Author Archives: the venomous pao

LL/AEC Rogues Gallery: The Winter Elves

Wherein your humble scribe presents what might be an Adventuring Party 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. And, as is now commonplace, they all have some snappy headgear.

Riding out of the frozen north, each upon his own sleigh drawn by a distinct pair of reindeer, this fearsome quartet of Winter Elves makes annual raids on the villages of men, always on the day when the sun shines least. Some of the victimized villagers leave items of tribute beneath lighted trees to keep the elves from ransacking their homes. Others use snow to construct “guardsmen” on their lawns in an effort to frighten the elves away. Still others leave freshly baked – and freshly poisoned – pies and cakes at their doors in the hope of ridding themselves of the elves once and for all. Legend foretells the coming of a hero – a saint dressed in red, with alabaster hair and eyes that twinkle – who will bring these fiends to heel. Could this be the year the people are saved?

Askasleikir / Elf Fighter 1 CE
Head Gear: A bloody scarlet hood with a single long tassel that ends in a fuzzy white ball
STR 15 INT 9 WIS 9 DEX 17 CON 13 CHR 13
HP 11 AC 2 Gold 5
Chain Mail, Shield, Longsword, Long Bow & 20 Arrows

Giljagaur / Elf Cleric 1 CE
Head Gear: A forest green hood decorated with Celtic deer designs
STR 13 INT 13 WIS 13 DEX 12 CON 6 CHR 11
HP 7 AC 4 Gold 54
Chain Mail, Shield, Mace, Silver Holy Symbol
Cleric Spells: Cause Fear, Darkness, Resist Cold

Skyrjarmur / Elf Magic-User/Thief 1/1 CE
Head Gear: A long, heavy scarlet & white striped scarf
STR 8 INT 14 WIS 9 DEX 17 CON 9 CHR 10
HP 5 AC 6 Gold 67
Leather Armor, Short Sword, Short Bow & 20 Arrows, Thieves’ Tools, Spell Book
Magic-User Spells: Floating Disc, Sleep, Spider Climb

Thvorusleikir / Elf Magic-User/Thief 1/1 CE
Head Gear: A platinum silver hood with single long tassel ending in a jingle bell
STR 10 INT 13 WIS 10 DEX 13 CON 7 CHR 12
HP 4 AC 5 Gold 34
Leather Armor, Long Sword, Short Bow & 20 Arrows, Thieves’ Tools, Spell Book
Magic-User Spells: Charm Person, Dancing Lights, Ventriloquism

It Was Christmas Eve, Babe, In The Drunk Tank…

For some of you it may be Christmas already, but I think for most of us it’s still Christmas Eve. And that, dear friends, can mean only one thing. It’s time for the Fairytale of New York, as performed by The Pogues and Kirsty MacColl (may she rest in peace):

And that right there is one of my all-time favorite Christmas songs that isn’t quite actually a Christmas song. Any of you fine folks have some music you’d like to share?

200th Post!

Actually, the previous post was the true 200th published post here at Strange Stones. I knew this milestone was coming, so though I’m not surprised, I admit to being amazed. I didn’t really think I’d keep this blog going anywhere near this long when I started it back in February. But I can honestly say I’m glad I did.

I’m working on an end of the year wrap up piece that I’ll post sometime after Christmas that touches on the “Holy crap! I’m still blogging!” concept a bit more. But in the meantime, I figured I’d at least acknowledge the accomplishment before it receded too far into the past. Yay me!

Oh, and for the record, I’m well aware that there are lots of RPG blogs out there with way more than 200 measly posts. But none of them have the style and panache that Strange Stones does 🙂

Mini Six Character: Detective Sergeant Arthur Dietrich

Wherein your humble scribe attempts to honor the recently departed Steve Landesberg by writing up his most famous character, Detective Sergeant Arthur Dietrich as a Mini Six/Precinct ’77 character.

If it’s true that childhood imagination games like “Cowboys & Indians” and “Cops & Robbers” are the original RPGs, then it’s likely that my first character was, shall we say, an homage to (read as: blatant knock off of) Detective Sergeant Arthur Dietrich, of Barney Miller fame. When it came to cops, other kids wanted to be Dirty Harry, Starsky & Hutch, or even Ponch & John. But not me. I wanted to be the calm, intellectual detective who confounded everyone with his dry wit and subtle sarcasm. I was an odd kid, go fig.

So when I heard this morning that Steve Landesberg, the actor who portrayed this childhood icon of mine passed away yesterday, I felt the need to complete the circle a bit and write up ol’ Dietrich as a “proper” RPG character. So consider this my odd adult effort at a tribute to one of the great offbeat cops of all time and the actor who played him so very well.

First, let’s watch the opening of Barney Miller to get in the mood (and man, that bass line does it for me every time):

And now, let’s meet the real star of the show…

Detective Sergeant Arthur Dietrich
Might 2D+2 Agility 2D+1
Wit 4D Charm 3D
Skills: Brawling 3D, Muscle 3D, Dodge 3D+1, Investigation 5D, German 4D+2, Legalese 4D+1, Sciences 5D, Humanities 5D, Good Cop 4D, Bad Cop 3D+1
Perks: Destiny
Complications: none
Gear: Badge, Handcuffs, Service Revolver (4D)
Static: Dodge 10, Block 9, Parry 8
Body Points: 30
Armor: none

BRP Bestiary: Wugs!

Wherein your humble scribe presents a couple of monster writeups he’s using as the primary antagonists in a D&D-style Basic RolePlaying game, enabled in no small part by the delightful majesty that is BRP Classic Fantasy.

Deep in the dreaded Bonenettle Swamp is is said that one may encounter the Wugs – horrible humanoid toadmen who worship dark gods. These creatures, the old stories say, were once human like you or me, but became corrupted by the foul entities they revere. They speak a maddening, blubbery tongue and perform terrible rites using lost children and unwary adventurers as their sacrifices.

Wug Warrior

Wug Warriors spring into combat on their powerful jumping legs, and in the round that they move in this fashion their damage bonus increases by one step.

Wug Warrior, A Toadman With A Point To Make

STR 3d6+3 (14-15)
CON 3d6+2 (13-14)
SIZ 1d6+8 (11-12)
INT 2d6+3 (10)
POW 3d6 (11)
DEX 2d6+6 (13)
APP 2d6 (7)
MOV hop-8

Average HP: 12
Average Damage Bonus: +1d4
Morale: 75%

Armor: 1d6-1, Leather Armor & Tough, Rubbery Skin

Attacks: Spear or Club 45%, damage 1d6+1+db (1d6+2+db if used 2-handed)
Round Shield 35%, damage 1d3+db
Claw/Claw/Bite 25%, damage 1d3/1d3/1d2 (+db)
Grapple 25%, damage special

Skills: Dodge 65%, Hide 85%, Jump 60%, Listen 35%, Spot 40%, Stealth 65%, Swim 45%

Powers: none

Wug Shaman

Like their larger and more martial brethren, Wug Shamen are able to leap into combat, increasing their damage bonus by one step (on average from none to 1d4) when they do. More often, though, these crafty toadmen rely on the spells they possess to handle their enemies. Wug Shamen typically wear large, heavy copper torcs which act as armor as well as serving as a cultural indicator of their role within the tribe.

Wug Shaman, A Toadman With A Trick Up His Sleeve

STR 3d6 (11-12)
CON 3d6 (11-12)
SIZ 2d4+4 (9)
INT 3d6+3 (14-15)
POW 2d6+6 (13)
DEX 2d6+6 (13)
APP 2d6+3 (10)
MOV hop-8

Average HP: 10
Average Damage Bonus: none
Morale: 65%

Armor: 1d4-1, Torcs & Tough, Rubbery Skin

Attacks: Spear or Club 35%, damage 1d6+db
Claw/Claw/Bite 20%, damage 1d3/1d3/1d2 (+db)

Skills: Dodge 65%, Hide 85%, Jump 50%, Listen 40%, Perform: Ritual 40%, Spot 45%, Stealth 55%, Swim 45%

Powers: Magic spells, typically including Charm Person 30%, Haste 25%, Heal 50%, Hold Person 40%, Restore Fatigue 40%

Traveller: The Crew Of The Free Trader Nobuharu

Wherein, in honor of the currently still free (through December 31st) classic Traveller Starter Edition, your humble scribe presents a group of characters for (classic) Traveller. All of these were rolled up by-the-book using said Starter Edition.

Working their way through the Claybourne Subsector, the crew of the Free Trader Nobuharu – brainiacs all – have found themselves a bit short on this month’s payment. Not wanting to lose possession of the one thing that sets them apart from the rest of the rabble, these streetwise geniuses have stumbled upon the Governor of Posada’s need to have a trio of “embarrassing” individuals escorted “elsewhere” in the subsector. The ladies in question don’t seem particularly difficult to deal with, and their high passages – as well as a generous “discretion bonus” – have been paid for in cash. What could possibly go wrong?

Wes Galinol
A67C78 Age 34 4 Terms (Service: Merchants, Final Rank: Captain)
Jack of All Trades-2, Streetwise-3, Steward-1, Pilot-2
Free Trader
Cr25,000

Vicki Bergeron
548A79 Age 38 5 Terms (Service: Merchants, Final Rank: 1st Officer)
Streetwise-2, Navigation-3, Steward-1, Jack of All Trades-1, Electronic-1, Pilot-1, Gunnery-2
Low Psg
Cr50,000

Ulysses Kielty
685B98 Age 22 1 Terms (Service: Navy, Final Rank: Lieutenant)
Medical-1, Navigation-1, Engineering-1, Computer-1
Cr20,000

Octavio Basilio
C73BB6 Age 38 5 Term (Service: Marines, Final Rank: Force Commander)
Cutlass-1, Leader-4, Admin-1, Tactics-3, Revolver-1
Cutlass, TAS
Cr30,000

Skulking Though The Necropolis…

Wherein your humble scribe, drawing on the “All The Dice” random generator concept (tip of the hat to Grim), presents a random table for your nerdly needs. This stuff is built for Labyrinth Lord + Advanced Edition Companion, but you should be able to tweak it to suit your needs for just about any other old school fantasy RPG.

Now why on earth are your players rummaging around in a cemetery? Is the entrance to a dungeon hidden in one of the graves? Did the Thieves’ Guild hide something with someone who will tell no tales? Did a certain Doctor hire them to bring back a few spare parts? In any case, if all they have to do is make a beeline for a specific spot then you probably don’t need this chart. But if they have to hunt, or if you want to add some flavor, grab those dice and get to rolling.

Date Of Death, 1d4

  1. Distant Past (100+ years ago)
  2. Long Ago (21-99 years ago)
  3. Recent Past (10-20 years ago)
  4. Recent (0-9 years ago)

Headstone Type, 1d6

  1. Unmarked Grave
  2. Simple ground-level grave marker
  3. Classic “Tablet” Tombstone
  4. Monument
  5. Statuary
  6. Mausoleum

Language Of Inscription, 1d8

  1. Common
  2. Human Dialect
  3. Druidic
  4. Elvish
  5. Dwarven
  6. Arcane Script
  7. Human Dialect
  8. Common

Condition Of Marker, 1d10
(roll again for offering: 1-6 none, 6-8 fresh flowers, 9 foodstuffs, 10 unique: a bottle of wine, a filled pipe, a deck of cards, etc.)

  1. Weathered, appropriate to age
  2. Weathered, unnaturally so
  3. Graffiti-covered
  4. Vandalized
  5. Shattered
  6. Recently cleaned
  7. Well-maintained, appropriate to age
  8. Well-maintained, unnaturally so
  9. Cracked & chipped
  10. Fallen over

Age At Death, 1d12
(see Labyrinth Lord Advanced Edition Companion, p. 23 for ranges by race)

  1. Infant
  2. Child
  3. Adolescent
  4. Adolescent
  5. Adult
  6. Adult
  7. Adult
  8. Middle Age
  9. Middle Age
  10. Middle Age
  11. Elderly
  12. Venerable

Ornamentation, 1d20

  1. Unadorned
  2. Holy Symbol
  3. Holy Symbol
  4. Arcane Symbol(s)
  5. Horse & Rider
  6. Angel, full
  7. Angel, wings only
  8. Book
  9. Scroll
  10. Vines/Roses/Tree(s)
  11. Military Insignia
  12. Nationalist Symbol
  13. Sword, or other weapon
  14. Shield
  15. Animal (bird, dog, etc.)
  16. Soldier
  17. Crown
  18. Hammer & Anvil, or other sign of craft or trade
  19. Celestial Insignia (planets, sextants, etc.)
  20. Likeness of deceased

Examples – Because They’re Fun

  • This simple ground-level marker bears the insignia of the Duke’s Infantry and marks the resting place of an adolescent who died some 13 years ago, during the bitter war between Dryndland and Nemetstaat. The marble is unnaturally well-maintained for its age, and the inscriptions are in Common.
  • This shield-shaped tombstone likes shattered atop the grave it marks. The fragments, which are written in a dialect spoken by the Humans of the Eastern Continent, reveal that the person buried here died exactly 50 years ago today, after living to the utmost limits of the human lifespan.
  • The middle-aged individual buried beneath this statue of angelic wings died only 9 months ago, according to the Druidic inscriptions found upon the its base. The blatant vandalization of the grave marker stands in stark contrast to the still warm basket of muffins that rests at its base.
  • Buried more than two hundred years ago, the adult occupant of this grave was important enough to warrant a tall monument, which has weathered quite poorly. Numerous baskets of freshly cut flowers have been placed about the its base. No name is given, but the birth and death dates are inscribed in the language of the distant land whose ragged flag honors his interment.