• AC is 3, unarmored.
• Attack is 1d6, unarmed.
• May use any object that she can lift as an improvised buckler, for AC 2.
• May attack with any object she can lift (1d6 damage); the only advantage to this is not actually having to touch the target (in case it’s on fire or is an ooze or something) and she gets the reach of the object (if you’re using rules for reach).  The Martial Artist isn’t subject to the penalties for the size of the object (if you’re using those) as long as she’s not using the extra reach, since she can just change her grip to not use it at full extension.
• May not use missile weapons, or ordinary weapons except as improvised bucklers/ways of extending reach (i.e. doesn’t get additional damage if using variable weapon damage rules, doesn’t get bonuses for magic weapons).

That’s it.  You’re encouraged to also use “Super Simple Combat Maneuvers“, to give the Martial Artist more variety and the chance to do take-downs, holds, and the like.

If you want a Martial Artist with Esoteric Chi powers, you could base it on an Elf instead, and adapt the spells to chi powers, but that’s for another day.

We returned once more to the building where I had previously bested the Gelatinous Cube, hoping to find the stairs down and perhaps recover some more treasure.  I swear that I’ve spent more on oil on these expeditions than I have recovered in gold. But hope springs eternal, eh?

Taking care to spike the doors open behind us, so that we would have no more of the foolishness of being unable to chase the mysterious spear-flinger due to recalcitrant doors, we were able to map out the section of the building that led to the room with a desk where the dwarf lost his hand (and no more, thanks to my quick action with a tourniquet, not that he ever thanked me. Dwarves.) and past the greasy remains of the Cube.

We were attacked  by a shadowy figure, again throwing a spear.  The mage, Philip, used a wand of unusual design the emitted a weird ray, but was unable to hit the fleeing creature, nor were we able to overtake it before losing it.  We suspected a secret door, and indeed it was slightly past this section where, Philip sensed some opening, but was unable to pinpoint it.  With the aid of some fine sand, I was able to detect an air current, which revealed a secret passage.  The passage was narrow, and led to a room much like the desk room, but full of shelving with shattered jars.  There was a funny, acidic smell, and a ochre-colored sludge started flowing towards us.

We retreated through the secret passage, and attacked it with fire. This had some effect, but it kept advancing.  The wizard used his wand of rays (which he called his phaser, I know not why.  Perhaps its power is related to the phases of the moon? At one point he handed it to me, but I was unable to examine it closely). As usual, he was ineffective, but it caused the jelly to retreat to a position above the doorway and out of our line of sight.  A jelly of unusual cunning, it seemed.

I poured out some of my stock of oil in front of us, and threw a chunk of rations beneath the doorway.  This had the desired effect of luring it once more into view as it oozed down to engulf the treat.  Once again we attacked it with torches and the “phaser”, and it oozed forward and attacked me.  Unfortunately, it scored a hit on me, and only my armor saved me from certain death.  The armor was ruined, but I was merely stunned, and my companions had the wit to drop a torch into the oil slick that I had prepared and roasted the beast… it retreated but this time the wizard was able to hit it with the beam and it finally stopped moving.  He fired into it again to make sure.

At this point I was more than ready to retreat and lick my wounds, but my companions wished to press on.  Not wishing to dare the way out alone, with the mysterious spear-thrower lurking about, I reluctantly followed; at least one of the hired men offered me the use of his armor.  I demurred, since even I would not stoop to taking candy from the mouths of babes, but he insisted that he hadn’t been in the slightest danger so far.  Seeing as how God loves fools, it seemed to me he would be safe enough.  Since I am not one, I donned the armor.

Past the ruined room, we found a door, and from behind the door came the sound of heavy breathing. After a quick, but not nearly silent enough conversation (honestly, amateurs), the party opened the door, only to be confronted by an enraged Owl Bear.  Philip’s sleep spell was ineffective.  We ran, proving we were not so foolish as all that, and made it safely out of the castle, shutting the secret door on the Owl Bear….only barely after the dwarf made it through.  I harbor some doubts as to whether Philip actually intended to wait for the dwarf; I should perhaps be more wary of letting him get behind me in the future, should our paths cross again.

Having restocked my supplies, I intend to have another go tonight.  We shall see if I survive, or manage to recover anything of worth.  Should you not hear from me again, know that that I remain,

your obedient humble servant,
Kylie

Stats (min 1)
Toughness 2 +/- CON bonus
Will 2 +/- WIS bonus
Stamina 2
Actions 2 +/- INT bonus (positive only)

Powers
If not spell-casting class, or if Cleric:
Name of your Class 4 + (Level)
If spell-casting class (including Cleric):
Combat Spells 4 + Highest Level Spell you can cast. Advantage: Flexible (choose number of spells equal to your score in spells) Disadvantage: Shots (number of shots = power level)
All classes:
Ruggedness 4 + (HP / 6, round nearest)
Reflexes 4 +/- DEX bonus

Shticks
Charisma 4 +/- CHA bonus
Languages 4 +/- INT bonus
If Melee combat class (Fighter, Paladin, Ranger, etc):
Brawn 4 +/- STR bonus
If Missile combat class (Fighter, Ranger, Thief, etc):
Aim 4 +/- DEX bonus
If spell-casting class:
Knowledge 4 +/- INT bonus (WIS bonus for Clerics)

Restrictions
If Cleric:
Must obey tenets of the church

Equipment
Small weapon d4 Thrown d4 Leather Armor d4
Medium weapon/staff d6 Bow d6 Chainmail d6
2H Weapon d8 Crossbow d8 Plate Armor d8
Cheap equipment d4
Medium equipment d6
Expensive equipment d8 ]]> http://webamused.com/bumblers/2012/03/05/dd-to-zounds-conversion/feed/ 0 http://webamused.com/bumblers/2012/03/02/50-ways-to-save-that-party/ http://webamused.com/bumblers/2012/03/02/50-ways-to-save-that-party/#comments Sat, 03 Mar 2012 04:23:25 +0000 Joshua http://webamused.com/bumblers/?p=1519 There must be 50 ways to save that party!
Let them slip out the back, Jack,
Make a new plan, Stan,
no need to destroy, Roy,
just listen to me…

In event of an immanent unacceptable TPK roll 1d8 on each table.
Foes
1. capture them
2. flee
3. parley
4. turn on each other
5. become distracted
6. change sides
7. surrender
8. are defeated by a miracle. (Stop. Do not roll on because.)

because
1. somebody the party once helped arrives*
2. an old enemy of the party arrives*
3. an enemy of the foes arrives
4. a powerful supernatural entity intervenes
5. an unforeseen disaster occurs
6. they mistake one of the party for somebody else
7. they have a change of plans
8. reroll.

* substitute a mysterious stranger if the party has no plausible old enemies or allies.

Note that in many games TPKs are entirely acceptable, or acceptable under certain circumstances. This is just for the times when a GM wants to stop a TPK in progress without fudging the dice.

A  little thing I did

Fiction: Young Adult Fantasy

Alexander, Lloyd – The Prydain Chronicles
Baum, L. Frank – The Oz Books
Bellairs, John – The Face in the Frost; The House with a Clock in its Wall; The Figure in the Shadows, etc.
Burroughs, Edgar Rice – John Carter Series, Tarzan series, etc.
Carroll, Lewis – Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland; Through the Looking Glass
Garner, Alan – Elidor, The Weirdstone of Brisingamen; The Moon Of Gomrath, etc.
Le Guin, Ursula K. – The Earthsea Trilogy, etc.
Lewis, C.S. – Narnia series, et al.

Non-Fiction: Young Adult

Barber, Richard – A Companion to World Mythology
Buehr, Walter – Chivalry and the Mailed Knight
Coolidge, Olivia – Greek Myths; The Trojan War; Legends of the North
d’Aulaire, Ingri and Edgar Parin – Norse Gods and Giants; Trolls
Hazeltine, Alice – Hero Tales from Many Lands
Hillyer, Virgil – Young People’s Story of the Ancient World: Prehistory – 500 B.C.
Jacobs, Joseph – English Folk and Fairy Tales
Macauley, David – Castles
McHargue, Georgess – The Beasts of Never: A History of Natural and Unnatural Monsters, Mythical and Magical; The Impossible People
Renault, Mary – The Lion in the Gateway
Sellow, Catherine F. – Adventures with the Giants
Sutcliff, Rosemary – Tristram and Iseult
Williams, Jay – Life in the Middle Ages
Winer, Bart – Life in the Ancient World

Fiction: Adult Fantasy

Anderson, Poul – Three Hearts and Three Lions; The Broken Sword; The Merman’s Children, etc.
Anthony, Piers – the Xanth series
Brackett, Leigh – The Coming of the Terrans; The Secret of Sinharat; People of the Talisman, etc.
Campbell, J. Ramsey – Demons by Daylight
Davidson, Avram – The Island Under the earth; Ursus of Ultima Thule; The Phoenix in the Mirror, etc.
de Camp, L. Sprague – The Fallible Fiend; The Goblin Tower, etc.
de Camp, L. Sprague and Pratt, Fletcher – The Incomplete Enchanter; Land of Unreason, etc.
Lord Dunsany  - Over the Hills and Far Away; Book of Wonder; The King of Elfland’s Daughter, etc.
Eddison, E.R. – The Worm Ouroboros
Eisenstein, Phyllis – Born to Exile; Sorcerer’s Son
Farmer, Phillip Jose – The Gates of Creation; The Maker of Universes; A Private Cosmos, etc.
Finney, Charles G. – The Unholy City; The Circus of Dr. Lao
Heinlein, Robert A. – Glory Road
Howard, Robert E. – Conan; Red Nails; Pigeons from Hell
Lee, Tanith – Night’s Master; The Storm Lord; The Birthgrave, etc.
Leiber, Fritz – Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser series
Lovecraft, H.P. – The Doom that Cam to Sarnath; The Dream Quest of Unknown Kadath; The Dunwich Horror
Merritt, A.E. – The Moon Pool; Dwellers in the Mirage; The Ship of Ishtar, etc.
Moorcock, Michael – The Stealer of Souls; The Knight of the Swords; Gloriana, etc.
Mundy, Talbot – Tros of Samothrace
Niven, Larry – The Flight of the Horse; The Magic Goes Away
Norton, Andre – Witch World; The Year of the Unicorn; The Crystal Gryphon, etc.
Offut, Andrew – The Iron Lords; Shadows Out of Hell
Pratt, Fletcher – The Blue Star; The Well of the Unicorn
Smith, Clark Ashton – Xiccarph; Lost Worlds; Genius Loci
Stewart, Mary – The Crystal Cave; The Hollow Hills; The Last Enchantment
Stoker, Bram – Dracula
Swann, Thomas Burnett – Cry Silver Bells; The Tournament of the Thorns; Moondust, etc.
Tolkien, J.R.R. – The Hobbit; The Lord of the Rings
Vance, Jack – The Eyes of the Overworld; Dying Earth; The Dragon Masters, etc.
Wagner, Karl Edward – the Kane series
White, T.H. – The Once and Future King
Zelazny, Roger – Jack of Shadows; Lord of Light; the Chronicles of Amber, etc.

Additional authors:

Beagle, Peter S.; Bok, Hannes; Cabell, James Branch; Carter, Lin; Cherryh, C.J.; Delany, Samuel R.; Fox, Gardner; Gaskell, Jane; Green, Roland; Haggard, H. Rider; Jakes, John; Kurtz, Katherine; Lanier, Sterling; McCaffrey, Anne; McKillip, Patricia A.; Moore, C.L.; Myers, John Myers; Peake, Mervyn; Saberhagen, Fred; Walton, Evangeline; Wellman, Manley Wade; Williamson, Jack

Short Story Collections:

Carter, Lin (ed.)  - The Year’s Best Fantasy Stories; Flashing Swords
Offut, Andrew (ed.) – Swords Against Darkness

Non-Fiction:

Borges, Jorge Luis – The Book of Imaginary Beings
Bullfinch, Thomas – Bullfinch’s Mythology: The Age of Fable, The Age of Chivalry
Funk and Wagnalls Standard Dictionary of Folklore, Mythology, and Legend>

If you want a grittier tone, or as I believe Kyrinn put it “Success [to be] lubricated by the blood of heroes” there are a number of ways you can approach that with SFX!

The first is to treat Overkill as dead.  Or, if you want to be a little less harsh towards PC, as dead for NPCs and Down for the Count for PCs, with a permanent injury Complication if they’re revived by their companions after the battle.  That alone will up the casualty count and put a real caution about battle in the hearts of the players.

Next, you can adjust the interpretation of Tired.  Tired is largely a condition that characters impose upon themselves by overexerting themselves in taking heroic measures,  by using the cliches Supreme Effort or Failure is Not an Option!  In Kapow! and Argh! Tired generally represents being physically exhausted, but in a grittier campaign it could easily represent being injured, perhaps seriously, since Tired usually lasts until you’ve had significant down-time or gotten some kind of medical attention (which might mean somebody’s healing magic or a stim-pack from their med-kit).  For even grittier, less cinematic play, you could rule out the ability to invoke your character’s Drive to remove the Tired condition; while a staple of comic books and action-oriented movies, being able to use sheer guts and determination to basically ignore a serious injury can run counter to the feeling that the sacrifice that you make in pushing yourself to become “Tired” was a serious one.

Hindered is also open to interpretation in a grittier fashion.  Hindered represents any of a myriad of things that can happen to the character that limits her effectiveness until she or an ally takes the effort to counteract it.  Most of the time that wouldn’t be an injury, but would represent something like slipping, being off-balance, partially blinded by dirt or blood in your eyes, temporarily trapped under a tapestry or having your ankle grabbed by a clutching hand, being momentarily dazed or disoriented… but it could easily be treated and narrated as the kind of superficial wound that requires being bound with a makeshift bandage or temporary sling.  An example might be when John McClane in Die Hard has to run over broken glass in his bare feet; once he’s bound them up, they don’t really degrade his performance for the rest of the movie–certainly not by enough to cause him to mess up any of the spectacular stunts he attempts.

In addition to adjusting the interpretation of the various conditions in the game mechanics, which carries over via the Primary Rule into narration of the types of things that can cause and cure them, Zorch! has a new rule about injury: when you recover from being Out, you have a chance of having suffered a long-term injury.  If you were injured, you are Tired and you get a new Complication (in addition to your existing ones) that describes the nature of your injury.  You can recover from Tired in the usual ways, but the Complication can only be removed by taking positive steps, such as replacing a crippled limb with a prosthetic (which may itself be a Complication).

These guidelines still won’t make the game full of random insta-death, but SFX! was never intended to be Rolemaster.  They do, I think, lead to injury and death that fit in with somewhat grittier genre fiction: death can happen unexpectedly, but injury tends to occur as a result of dramatic do-or-die choices or when the character had a narrow scrape with death.

Do You Dare?

Unlock the power of your imagination? Any kind of monster, any kind of mystery… One Simple, Fast, Exciting system!

Argh! gives you everything you need to play the supernatural thriller of your dreams… or nightmares! Supernatural Powers, magic, aliens, monsters…it’s all there, and you don’t need a degree in accounting to create the Slayer, or the monster, you’ve always wanted to play!

Does your supernatural game sound like a thriller? If you use Argh! it will. Argh! uses the SFX! System, which blends free-form play, with players deciding whether their actions are plausible within the  genre, and dice-driven mechanics where the degree of success–or failure–can come as a surprise to all, and the tension is real.