Category Archives: Games

Meet The New Trolls

I’ve been meaning to buy the box set of the 7.5 edition of Tunnels & Trolls for a while now. Sure, I know there are people out there who really prefer the older 5.5 edition, which is still readily available. Sure, I already have the “30th Anniversary” mini-tin of the 7th edition. Sure, I prefer the classic Liz Danforth cover art to Claudio Pozas‘ reverent rendering of the classic T&T party.

All of these reasons – coupled with laziness, miserliness, and plain ol’ procrastination stayed my hand. Until Friday night, when I discovered not just the main set, but also the Delver’s Pack, on the shelves of the inventory clearance sale (50% off!) at my friendly local game store, Dragon’s Lair (whose RPG section appears to be shrinking, a disconcerting concept for a different discussion).

I couldn’t really pass up what amounted to a twofer deal on something I’d been resisting getting even though I really wanted it, so I yielded to temptation. Like all things T&T I want very much to like these things more than I actually do – which is not to say that I don’t like them. I like them quite a bit. But when I take the lids off the boxes I want the room to be flooded with mystical light that transports me to a place where I can game whenever I want, with whomever I want, and the Dublin Dr. Pepper & Newcastle Brown Ale both flow as freely as water. That’s not really too much to ask from an RPG, is it?

Anyway, I’m glad I snagged these and I hope to actually do something with them sooner rather than later. Not that I don’t already have enough systems waiting on me to do something with them as well (*cough* BRP *cough* BoL *cough* Labyrinth Lord *cough* E-T-C). Speaking of which, you’re allowed to ask me why the hell I’ve been so quiet lately, since SXSW has come and gone. The short answer is that my fantasy baseball league is in the thick of its player acquisition period and that’s been eating my brain. Plus, I must confess, a little malaise has crept into the Pao’s brain and I’m not quite as chock full of ideas as I was recently. That’s ok, it’s part of a natural cycle. And maybe this experiment in nerdly materialism will spark my imagination and spur me on to a fresh round of posts. Or I can just knuckle down and focus on finishing the things I said I’d finish and let the actual friction of writing do the trick. Either way, bear with me just a bit longer, amigos!

In the meantime, let’s meet the (no longer all that) New Trolls:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PLo6AaTH-Io

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CxShv7bJlmE]

Quick & Dirty BoL to Labyrinth Lord Conversion

We’ve been over this before, but it never hurts to say it. I love Barbarians of Lemuria. It’s a great little system that inspires me and I find it painless to write stuff for it. Of course, great as it is it has a limited player base, especially when compared to a certain well-known 800 lb. gorilla of the RPG scene. So here are some notes I’ve knocked together for converting BoL characters to Labyrinth Lord and other games in that big ol’ extended family. Use or ignore as you see fit.

Attributes

First up, the ever important Attributes. Just like in my Quick & Dirty BoL to BRP Conversion post, attribute values can be derived by taking the BoL value, doubling it and then adding 10 to it. So a BoL merchant with a Strength of 1 would have STR 12 in LL while a mighty thewed-barbarian with a Strength of 4 in BoL would rock an 18 STR in LL. And so on. Hooray for that 3-18 scale that’s so popular with a certain era of games!

Of course, we need to map the BoL stats to LL stats. Here’s what I propose:

BoL Might = LL Str, Con
BoL Agility = LL Dex
BoL Mind = LL Int, Wis
BoL Appeal = LL Charisma

As with the BoL-to-BRP conversion, one could surely devise more detailed and “realistic” formulas for this sort of thing. But for most purposes, the above should work. That said, if you really need a character to be high INT/low WIS (or low STR/high CON, etc.), just adjust as needed.

Careers To Levels & Classes

Probably the biggest issue in this conversion is dealing with taking a non-class/non-level system like BoL and rendering class- and level-based characters out of it. There are probably a million different takes on this, but my suggestion is just to make the LL character’s level equal to the sum of the BoL characters career ranks. So your typical starting BoL character would come over to LL as a 4th level character, while the average BoL NPC (per the examples in the Legendary Edition) would wind up as a 2nd level character. This power level in LL might not quite match up with BoL, but it seems to give the characters a reasonable leg up while leaving room to grow as well. And hey, the original title for a 4th level Fighter was Hero and a 4th level Magic-User is called a Magician in those lovely light blue rules designed for experts^*, so I’m happy with this.

As far as classes go, I feel the best thing to do is just pick the class that seems to fit the character best – multi-classing where needed, but preferably as little as possible. A character whose capabilities in BoL would require two classes in LL are really the only ones who should multi-class (e.g., characters with rank in both Soldier and Magician). If it is at all possible to stick with one class, though, that’s what I recommend. “But what about my Magician 2 / Merchant 1 / Sailor 1 / Torturer 0 character? Shouldn’t she be a F-M/U?” I hear you ask. And the answer is no. Being a merchant and a sailor – even skilled ones – doesn’t make you a Fighter in LL terms. But don’t worry, you’re not screwed. Read on for more…

Since classes are normally generalized while careers can be a bit more specific, I also suggest looking at the character’s career ranks and giving them +2 per rank in a career on Ability Checks related to the careers (but not to combat or thieving abilities or anything else that specifically mechanical in LL – those things come with level, not career rank). So that BoL character with 2 ranks in Merchant would get +4 on attribute checks relating to the buying & selling of goods, knowledge of caravan routes, and so on. Oh, and while having a Zero in a career rank won’t get you a bonus to checks, just like in BoL it could very well make checks possible that a normal person wouldn’t be able to make (por exemplo, the classic Thief 0 allowing you to know about the local thieves’ guild in ways that someone with no rank at all wouldn’t).

Combat Abilities

BoL’s combat attributes don’t translate all that well, since fighting skill is a defined function of classes in LL. You can either ignore these entirely (advised for most NPCs and Mooks) or bring them over where each rank provides a +1 bonus to the appropriate kind of attacks (for Brawl, Melee, Missile) or −1 to AC for each rank in Defense. Doing this for PCs and significant NPCs will further help with the perceived power level difference between BoL characters and their LL analogues. [editorial aside: This is one of the reasons I really adore BoL. Your combat skills aren’t based on whether you’re a fighter or a thief or whatever. They’re based on whether you’re good at combat or not. And that means you can have badass sword-swinging wizard or a fancy “can’t hit me” lightly-armored fighter without throwing a monkeywrench into the rules. End of editorializing.]

Boons & Flaws

BoL’s Boons & Flaws also don’t translate directly to LL. But, just like with Careers I suggest granting PCs and important NPCs a bonus (+2 or so, but maybe higher or lower depending on your needs) on Ability Checks (or Saving Throws) that relate to a boon that the BoL version of the character possessed. Similarly, imposing a penalty of −2 (or so) on rolls relating to a Flaw found in the BoL iteration of the character should get the job done just fine.

In the case of Boons & Flaws that don’t modify dice rolls, a little improvisation will be necessary. But the author of this quick & dirty guide trusts that his readers can handle those situations on their own and in the ways that will best suit their own needs.

Weapons & Armor & Such

Obviously BoL handles armor in a completely different fashion than Labyrinth Lord does. The easiest thing to do is just assign an Armor Class based on the overall armor level found on the BoL character. Translate as follows:

BoL No Armor → LL AC 9 (unarmored)
BoL Very Light Armor → LL AC 8 (roughly, Leather armor)
BoL Light Armor → LL AC 6 (roughly, Leather armor & Shield or Scale alone)
BoL Medium Armor → LL AC 4 (roughly, Chainmail alone or Studded Leather & Shield)
BoL Heavy Armor → LL AC 2 (roughly, Chain & Shield, Plate alone)
BoL Very Heavy Armor → LL AC 1 (roughly, Plate & Shield)

The examples given above are, as indicated, rough equivalents. I can do the math and know that Chain & a shield actually equals AC 4 and not AC 2. Remember, though, that BoL is much more fluid in its definitions of what armor levels equate to. If you want to be more precise, then by all means be more precise.

Magic

Oy, here’s a challenge. BoL’s magic system so completely doesn’t mesh with the Vancian fire-and-forget stuff that Labyrinth Lord and its relatives use. I suppose you could just say “Well, you’re a 4th level magic-user, so act like one” and be done with it if you want to keep it simple. I also suggest having BoL characters with Priest career ranks but no Magician ranks not be treated as Clerics, since BoL Priests don’t really work “magic” in the spellcasting sense. Ignore that suggestion if being a Cleric is really key to the conception of the character as it is crossing the line between these two world.

One other idea that occurred to me is that the Vancian stuff could work as a reasonable model of BoL’s Alchemy. Instead of having X number of spells per day per level, though, you’d get X number of alchemical preparations (which you define with Labyrinth Lord spells) per adventure. Just use the M/U spell tables to determine what X is and you’re set. So I’d class BoL characters who were Alchemists as M/Us in LL-land but restrict their usage of spells as noted above. To offset that, I figure you’d need to give them better HD or something. But again, that’s beyond the scope of this post.

Monsters!

The above stuff works for characters who display a full range of stats, but normal BoL monster listings are a bit more abstract. Ultimately, though, what you need for a Labyrinth Lord monster is an Armor Class, a number of Hit Dice, and a concept of how they attack & what damage they do. So here’s how I’m breaking these numbers out from a BoL listing:

LL HD = (Lifeblood/5)
LL Attacks = BoL attacks (i.e., claw/claw/bite or whatever, with the bonuses to hit listed), with damage as follows:
- 1 LB = 1 HP
- d2 LB = 1d2 HP
- d3 LB = 1d3 HP
- d6-1 LB = 1d4 HP
- d6 LB = 1d6 HP
- d6+2 LB = 1d8 HP
- 2d6-1 LB = d10 HP
- 2d6 LB = 1d12 HP
- 2d6+2 LB = 2d8 HP
- 3d6 LB = 3d6 HP
- 3d6+2 LB = 2d10 HP
- 4d6 LB = 2d12 HP
LL AC = 9 – (Defense + Average Protection/Armor Value)

But what about Movement? As I see it LL Movement varies quite a bit independent of creature size, while in BoL’s “Base Move” is entirely based on creature size. I’m too lazy to come up with a specific approach here, so I’d suggest just defaulting everything to LL’s 90/30 unless being fast or slow is part of the creature’s schtick. In that case, adjust accordingly.

For monsters’ attributes, just use the same translation method as for PCs ([BoL Att*2]+10) if you need to know them. But since LL doesn’t often reference creatures’ attributes, this shouldn’t matter too often.

Examples

A couple of examples are probably in order. So first, let’s look at a character. How about good ol’ Captain Ertegun Vaul? Based on his listing in the linked post, here’s how I would render him as a Labyrinth Lord character:

Ertegun Vaul / Human Magic-User 4 Chaotic Good
STR 12 INT 12 WIS 12 DEX 10 CON 12 CHR 14
HP 13 AC 7 Gold 40
Scimitar, +1 Dagger, Leather Armor
MU Spells: Charm Person, Comprehend Languages, ESP, Phantasmal Force
Non-Combat Bonuses & Penalties: +6 to mariner rolls (+4 from careers, +2 from boon); +2 to merchant rolls; +2 to religion rolls; +2 to carousing rolls; −2 to resisting greed

Note that even though he had a rank of 0 in Sorcerer as a BoL character I went ahead and made him into a 100% Magic-User in LL. Even rank zero qualifies you to cast some scary stuff in BoL, so having that should – at a minimum – result in a 2/2 split with another class. More often, though, it should override all the other possible class considerations (in my opinion). Or you can, of course, build the character without magic at all. That’s an entirely reasonable approach as well. Mostly I think it depends on your conception of the character in question and the level of magic in the campaign you’re working with.

Now, let’s convert a monster – just for fun. In this case, let’s use the Ilthoth-eg of Nogoloth.

Ilthoth-eg
No. Enc.: 2d4 (2d4)
Alignment: Chaotic (Neutral)
Movement: 120’ (40’)
Armor Class: 3
Hit Dice: 1-1
Attacks: 1 (bite)
Damage: 1d4
Save: F1
Morale: 8
Hoard Class: VI
XP: 7

Small, grey-furred cat-like beasts that inhabit the caves deep within the northern mountains of Nogoloth, Ilthoth-eg are set apart from the “normal” wildcats of the region by their abundance of eyes. A typical Ilthoth-eg possesses somewhere between 7 and 11 eyes arrayed across their bodies. Though not truly intelligent, these animals chitter and whisper their previous victims’ words as they stalk their prey through the darkness of the caves.

Due to their abundance of eyes, Ilthoth-eg are only surprised on a 1-in-6. Further, these creatures are incredibly difficult for thieves to backstab. A thief attempting to perform this maneuver against an Ilthoth-eg suffers a −25% penalty to the move silently and hide in shadows rolls necessary for a successful backstab.

Following my suggestion of tweaking the movement rate for a converted creature beyond 90/30, I upped these guys slightly based on their wildcat-esque nature. I improvised on the No. Encountered, Morale and Hoard Class for these guys. The Save As and XP Value were calculated per the LL rules.

In Conclusion

So that’s my ideas for converting Barbarians of Lemuria characters and monsters to Labyrinth Lord. I think they’ll get the job done well enough for most purposes. These should also allow you to take BoL resources and use them in any other game from the same gene pool as LL. Those games are, after all, pretty much the same game with some minor changes here and there.

I’m open to any thoughts you, my readers and friends, might have on how to handle things. So go nuts in the comments if you like. Your input is, as always, invaluable to me.

^*Other iterations of the source material refer to a 4th level MU as a Theurgist. You can’t win ’em all.

Nogoloth: The Emerald Ships

Wherein your humble scribe presents an NPC and an artifact (in Barbarians of Lemuria format) that he whipped up for his nascent Lovecraftian Fantasy setting, Nogoloth. You might note that this makes three BoL-based Nogoloth entries in a row. That, my friends, is starting to look something like a trend.

On the western shore of Nogoloth sits the city called Cwnuihd, where strange emerald-sailed ships crewed by ebon-skinned men dock thrice annually. None within the city claim to know the origins of these vessels, nor their destinations. All that is known is that the sailors who debark from the caravels and carracks speak – and often sing – in a tongue unknown even to the greatest scholars of Nogoloth. The captains of these crafts superficially resemble the men they lead, but can carry on great discourse in the common speech of the island-continent they visit each time the trade winds shift and the two moons of Nogoloth join together to raise the tides high enough to allow passage across the great reef that elsewise bars the harbor.

These mariner kings seldom speak of what they have seen in the unchartered waters of the world, but when they do they wax poetic, even rhapsodic, telling tales of great, impossible leviathans whose eyes burn with hatred for all the men and beasts of the land. It is whispered that only these sea dogs may traverse the greatest oceans of the world, though whether due to their extreme bravery or, perhaps, to some dark pact they have made with the rulers of the court beneath the waves none may say.

It is tradition amongst the women of Cwnuihd to greet the arrival of the Emerald Ships by dyeing their hair jet black and serenading the crews from the docks with songs that their mothers’ mothers learned from the first such fleets to brave the dark waters of the bay and anchor at the docks that were already present when the city itself was founded in centuries passed. The men of Cwnuihd are made ill-at-ease by the melodies that comprise these alien chanties – though, in truth, it is the frequently wanton behavior the ladies engage in when in the company of those who sail with the Emerald Ships that truly troubles the fathers of unwed daughters in the city. Despite the rather orgiastic scenes that often play out in the dockside taverns, no child has ever been born in Cwnuihd who even faintly resembles the sailors.

I happened to be visiting Cwnuihd one spring when the Ships arrived, and I struck up a brief-but-companionable relationship with the captain of one of the vessels – a man by the name of Vaul – in whose company I passed two fascinating evenings filled with stories of the sort that one would be inclined to take for little more than the tall tales of a man who has spent too much time away from even the sight of land. Yet there was, in his manner and upon his face, an indescribable sincerity so powerful that I would warrant his narratives to even Ste. Sibille the Blind herself.

It was from Captain Vaul that I acquired the Lantern of U’um’nn, an artifact of a different age that may well serve to render my ultimate goal achievable. Vaul refused to accept payment of any sort for the Lantern, insisting that he had already been well compensated for delivering it to my hands.

I am told by the old men of Cwnuihd that they had never heard tell of anyone – let alone a cripple such as I – being offered passage aboard one of the Emerald Ships. Yet I was indeed invited to sail with Captain Vaul and his crew when the time came for them to leave the shores of Nogoloth. I regret that I was unable to accept this unique proposition, but my work here requires that I remain ashore, at least for now. If I should chance upon the good captain and his crew once my task is complete, I will readily board their craft if the opportunity is afforded me again.

Captain Ertegun Vaul

A tall, powerfully-built man in his mid 40s, with the ebon skin seen only amongst the crews of the Emerald Ships that visit Nogoloth occasionally, Captain Ertegun Vaul is a charming conversationalist who has seen things and traveled to locations undreamt of by the inhabitants of the island-continent. He is fearless – or nearly so – and dogged in his pursuit of profit upon the black waters of the world. He has dabbled in sorcery, is more than a little acquainted with the ways of the gods (both benevolent and malign), and is a stalwart companion when trouble arises. Captain Vaul is currently in possession of the legendary Moon Dagger of Rhug-Dh’krhala, a weapon mentioned in both the Lzaaq Cycle and the Book of Nyshanib. He is loathe to discuss how it came to him, pointing only to the tenatcle-like scar that runs down the length of his left arm and smiling a melancholy smile.

Essences
Lifeblood 11
Hero Points 5
Arcane Power 10

Attributes
Strength 1
Agility 0
Mind 1
Appeal 2

Combat
Brawl 1
Melee 2
Ranged 0
Defense 1

Careers
Mariner 2
Merchant 1
Sorcerer 0
Priest 1

Boons
Born Sailor
Carouser

Flaws
Greed

Languages
Nogolothian, Emerald Shipman’s Speech

Equipment
Scimitar, d6+1
Alchemical Dagger d3+1 (rare, grants boon & ignores armor)
Very Light Armor (d3-1)

Lantern of U’um’nn

This artifact, which appears to the common eye as little more than a well-maintained ship’s lantern, reveals the manner in which those upon whom its light is cast will die. When lit, a large swarm of colorful moths are drawn from beyond space and time, and as they dance about the light the interplay of their beating wings shows individual’s death as though seen upon a moving tapestry. The lantern is highly magnetic and will render any compass within 50 feet of it unreliable for navigation.

The Sea Devil’s Debutante (A BoL Adventure)

Howdy folks! Our good friend G-Man, the author of the wildly popular dark fantasy Barbarians of Lemuria adventure The Unholy Greyl (30848 downloads ) has done it again! This time he takes us into the very depths of decadence and depravity with…

The Sea Devil's Debutante (26373 downloads )

The reclusive Strangtham clan is throwing a grand celebration in honor of young Clarisse Strangtham, who has announced her eligibility to wed. Many sordid things are whispered about the family… yet many of the local gentry are planning to attend the party, despite the family’s reputation. Is it because the Strangthams are known to possess a seemingly endless hoard of gold jewelry? Or just because Clarisse Strangtham is rumored to be an exotic beauty? Join the party and find out just what those creepy and opulent Strangthams are up to this time!

G-Man not only provides a delightfully dark adventure this time, but two appendices chock full of unique items and spells to make your BoL game even more deadly. All this for exactly zero dollars? Great Dagon, people! Why haven’t you downloaded it already?

Traveller AR!

Alright, soldiers. It’s time to talk seriously about your future in the Imperium. Specifically, let’s discuss your plans for after you muster out. Some of you may want to look into free trading. Some of you may be in search of mercenary tickets. Some of you might just want to wander. In any case, what you’ll almost definitely want to do is put some credits in your pocket. No matter what your goals are, you should probably take a look at this:

It’s the teaser trailer for the just announced Traveller AR, which is currently being hyped at Booth 415 of the Screenburn Arcade at SXSW Interactive in sunny Austin, TX.

This is an iPhone/iPod Touch game that is being developed by actual pen & paper gamers who know Traveller and love it. Big Daddy Marc Miller is involved. As is the Loren Wiseman, who was actually hanging out at the booth today. Take a look at the site and sign up for the beta (if you happen to be the sort who has an appropriate device at your disposal, anyway – they tell me they hope to support other platforms eventually, but it’s all iLand for now). Kicking off your career with a bonus Cr1,000,000 is a good thing.

I saw a demo and this game looks sharp. I’ll be sure to update y’all when I get going in the beta (which is expected to get underway in May – just so you know the perspective in which to keep things). But seriously, do sign up for the beta. That way we can all bust up the Third Imperium in proper grognard style.

Interesting note: One of the artists working on the game used to play RPGs with Joe G. Browning of Expeditious Retreat Press. So there’s some additional old school style cred with Traveller AR.

Nogoloth: The Bells Of Pnikigystros

Wherein your humble scribe presents a monster and an artifact (in Barbarians of Lemuria format) that he whipped up for his nascent Lovecraftian Fantasy setting, Nogoloth, as he continues to dither on which system to use for such things. You might note that this makes two BoL-based Nogoloth entries in a row. Make of that what you will.

In the port city of Pnikigystros, on the southernmost shore of Nogoloth, there stands an ruined church – once consecrated to St. Xavier of the Kettle, according to the few ancient residents who can recall the times before it was boarded-up and abandoned for reasons unspoken. Despite its dilapidation and lack of occupants, the bells of this cathedral still ring out at dusk and dawn on odd days – days that some claim are holy to the darker gods who hold sway over the affairs of man and beast. The mournful tolling of the bells can be heard from one end of Pnikigystros to the other, even in the fine mansions atop Owl Hill. The people of the city take extra care on these days, when bad luck and murder are in the air. Sailors refuse to weigh anchor on these days, and children who are born between the ringing of the bells are quite often sickly and haunted in appearance.

The residents of the neighborhood where the church stands – called Blacksend by those who dwell there – shun this structure, crossing to the other side of the street and spitting on the ground when they must pass by it as they hurry down Margrave Lane. In the early evening, when the blood red light from the setting sun streams through the building’s high stained glass windows and plays upon the cobblestones outside its doors, even the least superstitious folk choose a route that avoids that sullen street entirely, regardless of the distance that traversing Margrave might save.

In other places of the world one might expect that such a structure would attract the attention of curious children or, perhaps, the interest of a criminal element that might seek to take advantage of such a blighted place, to engage in their unlawful activities out of the watchful eye of the constabulary. But in Pnikigystros, one finds nothing of the sort. My own efforts to recruit urchins or footpads to investigate the church further on my behalf – a system which has proven useful in other areas of Nogoloth, as you’ll recall – have fallen upon willfully deaf ears. Once word reached the broader communities of these sources of inexpensive explorers I found that I was unable even to complete a friendly exchange with such citizens.

If not for the willingness of a certain sea captain and his crew of less-than-sterling repute I might never have found anyone to enter the edifice in question and secure for me the bronze vessel that proved to to be precisely where a particular venerable verger with a tongue loosened by various libations had indicated it would be found. That only the first mate of the Green Phoenix – a peculiar man named Crawford Fowler, whose bearing and features implied a connection to the Cwnuihd Fowlers – delivered the item to me, with a blank stare and far less interest in his payment than I was led to expect from one of his sort, is of no matter.

I must confess that even I – engrossed as I was in my examinations of the Kettle – was slightly unnerved upon hearing that the pirates’ ship – after sitting quietly vacant at the docks for weeks – was suddenly no longer moored there on the 22nd morning after the breeching of the church – a morning, one should note, that followed the tolling of the Bells of Pnikigystros.

Anthrognaath

Anthrognaath are large (2′ to 4′ long) centipedes with the faces of men. These creatures come from somewhere else, entering our world through various arcane devices that typically contain liquids, such as bowls, cauldrons and kettles. Anthrognaath are quite intelligent and often possess significant magical knowledge, but are unable to wield it in their natural forms. For this reason, they seek out sentient host beings into whose body they burrow once the neurotoxin from their bite takes effect. Once inside a host, the Anthrognaath is able to use its arcane abilities through the form it has hijacked. The process of Anthrognaath “possession” does hideous damage to the host being, who will typically survive no more than several weeks, during which time the Anthrognaath will actively seek out new potential hosts.

Attributes
Strength 4
Agility 1
Mind 2

Combat Abilities
Attack with Bite +2; d6-2 plus poison
Defense: 2
Protection: d6-2 (chitin)
Lifeblood: 20

Anthrognaath Poison
A person damaged by the bite of an Anthrognaath must make a Demanding Strength check or become paralyzed in d3 rounds. This paralysis lasts for d3 hours, during which time an Anthrognaath will invade the victim’s body, effectively killing the victim. One an Anthrognaath has so co-opted a body, the host creature will still outwardly resemble its former self, but will in fact be home to the Anthrognaath’s evil mind and powerful arcane abilities. Such unwilling sorcerers possess an Arcane Power of 15 and a Sorcerer career rank of 3.

The Bronze Kettle Of Mithathu

The Bronze Kettle Of Mithathu is a damnable relic of an ancient time. Some two feet in diameter and perpetually cold to the touch, the metal that comprises its form is stamped and carven with obscure runes which are a variant on the Star Tongue of the Elds – hard to decipher but clearly full of dire warnings and other such language designed to dissuade casual use of the item.

The possessor of the Bronze Kettle of Mithathu is highly resistant to all extremes of temperature (a Boon that grants an extra die when rolling to resist such effects). Further, all second and third magnitude spell cast by the possessor receive a bonus die when cast and their Arcane Power costs are reduced by 3 AP.

However, a darkness lingers over the artifact. Every time the Kettle is used as part of a summoning spell, there is a 1-in-3 chance that the summoned creature will immediately attack the magician who calls it forth, regardless of any precautions taken to prevent this. Further, all spells cast with the power of the Kettle permanently drain one Lifeblood from the caster. Lastly, at dusk and dawn on the holy days of the Dark Gods, there is a 1-in-6 chance that an Anthrognaath will emerge from the Kettle in search of a host creature.

BRP Characters: The Brothers Queng

Wherein your humble scribe presents a pair of NPCs for use with The Celestial Empire, the Basic RolePlaying game of life in Imperial China.

Doctor Queng Jian travels throughout Ming Dynasty China helping the people of the land with his exceptional medical skills. Jian has chosen to follow this nomadic life rather than accept an appointment as the Court Physician of a petty noble in Gansu Province, whose daughter Jian secretly loves but may never marry. On occasion, Queng Jian’s abilities draw the attention of a local magistrate who calls upon the doctor to assist in an investigation.

Jian is perpetually accompanied by his (much) less accomplished younger brother Yo, who, though a skilled storyteller, has little to show for his 22 years in the Middle Kingdom. The hulking Yo does do a fair job as a bodyguard for his brother – even if just by looking imposing to the vast majority of people the pair encounter.

Unfortunately for the Brothers Queng, a pair of outlaws knows as Flower Neck Bachelor and Earthquake Lo are actively traveling through the Celestial Empire disguised as Queng Jian and Queng Yo. Though the outlaws have yet to perpetrate anything outrageous enough to cause the Quengs serious legal trouble, their crimes have been escalating and it is only a matter of time before they cross a line that cannot be uncrossed. Unless, that is, the Brothers Queng can catch up with them and bring them to justice.

Queng Jian

Slight of build and quick of mind and hand, Queng Jian is the consummate physician. His bedside manner is impeccable and he shows the utmost respect for his patients and their needs. Jian is a serious and sober man, with a hint of melancholy about him. Jian seeks to do as much good as he can while ever attempting to expand his understanding of the scholarly arts.

Queng Jian
STR 12 CON 11 SIZ 10 INT 17 POW 16 DEX 17 APP 12 EDU 18
Hit Points 11 Major Wound 6 Qi Points 16 Age 29

Allegiances
Buddhism 2, Chinese Folk Religion 2, Confucianism 20, Daoism 0,
Esoteric Buddhism 0, Judaism 1, Islam 0

Home Region: Lower Yangzi
Profession: Traveling Doctor

Damage Bonus: none
Weapons: Fist/Foot/Head 51%, damage 1d3
Armor: none
Skills: Healing Lore 90%, Medicine 90%, Science: Natural History 63%, Drive: Cart 45%, Research 75%, K: History 75%, Science: Alchemy 55%, K: Northern China 65%, Meditation 70%, Insight 65%, Etiquette 65%, Appraise 50%, Bargain 55%, L: Mandarin 124%, Sense 40%, Spot 55%, Brawling 51%, Martial Arts: Brawling 28%, Gaming 50%, Dodge 50%, Persuade 40%, Navigate 25%, Listen 40%, Grapple 40%, Art: Calligraphy 30%, Perform: Singing 30%, Ride: Horse 20%, K: Art History 25%, K: Folklore 20%, K: Literature 45%, K: Streetwise 24%, Literacy: Chinese 51%, L: Cantonese 24%, Status 40%

Queng Yo

The opposite of his brother in every outward aspect, the boisterous Queng Yo is practically a giant among men in China. Ever since he was young, Yo has delighted in the telling of tales and he has now managed to turn his affection for the common stories into a profession capable of providing a passable income. A talented performer, Yo lacks the serious storyteller’s attention to detail and often improvises his way through the portions of narratives that he dislikes or doesn’t remember.

Queng Yo
STR 12 CON 15 SIZ 15 INT 13 POW 11 DEX 10 APP 16 EDU 15
Hit Points 15 Major Wound 8 Qi Points 11 Age 22

Allegiances
Buddhism 0, Chinese Folk Religion 20, Confucianism 0, Daoism 1,
Esoteric Buddhism 0, Judaism 0, Islam 0

Home Region: Lower Yangzi
Profession: Storyteller

Damage Bonus: +1d4
Weapons: Fist/Foot/Head 50%, damage 1d3 +1d4
Armor: none
Skills: Persuade 70%, K: Folklore 55%, K: Chinese Folk Religion 50%, Perform: Recite 90%, Art: Calligraphy 10%, Disguise 25%, Fine Manipulation 25%, Insight 70%, K: Literature 60%, Listen 50%, Perform: Sing 55%, Bargain 55%, Brawling 50%, Grapple 30%, Dodge 45%, Gaming 35%, Healing Lore 20%, L: Mandarin 103%, Literacy: Chinese 35%, Martial Arts: Brawling 30%, Stealth 25%, Sleight of Hand 25%, Etiquette 35%, Appraise 42%, Fast Talk 33%, L: Cantonese 30%, Sense 37%, Status 35%

T&T In Spaaaaaace!

Wherein your humble scribe presents an homage to a certain introspective & philosophical scifi program from the 1970s in the form of characters written up using the 7th Edition Tunnels & Trolls rules. Because he’s a very weird man.

I’ve only played a handful of Tunnels & Trolls games in my life. And I’ve never played (or even read) Mercenaries, Spies & Private Eyes – which I believe to be essentially an iteration of the base T&T rules for modern non-fantasy gaming, though I could be wrong about that.

In any case, the core T&T rules seem ideally suited to adaptation for other genres, especially ones that (a) don’t benefit from an obsessively detailed combat system and (b) might appear on the surface to be exceptionally weird for RPGs (or, perhaps, ones lacking the appropriate degree of dour seriousness we’re all supposed to aim for as the avant garde, improvisational theatricians we’re supposed to be).

So from time to time the simplicity of T&T calls to me from the 30th Anniversary Edition’s little tin box I bought a few years back when a gas leak combined with an ice storm forced me and my wife to live in a hotel for a few days. And when that happens, I do weird things. Like write up several key cast members from a TV show I love as a test run for what it would be like to use T&T for a scifi game…

On September 13th, 1999, nuclear waste from Earth stored on the Moon’s far side exploded catastrophically, knocking the Moon out of orbit, sending it and the inhabitants of Moonbase Landau hurtling uncontrollably into space. Led by the noble Commander Ivan King and featuring a talented multicultural crew, these unintentional explorers of the universe will often come face-to-face with strange aliens, questions of cosmic importance, and even death itself.

Ivan King / Leader / Human / 2
STR 13 CON 15 DEX 14 SPD 12
INT 15 PSI 12 LK 20 CHR 18

Height 6′ 3″ Weight 195 lbs.

Adventure Points 0
Combat Adds +11

Talents Philosophy 18, Piloting 17, History 18
Languages English, Others

CommKey, Laser Pistol (4d6+16), Woven TechSuit (4)

Dr. Olympia Bertrand / Explorer / Human / 1
STR 10 CON 14 DEX 13 SPD 14
INT 17 PSI 15 LK 14 CHR 15

Height 5′ 9″ Weight 150 lbs.

Adventure Points 0
Combat Adds +5

Talents Medical 23, Dancing 15
Languages English, Others

CommKey, Medical Kit, Woven TechSuit (4)

Prof. Sigurd Ernst / Explorer / Human / 2
STR 11 CON 11 DEX 13 SPD 12
INT 21 PSI 13 LK 15 CHR 12

Height 5′ 10″ Weight 175 lbs.

Adventure Points 0
Combat Adds +5

Talents Science! 26, Philosophy 25, Religion 22
Languages English, Others

Wealth 1,000 Cr
CommKey, Woven TechSuit (4)

Chief Pilot Kevin Tate / Soldier / Human / 1
STR 15 CON 16 DEX 14 SPD 13
INT 12 PSI 9 LK 18 CHR 16

Height 5′ 11″ Weight 170 lbs.

Adventure Points 0
Combat Adds +13

Talents Piloting 22, Fisticuffs 17
Languages English

Wealth 1,000 Cr
CommKey, Laser Pistol (4d6+16), Woven TechSuit (4)

Game Notes

I changed the T&T character class names a bit (Citizen is now Explorer, Warrior is now Soldier) and turned the WIZ stat into PSI.

None of the characters above have any PSI powers, which is good, since I don’t have any idea (or inclination, at the moment) to figure out how to handle such things. The short answer is that I’d probably just use a selection of the T&T spells (renamed, probably) to represent PSI abilities and either tweak the Wizard class a bit to be a Psionicist class or else do away with it entirely and come up with some way of letting the psionics develop in other character classes.

If this were going any further I’d probably tweak the Explorer class to be more than just the Citizen class with a different name, but for now making the distinction between combatants and not-really-combatants seemed fair.

Oh, and I also upped the starting number of Talents to two in anticipation of the crew running into tough aliens who have significant stat modifiers. Those plucky humans are always showing up the creatures who should rightly kick their tails. Hmm, maybe Humans ought to have a mod to their LK stat? Maybe. But that’s a discussion for a different time.

T&T: Draago, Boris & Max Vs. The Hoolabees

Wherein your humble scribe, unable to focus on anything he’s “seriously” working on, presents a trio of 7th edition Tunnels & Trolls characters and a new monster for the game.

Max – the exceptionally charmless leprechaun – winked back to the camp where Draago and Boris were waiting for his report. The dwarf and elf were, as usual, bickering about whose ancestors slew what dragon and which of their kings would win in an arm-wrestling match, if it were held on the second moon at noon on a Tuesday. They were so involved in this same old discussion that they didn’t even notice Max’s arrival. So he did what came naturally and began to insult them both so deeply and profanely that we simply can’t reprint his words here. After the two quarreling warriors finally calmed Max down he began to tell them what he’d seen.

“Sure’n the tunnel’s up there. Tha’ old man in the tavern wasna lyin’ – even though he were wearing a skirt. In any case, there’s tree large hives hanging down from the cave entrance. I cold just make out a few o’ them green bees he tol’ us about. I was thinking that if we used some fire to smoke ’em out…”

“NO!” cried Boris. “We can’t use fire! We might burn the trees or scare the squirrels and bambis!”

“Oh damn you and yer damn nature,” replied Draago. “I’m not going to get stung just because the critters out here might get upset over a little fire.”

“Well, y’see lads,” Max continued, “Here’s the problem. Just as I was about to pop back over here, a right big hoor of a troll came out of th’ cave, whacked the nests and went back inside. So the bees are buzzin’ all o’er the front of the cave noo.

“What a terrible creature! Using those poor little fuzzy bees for her own evil ends!” hissed the elf.

“No more terrible than yer own Queen Silvermoonleafraindrop. I’m sure you recall your own history well enough to remember when that foul witch enslaved a full army of…”

“Right! You two! Shut it! Noo! We’re going to have to face the damn bees, lads. Rather than goin’ on and on about your insipid histories, let’s figure out what we need to do to get inside tha’ cave and get our hands on herself’s piles o’ gold.”

Draago / Warrior / Dwarf / 2
STR 20 CON 24 DEX 11 SPD 13
INT 10 WIZ 8 LK 9 CHR 11

Height 3′ 7″ Weight 300 lbs.

Adventure Points 0
Combat Adds +11

Talents Gambling 14
Languages Common, Dwarven

Wealth 10 gp
Dwarven War Axe (6d+13), Buckler (6), Soft Leather Armor (10)

Boris / Warrior / Elf / 1
STR 17 CON 10 DEX 15 SPD 10
INT 12 WIZ 30 LK 18 CHR 22

Height 6′ 1″ Weight 134 lbs.

Adventure Points 0
Combat Adds +15

Talents Archery 20
Languages Common, Elven

Wealth 5 gp
Medium Longbow (4d+18) & Sheaf of Arrows, Broadsword (3d+24), Scale Mail (16)

Max / Wizard / Leprechaun / 2
STR 5 CON 13 DEX 15 SPD 9
INT 21 WIZ 15 LK 17 CHR 5

Height 2′ 7″ Weight 50 lbs.

Adventure Points 0
Combat Adds +4

Magic Wink-Wing (innate), All 1st Level Spells

Talents Persuasion 11
Languages Common, Leprechaun, 9 more

Wealth 100 gp
Shillelagh (2d+4), Brass Knuckles (2d+4), Quilted Silk Armor (3)

Hoolabee Swarm
Monster Rating: 44/ 88 / 176
Combat Dice: 5d6 +22 / 9d6 +44 / 18d6 +88
Special Damage: 1/2 Those Hoolabee stings sure do sting!
Special Abilities: Fly Me – Not surprisingly, Hoolabees can fly. Hard To Hit – Missile attacks against a Hoolabee Swarm are very difficult – double the level of the DEX save needed to hit them with such weapons.

Hoolabees are small, aggressive flying insects whose sting (which does not cause them to die) packs a painful punch. An individual hoolabee is about 1″ long and distinguished from other more common bees by the deep green “tufts” of fuzz that encircle their abdomens. The potency of a hoolabee swarm is entirely dependent upon its size.

The Demons Of Adad Untash: The End

And so, with today’s posting of [link id=’1339′ text=’the Emperor’] and [link id=’1338′ text=’his Queen’], the Demons of Adad Untash series (for Labyrinth Lord, etc.) here at Strange Stones has come to an end.

It took me nearly a year (far from uninterrupted) to bang these baddies out, and believe me, I’m spent. It’s hard work dwelling in the Halls of Dust and Darkness! I do intend to package them all up in a PDF before too long, but you can pretty safely bet you won’t see such a tome tomorrow 🙂

My next big goal is to similarly complete (and eventually PDF) the Tlactoztlan setting for Barbarians of Lemuria. I can’t promise a specific date or anything, but that’s definitely my most significant target right now. But don’t worry, Nogoloth will continue getting love, and I’m bound to keep hacking away at all kinds of other things, too. But for this one brief moment, I feel pretty good for actually having completed this series.

I’m not entirely sure how your fine folks out there can best use these demons, but I hope you do find a way to work them into your games somehow. Personally, I always envisioned that they’d be used in a more “traditional” fantasy setting (in your old-school game of choice) as something that Ye Olde Evil Wizard® or perhaps Those Wacky Cultists® might unleash upon the world. But maybe they could make an appearance in a delightfully odd Stars Without Number game? Or be found ruling over a ruined Mutant Future world? That’s the great thing about having produced them for Labyrinth Lord. There are so many places they can go with very little conversion work needed.

So if by some chance you do wind up siccing them on your unsuspecting players, I’d sure love to hear how things went down. I’m all ears… wait, that gives me an idea for a new Demon Lord! No, not really 🙂

p.s. Happy GM’s Day and all the joy and sorrow it entails.