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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Libertad" data-source="post: 9569939" data-attributes="member: 6750502"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/felbTLh.png" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " data-size="" style="" /> Chapter Eleven: Getting PaidThis short chapter covers magic items and a new subsystem, the Wealth score. Magic items in the world of Xcrawl are divided into two categories. Artifact class items, which include permanently enchanted items whose methods of creation are mostly lost to history, and common class magic items, which include all manner of consumable items like scrolls and potions as well as less powerful magic weapons and armor. In this last example, such items gradually drain in power at a rate of losing one enhancement bonus per year. For instance, a common +2 armor will become +1 in one year, and non-magical armor in 2 years. Guild artificers can be hired to make magic items permanent, usually running in the tens of thousands of gold pieces, but a much cheaper rate is to extend the lifespan of an item by 1 year per thousand gold.Like many other things in the North American Empire, magic items are tightly regulated, with commoners generally only allowed to own basic healing potions and good luck charms. Crawlers have some exceptions in being able to legally own magic items they obtained during a tournament, but only as long as they continue to have Adventurer’s Guild membership. We get an overview of enhancement bonuses and what they apply to. Weapons apply to attack and damage rolls, and in regards to armor an enhancement bonus applies to Armor Class and reduces armor check penalties by an equivalent amount.  In addition to being more protective, this makes magic armor easier to maneuver around while wearing. We then get a list of 11 sample magic items, such as the platinum Ret-Coin that lets a holder “retcon” any single action for one round, where they can either reroll dice checks made during that round or do a different action instead; the Omni Weapon, which is a small silver ball that can transform into any kind of manufactured archaic weapon the wielder imagines; and a Warrior’s Tonic potion that puts a character’s Deed Die up two steps on the dice chain, or grants a +1 on attack rolls for characters without a Deed Die.The other half of this chapter moves on to Wealth. Wealth is an abstract rating representing the financial clout a PC crawler accumulates. The most common means of generating Wealth by crawlers are from prize money obtained during tournaments, sponsorships with companies, and endorsements by media figures. We have sample prize ideas based on Divisions, with higher divisions getting greater prizes. Wealth is rated from 1 to 100, with every increment ranging from 10 to 20 representing a new economic bracket, save for the last ten percentiles which represent narrow ranges of luxury. The Average NAE commoner has a Wealth of 11, where they’re Struggling. The Middle Class is 25 to 50, Wealthy is 71 to 90 representing people doing extremely well, and 100 and above is Obscenely Rich where just about anything can be bought. Our chapter ends with a d100 table of Random Sponsorship Rewards, providing bonuses to Wealth and/or Fame and in some cases new NPC contacts.Thoughts: I would’ve liked to see more magic items, as the ones provided are rather brief in function. I do like the Wealth subsystem, although it is a bit more nebulous than Fame in that there’s no Fameburn equivalent in using it to influence others or get otherwise restricted services.<img src="https://i.imgur.com/NM9btnN.png" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " data-size="" style="" /> Chapter Twelve: MonstersThis bestiary is of decent length, chronicling a variety of creatures PCs might fight against during their exciting careers as crawlers. In the age of mass media, people are a lot more familiar with monsters than in most other campaign settings, so DJs are encouraged in finding new and interesting species and applications to spice up their dungeons. For example, a water elemental might be filled with piranhas to make its melee strikes extra-deadly, while a frost giant might be given ice skates and a massive hockey stick while fighting in an ice rink. The book notes that there’s nothing wrong with using classic creatures, but the GM should lean into coming up with new creatures to make Xcrawl dungeons feel fresh and exciting.Intelligent monsters working for DJs might take on common fearsome personas to play to the crowd, but can run the gamut in personalities and worldviews. They have many reasons why they might be working. A group of orcs might be sending money back to their families in the Zura’ah’zura, while Vrusk the troll superstar adores indulging in luxury and lives in a fancy condo in Bel Air. Given that intelligent monsters are expensive and valued assets to a DJ who have the opportunity to surrender, it’s possible to turn them into recurring NPCs. Their relationship with PCs can range from odd friendships, professional rivalries, or even humdrum workplace acquaintances.Another aspect in regards to monsters is that while Xcrawl Classics doesn’t use a Challenge Rating/Level system and OSR RPGs generally don’t emphasize intricate encounter balancing guidelines, in-universe DJs and Guild regulations still want to hit that “sweet spot” of being tough but doable. Dungeons that are too hard and kill too many crawlers means that less teams will sign up, which leads to falling advertisement revenues and viewership. Dungeons which are too easy have their DJs labeled as pushovers which also leads to falling advertisement revenues and viewership. The book doesn’t really have any guidelines for the GM in balancing adventures, besides going by feel after playing the game enough to get a bead on things.Monsters can also critically hit, and a PC’s Luck modifier can alter said roll. Humanoids that use weapons use the same tables that PCs do, with better tables and Critical Die types based on their Hit Dice. Dragons, Demons, Giants, and Undead all have their own unique tables, and all other monsters use the generic Monster critical hit table. The new tables all have thematic effects in line with that monster’s fighting style and abilities, such as a dragon’s spittle causing a splash version of its breath weapon, a demon’s touch bringing misfortune and causing the target to lose 1 point of Luck, a giant’s sweeping attack flinging the target into the air, or an undead leaving a frostbitten wound that causes cold-based attacks to deal 1 extra point of damage to the target until the next full moon.For monsters proper, we have 49 monster stat blocks, 5 groups of monsters united by a common theme (demons, dire animals, dragons, fey, and giants), and 8 stat blocks for common types of People PCs are likely to fight or interact with. Monster entries are alphabetical, with the exception of People who have a category of their own at the end and the themed monsters which are grouped together in a similar fashion. Stat block entries are short and brief, most being able to comfortably fit within 3-4 lines of a two-column 8.5 x 11 inch page. More intricate and complicated abilities tend to be covered in the descriptive text of a monster’s lore in the following paragraphs. I won’t cover every monster and NPC here, but I will highlight some of the more interesting ones.Aangervarks are bipedal froglike creatures artificially bred to be fearless pack hunters in Xcrawl tournaments. They can fall over and play dead to catch opponents off-guard, and their name was chosen so that they’d be the first monster people read about in monster directories.Blue Ogres are smarter and more powerful versions of common ogres, and worship various kinds of death gods. A few believe that the Xcrawl games are a manifestation of such a god and eagerly sign up to participate as monsters in the dungeons. They believe that dying in the Games will bring them to paradise, and always pray before and after battles to honor the bravery of crawler teams. They have Deed Dice and can perform Mighty Deeds of Arms.Demons were unleashed upon the world after Pandora’s Box was opened, but were banished from the mortal world by a long-ago hero and thus needed to find unconventional routes to arrive on Earth. They are pretty much thematically the same as demons in other fantasy RPGs: evil entities who wish to corrupt mortals. While they come in all shapes, sizes, and powers, they all are vulnerable to holy stuff and can call upon Divine Aid from their dark masters. The sample demon stat blocks are all unique named entities, such as Fosblyte the Demon Lord of Vampires who is basically a snazzy-dressed necromancer who can summon vast swarms of bats, rats, wolves, and undead beings. Oddly, there are other demons in this chapter such as the Hell Puppet, but they’re not part of this sub-entry which is a bit of an oversight. This sadly isn’t the only inconsistency for themed monsters, which knocks a few points off this chapter.Dire Animals are not only stronger than regular animals, they are smarter as well and thus easier to train. A few have gotten too smart for their own good, and such creatures account for over half of animal handler deaths in Xcrawl. We have six sample dire animal stat blocks incorporating goats, lions, rats, snakes, vultures, and wolves. Dire animals are also Chaotic in alignment, and Messengers of neutral alignment can turn them, which likely points to some unnatural influence in their origin.While not explicitly grouped together, there’s a variety of mundane animals in this bestiary such as Alligators, Lions, and Sharks who are as you imagine them to be. While they lack the stranger and supernatural abilities of proper monsters, their vicious status as predators make them popular choices for dungeons.Dragons hold the most territory landwise in the North American Empire, and traditionally live far off from human affairs. Xcrawl is starting to change this, and due to their great love for gold and fame many were attracted to participating in the games as “boss level” monsters. Dragons are powerful, immortal beings, and in the greater world they fear only other dragons. There is no such thing as a “common dragon,” and each one should be made and treated as a unique character, but with some following guidelines such as a D12 Hit Dice, multiple Action Dice for natural attacks and spellcasting, an initiative modifier equal to their Hit Dice, and many can cast arcane spells. We have three dragon NPCs complete with backstories and stats, such as Bausaartgudite who has his own column in []Imperial Sports Illuminated[/i] where he trashes teams and DJs he finds unworthy.Fey are magical manifestations of the many aspects of nature. Rather than being destroyed from human industry, they instead changed and adapted. There are new spirits representing artificial changes to nature, such as Razor Sprites which are living swarms of sharp blades driven by bloodlust. Or trash haunts, animated piles of refuse driven to search for lost and forgotten knowledge, and are willing to share their findings in exchange for favors and quests.Grim Cats are large felines who magically travel between shadows. They are viewed as signs of good luck in the NAE, and sometimes they may decide to teleport into and join an ongoing Xcrawl game to have some fun. They can pounce on others as an attack, and when doing so can magically paralyze the target who needs to succeed on a Willpower save to break free and move again. Alternatively a Personality check to bribe the feline with some tribute or offer can get them off one’s back.Killy putty are highly malleable oozes that can stretch and fling themselves with frightening speed, being quite similar to a monstrous rubber band. Their pseudopods grapple and suffocate victims, and their forms regenerate damage from most non-energy physical attacks.Orcs are your typical strong melee brutes who love battle. They adhere to the Japanese/old-school D&D aesthetic of having piglike faces and tusks, but unlike many fantasy settings they can be just as intelligent and morally diverse as humans. While their people have a history of prizing battle and warfare such as in Orc City 1 and Orc City 2, there are just as many orc civilizations that live more peaceful lives.Purge Zombies are designed to be faster and tougher than the stereotypical sluggish, shambling undead. They also have enough memories of their past lives to perform everyday skills and engage in limited reasoning. They can wield weapons and magically light them aflame, and produce a magical effect where those attempting to flee from them will trip and fall prone on a failed Willpower save. To avoid the trauma and complaints from the dearly departed’s friends and family, all humanoid undead are required to wear masks in Xcrawl games. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Purge" target="_blank">Purge Zombies are typically given rubber masks of famous historical figures.</a>Squeezleoids are humanoid ferrets who are devout advocates of Chaos, and their society rewards behavior that is destructive and unpredictable. They volunteer for Xcrawl tournaments as a means of displaying their power to others of their kind. They can squeeze through openings six inches or less and have great senses (+1 Dice Chain on such tasks), but their musk makes them easy to detect (-1 Dice Chain to avoid notice).Twilight Squids are extra-dimensional beings rumored to be able to enter the mortal world via AVS networks, and a few monster brokers mastered a secret process to summon them this way to participate in Xcrawl events. In addition to having your typical grappling tentacles, they can also learn any language a target knows by touching them, have fly and swim speeds, and can create shadowy portals to teleport anywhere in the world or go to other planes of existence.Empire Vampires are the result of Emperor Ronald I wanting actual vampires in Xcrawl tournaments, but most vampires are too proud and dangerous to be contained within the rules of the Games. The Emperor was insistent, so the Necromancer’s Guild created undead werewolf-like humanoids that drink blood. Their heightened senses make them susceptible to bright lights.Warheads are hovering spherical constructs with smiling faces, military surplus that was decommissioned due to being impractical in mass combat. They have since been repurposed for the private security of noble homes and enemies in Xcrawl events. Warheads can deploy a variety of weapons of destruction such as chainsaw arms, bombs, and a skunk-launcher that shoots said animals. Their size varies depending on their Hit Die, and they can be equipped with all manner of variant weapons.Whammies are entities that only come into existence when mundane creatures are exposed to technomagic devices. They appear much like the original creature, but with a tv set for a head and rabbit ear antennas, and the screen is used to communicate by showing various images and sounds as though someone was rapidly switching between channels. There is no known process for how whammies are created, but they tend to have a playful and mischievous nature even when fighting, and all of them possess the ability to shoot a nonlethal electrical blast.The eight stat blocks for People give a sampling of the more “mundane” inhabitants of the world of Xcrawl. Five of them represent broad archetypes, such as Bandits who live like Max Max post-apocalyptic raiders in caravans of vehicles, Nobles who have little combat training save for rapiers and pistols, Police who come equipped with firearms, Bodyguards who impose -1 penalty on the Dice Chain to try and trick them, and Commoners who are basically noncombatant average Janes and Joes. The three NPC stat blocks of interest include the Alfar, who are basically pale drow who are fans of intensive body modifications, are lightly armed and armored but have +1 on the Dice Chain to disguise themselves; Druids are nature priests who can perform Holy Acts like a Messenger, but only on sacred sites and as lengthy rituals; and Media Mages, who are weak and only armed with pistols, but have some suggested sample powers such as being able to listen in on radio broadcasts, teleport between AVS screens, and summoning creatures and people on TV to fight for them.Thoughts: The sample monsters are quite imaginative, with many reflecting the setting’s wacky nature. My main criticism is the poor organization: as mentioned before, there are some general entries such as Demons and Giants which have creatures of that type located outside these categories. And undead, who are noted as having their own critical hit table, do not have a themed entry.<img src="https://i.imgur.com/tz26WuA.png" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " data-size="" style="" /> Chapter Thirteen: AdventuresThe final chapter of this book contains two premade adventures, Xcrawl’s Got Talent! which is a 0 level funnel, and Showdown in Grind City which is a 1st level adventure. Both of them are straightforward dungeon crawls in Xcrawl’s unique style, leaning towards gameshow-style obstacle courses and battles  as opposed to more verisimilitudinous environments. Quite a few rooms having distinct challenges and themes which the DJ announces to the PCs via AVS broadcast.Xcrawl’s Got Talent is an eleven room dungeon crawl that takes place in Milwaukee. This is DJ Glitterbomb’s newest dungeon, and her gimmick is a prosthetic arm with a variety of attachments such as microphone and t-shirt shooter. As the tournament highlights newcomer adult crawlers, one or two PCs will be interviewed by a producer in each room about their backstories and why they want to be crawlers. The dungeon’s first “room” is backstage, where a stylist is doing his best to give each PC their own unique look and gimmick, with a random d100 table of possibilities for players who can’t think of anything and instead leave fate up to the dice. This isn’t just for show, as those who take on a gimmick get +1 on their first Grandstanding check. After being briefed on the rules by a non-participating crawler who uses the opportunity to try a failed comedy routine, the PCs start the dungeon crawl for real.The process of rooms is linear, with hallways going from one room to the next. Most of the rooms have rather whimsical challenges, such as a central revolving platform holding a variety of weapons as intelligent tool-wielding rats attached to bungee cords attack the PCs; a puzzle where a nonviolent zombie wearing a NonCom badge puts on a mime act to communicate the presence of a secret door to the party; and pterodactyl whammies and traps that are one of three colors corresponding to sports jerseys that DJ Glitterbomb fires into the room with her prosthetic arm. Putting on a matching jersey grants a PC extra damage and immunity to attacks from a whammy whose color matches the jersey. The final room is a “boss arena” where the PCs fight a rock golem, with musical instruments on a rotating wall that possess deadly attachments making them functional as weapons. As the rounds go on the rotating wall increases in speed which makes it harder to grab gear off of it, and the PCs are faced with new hazards such as rotating razor-sharp ceiling fans and the golem throwing pieces of its body off as ranged attacks. The golem is wearing a t-shirt bearing a hint, saying “THANK THE GODS FOR ROCK.” A PC who honors one of the Gods of Olympus with a music-weapon in hand causes the instrument to become a +2 weapon, and they also gain +2 on attack rolls, saving throws, and ability checks.In addition to the prizes the PCs can win as treasure in the dungeon, a successful crawl grants +1 Fame to the survivors. They can then attend DJ Glitterbomb’s private party where they have the opportunity to network with people, including an agent who is eager to set them up for future tournaments.<img src="https://i.imgur.com/pDe4496.png" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " data-size="" style="" />Showdown in Grind City is our other adventure, one of the most Prestigious Division III events. It takes place in Memphis, and DJ Cudgel Up!* has a rather unimaginative theme of being known for making incredibly lethal dungeons. This is a longer dungeon with 14 rooms, and is a bit less linear with some branching off pathways and dead ends. The theme is that of a medieval castle, where the PCs must rescue its King, Queen, and Jester in addition to making it to the end.*the exclamation point is part of her title.The jester is a local stand-up comic gagged and bound hanging from a hook in the ceiling of one room, and the PCs must brave a stinging ant swarm which is a living trap covering the entire floor, and six giant ants clinging to the walls are a hindrance to those who attempt to bypass the smaller swarms via climbing across. The Queen is caged and held in a room with a giant castle facade along the southern wall. A gigantic 3-d printer creates constructs within the pseudo-castle’s foundations, and damaging it can weaken subsequent guards it “summons.” The remaining guards will cease fighting once the Queen is freed, which is a simple affair her cage is unlocked. As for the King, he’s at the bottom of an underwater passage within a breathable plexiglass bubble, guarded by aquatic Louisiana Troglodytes.Rescuing the Jester, Queen, and King causes said characters to thank the PCs as their treasure prizes are announced on an AVS screen. They include practical stuff like healing potions, as well as game show-themed stuff like a year’s supply of personal care products. The final room is yet another “boss arena,” where the PCs must battle a Tennessee Forest Giant. Ordinarily this monster would be very deadly for 1st level characters, but the creature is being telepathically controlled by a golden ticket contest winner, an elderly noblewoman whose generous donations to the event has given her special privileges in the form of a rigged contest. The giant’s compromised nature is apparent to the party, as DJ Cudgel Up! announces her as the PCs’ final opponent as she comes down from the stands to put on magical gear to control the giant. The giant begins to excitedly mimic her mannerisms and accent in calling out to her husband in the personal box. The noblewoman will waste her turns relishing the moment to stomp around in her new large form, basically treating it more like a fun game than a serious battle. Should the connection be severed, the giant will angrily fight for real, humiliated at being used in such an undignified way.Defeating the giant causes the DJ to personally meet the PCs in the room in order to give them their final treasure: 10,000 gold pieces and a 12-seater van with their team’s logo and name if they have one. Like the prior adventure, each PC gets 1 point of Fame and they are invited to the DJ’s home to rub shoulders with nobles, celebrities, and other VIPs in the Xcrawl community.Thoughts: While I haven’t played in or run these adventures so I can’t judge their usability, both of them make for strong initial impressions for Xcrawl and capture just what this setting is all about. The interweaving of DJ’s announcements and prize awards plays up the game show atmosphere while not detracting from the core experience of delving into a dungeon.<img src="https://i.imgur.com/g8fx3Xr.png" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " data-size="" style="" /> AppendicesOur book ends with a list of seven Appendices providing inspirational material and various tips and miscellaneous rules for GMs. They include general advice on how to make Xcrawl adventures and dungeons stand out from their typical fantasy counterparts, an in-character perspective of how an Xcrawl tournament is organized from the DJ’s point of view, a list of curses themed after Ancient Greek mythology, sample poisons, inspirational media, and 100 adventure ideas that take place outside of tournaments as mentioned earlier in this Let’s Read. I don’t have much in the way of Thoughts for this section other than I’m glad that they included it, as detailed Appendices are a time-honored tradition for Goodman Games.Final Thoughts: Xcrawl was an original and imaginative setting, but its original 3rd Edition release had rules which didn’t work out well. The new classes were notably underpowered, while the setting’s worldbuilding focused too much on historical events that were irrelevant to the dungeon-crawling tournaments.Xcrawl Classics manages to surpass its predecessors, and in my opinion is the best iteration of the setting. The gonzo and pulpy themes of Dungeon Crawl Classics are a perfect fit for it, and that RPG’s many dungeon crawl adventures should be convertible to Xcrawl with little difficulty. The secondary mechanics and subsystems, such as Fame and Mojo points, strongly reinforce the PCs’ role as gladiator-celebrities while not being overly complicated.There are of course some criticisms I still have as covered in this review, but I would definitely recommend this to fans of Dungeon Crawl Classics and those looking for an offbeat, humorous modern fantasy setting.</blockquote>

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