While I've been crossposting to ENWorld and my Blogger Account, I have just been accepted into the Comment Luv testing of the new WP software. So, if you've enjoyed my posts in the past, or just want to assist in the updating of this killer app, please check out the link provided above and here so that they can see additional numbers on traffic.

Slainte,

-Loonook.

Loonook

Okay... to prevent spoilers from occurring I'm just going to post this short blurb for now.

I got to go see Terminator Salvation as part of a pre-screening sort of event... and I have to say I'd give it a 7/10.

The movie is a good popcorn film... but there's a reason why it is being released in May rather than during the swing of the Summer Blockbuster season . In comparison to the last film? Much better.

However, it misses a lot of the oomph of Terminator 1 & 2.

I will say that the saving grace of the film is the ridiculous dialogue and some of the forced use of references to the earlier films... You are going to LOVE Christian Bale as Bruce Connor .

Great FX, cheesy acting... good times.

Probably going to get to see plenty of other pre-screenings due to a friend always looking for a +1... so when able I will post here .

Slainte,

-Loonook.

Loonook

Just writing this up as the beginnings of an adventure arc:

The players serve an elderly adventurer who has taken interest in a specific item from her youth. This item, a fidelia (or loyalty ring), was purloined when she was young. The players delve deeply into her past, finding a tale of love, loss, distrust, bigotry, (in/)justice, and debts long waiting to be repaid. The series of Adventures and sidequests are meant to take players from 1st through 6th level, and will include the following:

-1st-2nd level: The Hazards of Love: Eleanor Walstaff, a talented arcanist and wise woman in the town of Harback, has requested the aid of the players to retrieve a lost trinket of her youth. Using a sympathetic charm placed on the ring, the players are led to a Janilia Foxfend, a young lady of the evening in a city miles from Harback. The lady in question has found nothing but ill luck with the bauble, and the players must track down the lady's affairs and save her from a dangerous situation with a local ne'r'do'well and his lackeys.

-2nd to 3rd: A Heart Hangs: The charm seemingly disappears, and Janilia tells the tale of her father (the man who had given her the ring in hopes that its charm would find her love). The item is traced to its next victim, a man who has taken on too many interested parties. One of these parties, a cruel witchwoman, realizes the player's motives and sets her servants upon them in hopes of retrieving the token for herself.

-3rd to 4th: The Tale of the Rake: Having learned the trickery of the trinket and its fatal consequences, the players find themselves faced with one of its twists; a talented rogue and former acquaintance of Walstaff who is hunted by the spirits of his family. In uncovering the story of his trials, the players are pointed towards the true source of its enchantment.

4th to 5th: To Claim His Due: The story fully unfolds as the players race against the forces following the charm and its creator. The legend of the Walstaff line is uncovered, and the players face off against the true cause of this mess.

Loonook

Backroads: Modern Druids Pt. 1: The William Westmoreland Memorial Park and Cock-eyed Charlie.

I have been debating writing these Backroads articles for awhile. I figured I would start with Druids as the ideas have been running through my head since I woke up this morning. This will be a series of character sketches of various people who could be found in a game featuring America as its major focus (though we will also probably have a few representatives from other locales over time). This is the first; a mid-level druid in repose by the name of Cock-eyed Charlie. Enjoy.

Yeah... it's tongue in cheek, naming it after that man. But if it hadn't been his damned plan then I would have never found myself. I lost a lot of friends in those days, so I raise a can to ya Westie... I guess I'll see you in Hell.
(ret.) Msgt. Charles Witney Carlson, aka Cock-eyed Charlie.

The old factory town of Darling, South Carolina used to boast one of the highest rates of employment in the US. Out of its 34,000 residents there were rarely a dozen fit, able men and women without a job. Reduced to poverty with the closing of the Essex Glassworks factory in 1959, the town fell into the classic spiral of want and desperation which has passed through hundred such towns over the course of Charles W. Carlson's lifetime. A sharp-minded spry young man, Charles came back from Vietnam with a Silver Star, two fouled legs, and a constantly askew perception. Carlson also came back from the conflict with talents which would lead him to being one of the most renowned spellslingers in his region.

On March 3rd, 1968 Carlson, a well-respected young non-com, found himself in an ambush with his unit just outside of a city near the border with North Vietnam. After two days of exchanged fire, Carlson and his men finally took their objective; a large tactically vital position deep in the town center. After congratulating his men and walking into the building, a Viet Cong demolitions expert exploded several charges inside of the structure, causing its collapse. Carlson was the only survivor of the explosion, and was taken into custody.

For two years Carlson spent his days being beaten and examined. A fellow prisoner, a young Khmer soldier who had attempted to defect to the Americans for assistance in getting his family out of Cambodia, had a faint understanding of English, and the two began a shaky relationship based on their mutual love for baseball and Carlson's budding interest in the religion of the Asian continent. His friend, who he refers to simply as Surin, began to regale him with stories of his own people and their spiritual practices. After awhile Carlson began to guess that his friend truly believed the stories as they were presented, and would ask whether any of these stories had a basis in reality. This question was met with sighs and the occasional near-toothless smile of a weary comrade-in-struggle.

On May 5th 1970 the prison camp was said to have been overrun by vermin. Guards were seemingly eaten alive, and two men claiming to be prisoners of war were picked up by a group of American GI on leave in a safe zone 150 miles from the border of North Vietnam. Carlson and Surin made it out alive, but both were extremely beaten. Carlson's eyes, never returning to their original focus, became a symbol of quiet ridicule amongst the men in his newly adopted unit, and his limping gait earned him a medical leave to the States. Carlson was jounced around to several different locations until he was finally honorably discharged in 1976 with disability.

Carlson's newfound talents made him a party of interest to several groups who studied esoterica; indeed, the so-called Rainbow Companies (groups of Servicemen (and women) who used their mystic talents to stem the tide of Shadow influence in the US) attempted to recruit him to their ranks. A quiet retirement followed for the injured veteran, and he now keeps a modest memorial park at the site of the former Essex Glassworks.

Cock-eyed Charlie, as he is known in the bars and roustabout areas in the region, is a quiet, gravely man who is a renowned horticulturist. He is involved in veteran's causes, and goes on 'tours of duty' gathering money for 4H and agricultural interests in the South. Wolfish in a clean suit that shows the man who once wore the uniform of the Service, Charlie spends most of his time in personal exile in a small cottage just outside of the Memorial. The Memorial is dominated by a large tree native to Vietnam, and a statue of Westmoreland in repose beneath the tree, seemingly contemplating his life and all that has passed.

The Memorial serves as a stop for many esoterica scholars. Charlie has great talents in plant and spirit-based magics; he has served in roles as varied as the author of Spirits of the Indochina Peninsula, and a talented mentor to a dozen hedge wizards and conjure women who live in the state. Charlie is also a member of the Circle of Thorns, a group of mystics who protect the Americas through the creation of great workings. The Grove is a healthy, vibrant place, and the weather within 50 miles of Darling is considered a microclimate all its own; calm, warm, and quiet.

Charlie would like to keep it that way.

Loonook

Cold grey walls, long unadorned corridors, and the sounds of children weeping. Slow moving bundles of rags, servants dressed in shifts of heavy wool and arms wrapped in silvery chain... this is the Hospice, the home of the Prophet of Sucur.

The Hospice, born out of a treaty formed after a battle between Imperial forces and outsiders long hidden behind the Veil, is the home to those beings known as the Children of Sucur. Born of the tomb and living lives of renunciation, the Children and their leader provide a vital service to the Empire and the Prime: they are observers, recorders, and keepers of secrets found deep within the halls of the dead.

Ashy gray skin the color of gravestones marks these children, who are raised from the age of five in the cold corridors of Hospice. Their leader, the child Prophet, rules this place and takes in those who have been changed by the forces of death. Those who have fought the curse of undeath are given a choice; serve at the Hospice, or be driven before stake and sword.

Skinwalkers, men who have tasted blood but not taken on the Cloak of Midnight, and the occasional walking dead serve the Prophet and his Children, helping to preserve the protective wards which sit in a cave deep beneath the Hospice.

---

The Prophet of Sucur has survived war, peace, and a dozen attempts on his life. The living embodiment of the divine will, the Prophet has served in his position since he was a young 'demon-tainted' horseborn in a Mescari encampment thousands of miles from the heart of the Empire. The Mescarin religion is based around a structure of meritocratic ancestral worship; indeed, many attempted to kill the boy known as The-winds-Speak for the betterment of their tribe.

The-Winds-Speak could call forces, speak to shades in the abandoned temples of the Kulna Plains, knew the names of spirits and called them to his aid.

From The Tenets of Sucur

He was an outcast amongst his people, and thus took to his ministry. A wandering priest, seeing his talent, brought him to a young warrior-poet in the far West, a brutal man who had never spoken of the Preserver.

With the light of Sucur he called forth the man's true spirit, and in it dwelt the strength of the lion twined with the will of the bull.

The Prophet and his Warden walked the paths of the world before coming to the Imperial Host. They had gathered a following ten thousand strong when they came into the city... and their people were granted asylum there, and dwelt within the heart of the Emperor's grace.

The Prophet has held that grace through many Emperors and their reigns. Small concessions to his will keep the Imperial Host in the grace and provenance of the Prophet, and though many would grant Sucuran worship exclusive purview of worship in the Empire, the Prophet has never made such a request.

---

The Prophet of Sucur, and the Children of the Hospice, are living constructs of faith and essence. A step between humans and Outsiders, they are Neutral parties to the goings on of the world. Their true power, however, comes from the admixture of their talents. Each has a pervasive calming aura, and their talents manifest themselves in a raw show of eldritch force or a deep contact with the mind.

Those who bind themselves to the hand of the Prophet are treated as Warlocks, and serve as the Hands of the Prophet. Those who guard the secrets of Hospice are Psions and Wilder, using their unique talents to bind the strengthen the Paths which lie within the Hospice's shallow planar depths.

For a further discussion of Hospice... next post :-p.

Loonook

Cross-posted to Good Gaming Blog

To those who are unawares of the Blog Carnival, it is a great exposure device. This month's Carnival is all about Resolutions

I have attempted to write this blog post several times without coming off as snooty. Perhaps it is the sickness which has curtailed most of my writing efforts for the past weeks, or perhaps it is just the cloudiness of the medications which are getting me through said sickness, but I find it difficult to deliver this piece of flotsam advice in a manner becoming of the true gist of the whole piece. Mostly this came from sitting in bed discussing gaming with a friend across the world online at the moment when 2008 drew to a close.

I was bedridden (and remained so until yesterday) and miserable, and they were fighting off a considerable amount of alcoholic bliss to continue the discussion. We discussed the GG Blog, a couple of other pieces, the newest things in various editions and rulesets... then we began to discuss a horrific DM experience which my friend had had in his travels. We'll not discuss the horrors of said experience too deep . . . suffice to say, it was bad enough that I became woozy and ill-at-ease from laughing too hard at 1 in the morning. We both wondered why DMs suck so badly these days, and why there are so few 'good gamers' out in the hinterlands with the spread of the Internet and its bounty of information.

The next day I had my resolution; I will convert a group of players to competent DMs in the next year. I will take a group of players who seem to be the worst, most despicable 'Bad News Bears' group of ne'r-do-wells in the history of gaming and I will turn at least half of the group into solid DMs.

And here's why it will never work . . .

Learning to be a good DM doesn't start in a vacuum. It doesn't start with your first game, and it doesn't start with someone telling you all of the secrets of the process. I could write a hundred articles on this blog and have it be more popular than Google . . . yet I cannot make any individual reader a better DM than they themselves want to be. I feel I lucked out in my gaming experience, as I would guess most allegedly good DMs would attest, and had a perfect storm of good, reliable players, great DMs, and a location which was fit for play at the worst of times and amazingly suited for gaming at the best.

Environment can produce great DMs, but it also takes a lot of work. For every good session I run I had probably ten horrific, pre-teen nightmare wish fulfillment games that I either played in or (to my horror in admittance) DM'ed in my younger days. For every good artifact or backstory I've probably burned through a hundred poor, ill-fitting, or just silly ideas. I utilize tropes, backwards concepts, archaic gaming jargon and styles . . .

but I learned at the heels of giants. Guys who were unrepentant destroyers of PCs, whose various story arcs could inspire madness just in their labyrinthine twistings and turnings. I had the luck of spending a couple of years with a safety net, a couple of campaigns of being a co-DM to some of the worst PC beatdowns I have seen to this day.

And that doesn't really exist anymore. In this gaming culture there are too many players, DMs, and writers who believe that everything just comes together. Decades of experience behind me, I can tell you that if that were the case most of the bloggers on RPG topics would be sitting on gold-plated thrones dispensing wisdom via ruby-keyed laptops while sipping the finest colas from chalices shaped like d12s.

I own none of these things, and it saddens me.

My Resolution is to form a new group, bringing in some of the best players and DMs I can find, and then indoctrinating some of these new players into the ways of the old. And then, maybe, showing these snowflakes a little of how it's done.

Slainte,

-Loonook.

Loonook

Step 2: Effects, the Artist and Pygmalia.

Objects – Most Knacks produce Effects. Effects are the output of any use of a Knack, and they remain for the duration. At any point, a character may have a number of Effects powered equal to triple his Breath rating. This does not mean that a character need have only that many Effects in play; an Artist, for example, may produce multiple Pygmalia for different purposes, or use Aesthetic to improve multiple effects. However, only so many Effects may be currently 'powered' at any point. Effects close to the character must be powered up first; thus, a Hobo may have hundreds of Signs spread around the country, but most likely only the Signs found in his current locale are active at the current time.

An Effect may be granted a more Permanent effect for the cost of Experience. Such an Effect becomes known as an Object. An Object may be passed on to others, granted as a tool, but it comes with a price.

While an Effect serves only to benefit, an Object comes with both a Boon and a Bane. The Boon (the Effect) remains the same; the Bane, however, is an effect determined by the Talespinner (DM) which links the Object to its Effect, its creator, or the substance it is made from. An Object comes at the cost of the Effect's Power * 15.

A Hobo Sign (Pennies from Heaven) allows for a Hobo to have access to enough money to get by as long as the Hobo keeps the effect active. The Hobo wishes to grant this effect to another; he makes a small leather satchel, marks it with the Sign on the interior, and binds the Effect to the Object (with an expenditure of experience. This magic wallet comes with a price however; others don't trust such a suspiciously well-heeled gentleman. Any social interactions the wallet's bearer has with the public suffer a -3 penalty to their dice pool. This item costs 30 XP to produce (as Pennies from Heaven is a 2nd Level Hobo Sign).

Example of Notation of Knacks Effects:

Name (Knack Level) (Tied to: [Attribute] + [Skill]) [Controlled by [Attribute, Skill, or Knack +/- (Difficulty Alteration)]

Name: The Knack itself. If there is a (Knack Level), this is an ability which the Knack allows a character to produce. A character must have this rating to perform this specific use of the Knack.

(Tied to: [Attribute] + [Skill]) These are the Attribute and Skill which are combined in a roll to perform the Knack.

[Controlled by [Attribute, Skill, or Knack +/- (Difficulty Alteration) This is the Attribute, Skill, or Knack which determines the amount of Successes required for the Knack to succeed. Knacks are balanced against other talents.


The Artist -



“I am that which I create . . . I am a swirl of color, the dash of pen, the markings upon my body. I am the cut which rends, the seal which binds, and the forge which burns.”
Arnold Pith, Artist.

Those born on Saturday must make their ways in life, but the Artist learns to draw, carve, or paint his way to eternity. With his masteries of Inspiration, Creation, and his unique Aesthetic, an Artist can separate the essence of being into a quantifiable item. While Builders forge using Craft, Artists use a combination of their skills to produce Pygmalia, living embodiments of their spirit. Passionate, calculating, or simply through chance, the Artist uses their talent to make the world they live in a place which reflects their own design.

Tied Abilities: Breath, Bearing, Bile. Artists have strong whims; whether the Artist is in control of them or vice versa is up to the player. Most enjoy the company of the Artist, and his unique ability to place his soul within his works separates the Artist from most other Knacks.


–
Unique Ability: Aesthetic (Tied to: Breath + Creativity [Controlled by Appropriate Skill]) -

An artist may use Aesthetic to make something better than it once was. Through the use of Aesthetic, the Artist alters his own or another's Object, in effect making the Object more than it once was.

Usage: An Artist expends a single point of Destiny and focuses on an Object. Using tools appropriate to the Object, the Artist grants an additional Boon or Bane to the object if he passes an Aesthetic Test equal to the Object's Power. An Artist may only attempt an Aesthetic check on an Object if his Aesthetic rating is at the same level as the Object's Power – 1, and his rating in the appropriate Skill tied to the Object is equal to the Object's Power. The Boon or Bane granted is equal

Example: An Artist with a Breath of 3, Creativity and Craft ranks of 2, and an Aesthetic of 3 comes across a Hobo Sign (Pennies from Heaven). The magic wallet is useful, but its bane has become difficult to deal with for the Artist. Pennies from Heaven is a Level 2 Hobo Sign, and thus the Artist must have at least one point of Aesthetic. The Artist makes a roll of 5 dice, making two successes (enough to beat both the Craft and Knack requirements). The Artist succeeds in improving the wallet, reducing the effect of the Bane (to -2). If this were a definable Boon effect, the Artist could improve the Boon's power by a factor appropriate to the item.

An Artist's Aesthetic fades with time and opinion; each time the Artist applies Aesthetic to another item, he must make a Breath check against the closest enhanced item's Power. If this roll fails, the previous Aesthetic effect is lost.

Aesthetic may not be applied to the same item twice, save to replace an older version of the Aesthetic, or by a more power Artist affecting a more powerful Change.
–

Pygmalia (Skill) – (Creation 2, Tied to: Breath + Craft [Controlled by Relevant Skill + 2]). Cost: 10*(Relevant skill Rank) XP.

“A work of art is fine, but I prefer something more. . . practical.”
-Melinda Carlisle, Artist.

Pygmalia, also known as Servitors, are pieces of art made reality. The ultimate achievement of the Artist, Pygmalia are created via a ritual which can take hours or days to complete. An Artist must be focused on the creation exclusively.

A Pygmalia is akin to a Spirit made into an objet d'art. Pygmalia are the artist's will made flesh, and they provide benefits to rolls made while the Artist is in a Pygmalia's presence.

Usage: The Artist expends a Destiny point, and makes the check. Each set of rolls takes one day.

Success: If the Pygmalia is a success, the Artist has a boon companion. The creature is a homunculus with a personality similar to the Artist, but a mind-expanding knowledge of a specific skill. A Pygmalia starts with a Power of 1, and grants a bonus equal to its Power to the Artist in the relevant skill. In effect, the Pygmalia is a beneficial 'boost' Effect which can allow for a boost in a skill far and above what an individual can gain from the particular skill. A Pygmalia's maximum power is equal to the Artist's rank in the appropriate skill at creation +1.

Example: Melinda, wishing to improve her Firearms skill, creates a small cowboy figurine to serve as a Pygmalia. The Artist has a Breath of 3, Craft of 3, and Firearms of 3. The figurine will require at least 5 Successes to produce such an object, but it will have a potential to increase its power to a Power 4 Pygmalia. Each set of rolls represents one day; After four sets of rolls (unlucky Melinda) the 5 required successes are achieved. After four days the breath of life enters, and the small figurine is ready for Melinda's keychain.

Boost: A Pygmalia follows the same rules for creation, but XP costs are halved. A Pygmalia is easier to boost than create, and serves well for its creator.

–

Here's the rough for the Artist; the Hobo will hopefully be aligned. I really want this game to be very fluid; imagination is extremely important, and all powers will be considered 'guidelines'. Balance is something which the group determines, not the book. I will most likely produce the basic Knacks, a couple of Uniques, and then go from there. I am also trying to figure out a good balance for the creation of Pygmalia which operate as creatures . . . right now, it's in the head but not in the hands. All notations welcome .

Good Gaming,

Slainte,

-Loonook.

Loonook

Cross-posted from The Good Gaming Blog:


Birth, Blood, Bone, Bile, Breath, and Bearing

Birth –
Monday's child is fair of face,
Tuesday's child is full of grace,
Wednesday's child is full of woe,
Thursday's child has far to go,
Friday's child is loving and giving,
Saturday's child must work for a living,
But the child that's born on the Sabbath day
Is fair and wise and good and gay

The effect of the place or time in which the character was born. Birth is a vital Statistic, but it is not numeric. In fact, Birth is the day of the week in which the character was born. Each day of the week possesses its own power, and certain special days or times may possess different effects as determined by the Talespinner.

Blood – The character's ability to take physical injury. Blood is affected by attacks which wound the body alone, including any mundane effects.

Bone – The character's last physical resort. Bone is damaged by great effects, when the body can no longer take abuse, or when the character has worn down his reserves in any ability.

Bile – The character's stamina, the will for the body to go on. Bile is affected by that which wears at the character's body, through hunger, disease, or curses.

Breath – The character's mystic power, the breath of life. Breath is also Spirit, and anything which would affect the spirit of a character draws out his Breath.

Bearing – The character's will upon the world around him. A character's bearing need not be positive; the wily old coot and the aide-to-camp may have equal amounts of Bearing. Bearing is a vital statistic to the power of effect which a character may take on.

Determining Attributes:

First, one should determine one's birthdate. The day need not be precise unless the player is determined to be bound to a specific day and gain the benefits of that day. A birthdate grants access to three basic Paths to life.

Monday – Monday's child is fair of face. Leaders and beauties, children born on Monday are looked upon favorably by their peers, but sometimes seem aloof from the ways of the more complex paths around them. The Debutante, the Groomsman, and the Bachelor all serve as archetypes of Monday.

Tuesday - Tuesday's child is full of grace. Faithful and fated, Tuesday imbues its children with forces of favor. Though each person who takes on the nature of the day goes in a different direction, children of Tuesday manifest their powers in several unique ways. The Vicar, The Hustler, and The Handyman are common archetypes of Tuesday.


Wednesday - Wednesday's child is full of woe. Feared for their constant obsessions, the children of Wednesday are usually misunderstood. Most children of Wednesday are melancholic, only truly happy when there is something going wrong for themselves or for others. The Hexer, The Hack, and the Hag are each archetypes of Wednesday.

Thursday - Thursday's child has far to go. The journey is what is important for the children of Thursday. Thursday's children prefer to fight the good fight and wander the world on paths that will lead them to the next town. The Hobo, The Warden, and The Gypsy are common archetypes of Thursday.

Friday - Friday's child is loving and giving. Whether giving of body, spirit, or lucre, Friday's children are happiest when doing something for their fellows. The Healer, the Ne'r-Do-Well, and The Lover are common archetypes of Friday.

Saturday - Saturday's child must work for a living. Builders, dreamers, and makers, Saturday's children propel the world through their hands and minds. The Artist, the Crafter, and the Poet are common archetypes of Saturday.

Sunday - But the child that's born on the Sabbath day Is fair and wise and good and gay. Supposedly favored, Sunday's children use their wits and their judgment to get them where they need to go. The Judge, The Straight-Arrow, and The Hero are all archetypes of Sunday's Children.

Holiday Children – A Child born on a Holiday usually have a destinies aligned with their holiday. The Patriot, children born on July 4th, or the Renewer, born on January 1st, are examples of Holiday children.

_-

The Five Bodily Attributes - Blood, Bone, Bile, Breath, and Bearing.
Choose – 4/3/2/1/0 and assign to each attribute. Use the Attribute rating as a bonus to any dice pool which would be associated with the following affinities:

Blood – Vitae, the force of life. Blood and Bone combined determine the amount of Health a character possesses. Blood also assists in Knacks which are associated with Protection, War, and Water.

Bone – Petra, the force of toughness. Bone and Blood combined determine the Health of a character. Bone also assists in Knacks which are associated with Durability, Earth, and Transformation.

Bile – Cholera, the force of will. Bile and Breath determine the top Talent of any Knack. Bile also assists in Knacks which are associated with Destruction, Cursing, or Command.

Breath – Spira, the force of creation. Bile and Breath determine the top Talent of any Knack, and Breath and Bearing determine the top Force of any Knack. Breath assists in Knacks which are associated with Creation, Healing and Joining.

Bearing – Portia, the force of self. Bearing and Breath combine to determine the top Force of any Knack. Bearing has effects on Knacks associated with Self.

Loonook

We are back again, my friends. Christmas was... boring, but the lack of reliable net access delayed posting. 1000 Apologies... a million regrets.

Now, onto Minion subtypes. These subtypes are helpful for certain materials . . . here's how we can adjust these subtypes into an easy cost-benefit system.

To be honest, I've been using 'one-hit' minions for quite some time in 3.X, and their existence is great for the 4e DM who needs something to go off of. I usually use the following as a 3.X construct for minions: Minions are effects, not creatures.

Yes, I know, this may sound odd... but hear me out. One of the major fallacies of DM thought is that every creature is a full stat block. 4e remedies a bit of this with minion stats and the various elite/solo/minion types.

But when it comes to monsters, we can do better. Let us make an example:

---

A sharp-faced demon stands tall above the Lord of Pembroke. Weaving two of its tendrils through the air as if creating a tapestry, the demon smirks when the party wizard casts his first spell.

As the spell fizzles in purple sparks, the demon bares its teeth and the battle is truly begun.

---

This demon must be some great threat! It is a powerful lord of the manor, the power behind the throne!

Perhaps . . . but it is a condition more than a creature. Kill the condition, remove the protection.

Such a "Demon" is applied Spell Resistance. The Lord of Pembroke has a demonic watchdog, and it raises itself off of its haunches. The "Demon" has several solutions; banish it, turn it, kill it.

It is nothing more than HP and an effect. As an Aiding minion (it is not using its body, but its magic to defend the Lord) it should have enough HP to be somewhat threatening, but if all it does is protect its master . . . it's not engaged in combat. It's a walking Amulet of Spell Resistance, and the best way to break it is to break the demon involved.

---

The scream of ecstasy, the swing of the blade, the cultist storms forward. Even as you strike him down the haze falls over you . . . the choking sensation of spirit takes over, and you drop to the ground.

---

This cultist is a Suicidal Minion with a Hold Person/Monster effect. It dies, you get Held (or have the chance to be Held).

Get the picture? I have faith in your . . . imagination. Let us see how many such effects we can generate! Anyone who posts a minion type below will be recognized in the next post, and given the chance to guide the next Lazy DMing guide.

Enjoy, and Good Gaming,

Slainte,

-Loonook.

Loonook

In the last installment we discussed Bruiser, Abused, and Defender minions. Today we will discuss some of the more interesting minion types. However, 'minion' is a loaded term these days. Let us rather define Minion as 'leverage units'. Really, an enemy is an enemy, but a minion provides leverage for the Big Bad. Each minion should provide this leverage, and nothing else... no need for 1 HP, just serve as your own little unit of HP, AC, and effect.

Now, onto the three minions to discuss here:

-Aiding: These minions are the healers and squealers. Defenders protect the Bad, Aides give some assistance to help the Bad protect itself. The negative-essenced undead which provide an aura of negative-energy healing for their lich? A mage who gives some buffs to the royal villain? Aides. Aides are usually 'quiet targets'; they can be some distance away, and their skills usually lend to being less-than-stellar warriors.

-Arcane Threat: Magic Bruisers, Arcane Threats lay down a nice fat line of elemental (or other) damage. Not usually mages themselves, an Arcane Threat will break skull totems, UMD a wand, or just break open a sweet can of magic energy to cover. Arcane Threats are even weaker than Bruisers, big ol' Glass Cannons.

-Suicidal: Kamikaze threats. Think of Bombs from Final Fantasy; while an Abused provides by being damaged by others, Suicidals are walking effects waiting to trigger themselves. Exploding poisonous constructs? Check. Suicidal creatures work well with manipulative masters, serving as fanatics which can be thrown about to do damage (or other negative effects) without PC targeting.

Completion of base types... next, we'll give some hard examples.

Slainte,

-Loonook.

Loonook

So, we've defined what minions should and should not be; let us define some of the important essences of minions by archetype. We'll start with three of the more common useful types of minions: Abused, Bruiser, and Defender Minions. To define (in my own words):

Bruiser – A Minion which serves an aggressive battle purpose. Most of these types are going to be found in situations where you need some protection. A hoard of martial bodyguards for a local shah? A couple of minotaurs who are breaking down doors and skulls in the path of their sorcerer liegelord? Yep, we just found bruisers. Good common example: Ogres, Minotaurs, etc.

Defender – A minion which provides a nice thick shield for the local softies. That group of bodyguards who lay down their life and throw themselves in harm's way for the local shah? A skilled mage-slayer who deflects spells for his Royal Highness? Defender minion. Good Common Example: Shield Guardians, creatures with Shield and similar abilities, members of the Bodyguard Advanced Class in d20 Modern.

Abused – It's really a hate-hate relationship here. Abused minions provide leverage and advantage based not on their skills, but what they provide in dying for the cause. Need cultists who boost spellcasting through sacrifice? How about a corpulent imp who, when brought to his death, explodes in a cloud of confusion and damage? Those are Abused minions. Common Examples: A group of creatures tied to the tyrant's armor listed in The Book of Vile Darkness, creatures with death throes and similar abilities, Thoon Infiltrators.

Now, minions come and go, but the usefulness of their stay is the measure the normal DM goes by. As minions serve to supplement and enhance the Big Bad's abilities, it is important to pick just the right minion for the right situation. Here are some basic 'template' abilities which prove useful rules-wise to give to each of these typical minion types:

Bruiser – High damage output, low threshold for pain. A Bruiser shouldn't become the focus of the party; they're there to wear down a target. Not all bruisers will wear down HP, however; if a villain is using attacks which function on Will Save, then a Bruiser who is equipped with Wisdom-affecting damage is going to be your best bet. In this situation a venomous creature may serve better than any ogre. Do not ignore the benefits of a few good hits, however; those poisons and effects will only be beneficial if the Big Bad can capitalize on it.

Defender – Damage is not as important as a good thick meat shield. Damage Reduction, Shield Other, and similar abilities will keep a Defender there. As stated before, a Defender serves a purpose; slow down PC reactions, and keep the soft Big Bad alive for his plans/spells/effects to 'get off' in the period. Defenders need to be able to attract and stand against the PC for a period, or be in proximity to protect their master directly for their purpose to be fully served.

Abused – A keen balance of cost-benefit defines the Abused Minion. Do the PCs kill the dangerous cultist knowing that doing so will unleash hellfire and a master whose abilities will increase in power? Balancing the Abused is a key element; they need to be just enough threat to make them ignore-proof, but not enough to feel like a screwjob when the PCs do eventually lay them to rest. A good rule of thumb is to make the Abused squishy enough to go down in one to two hits, but still dangerous enough to make the PCs want to bring them down quickly (even if their effect will boost their master and make for a harder fight. Abused are glass pistols to the Bruiser and Arcane Threat glass cannon; they do enough damage (in ways which are NOT necessarily aids to their master) to make them a danger, but they cannot be the main thrust of the spear (otherwise they will be an easy target). Abused are great for status-affecting and low-to-mid damage area effects, though it is up to your game whether these effects will stack or (in a case of chain reaction) cause other surrounding Abused minions to 'trigger' and get off their effects early.

In the next installment we will discuss three other types of minions: Aiding, Suicidal, and Arcane Threat minions.

As Always,

Good Gaming,

Slainte,

-Loonook.

Loonook

Cross-posted on The Good Gaming Blog

As discussed in the previous article, our goal in this Lazy DMing discussion is to create a strongly flavorful, well-remembered group of mooks which will put your players and their characters in stitches. The following steps, when applied in moderation, should do just that . . .


Step 1: Make the mook's initial appearance memorable. There's a lot of jokes around the Net and in the gaming community at-large that if a character has a name and talks to the PCs that this character must be important. I find this type of metagame thinking to be untrue in most of the games I've played in because DMs and players followed this bit of advice. Minions are pe... well, they're creatures too, and they deserve to be treated as such. Minions who have good descriptive phrasing in their first reveal will stick in player's minds much more readily than just another orc with axe in chain shirt combination.

Step 2: Make Minions Disposable Wingmen. Minions are the wingmen of the PC/NPC relationship. Minions get the boss introduced to the players, check out their strengths and weaknesses, and see how best to fit their master into the plans of the PCs. Low-grade thugs work to soften up the party, expend resources, and make the villain's life easier.

Step 3: Minions Are Two-Trick Ponies. A mook should never be limited to one option in battle, but as stated previously . . . these guys are disposable. They'll be in mind for awhile, but their whole purpose is to advance a storyline and provide delicious window dressing for the player's immersion.

In essence, think of minions as interview subjects for a job. Does the minion bring something that is lacking to the company? Does the minion serve a purpose which is in-line with the goals of the company? Does the minion fit in with the general 'culture' of the company?

If these three questions can be answered yes, then you have a perfect minion. That enraged minotaur kept as a 'pet' by the dwarven merchant lord who has sent assassins against the PCs serves a purpose; it is a powerfully strong bully minion, and works great as a counterpart to the cerebral merchant lord. The minotaur serves a purpose in-line with the goals of the villain (keeping the villain alive), and fits in with the culture (minotaurs are seen as less than humanoid and are kept as slaves by those who break their will.)

A crazed, half-starved minotaur which springs from the shadows onto the PCs will be remembered for the sheer shock value, and the high percentage of such a creature, if calmed, being able to tell more about his master's plans and possibly fighting the good fight alongside the PCs cannot be ignored as motivation.

Minions are small highlights to the story. They should never be the main attraction, though they should also never be so far in the background as to just be a statblock. Without a well-planned, well-executed series of minions, the villain becomes an obelisk for PC targeting. Every story needs a good support cast, and a well thought out series of minions can serve you for sessions (or even arcs) to come with fodder for stories.

Good Gaming,

Slainte,

-Loonook.

Loonook

Cross-posted with more material on The Good Gaming Blog:

But you don't get to go. Sweet computer friends... you must remain behind. Here, I give you things to read:

A Divine Wind: If you're not reading it, you should.

Tomb and Tome Lame name, starting out, but good stuff.

Chatty DM: Classic work and good times.

World in a Handful of Dice: Nitessine's blog, good stuff.

Just a few to tide you over til daddy gets home.

Slainte,

-Loonook.

Loonook

Cross-posted on The Good Gaming Blog

Lazy DMing: To Create a Minion Part 1: Faux Pas.

Too often DMs become trapped in storyline and pacing. While these elements are essential to DMing, they serve a purpose if and only if players can become immersed through the use of interesting characters. Trust, interesting characters are what drive the story, but the next flaw which many DMs fall into regarding these ‘interesting characters’ is the idea that the ‘interest’ should apply mostly to the Big Bad Evil of your specific story arc. Yes, while in many cases a Big Bad will be the story’s driver, it is important to make flavorful minions that the PCs will remember for the rest of the campaign.

Now, this has absolutely nothing to do (necessarily) with 4e; minion, in this case, applies as a general term for any creature which serves a higher-ranking creature (the Big Bad in this case). These entries will cover a good ‘how to’ guide to what a good, memorable series of minions should be. These observations have been taken from games I have run or played in, along with discussions from others who have run or played memorable minion types.

First, we’ll cover the main flaws which players seem to have about the necessity of minions:

1.) Mooks need not be flavored. This one I have never understood until a few days ago when I was watching a long series of movies… one may know these movies, because, like D&D, there are a lot of glowing swords, monsters, and evil-doers dressed in black armor. Got where I’m coming from? Excellent. Now, the mooks which are presented as sort of the ‘endless shooting gallery’ of this epic are usually pretty flavorless; they dress in white armor, have pretty blasé weaponry, and generally don’t go into much interaction.

Don’t fall for this trap. Uniforms are great if you’re dealing with a military outfit, but even the most common minions in D&D will have a wide variety of things they do, and with that variety probably comes many different tactics. Let the minions have something different about them, something not necessarily unique but memorable . . . otherwise, you just have a bunch of guys marked with the scarlet M wandering about your setting.

2.) Mooks with a lot going on. We all want our minions to have a large variety of things to do; maybe each type of minion focuses on something different, or has a suite of abilities ready to fend off the heroes at every turn. While this is fine in theory, it becomes downright irksome in practice. Think of minions as hardware; would I rather have a device which does a hundred things poorly at an expensive price tag, or a sleek device which does a handful of things I need it to do well for half the price? Villains are spendthrifts after all; all of those hero slaying parties take up a lot of time and money on the schedule.

3.) Mooks go the distance. Yes, some minions may make it out with their hides . . . and if they see a chance they should retreat if they have a couple of brain cells to rub together. However, it is better to let players get the upper hand on the minions than let all of the minions run away and leave the players feeling screwed over. After all, the Big Bad hired these guys/girls/creatures ‘at will’, and usually that means they are expendable.

4.) Every mook is a Leader. No no no. Sometimes minions go down . . . loyal retainers aren’t really minions so much as they are cohorts (which will be discussed at a later period).

5.) The Exotic Russian Nesting Mook. Minions should be different than the Big Bad; cohorts and sidekicks can have similar powers, but a minion helps to fulfill a role which the Big Bad may not be able to do himself. For example, vampires and their spawn have certain weaknesses (light of day, stakes, getting their heads cut off) and they may need someone to protect or supplement their ranks with ways to overcome them. Renfields will probably still go down to a stake in the heart and their heads being chopped off, but at least they maneuver well in sunny Acapulco.

These are the five biggest thinking errors I see with minion builds; the next entry will cover ways to get around these issues, and hopefully present you some ideas to give those minions something to power themselves up with.

Good Gaming,

Slainte,

-Loonook.

Loonook

Good Gaming Goes Groucho,

Cross-posted on The Good Gaming Blog

I am really starting to understand the classic Marx quote (stolen from another source, so this will be fourth-rate thievery) of “I don’t care to belong to any club that will have me as a member”. After looking at months upon months of arguments in the D&D community about Fourth Edition, I’ll go with what I’ve been thinking in this blog as concisely as possible. I know, wackiness and ‘up-to-date’ are not up to my repertoire; however, I wanted to really form a cohesive idea on what 4e does and doesn’t do ‘right’ in my eyes.

4e hit some great notes . . . the whole issue is that a lot of these things weren’t exactly new. Creature-based XP, minions, ‘bigger, better’ solo and ‘elite’ monsters, a collapsing of the rococo skill system . . . well, this has been done. House rules on these things have existed for a good period of time, and I think that they’re great house rules. Hell, they’re great concepts! They belong in D&D no matter what the stripe because they help to take some solid ideas from house rules and early iterations of D&D and place them into the limelight again.

4e also did some really bad turns. Destruction of the cosmology by major shifts, the so-called ‘spell plague’, and the direct establishment of the four roles (defender, striker, etc.) . . . it feels wrong. The problem I have with these flaws is their introduction into the main; yes, a lot of people say ‘well, you can take it or leave it’, and I agree wholeheartedly that in most situations you could do this. In the core system, however, creating all sorts of strange armors, changing the armor choices, and introducing a setting which is antithetical to the settings presented before which were well-received . . . well, it just doesn’t ring well with me.

I really hope that 4e gets nice third-party support, and that WotC gets up off of its behind to develop some good materials from older settings and maybe even a ‘non-fantasy’ version of 4e. 4e feels to me like a great interpretation in combat of wargaming, and in all honesty I think that that style has some great purposes. Hell, the setting itself could do some really good things for people . . .

But it ain’t my bag. And there should be nothing wrong with that. Whenever I bring up these points in conversation with 4e diehards I get the same thing; well, it’s only a bug to you, that really you should do this instead . . . and I get irritated. 3e and 4e have their places in the community; and as long as the OGL keeps producing good solid 3rd party materials which I can adapt to my settings 3e will be my choice. However, in specific ways (as an introduction game, as a game to emulate a world similar to Final Fantasy Tactics, etc.) I could see myself using 4e.

But I don’t want to be part of the 3e or the 4e community. I don’t want to be a grognard, or a fatbeard wannabe, or a deep fanboy for any edition. I want to be a Gamer, and bring you Good Gaming. This is why I will try to keep things very setting unspecific, so as to allow you conversion. When material was done in 3e it will be presented as such with the least amount of frills.

But don’t call me a grogger… I’m a gamer. And gaming shouldn't require a membership.

Good Gaming,

-Loonook.

Loonook