I’ll wind up abandoning this site. Tumblr is good for short posts on things that aren’t fully-developed. This site is much better for actual content.

BotA Character: Lodan Triplex Marveen Dodd

Wherein your humble scribe presents a Barbarians of the Aftermath character he put together as an NPC for use in his own Narakam setting. More will follow at highly irregular intervals.

Born to a non-mutant Pariah family in the Wilds of Narakam, Lodan Triplex Marveen Dodd nevertheless displayed a number of… genetic drifts, which lead his father to accuse his mother of being unfaithful. Though the family unit held together in the end, Lodan Tiplex Marveen Dodd never felt like he belonged and left his village as soon as he was old enough to survive on his own. He has traveled far and wide, learning as much as his quick mind would absorb. Because of its detriment to himself, he keeps his mutant healing ability under wraps in almost all circumstances.

Genotype
Mutant

Essences
Lifeblood 10
Hero Points 5
Psychokinetic Power 12

Attributes
Strength 0
Agility 1
Mind 2
Appeal 1

Combat
Brawl 0
Melee 0
Ranged 1
Defense 3

Careers
Mutant 2
Scavenger 1
Wise One 1
Mek 0

Boons
Sneaky Git
Bottom-Feeding Git

Flaws
Mutation Flaw (self-damaging healing, see below)

Mutations
Physical: Possesses a 3rd arm, growing from below “normal” left arm
Offensive: Ranged “green light blast” from hand on 3rd arm, d6 damage (as Light Pistol)
Mental: Warped Appeal: Extreme Reactions: Adroit +1 (big watery eyes that make people go “Awwww”)
Psychic Ability: Pink Healing Light from hand on 3rd arm (equivalent to First Magnitude) – costs himself 1d3 LB & reduces Defense to 0 when used

Languages
Pariah, Varna, Naga

Equipment
Knife, d3
Shield, 1 pt armor

BoL Character: Creus Orsellios

Wherein your humble scribe presents yet another Barbarians of Lemuria character he put together as an NPC for use in his own (highly-derivative) Kaalmuria setting. More will follow at highly irregular intervals.

Hailing from proud Thaxos, Creus Orsellios is as at home on the sea as he is in the laboratory. Once known for his uncanny prowess as a ship’s lookout, Creus lost his left eye in a fight against a group of pirates and hopes someday to discover a means of replacing its function alchemically. Still, the man known as “The Hawk” manages to spot things even those with two eyes miss.

Creus has developed an alchemical admixture that allows even a novice sailor to retain his footing on deck in even the roughest of seas. Some captains have paid him handsomely to provide them with this “Deck Gum” when they are setting out on a voyage to the northlands, where the storms are strong and unpredictable. And when he himself sails, Creus always takes least enough of this material to last a full week.

Essences
Lifeblood 11
Hero Points 3

Attributes
Strength 1
Agility 1
Mind 2
Appeal 0

Combat
Brawl 0
Melee 2
Ranged 0
Defense 2

Careers
Mariner 2
Scholar 0
Alchemist 2
Metalsmith 0

Boons
Axe Fighter
Learned: Geography
Keen Eyesight

Flaws
Missing Eye

Languages
Thaxian, Lirian, Common

Equipment
Double-headed Thaxoan Axe 1d6+3
Light armor (d6-2)
Alchemical “Deck Gum”

BotA Hardback In My Hands

In ironic honor of today’s significance in history (and with absolutely zero disrespect intended) look at what I just picked up from the local gaming store… It’s the absolutely gorgeous full-color hardback of Barbarians of the Aftermath!

The pictures don’t really do this baby justice. It’s pricey, to be sure, but it seems to be every bit as good quality as any other hardback RPG and the full-color art is sharp as can be.

I do wish the full BoL rules could have been worked into this somehow, because it would be awfully nice to have everything in one book. But that aside, I’ve got no complaints. Well, other than the fact that, as previously noted, my players just aren’t ready to go for a system as light as BoL/BotA. But I’ll get them there eventually. Narakam awaits, after all.

LL/AEC Rogues Gallery: The Color Wizards Of Ghuzzar

Wherein your humble scribe presents what might be an Adventuring Party for Labyrinth Lord/Advanced Edition Companion. Inspiration was drawn from Lord Kilgore’s Five Color Magic post, B/X Blackrazor’s B/X Headgear post and the suggestion in Swords & Wizardry that the Elf class might be used for some other kind of ancient, arcane beings.

So here are the Color Wizards of Ghuzzar – done up as LL Core “Elves.” They don’t have the infravision and other elf abilities, though. They’re really just fighter/magic-users without the multi-classing bit. Enjoy them for their weirdness.

They are listed with their currently (and most commonly) memorized spells and their primary equipment. It is safe to assume that they have access to many more spells and much more gold and equipment, both mundane and magical.

Bilanca Rabaisa / “Elf” 9 Lawful
A master of Black Magic, Bilanca Rabaisa roams the countryside upon a jet black steed. She is often seen gathering earth from freshly dug graves and other components for her flavor of magic. She is known for the knuckle-bone encrusted steel skull cap that sits atop her closely-cropped raven black hair.

STR 15 INT 17 WIS 15 DEX 14 CON 13 CHR 13
HP 48 AC 0
Sword +2 (Nine Lives Stealer, 7 charges remain), +1 Plate Mail, +1 Shield
Spells
1st Level: Darkness, Shrink, Wall of Vapor
2nd Level: Amnesia, Blindness, Silence 15′ Radius
3rd Level: Animate Dead, Speak with Dead, Summon Monster I
4th Level: Cause Serious Wounds, Wall of Fire
5th Level: Summon Shadow

Wilgre Bataara / “Elf” 9 Neutral
A master of Blue Magic, Wilgre Bataara lives near the great western sea in a tower made of deep purple coral. He never travels far from home without first donning his trademark 3-Tassled hat.

STR 11 INT 18 WIS 17 DEX 14 CON 14 CHR 16
HP 43 AC 1
Trident +2, Bracers of AC 2
Spells
1st Level: Auditory Illusion, Color Spray, Phantasmal Force
2nd Level: Invisibility, Obscuring Mist, Greater Phantasmal Force
3rd Level: Blink, Hallucinatory Terrain, Spectral Force
4th Level: Phantasmal Monsters, Polymorph Self
5th Level: Greater Phantasmal Monsters

Rabais Wyra / “Elf” 9 Chaotic
A master of Green Magic, Rabais Wyra makes his home deep within the central forest, in a mystical grove where he communes with Treants and other magical creatures of the woods. He keeps his head shaved except for a top knot that he says symbolizes the tree of life.

STR 11 INT 15 WIS 16 DEX 16 CON 18 CHR 14
HP 61 AC 2
Staff of Withering (19 charges remain), Studded Leather +3
Spells
1st Level: Enlarge, Entangle, Speak With Animals
2nd Level: Barkskin, Snake Charm, Web
3rd Level: Animal Growth, Fly, Plant Growth
4th Level: Charm Monster, Summon Animal I
5th Level: Insect Plague

Galanais Bamuj / “Elf” 9 Chaotic
A master of Red Magic, Galanais Bamuj resides beneath the ancient volcano that stands upon the isthmus of Taalengard. Whether armored for battle or found sunning herself naked on the rocks, she always wears her signature open-faced helm, complete with its bat wing motif.

STR 14 INT 15 WIS 11 DEX 15 CON 17 CHR 18
HP 49 AC 0
+2 War Hammer, +1 Plate Mail, +2 Shield
Spells
1st Level: Burning Hands, Jump, Shocking Grasp
3rd Level: Produce Flame, Shatter, Strength
2nd Level: Call Lighting, Fireball, Prayer
4th Level: Fire Shield, Summon Monster II
5th Level: Summon Monster III

Bente Gwys / “Elf” 9 Lawful
A master of White Magic, Bente Gwys travels from town to town on the back of a great eagle, delivering wisdom and news to the kings and emperors of the land. In winter, he wears a tall hat that resembles a stag’s head. In the spring and fall he is seen wearing blood red turban embroidered in golden thread with holy symbols. And though he is never encountered in the summer, during those months he channels the sun’s energy by way of a 3-tiered ziggurat-like helm that is the color of a perfect sky.

STR 13 INT 17 WIS 17 DEX 13 CON 15 CHR 13
HP 45 AC 2
Rod of Striking, Chain Mail +2
Spells
1st Level: Cure Light Wounds, Jarring Hand, Magic Missile
2nd Level: Bless, Hold Person, Spiritual Weapon
3rd Level: Lightning Bolt, Tiny Hut, Tongues
4th Level: Cure Serious Wounds, Wall of Ice
5th Level: Raise Dead

BoL Character: Doran FitzCael

Wherein your humble scribe presents yet another Barbarians of Lemuria character he put together as an NPC for use in his own (highly-derivative) Kaalmuia setting. More will follow at highly irregular intervals.

From the misty, moody island of Kel comes Doran FitzCael, hard of liver and weak of eye. This big brawler lives to fight, and is more than happy to join up with any band that’s out to bust heads and bring home a few coins for a fresh pint. Though he’s not the sharpest, Doran stands by his friends in a pinch and is truly the sort you’d rather have with you than against you. Despite his fancy last name, Doran has no idea who his father was, nor does he have a drop of royal blood in his veins. Like many of his countrymen, Doran knows his fair share of drinking songs. He’s even actually a very good singer – a tenor in a bass’ body.

Essences
Lifeblood 15
Hero Points 5

Attributes
Strength 3
Agility 1 (0)
Mind -1
Appeal 1

Combat
Brawl 2
Melee 2
Ranged -1
Defense 1

Careers
Bard 1
Mercenary 2
Thief 1
Worker 0

Boons
Hard to Kill
Carouser

Flaws
Poor Eyesight

Languages
Kellic, Common (non-literate)

Equipment
Fist d2+3
Longsword, d6+3
Medium armor & Shield (d6)