BoL, etc. Characters: Monster Hunters (Three Different Ones)

Drawing on all the BoL-based products, including Dicey Tales, Dogs of WAR, Legends of Steel, Barbarians of the Aftermath, and (of course) Barbarians of Lemuria itself, one can do a lot of things. With that in mind, and with my thoughts turning to working on some kind of game to run at the end of October, here’s a trio of gentlemen who (completely independent of one another) make their living hunting down things that go bump in the night.

Colonel Horst Kosmos

A retired army officer from the dark forests of Eastern Europe, Col. Horst Kosmos has sworn to rid the world of the curse of vampirism. He travels with a hunchbacked companion named Doctor Jorst, and is an accomplished swordsman.

Horst Kosmos / Lifeblood 11 / Hero Points 3
Attributes: Strength 1 Agility 1 Mind 1 Appeal 1
Combat Abilities: Brawl 0 Melee 3 Ranged 0 Defense 1
Careers: Soldier 2, Slayer 1, Priest 0, Noble 1
Boons: Edged Weapon Specialist, Fearless, Uncanny Tracker
Flaws: Taciturn
Languages: Transylvanian, German
Equipment: Sword (d6), Dagger (d3)

Agent David Malder

An FBI agent who works almost exclusively on cases with possible paranormal connections, David Malder is obsessed with conspiracies, psychic phenomena, aliens, and anything else that is sneered at by his fellow agents.

David Malder / Lifeblood 11 / Hero Points 5
Attributes: Strength 1 Agility 2 Mind 1 Appeal 0
Combat Abilities: Brawl 0 Melee 0 Ranged 2 Defense 2
Careers: Espionage Agent 1, Law Enforcement 1, Scholar 1, Occultist 1
Boons: Forensics, Detect Deception
Flaws: Unsettling
Languages: English, Latin
Equipment: Medium Pistol (d6), Badge

Dr. Paul Vankman

Paul Vankman is part of an organization dedicated to capturing and containing ghosts, spirits, and other manifestations of psychokinetic energy that infest New York City. Though his partners are serious eggheads, Vankman has more of the conman about him.

Paul Vankman / Lifeblood 10 / Hero Points 5
Attributes: Strength 0 Agility 0 Mind 2 Appeal 2
Combat Abilities: Brawl 1 Melee 0 Ranged 2 Defense 1
Careers: Academic 2, Scientist 1, Administrator 0, Faceman 1
Boons: Bluff, Natural Leader, Fearless
Flaws: Hot Shot, Lecherous
Languages: English, French, Italian
Equipment: Protonic PKE Blaster (d6+1), PKE Detector

Mini Six Luchas: Earthquake & Volcano

Wherein your humble scribe presents a couple of good guy luchadores whipped up for Mini Six. Remember that the “Signature Move” perk costs 2 skill dice and allows the character to double the results of one Brawling roll per combat.

El Terremoto

El Terremoto (Earthquake) is a rudo turned good-guy. He used to be the arch-nemesis of El Ángel de Oro, but changed his ways after several other rudos betrayed him and let him serve hard time rather than bust him out of prison in Tijuana. Now El Terremoto fights for truth, justice, and the Mexican way alongside the other defenders of Mexico.

El Terremoto
The Strongest Luchador In All Mexico
Might 5D Agility 3D
Wit 2D Charm 2D
Skills: Brawling 6D, Toughness 6D, Dodge 4D, Melee 5D+1, Muscle 5D+1, Athletics 3D+1, Drive 4D, Intimidation 3D
Perks: Signature Move: Groundbreaker Suplex
Complications: None
Gear: none of significance
Static: Dodge 12, Block 18, Parry 15
Armor: none

El Volcán

El Volcán (Volcano) is a cocky, arrogant tecnico who is all too likely to lose a fight if a pretty lady flashes him a smile from the audience. Though he truly means well, El Volcán just can’t keep his mind in the ring and is far more interested in the perks of being a famous luchador than putting in the work needed to be a truly exceptional wrestler.

El Volcán
A Womanizing Luchador With Flair
Might 3D Agility 3D+2
Wit 2D Charm 3D+1
Skills: Brawling 3D+1, Athletics 4D, Toughness 3D+1, Dodge 5D+2, Persuasion 3D+2, Seduce 4D
Perks: Signature Move: Eruption Jump, Flair!
Complications: Womanizer
Gear: none of significance
Static: Dodge 17, Block 10, Parry 9
Armor: none

New Perk: Flair Costing one skill die, this perk grants a +1 to all Charm skills except Intimidate and Streetwise so long as there’s an opportunity for the character to be flamboyant. Where others might look stupid being flashy, the character somehow makes it work. GMs should feel free to disallow the bonus from this perk if the player doesn’t give a reasonable effort to roleplay the part.

Metal Mixtape

So 8tracks.com seems like a cool way to share music. I just started playing with it after discovering it this afternoon. Here’s my first mix:

I don’t listen to Metal exclusively (or even predominantly) by any means. But it’s always fun for geeking. I might just get around to making more mixes. If I do, you’ll find ’em here. I figure my first challenge will be a nice 80s New Wave mix for the infamous Doctor Rotwang. I’ll do it tomorrow…

Pulp BoL Characters: Justice, Inc.

Thanks to Dicey Tales, it’s easier than it already would have been to use the Barbarians of Lemuria system for cool pulp action. And since I’m a sucker for such things (my best and longest-running campaign was a very serialized Justice, Inc. game back in the early 90s), I thought I’d post a trio of BoL/Dicey Tales characters. These three are not dissimilar from some characters who appeared in those games.

Enjoy this little trip for biscuits, amigos.

Erik Kane

Dr. Erik Kane is a professor of French and Latin at a prestigious New England university. He is also a rather dedicated occultist and seeker after hidden wisdom. He has seen zombies in San Francisco.

Erik Kane / Lifeblood 10 / Hero Points 5
Attributes: Strength 0 Agility 2 Mind 2 Appeal 0
Combat Abilities: Brawl 0 Melee 2 Ranged 0 Defense 2
Careers: Academic 2, Occultist 1, Aristocrat 1, Scientist 0
Boons: Learned (Occult), Trademark Weapon (Sword Cane)
Flaws: Sense Of Honor
Languages: English, French, Spanish, Latin, Greek
Equipment: Sword Cane (d6)

Jerry Drake

Jerry Drake (né Yaron Drachmann) is a talented but troubled baseball player from New York City. He has the uncanny ability to be nearby just about any time Dr. Kane needs a little muscle. He, too, has seen zombies in San Francisco.

Jerry Drake / Lifeblood 12 / Hero Points 5
Attributes: Strength 2 Agility 2 Mind 0 Appeal 0
Combat Abilities: Brawl 1 Melee 2 Ranged 0 Defense 1
Careers: Athlete 3, Vagabond 1, Mechanic 0, Shopkeeper 0
Boons: Strong Will, Cast-Iron Guts
Flaws: Bad Reputation
Languages: English, Yiddish, German
Equipment: Baseball Bat (d6+2), .32 Revolver (d6-1)

Lincoln Stone

Lincoln Stone is an investigative journalist and general trouble-maker based in San Francisco’s Chinatown area. Stone has more enemies than friends these days and often holds up in his apartment hiding from Mrs. Chun, his very angry landlady.

Lincoln Stone / Lifeblood 11 / Hero Points 5
Attributes: Strength 1 Agility 0 Mind 1 Appeal 2
Combat Abilities: Brawl 2 Melee 0 Ranged 1 Defense 1
Careers: Journalist 2, Sailor 1, Academic 1, Tradesman 0
Boons: Fist Fighter, Bluff, Contacts
Flaws: Anger Issues, Drink Issues
Languages: English, Chinese, Japanese, Spanish
Equipment: 9mm Pistol (d6+1)

LL/AEC Rogues Gallery: The Mujzhad’arin Five

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.

Well met in Mujzhad, the members of this colorful company of adventurers come from the various lands to the east of The City of Spices, where non-human races seldom travel. The story of their first encounter with a band of dwarven merchants in the central souq quickly became an oft-requested tale popular amongst the storytellers who travel with the caravans that cross the deserts of the East. Following the map given to them by a strange beggar in the streets of Omaq, the Mujzhad’arin Five are now headed deep into the Western steppes in search of the lost vault of Uvisorg Vaba, the Dark Alchemist of Mredvechla.

Ohsmaan / Human Fighter 1 NG
Head Gear: Open-faced helm adorned with boar tusks
STR 16 INT 14 WIS 9 DEX 9 CON 14 CHR 15
HP 11 AC 4 Gold 16
Chain Mail, Shield, Spear, Hand Axe

Taal’aat / Human Fighter 1 N
Head Gear: Plain helm featuring a mask of an expressionless human face
STR 16 INT 11 WIS 12 DEX 13 CON 11 CHR 9
HP 10 AC 3 Gold 10
Chain Mail, Shield, Longsword, Silver Dagger

Hazhir / Human Cleric 1 CG
Head Gear: Yellow bedouin-style headwrap
STR 13 INT 14 WIS 15 DEX 4 CON 11 CHR 12
HP 8 AC 5 Gold 128
Studded Leather Armor, Shield, Mace, Sling & 10 Bullets, Silver Holy Symbol
Cleric Spells: Create Water, Cure Light Wounds, Detect Evil

Daasha / Human Thief 1 CN
Head Gear: Conical spiral hat
STR 8 INT 13 WIS 6 DEX 16 CON 10 CHR 11
HP 6 AC 6 Gold 73
Leather Armor, Scimitar, 2 Daggers, Shortbow & 20 Arrows, Thieves’ Tools

Baatar / Human Magic-User 1 LE
Head Gear: Demon-masked samurai-style helmet
STR 11 INT 18 WIS 5 DEX 11 CON 13 CHR 9
HP 5 AC 9 Gold 99
Silver Dagger, 2 Daggers, 10 Darts, Spellbook
Magic-User Spells: Comprehend Languages, Message, Read Magic

Happy Stand-Alone-Aversary To Me!

Cthulhu Cake by raingirllori on Flickr

One year ago today I cut the cord from WordPress.com and launched this here “stand alone” iteration of StrangeStones.com. It’s been an eventful year, complete with several job changes and a period of savings-breaking unemployment (which, on the plus side, yielded much more content than I’ve been able to produce since rejoining the workforce, c’est la guerre).

I keep hoping I’ll be able to get back into a serious swing, but for the moment, all I have to offer is my charming demeanor and the occasional tidbit for whatever game catches my fancy at the moment. With any luck, ~~the impending arrival of a shiny new (and deeply discounted) HP TouchBook will somehow make my life easier and~~ I’ll be able to bang out even more fun stuff for your twisted little eyes to feast upon.

Meanwhile, why not spin your way through some of the Strange Stones back catalog, like the Demons of Adad Untash (demony goodness for Labyrinth Lord), the Labyrinth Lord Rogues Gallery, Tlactoztlan (a Meso American setting for Barbarians of Lemuria), my series of 5 Room Dungeons for Mini Six/Open D6, or the Downloads page (where, amongst the other artifacts, you can find regular reader G-Man’s outstanding BoL adventures)?

I won’t even attempt to predict the future of what you might find here at Strange Stones, but if the stars are really right and the Big C himself doesn’t come eat my soul, there might just be some more Nogoloth, November Company, and Narakam action headed your way. Or maybe just some stuff that doesn’t start with the letter N.

Cheers, amigos!

Mini Six Character: Dirty Dan McCallum

Wherein your humble scribe presents an NPC for a theoretical Mini Six-powered western.

Arguably the nicest bounty hunter on either side of the Mississippi, Daniel McCallum earned his nickname because of his perpetually dust-covered clothes, not because of his demeanor. Dan has more than once let a bounty go free when there’s a good hard-luck story involved. Truth be told, Dan is a might bit gullible and word is starting to get out to that effect. Fortunately, McCallum doesn’t actually need the money he stands to collect from any given bounty – that money he stole from the Union Army payroll back in the Civil War keeps him quite comfortable. Of course, there’s always a chance that someone might put two and two together…

Daniel “Dirty Dan” McCallum
Just about the nicest bounty hunter in the west
Might 2D+2 Agility 3D+2
Wit 2D Charm 3D+2
Skills: Lifting 3D, Brawling 4D, Dodge 4D+1, Riding 4D, Pistols 4D, Lasso 4D, Streetwise 4D, Survival 3D, Tracking 3D, Con 4D, Disguise 4D, Animal Handling 4D, First Aid 2D+1
Perks: Wealthy
Complications: Skeletons In The Closet
Gear: Colt .45 (4D+1), Sawed Off 12-guage (6D), Bowie Knife (3D), Horse
Static: Dodge 13, Block 9, Parry 8
Strength Damage: 2D
Body Points: 32
Armor: Leather Longcoat (3)

BotA Character: Jong-Kyu, The Jade Horseman

Wherein your humble scribe presents an NPC for Narakam, his Barbarians of the Aftermath setting.

Riding south from the shining city of Bu – the last bastion of science and technology in the outer realms – comes Jong-Kyu, the Jade Horseman. A powerful warrior with the heart of a poet and the calculating mind of a scientist, Jong-Kyu seeks to uncover the true, scientific history of Narakam. The Jade Horseman fears no creature of the wastes nor any science or magic possessed by the Varna or the Deva. This bold adventurer’s thirst for knowledge will bring him to the Gates of Wisdom and the Doors of Understanding, and though those temples be guarded by powers unguessed, Jong-Kyu will conquer them or die trying.

Jong-Kyu / Lifeblood 12 / Hero Points 5
Genotype: Pariah (Wastelander Human)
Attributes: Strength 2 Agility 1 Mind 2 Appeal 0
Combat Abilities: Brawl 0 Melee 2 Ranged 1 Defense 1
Careers: Barbarian 1, Beast Rider 1, Scientist 1, Poet 1
Boons: The Strong Survive, Slasher
Flaws: Honorable
Languages: Pariah, Varna
Equipment: Light Pistol (d6), Sword (d6+2), Very Light Armor (d3-1)

BoL Character: Paragon

Wherein your humble scribe presents a Barbarians of Lemuria character he put together based on the theoretical protagonist of the classic pinball games Lost World and Paragon.

Descending from the cave cities of the Golden Cliffs, to challenge the dragons of Pal, comes Paragon! Cursed with a chaotic touch of blood madness by the demon Gorgar after defeating the denizens of the Valley of Demons, Paragon stands out from the rest of humanity due to his powerful bat-like wings.

At the edge of the great waterfall, Paragon saved the life of Princess Balli, rescuing her from the slavering jaws of The Beast. Now, despite the reticence of King Faris, Paragon serves as her personal champion (and consort, oh yeah).

What bold adventures will Paragon face in the future? Will the king tire of his daughter’s infatuation with the untamed barbarian? None can say, except perhaps for the foul Gorgar, who still has plans for the bat-winged warrior…

Paragon / Lifeblood 14 / Hero Points 5
Attributes: Strength 2 Agility 1 Mind 1 Appeal 0
Combat Abilities: Brawl 1 Melee 2 Ranged 0 Defense 1
Careers: Barbarian 2, Tracker 1, Champion 1, Noble 0
Boons: Flight (Bat Wings), Hard to Kill
Flaws: Berserker Rage
Languages: Golclish, Pallian
Equipment: Sword (d6+2), Battle Axe (d6+4), Light armor, d3 (Battle Harness, Helmet)

Swords & Sorcery Pinball

Remember pinball? The folks at Pinballz Arcade in Austin sure do. They’ve got some great older games, including a Star Trek: The Motion Picture-themed machine and one for the Six Million Dollar Man. But the coolest stuff had to be these crazy late 70s/early 80s fantasy-flavored games.

Lost World and Paragon appeared to be part of a series featuring the same horned-helmet wearing barbarian who just happened to be gifted with leathery, green bat wings. I wanna play that guy. Actually, there might just be an entire setting that could be built from the names and situations show on these pinball machines. I’ll have to go back to Pinballz with more of an eye towards making notes sometime.

Sadly, the Gorgar machine was out of order today. But it’s bound to be aces, too.