Saturday, October 31, 2015

On Being A Game Master: The Cypher System and the Art of Improvisation

Every time I run one of Monte Cook Games using the Cypher System (Numenera, The Strange, Cypher System Rule Book) the whole experience just gets better and better.  

I'm an "off the cuff GM", I have loose plot lines and arcs at best, but my only goal is to shine the spotlight firmly on the players.  

The Cypher System, especially with the key point that the players roll all the dice, really allows me to focus my improvisational style and pump it into the game at 110%.  Its astonishing how much more focused I can be when I don't have to roll the dice for my NPCs.  Its AMAZING.

And while it took me a bit to grasp the brilliance of Intrusions, I find myself waiting for an appropriate moment to hand them out.  

But more than anything, its watching veteran and new players alike grasp the system and approach the game with a vigor and enthusiasm that makes me smile.

The game doesn't just inspire me, it helps me...provides me with the right to tools to help inspire them, as well.

Its AWESOME!

31 Nights of Halloween: Radu for the Cypher System




Centuries ago an evil sorceress desired a son. To ensure her child would possess great power she chose King Vladislas, the ruler of the vampires, to be her mate. She placed a curse on the king to force him to father this child. He was given the name Radu Vladislas. Once the curse was broken the sorceress was banished her from his kingdom. But in time the he had a second son, Stefan, with a mortal woman, who unlike Radu had a respect for human life.

RADU 6 (18)

Motive: To possess the Bloodstone
Environment: The high mountains
Health: 18
Damage Inflicted: 6
Armor: 3
Movement: Short
Modifications: Intellect defense 5, Might defense 7, Speed defense 7

Combat: A powerful vampire
Subspecies: Once per scene, he remove a finger to create a Level 2 minion to a max of 5.
Bloodstone: He has 1 random artifact with no depletion.
Blood Drinker: He may inflict 1d3 damage that ignores armor and regain the same amount of Health.

Magic Weapon: He has 1 random cypher.

Use: A brooding and ominous castle looms over the village that the characters are staying in.  Its master is rumored to pay visits only at night.
Loot: A dead Radu has 1 cyphers and 1 artifact.


(If you like this post and others like it and have an extra $1 a month, please consider becoming a Patron of Cross Planes on Patreon.)

Friday, October 30, 2015

31 Nights of Halloween: The Tall Man for the Cypher System



Relatively little is known about the Tall Man. Once upon a time, he was a kind-hearted soul named Dr. Jebediah Morningside, an ordinary mortician who served as a medic for the Union Army during the American Civil War. Until he was experimenting with inter-dimensional travel and studying the connection between the world of the living and the realm of the dead. He does this to learn the mysteries of life and death, even to achieve immortality. After perfecting a machine that would allow him to travel between worlds, he stepped through the gateway. Upon his return he was no longer Jebediah, but the cold and evil being known to Mike Pearson and his friend Reggie as the Tall Man. It can only be speculated that while in a different dimension Jebediah's body was possessed by another intelligence, or that his physical likeness has been assumed by some otherworldly, evil entity while killing off the original man. It might also be that his experiences changed him radically.

The Tall Man's purpose is to become the Lord of the Dead. He moves from town to town, first becoming the undertaker of that town and secretly removing the corpses from the graveyards and mortuaries. However, he is not content to just steal the already dead, but will soon kill the town's living population to add their numbers to his collection. The dwarf-like creatures he creates from the bodies of the dead serve him in our world, and he also transports them back to his own dimension. It is possible that he uses them as slave labor for his own world, the same way he uses his two legion of other undead minions called the Gravers and the Demon Troopers. The dwarfs were revealed to be byproducts of the process by which the Tall Man creates the Sentinel Spheres, which involves compacting the body and placing the brain into a metal casing. The Sentinels are used in his assaults against the living. So far he has not revealed any grand schemes for world conquest, and he tends to plunder only small, out-of-the-way towns; he is never shown invading large cities. And the towns he does plunder always seem to have an explanation for why the town's population is missing, such as a toxic waste spill. The Tall Man is a cold psychopathic traveler who explores worlds and knows all that is unknown while he destroys lives and commands his legion of the undead.



THE TALL MAN 5 (15)

Motive: To become the Lord of the Dead
Environment: The undertaker of any small town or village
Health: 15
Damage Inflicted: 5
Armor: 2
Movement: Short
Modifications: Esoteries 6, Intellect defense 6, Might defense 6, Numenera 6, Science 7

Combat: A mysterious and dangerous stranger.
Sentinel Sphere: Inflicts 5 damage that ignores armor.
Zombie Dwarves: He may summon 1d6 Level 3 minions once per scene.
Experiments: He has 1d3 random cyphers.

Telekinesis: Inflicts 3 damage to a target within Short range, if the target rolls a 1-3 on their defense roll, they lose their next action.
Use: The locals at a small town the characters are currently resting up in are disappearing.  And the tall undertaker seems to be at the center of it all...
Loot: A dead Tall Man has 1d3 cyphers and a 20% chance of having 1 artifact..


(If you like this post and others like it and have an extra $1 a month, please consider becoming a Patron of Cross Planes on Patreon.)

Trick or Treat



I've been creating Tricks and  Treats the whole month of October.  Here are my monstrous creations thus far:

31 Nights of Halloween through October 29th!



Blast from the Past: Bride of Iuz for 13th Age

From November 6, 2013:

Iuz the Evil is brilliant, patient, and decadent. His ambitions require creativity, loyalty, and maliciousness. Who better help than his devoted brides? The cambion only chooses the most devious and charming of women to be joined with him in unholy matrimony.   Their desire for power is only matched by their desire for the Old One, himself. While quite a few of his brides come from powerful families, Iuz is more than willing to cultivate any woman whom he finds desirable into a dark and deadly agent for his terrible machinations. Each bride's assignment is to patiently observe an area, alerting their husband if anything provocative occurs. They will often reside in that area for decades, cautiously adopting new identities as the years pass on and faithfully upholding their vows.






BRIDE OF IUZ
7th level spoiler [HUMANOID]
Initiative: +9

Whispers in the Dark +12 vs. MD –– 28 psychic damage
     Miss: 7 psychic damage

C: Rip Your Heart Out +12 vs. AC –– 25 damage
     Natural 16+: Target is weekend until the end of their next turn

R: Wicked +12 vs. PD –– 30 lightning damage
     Natural Odd roll: Inflicts cold damage
     Natural 16+: Inflicts fire damage to target and 1d3 nearby
                           enemies


Nastier Specials
I Do: The Bride uses the escalation die.
Femme Fatale: The Bride only needs an easy save (6+), to disengage form an enemy.

AC 23
PD 17                              HP 100
MD 21




ParaMilitary: Huginn for Savage Worlds and Weird War 2





Antwerp 1946
After allied forces were recently expelled from the port by Nazi reinforcements, remote viewers of Project: Crystal Ball have confirmed reports from survivors of the attack that the enemy wielded mind over matter...and worse.



HUGINN


"They were in our heads!  Their mouth's weren't moving, but we could hear them...in our minds.  They showed us terrible things.  Awful things.  And then Jimmy...uh...Private Scott got tossed up in the air, at least fifty feet and he landed next to me with a sick thump.  Like a bag of concrete hitting the pavement.  Y-yes sir, I ran.  I didn't know what else to do...I didn't know what else to do..."

-Testimony of Sergeant Timothy "Skip" Perkins on what happened at Antwerp.


HUGINN 

Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d12, Spirit d8, Strength d6, Vigor d8

Skills: Notice d10, Taunt d8

Pace: 6; Parry: 5; Toughness: 10


Special Abilities 
• Psychic Armor (+4)
• Fear (-2)
• Powers Points (30)
• Barrier
• Blast
• Bolt
• Deflection
• Mind Reading
•Quickness

31 Nights of Halloween: Nightcomers for the Cypher System

The Queen of Ether and Gloaming has always been fearfully respected by the citizens of Exeter and on the nearby moors.  But in the last decade, the Queen has grown her Coven of Nightcomers to a ghastly 12 and she is looking for her 13th member among the young women of the city's elite.







THE NIGHTCOMERS 6 (18)

Motive: To server their dark mistress
Environment: Exeter and the surrounding moors
Health: 18
Damage Inflicted: 6
Armor: 1
Movement: Short
Modifications: Esoteries 7, History 7, Intellect defense 7, Speed defense 5, Stealth 7

Combat: Hags who serve the Queen of Ether and Gloaming.
Black Magician: They have 3 random cyphers.
Evil Eye: If his target rolls a 1-2 on its defense roll, the target's Intellect Edge is reduced by 1 (minimum of 0).
The Craft: They inflict 3 damage that ignores armor.
Use: The daughter of a prominent family is being recruited by the Queen of Ether and Gloaming to join her worshippers as a nightcomer and the characters have been hired to fend them off.
Loot: A dead nightcomer has 1 cypher.


(If you like this post and others like it and have an extra $1 a month, please consider becoming a Patron of Cross Planes on Patreon.)

Thursday, October 29, 2015

Thor's Day: OMAC for 13th Age

OMAC appears seemingly out of nowhere and fairly randomly.  Many believe he is a construct of Saint Cuthbert, himself.  An exotic and enigmatic guardian of the Duchy that bears his name.








OMAC

"Oh, $&%*!"

-Rogan Verlani, bandit leader of the River Runners Gang

6th level wrecker [CONSTRUCT] 
Initiative: +7

Increased Density:  OMAC adds the escalation die to damage

Decreased Density:  OMAC is immune to being grabbed,
                                   hampered, or stuck


C: Army Man +11 vs. PD (1d3 nearby enemies) - 18 damage

Fight On +11 vs. AC  -  21 damage
     Miss: 8 damage

Nastier Specials
Blasts: Fight On can be a ranged attack.


AC 22

PD  20               HP 90

MD 16




Wednesday, October 28, 2015

31 Nights of Halloween: Scream Queen for the Cypher System

The Hanover Inn has set along Route 65 or the "Old Road" for longer than anyone can remember.  The Inn is a quiet, but well worn series of buildings that have seen better days, but the lights are on and the smell is inviting, and the moon is full.  What could possibly go wrong?








SCREAM QUEEN 5 (15)

Motive: To kill
Environment: Lonely and abandoned places, just off the road
Health: 15
Damage Inflicted: 5
Armor: 0
Movement: Short
Modifications: Intellect defense 6, Seduction 6

Combat: Murderous sirens who lure travelers to their doom.
Screeeeeam!: They inflict 3 points of damage to all targets in Immediate range, and anyone who rolls a 1 on their defense roll loses their next action.
Enchantress: They have 2 random cyphers.
Breathtaking: Any creature within immediate range reduces all of their Edges by 1 (to a minimum of zero).
Use: A lonely Inn lays beside Route 65, most people think its abandoned, but their is a lone inhabitant willing to welcome travelers (to their doom).
Loot: A dead scream queen has 50% chance of having 1 artifact.


(If you like this post and others like it and have an extra $1 a month, please consider becoming a Patron of Cross Planes on Patreon.)

Cryptogram: Shredder for the Cypher System



Oroku Saki is the younger brother of Oroku Nagi who had been killed by a fellow ninja Hamato Yoshi (the owner of Splinter, the Turtles' mentor) in a feud over a woman named Tang Shen resulting in Yoshi fleeing with Shen to the United States.

Angry at the death of his older brother, Saki joined the Foot Clan and trained to be a ninja. He quickly became one of their deadliest warriors and rose up the ranks and was chosen to lead the Foot's American branch. Operating in New York under the name of The Shredder, Saki used the opportunity to avenge his brother by killing Yoshi and Shen. Under Saki's leadership, the Foot participated in variety of criminal activities, including drug smuggling, arms running, and assassination.

Fifteen years later Saki was challenged by the Ninja Turtles, which were the result of an accident exposing four ordinary turtles to radioactive waste. They were trained by Yoshi's pet rat Splinter, who had also been mutated by the same substance, to avenge his former master. After a lengthy rooftop battle where Saki seemed to be winning, Leonardo managed to plunge his sword through Saki's torso. Defeated, he was offered the opportunity to commit seppuku (ritual suicide), but Shredder refused and detonated a thermite grenade, in an attempt to take them with him to his death. However, in the last second Donatello used his bo to knock Shredder off the building to his death.

The Shredder returned on Christmas Eve seemingly resurrected with an army of Foot Ninjas severely beating Leonardo and burning down the apartment of the turtles' ally April O'Neil forcing them to go into hiding outside the city. A year on in the story "Return To New York" the turtles returned to settle the score with their enemies. Leonardo faced off against the Shredder alone, in which Saki revealed he was brought back to life by a technique using worms feeding on his body and recreating his cells to reform his body. In the battle, Leonardo decapitates Saki, finally killing him, and the four turtles burn his body at the Hudson River.




SHREDDER 6 (18)


Motive: Lead the Foot Clan
Environment: Any big city
Health: 15
Damage Inflicted: 6
Armor: 3
Movement: Short
Modifications: Initiative action 7, Leadership 7, Might defense 7, Ninjitsu 7

Combat: Deadly devotee of ninjitsu.
Shred: He inflicts 4 damage to all opponents in Immediate range.
Way of Shinobi: He inflicts 2 points of damage that ignore armor on any opponent who rolls a 1 or 2 on their defense roll.
Master: He may summon 1d6+4 Level 3 Ninjas once per scene.
Use: The Shredder is the big bad behind most of the illegal operations in the city and it is merely a matter of time before the characters attract his interest.
Loot: A defeated Shredder has 2 cyphers.


(If you like this post and others like it and have an extra $1 a month, please consider becoming a Patron of Cross Planes on Patreon.)

Clerical Work: Specialty Priest of Dumathoin for D&D 5th Edition

I'm importing the idea of Specialty Priests and channeling a bit of DnD 4E by treating them as Feats.  I'm using Faiths and Avatars from ADnD 2E for inspiration.





Specialty Priests of Dumathoin

Delvesonns Feat

Prerequisite: Dwarf Cleric with the Knowledge Divine Domain

• You gain proficiency in Survival and either Cartographer's tools, Mason's tools, or Smith's tools.

• As a reaction, you may spend a Hit Die to gain immunity to the effects of a mind-affecting spell or psionic power.



Tuesday, October 27, 2015

31 Nights of Halloween Ghost Rider for Savage Worlds & the Weird West





"He haunts the plains, looking for killers, horse thieves, and worse.  But he ain't a man and don't ever ferget that.  He's a ghost and that makes him a different kind of monster."

-Marshall Pat Mcculloch

GHOST RIDER 

Attributes: Agility d12, Smarts d8, Spirit d10, Strength d10, Vigor d12

Skills: Climbing d8, Fighting d10, Intimidation d10, Notice d8, Riding d12, Shooting d12, Stealth d12, Streetwise d8, Swimming d6, Throwing d8, Tracking d8

Pace: 6; Parry: 7; Toughness: 8

Equipment
• Hellfire and Brimstone (Twin Colt Dragoons): 2d6+1 damage


Special Abilities 
• Beast Bond (Horse)
• Brave
• Danger Sense
• Dead Shot
• Fleet-Footed
• Marksman
• Quick
• Quick Draw
• Two-Fisted

Hackable: Simple Cypher (Sipher)

Two weeks ago, I ran a demo of The Strange and my middle daughter played it and had a blast.  She's 11 and sadly, doesn't get to play in my games much.

But this past weekend, her and three friends were hanging out and she told them about our game and asked if they wanted to play it.

I certainly didn't mind, but time was short and I didn't have pre-gens ready for them, but I'd been brainstorming a Cypher System/HeroQuest hack and decided to streamline the whole process.

I had each girl choose a Descriptor (adjective), Type (noun), and Focus (verb).

Then I had them assign a 2 to one of those (essentially become Specialized) and assign a 1 to the other two (essentially become Trained).

Warrior Types had 18 Hit Points.  Skilled Types had 15 Hit Points.  Mythical Types had 12 Hit Points.

Everyone had 6 Effort, which essentially replaced Pools and Edges, and added 1 to their d6 roll on a one for one basis.

Having read about No Thank You, Evil, I used a single d6 instead of a d20 and simply had the girls add the associated number, if any, to the d6 roll.

It all worked great.

I had:

A Charming Paranormal Researcher with a Sasquatch Companion.

A Beautiful Pop Singer with Hologram Powers.

A Tomboy Princess with a Magic Scepter.

A Smart Zombie who Controlled Fire.

It all went very, very well and we got started in under 20 minutes.

A couple of provisions:

1) I love the Cypher System and enjoy it more everytime I run it, this just worked for the nature of this game.

2) I can't say for sure, but I assume the modifications I've made could very well form a strong basis for No Thank You, Evil.  In short, I'm not taking credit for reinventing the wheel here.

Battle Beasts: Leo Fury for FATE Accelerated

The excellent Masters of Umdarr, a great science fantasy setting for FATE Accelerated, has inspired me to work up some Battle Beasts, an awesome toy line I grew up with.


Pirate Lion


LEO FURY 


High Concept: 
   Mutabeast Lion Fighter
Motivation: To End the Reign of Toadius IX
Personal: To Reclaim my Right Eye for Thermobog
Shared: You forged my Sword, Comet Tail, for me


APPROACHES
Careful: Average (+1) 
Clever: Mediocre (+0) 
Flashy: Fair (+2) 
Forceful: Good (+3) 
Quick: Fair (+2) 
Sneaky: Average (+1)

STUNTS



Mane (Flashy): You possess a mane of hair that make you terrifying to behold. +2 when Flashily creating advantages to instill fear.

Sword (Careful): You bear a strong sword. Once per scene, when you Carefully defend and succeed, you gain a boost.


STRESS
[  ]
[  ]  [  ]
[  ]  [  ]  [  ]

CONSEQUENCES 

Mild (2): 
Moderate (4): 
Severe (6):

REFRESH: 3 


Monday, October 26, 2015

31 Nights of Halloween: Samhain for the Cypher System




Samhain is the Ghost of Halloween and one of the few villains to face the Ghostbusters on more than one occasion. He is a strategic ghost with the ability to manipulate time in order to cause eternal night. Samhain also has the ability to control legions of ghosts at his command, however certain ghosts such as Slimer seem able to resist him to a certain extent.




SAMHAIN 7 (21)


Motive: Create a world where the dead rule the living
Environment: Anywhere
Health: 15
Damage Inflicted: 7
Armor: 1
Movement: Short
Modifications: Intellect defense 8

Combat: He motivates the dead to battle the living.
Legions of Ghosts: He may summon 1d6+4 Level 4 minions once per scene.
Night Magic: He has 5 random cyphers.
Stop Time: All characters within Short range of him, must make a Level 3 Intellect defense roll to take an action on their turn.
Use: Samhain is released from his prison in an ancient chronograph and the characters must find the artifacts to banish him from our realm before he brings about eternal night.
Loot: A defeated Samhain has 1d6 cyphers.


(If you like this post and others like it and have an extra $1 a month, please consider becoming a Patron of Cross Planes on Patreon.)

Masters of the Universe Monday: Beast Man for FATE Accelerated

After being banished from his home in the Vine Jungle, the beast man named Raqquill Rqazz joined up with a young alchemist named Keldor during a skirmish in the Berserker Islands.

Like others of his race, Rqazz has the ability to control beasts and monsters. He currently uses this particular talent as chief henchmen to Skeletor, the Overlord of Evil.








BEAST MAN


High Concepts: 
   Warrior Who Controls Beasts and Monsters
Trouble: Treacherous
Other Aspects: Chief Henchman;
 
  Born in the Vine Jungle
  Master of the Whip

APPROACHES
Careful: Average (+1) 
Clever: Mediocre (+0) 
Flashy: Average (+1) 
Forceful: Good (+3) 
Quick: Fair (+2) 
Sneaky: Fair (+2)


STUNTS
Tooth and Claw: I use my Natural Weapons in combat and am never considered Unarmed.

Stalker: 
When I rely upon my Hunting Skills, I gain a +2 bonus to Sneakily ambush a lone enemy.

Thick Hide: When I tap into my Natural Armor, I can ignore one Mild consequence per session.

STRESS
[  ]
[  ]  [  ]
[  ]  [  ]  [  ]

CONSEQUENCES 

Mild (2): 
Moderate (4): 
Severe (6):

REFRESH: 5








Sunday, October 25, 2015

31 Nights of Halloween: Reaper Cultists for 13th Age

Fourteen years ago, Hogarth of Thorrn, arrived in the Duchy and too up as an apprentice cobbler for Hrolf Blickerson of Newhom.  Hrolf passed five years ago and Hogarth took up his shingle as cobbler.

Hogarth has used his time well in the Duchy as a shaman for Tharoth the Reaper, an avatar of Nerull.  He has recruited the misunderstood, the maligned, and the malcontents of the Duchy into a cult that has become well positioned in Newhom and nearby Brighten.

Hogarth has shaped his followers into eager agents, who to outward appearances, have overcome their strangeness and become essential members of both villages.

The group meets to celebrate Tharoth four times a year and for many years were content to merely offer the Reaper livestock.  But as Tharoth has blessed them, they have offered dwarven and elven offerings for the last two years.  Hogarth is cautious about drawing undo attention to his cult, having strict orders to avoid human offerings.

Recently, the Reaper has directed Hogarth to begin searching for the Barrow of the Dust Lord, a murderous sorcerer who was burnt by the citizens of Brighten over a century ago for necromancy.  The cult has been told that the location of the Dust Lord's spellbook is etched on the Dust Lord's bones.







REAPER CULTIST

"We must assume they are entrenched and have been.  They know too much and they cannot find the Barrow before we do."

-Mastermage Viola Puten, Head Mistress of the Hexenschule.

3rd level [HUMAN] 
Initiative: +2

C: Reap +8 vs. PD - 10 damage
     Natural Even Roll: 10 additional damage
     Natural 16+: 10 additional damage that stacks

R: Death Magic vs. MD - 10 damage
     Natural 16+: The target is vulnerable.


Nastier Specials
Scythe Wielder: Reap gains, Miss: 5 damage.

Cleric of Tharoth: Death Magic gains, Natural Odd Roll: the target takes ongoing damage equal to the escalation die.


AC 19

PD  13               HP 45

MD 17



Saturday, October 24, 2015

31 Nights of Halloween: The Nekro Manthrax for the Cypher System.

Death is the only thing that Manthrax of Veroann ever feared.  He watched his parents die from the Yellow Plague and swore that would never happen to him.  He pursued the arkane arts as a nano, growing powerful enough to hold off age, but he wanted to banish death from his life.  He eventually found the crashed flying machine, NEMES, and its trove of wonders in the Moonbow Valley, where he finally unlocked the secrets he sought, becoming a nekro (lich).  There he now waits, weary of those who spread the story of his life and death, his only desire to keep what he has discovered to himself.






MANTHRAX, NEKRO OF THE MOONBOW VALLEY 8 (24)


Motive: Conquer death
Environment: The Moobow Valley
Health: 24
Damage Inflicted: 8
Armor: 2
Movement: Short
Modifications: Esoteries 9, Intellect defense 9, Might defense 6, Numenera 9, Speed defense 7

Combat: Undead nano who employed eldritch esoteries.
Nekromancy: He inflicts 5 damage that ignores armor to a creature within Short range, and any enemy within Immediate range takes 3 damage.
Esoterrorist: If his target rolls a 1 on its defense roll, he regains 2 health.
Arkane Tools: He has 4 random cyphers.
Unliving Servitors: He may summon 1d6 Level 4 minions once per scene.
Death of the Party: He regains 1d6 health whenever an enemy moves one step down the damage track.
Use: The Moonbow Valley is the crash site of an ancient flying machine filled with wondrous artifacts...and the home of the most feared Nekro of the 9th World, Manthrax.
Loot: A defeated Manthrax has 1d6+2 cyphers and 2 artifacts.  Manthrax can only be destroyed permanently if his phylactery is located and destroyed, otherwise he returns to the World 1d6+10 days later.


(If you like this post and others like it and have an extra $1 a month, please consider becoming a Patron of Cross Planes on Patreon.)

ParaMilitary: Dero Shock Trooper for Savage Worlds & Weird War 2







Okinawa 1946
A surprise assault on Allied units was lead by unknown forces, apparently new members of the Axis.



DERO SHOCK TROOP 


"The enemy came at us most heavily from underground.  I've been informed a man named Shaver is being brought to here to Iwo Jima for his expertise on the enemy.  

The fighting on Okinawa is very heavy.  

I'm...I'm not sure that our attackers are...human."

-Report from Colonel Henry Cobb on the renewed battle for Okinawa.


DERO SHOCK TROOPER 

Attributes: Agility d10, Smarts d8, Spirit d6, Strength d8, Vigor d10

Skills: Fighting d8, Notice d8, Shooting d10, Stealth d8

Pace: 6; Parry: 6; Toughness: 7

Equipment
Ultra Armor: +3
Ray Gun: 3d6

Special Abilities 
• Unarmed: d8+d4
• Combat Reflexes
• Improved Arcane Resistance
• Low-Light Vision

Friday, October 23, 2015

31 Nights of Halloween: Green Goblin Truck for the Cypher System

The Green Goblin Truck is a black colored White-Western Star 4800 truck with a full-sized grinning Green Goblinmask adorning its front. The eyes of the mask are capable of glowing at times of action. It hauls a black trailer that said "HAPPY TOYZ - Here comes another load of joy!". The rear of the trailer features a creepy image of a clown as well. The cab has red decor and a hidden Green Goblin Jack-in-the-box toy behind red curtains in the
back of the cab.






HAPPY TOYZ (GREEN GOBLIN) TRUCK 7 (21)


Motive: Kill
Environment: Highways
Health: 21
Damage Inflicted: 7
Armor: 3
Movement: Long
Modifications: Might defense 8, Speed defense 8

Combat: Run you over.
Burning Rubber: They may inflict 5 damage to all creatures in Immediate range.
Caught in the Headlights: Any creature who rolled a 1-4 on their Initiative action roll loses their action for the round.
Loot: A destroyed Happy Toyz Truck has 2 cyphers.


(If you like this post and others like it and have an extra $1 a month, please consider becoming a Patron of Cross Planes on Patreon.)

Aeon: Chasm Diablo for Fantasy AGE







CHASM DIABLO

Abilities (Focuses)
2 Accuracy (Tendril)

7 Communication (Bargaining, Deception, Persuasion)


7 Constitution (Drinking, Stamina, Flying)

2 Dexterity (Stealth)

8 Fighting (Bite, Claws, Bludgeons, Tail)

6 Intelligence (Arcane Lore, Cultural Lore, Heraldry, Historical

                        Lore, Religious Lore)

4 Perception (Seeing, Smelling)

8 Strength (Intimidate, Might)

4 Willpower (Fire Arcana, Self-Discipline)

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

     Speed          Health           Defense          Armor Rating
   10/20 Fly        150                  12                        7

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Weapon               Attack Roll          Damage 

Bite                             +10                  1d6+8  
Claws                          +10                  1d6+9   
Mace                           +10                  2d6+8
Tail                              +10                  1d6+10   

Spell                     Attack Roll          Damage 
Flame Blast                  +6                  2d6+5  



   
Special Qualities 
Favored Stunts: Burning Shield (2 SP), Defensive Stance (2 SP), Dual Strike (3 SP), Fire Storm (5 SP), Knock Prone (2 SP), Mighty Blow (2 SP), Pierce Armor (2 SP), Poison (5 SP)*, Taunt (2 SP)

Burning Shield: The chasm diablo surrounds itself with a fiery aura.  Any adjacent enemy that makes a melee attack against the chasm diablo takes 2 penetrating damage. Burning shield lasts until the end of the battle.


Armored Hide: The chasm diablo's hide provides a natural Armor Rating of 12. 

Fire Storm: The chasm diablo creates an explosive firestorm with a 4-yard radius anywhere within 50 yards of it. Anyone caught in the area takes 3d6+4 damage and may be knocked prone. 

Darkvision: The chasm diablo can see perfectly in total darkness.  

Poison stunt: For 5 SP on a successful bite attack, a chasm diablo can inflict 3d6 extra damage on their attack.

Threat: Major





Thursday, October 22, 2015

31 Nights of Halloween: Drop Bear for the Cypher System

Drop bears are commonly said to be unusually large, vicious, carnivorous marsupials related to koalas (although the koala is not a bear) that inhabit treetops and attack their prey by dropping onto their heads from above. 





DROP BEAR 4 (12)


Motive: Attack
Environment: The trees
Health: 15
Damage Inflicted: 4
Armor: 2
Movement: Short
Modifications: Ambush 5, Speed defense 5

Combat: They attack from above!
Death From Above: They move a target 1 steps down the damage track when they drop down from the trees.  If the target rolls a 1 on their defense, they move 1 additional step down the damage track.
Use: The characters are exploring the forests near ruins they are seeking, when its starts raining bears....
Loot: --


(If you like this post and others like it and have an extra $1 a month, please consider becoming a Patron of Cross Planes on Patreon.)

Thor's Day: Grendel for 13th Age

Grendel is some sort of unknown, abstract spirit that possesses or infects different individuals, and even societies, over time. There has been some discussion over what exactly the core character of this spirit of Grendel is, for the people it has infected have had fairly different personalities and have acted in seemingly very different ways. They may be crime lords, avenging mothers, madmen, emperors, mages, and protective warriors--not much seems to link them together. Grendel is often characterized as evil, or the devil, but that is not exactly it, or at least that is not all of it.







GRENDEL

"He is a fiend!  A vile spawn that survives...no thrives in spite of the Gods' hatred of him.  Bring me his head!"

-Katarina Malifaux-Rhyme, Duchess of St. Cuthbert

Large 12th level wrecker [CONSTRUCT] 
Initiative: +9

Aggro:  Grendel uses the escalation die

Slayer +17 vs. AC - 180 damage
     Natural 16+: Grendel can make a double-bladed staff attack
     Miss: 20 damage

[Special trigger] Double-Bladed Staff +17 vs. AC — 180  damage

Spines +15 vs. PD (1d3 nearby enemies) -  80 damage

Menace +18 vs. MD - The target loses the benefit of the escalation
                                     die.
     Natural Even Roll: The target becomes vulnerable until the end
                                    of their next turn.

Nastier Specials
Laser Sword: Slayer gains, Natural Even Roll: the target becomes stunned until the end of their next turn.

Shooter: Slayer can be a ranged attack and gains, Natural Odd Roll: the target becomes hampered until the end of their next turn.


AC 28

PD  22               HP 720

MD 26

Fear Threshold: 120 Hit Points



Monster Monday: Ork City's Chupacabra for Shadowdark

Welcome to Ork City! In the middle of Ork City's Hatt Island is the Park, a wild and dangerous forest filled with all manner of nightmar...