Monday, October 19, 2020

Universal Monster Monday: Count Dracula for AD&D 2nd Edition and Ravenloft

Before Dungeons & Dragons, Champions, Art, Comic Books, or even Toys I LOVED the Universal Monsters. As a kid, the only books I'd check out of the elementary school library were these books that dealt with old monster movies. Most of those books deal with Universal Monsters. Here is the silly part, I was an absolute fraidy cat and couldn't even watch those old black and white movies without covering my eyes. It was crazy, but I loved them and here you are.


Count Dracula

Climate/Terrain: Any
Frequency: Very rare
Organization: Pack
Activity Cycle: Night
Diet: Special
Intelligence: Genius (17-18)
Treasure: G
Alignment: Chaotic evil
No. Appearing: 1
Armor Class: -1
Movement: 12, FL 18 (C)
Hit Dice: 12+4
THAC0: 8
No. of Attacks: 2
Damage/Attack: 2d6+4
Special Attacks: Energy drain
Special Defenses: +1 or better magical weapon to hit
Magic Resistance: See below
Size: M (5-1/2'-6-1/2')
Morale: Fanatic (18)
XP Value: 13,000

Combat: When engaging in combat, Count Dracula is a savage and fearsome opponent. He is physically very powerful, with a Strength score of 18/76, receiving a bonus of +2 to hit and +4 to damage. His crushing blows inflict 2d6+4 points of damage.
   His gaze is one of his most powerful and dangerous weapons. Any person who allows the Count to look into his eyes will be affected as if by a charm person spell. Due to the power of this enchantment, a -3 is applied to the victim's saving throw vs. spell. 
   Like all undead creatures, Dracula exists in both the Positive Material and Negative Material planes at the same time. His powerful negative essence allows him to drain two life energy levels from anyone they bite. If the Count is making use of some form of weapon in the attack, He cannot employ this power.
   Weapons of less than +1 enchantment pass through the Count without harming him in any way. Even if attacked with and harmed by magical weapons, Dacula regenerates 3 hit points per round. If reduced to zero hit points, he is not destroyed but is forced to assume gaseous form. Once in this state, he will attempt to flee and return to its coffin where, after eight hours of rest, he regains his corporeal form. If the defeated Dracula is unable to reach his coffin within 12 turns, however, his essence breaks up and he is truly destroyed.   
   Sleep, charm, and hold spells do not affect Dracula. Similarly, he is unharmed by poisons and immune to paralysis. Spells that are based on cold or electricity cause him only half damage.
   At will, the Count is able to disperse his body into clouds of elemental vapor and assume gaseous form. In this state, he is all but immune to attack and can escape from almost any confinement. In addition, Dracula can shape change so as to take on the form of a large bat (hence the flying movement rate given above).
   Count Dracula can summon lesser creatures for aid. In a subterranean environment, he will typically call forth a swarm of 1d10x10 rats or bats. In the case of the latter, these do not physically attack but serve to confuse and obscure the vision of the Count's foes. In the wilderness, he will normally call upon 3d6 wolves for assistance. In all cases, the summoned animals arrive in 2d6 rounds.
   At will, he can use a spider climb ability and scale sheer surfaces. Often, he will employ this power to gain access to rooms on upper floors without alerting those on watch downstairs. This power also permits him to seek refuge in places that are all but beyond the reach of mortals. 
   Despite the great powers which Draculas obviously possess, he is not without weaknesses of his own. The odor of strong garlic repels him and he will not approach it. Further, he will recoil from the face of a mirror or lawful good holy symbol if either of these is presented to him with courage and conviction. It is important to understand, however, that this will not actually harm the Count in any way nor drive him off. Garlic will prevent him from attacking or entering the area, while mirrors and holy symbols force Dracula to find some means of removing the offending object before it can be bypassed. In most cases, he will seek to overcome these hazards with the aid of his minions. For example, a charmed person might be called upon to attack someone who is holding the Count at bay with a holy symbol. Another important point to keep in mind is that a lawful
good holy symbol will affect Dracula regardless of the vampire's original religious background. If the Count is splashed with a vial of holy water or struck with a lawful good holy symbol he will be burned by them, suffering 1d6+1 points of damage.
   Just as Dracula can be kept at bay, so too can he be slain by those who have the knowledge to do so. If the Count is exposed to direct sunlight he is instantly rendered powerless and, after one round, utterly annihilated. If he can be immersed in running water, he loses one-third of his hit points each round, until destroyed on the third round. Lastly, Dracula can be killed by having a wooden stake driven through his heart. In this case, however, he can be restored simply by removing the stake if further measures are not taken to ensure the fate of the vampire. In order for him to be completely destroyed, the Count's head must be cut off and his mouth stuffed with holy wafers (or their equivalent).
   In addition to its aversion to items like garlic and holy symbols, Count Dracula acts under many other limitations. One of the most powerful of these is his inability to enter a home without being first invited to do so by a resident of the dwelling. This does not apply to public buildings and places of business which, by their very nature, extend an “invitation” to all. Once he has been invited to enter a residence, he may come and go freely afterward. A common manner for obtaining permission to enter a home is the use of the Count's gaze to charm a servant or other inhabitant.
   Any human or humanoid creature slain by the life energy drain of the Dracula is doomed to become a vampire themself. Thus, those who would hunt these undead paragons must be very careful lest they find themselves condemned to a fate far worse than death. The transformation takes place one day after the burial of the creature. Those who are not actually buried, however, do not become undead and it is thus traditional that the bodies of a vampire's victims be burned or similarly destroyed. Once they become undead, the new vampire is under the complete control of the Count. If Count Dracula is destroyed, the controlled undead are freed from his power and become self-willed creatures. In most cases, vampires do not lose the abilities and knowledge which they had in life when they become undead. Thus, it is possible for a vampire to have the powers of, for example, a wizard, thief, or even a priest. In all cases, of course, the new vampire becomes chaotic evil.


Sunday, October 18, 2020

Star Wars: Storm Trooper Pre-Gens for Colonial Troopers

Our DM will be out on Halloween Weekend so I'm going to resurrect our Star Wars Storm Trooper One-Shots, but I've decided to use Colonial Troopers a DnD 0e SF RPG by Thomas Denmark and his Nite Owl Workshop. I'm pretty darn excited.





LEVEL 4 SNIPER (AGENT)

Strength -1

Intelligence +0

Wisdom +0

Dexterity +2

Constitution +0

Charisma -1

Hit Points 18

Melee Attack Bonus +1

Ranged Attack Bonus +4

AC 17 (15+2)

Saving Throw 13+

Skill Bonus +3

Sneak Attack: An Agent who successfully sneaks up on, surprises, or distracts an enemy receives a bonus of +4 to-hit, and does double the normal melee or ranged weapon damage. This bonus to damage increases to x3 at 5th level.

Skill: Agents have a knack for achieving unlikely results when it comes to things like picking pockets, picking locks, sneaking past or distracting guards, disarming small or intricate traps, bluffing at gambling, and so on. They have a bonus to their normal Saving Throw to achieve favorable results as indicated in the Agent Skill Bonus column, these are only applied at the Game Master’s discretion.

Sniper Rifle: 3d6+2; Rate of Fire 1


LEVEL 4 NEGOTIATOR (DIPLOMAT)

Strength +0

Intelligence +1

Wisdom +0

Dexterity +0

Constitution +0

Charisma +2

Hit Points 14

Melee Attack Bonus +2

Ranged Attack Bonus +2

AC 15

Saving Throw 13+

Persuade 11+

Diplomat Special Abilities: Because Diplomats are frequently called on to use their talents intense situations they have no weapon or armor restrictions.
   Diplomats can persuade using their ST modified by their Charisma Bonus to gain the assistance of a basically neutral crowd that is intelligent and understands the Diplomat. The ST the Diplomat has to make is modified based on the general likelihood of cooperation by the crowd being addressed as determined by the Game Master.
   Diplomats have the ability to talk a hostile group into negotiation. The hostile group must understand the Diplomat and not have obvious overwhelming force. The Diplomat then rolls based on her ST plus Charisma Bonus vs the leader(s) of the opposing force Charisma Bonus +ST (or some higher or lower value depending on the GM’s idea of the degree of hostility). Compare how well each side made the negotiation roll on Table 5 (see pg 17).

Blaster Pistol: 1d8; Rate of Fire 2

Blaster Rifle: 2d8; Rate of Fire 2


LEVEL 4 SCOUT (HUNTER)

Strength +0

Intelligence +0

Wisdom +1

Dexterity +0

Constitution +0

Charisma +0

Hit Points 23

Melee Attack Bonus +2 

Ranged Attack Bonus +2

AC 13

Saving Throw 11+ (9+ on Wisdom Saves)

Healing: +2

Detect Ambush: +2 

Tracking: +1

Blaster Rifle: 2d8; Rate of Fire 2


LEVEL 4 VANGUARD (MERCENARY)

Strength +0

Intelligence -1

Wisdom +0

Dexterity +1

Constitution +1

Charisma +0

Hit Points 32

Melee Attack Bonus +4 

Ranged Attack Bonus +5 (+6 with Assault Blaster)

AC 15

Saving Throw 12+

Unstoppable: A Mercenary, upon killing an enemy, receives an immediate free attack with the same probability against any other enemy within reach.

Assault Blaster: 2d6+1; Rate of Fire 2; Burst; Full



LEVEL 4 TANK (TROOPER)

Strength -1 (+3 in Battle Suit)

Intelligence +1

Wisdom -1

Dexterity +0

Constitution +0

Charisma +0

Hit Points 23

Melee Attack Bonus +2

Ranged Attack Bonus +2 (+3 in Battle Suit)

AC 14; Damage Reduction 6

Saving Throw 9+

Blaster Rifle: 2d8; Rate of Fire 2

Battle Suit Features

Auto Railgun: 2d6; Roll 3d20 to Attack; Usage Die d8; -1 to Hit for each additional Range Bracket

Large Flamer: 4d6; Cone; Usage Die d6

Light: Out to 100'; Usage Die d12

Smoke Bombs: These fire and discard bombs and have a range of 300’. 60’ before the intended end of the shot, smoke issues out, creating a line of dense smoke about 3’ wide. The smoke blocks normal and ultraviolet frequencies and is hot enough to block Infrared. It also contains minuscule chaff that expands to block radar and it distorts sound waves.







Saturday, October 17, 2020

Character Building: Edder Brownsmith for Warlock!

I'm going to make a character for the Warlock! RPG from Fire Ruby Designs.

There are no Ability Scores in Warlock! and that is something I've loved since encountering it in Castle Falkenstein.

There are 32 Skills in Warlock! and I'm going to choose 10 of them at to start at Level 6

Bargain 6

Blunt (weapon) 6

Brawling 6

Crossbow 6

Endurance 6 

History 6

Repair 6

Small Blade 6

Survival 6

Thrown 6

Now I choose 10 more at Level 5:

Athletics 5

Dodge 5

Intimidate 5

Language 5

Language 5

Lie 5

Medicine 5

Navigation 5

Spot 5

Stealth 5

All other Skills default to 4.

My Stamina is 2d6+12 for a total of 18.

My Luck is 1d6+7 for a total of 11.

There are four Communities (think race) to choose from which are Human, Elf, Dwarf, and Halfling and there are no mechanical benefits or drawbacks to any of them.

I choose Dwarf.

In Warlock! you choose a Career or randomly roll one and I choose the latter option.

I roll Entertainer.

An Entertainer's Skills and the Max Level they can before I have to switch careers be are Diplomacy 10, History 10, Brawling 12, Disguise 12, Persuasion 12.

I now distribute 10 Skill Levels between them.

Diplomacy 7

Brawling 10

History 6

Disguise 4

Persuasion 7

Repair 6

Additionally, I get an Entertainer Skill equal to the average Level of its Career Skills, in this case, it is 6. If I can persuade the GM that my Entertainer Career would work in a situation I can use it for the Skill test.

I get some Equipment from my Career, including Nice Clothes and a Dagger.

The first random table asks Who Have I Entertained? The Royal Opera House.

The second random table asks What Have I Learned? That Poetry Is Not for Me.

Next, you either come up with three Traits or pick from a list (they do not appear to have a mechanical value). I choose Curious, Picky, and Witty.

And that is it.

Warlock!'s core mechanic is to roll a d20 add your Skill Level and equal or exceed a 20. Armor reduces damage and is generally rated at 1d3, 1d6, or 2d6 but you always take a minimum of 1 point of damage on a hit.

It does have an Equipment list with costs but I didn't see a section on starting Silver. Money is in Pennies, Silver, or Gold.

I think I might work up a spellcaster next, but before that here is

Edder Brownsmith, Dwarf Entertainer

Stamina: 18

Luck: 11

Skills:

Athletics 5

Bargain 6

Blunt (weapon) 6

Brawling 10

Crossbow 6

Diplomacy 7

Disguise 4

Dodge 5

Endurance 6 

History 6

Intimidate 5

Language 5

Language 5

Lie 5

Medicine 5

Navigation 5

Persuasion 7

Repair 6

Small Blade 6

Spot 5

Stealth 5

Survival 6

Thrown 6

Equipment:

Leather (Light Armour) 1d3

Dagger 1d6+1 Slashing

Traits:

Curios

Picky

Witty









Thursday, October 15, 2020

Warlock!: Sqig

I've recently been looking over the Warlock! RPG which, for me, captures the best parts of Warhammer Fantasy Role Play, Basic Role Playing, and the OSR.



Type Uncivilized
Actions/round 1
Weapon/skill/damage Teeth/5/1d6
Armour 1d3 Hide
Adventuring skills 3
Stamina 5
Notes Unpredictable

Unpredictable - If a squig moves this turn roll a d8, a 1 is North, a 2 is Northeast, a 3 is East, a 4 is Southeast, a 5 is South, a 6 is Southwest, a 7 is West, and an 8 is Northwest. The result is the direction they move this turn.

Description - The Squigs (short for "Squiggly Beasts") are considered by many to be the simplest form of Greenskin life. Squigs seems to be extremely simple in terms of their motivations. So far, they have only ever been reliably observed exhibiting two behavioral patterns; eat anything edible that is nearby, then move more-or-less randomly until there is something else to eat within range and once more wander about aimlessly. A number of bizarre offshoots of Squigs have been seen in various locations within the Old World, though they inevitably favour lightless areas such as caves and underground tunnels.

Tuesday, October 13, 2020

Monstrous Monday: Count Draco Knuckleduster for Dungeon & Dragons 5th Edition

 I've become a huge fan of Super7's ReAction figures and they have teamed up with Killer Bootlegs, Inc. who created Count Draco Knuckleduster. 

"Legend has it that during the period of darkness that followed "the Great Fall of 2548", the prison planet of Archea had become a breeding ground for a new form of evil. Thousands of star systems fell and worlds crumbled, dark beings conspired in the shadows to take advantage of the billions of deaths and endless destruction.

Count Draco Knuckleduster, was once a brilliant specialist in the field of cryonics. He was at one time considered the foremost authority on artificial life preservation in the Realm. His research and experiments were always in question by Absolute Rule Thuban and were eventually deemed "unnatural". Using a primeval form of Black Wizardry coupled with the most advanced technology of his time, Draco fashioned himself a Cybernetic Chronautical Exosuit. This device helped him sustain a somewhat cadaverous life for many revolutions. This temporarily prevented the inevitable crossing over of his consciousness. In an effort to sustain himself through unnatural means forever, Count Draco Knuckleduster plans to replace his natural-born heart with the Cryptoscrystalline Stone.

For uncounted centuries, the Stone lay hidden among the cosmos. Draco now must find it as he knows whomever possess it would hold the power to resurrect an army of deathless warriors and once again rule the stars..."






Friday, October 9, 2020

Worlds Without Number: Shokkoth of the Many Stones

I own several of Kevin Crawford's OSR RPGs, but I've never run one. Worlds Without Number is the first time I've ever backed one of his Kickstarters and that gave me access to the Beta Rules.

The company I work for, Comic Book World, was founded by my In-Laws and I've worked for them for the last 20 years and they've basically retired earlier this year. That means that now I do all of the buying of comics that come into our store and I just purchased a sweet run of Marvel's first Conan the Barbarian series.

Issue number 46 features Shokkoth on its cover so I decided I'd stat him up for WWN.



Shokkoth of the Many Stones for Worlds Without Number

HD: 6
AC: 18
Atk: +5 

Dmg: 1d10+1 stony fist
Shock: 2/15
Move: 30
Morale: 12
Instinct: 3
Skill: +1

Save: 9+

The living statue Shokkoth of the Many stones was created by the sorcerer Zoqqanor to protect his sanctum. 


Tuesday, October 6, 2020

Halloween Treat: Mister Jip for Silent Legions

 MISTER JIP for Silent Legions


AC: 4
HD: 9
Atks: Claw x 2 +8 

Dmg: 1d8
Skill: +1
Special: Disguised, Multilimbed, Parasitic 

Move: 30'
Morale: 12
Madness: 1
Save: 6+


The man who would become known as Mister Jip was born centuries ago somewhere in Asia. He roamed the world as a scholar in the pursuit of knowledge and went to Tibet to find the legendary city of Kamar-Taj. Though the city was in ruins, Jip encountered the Ancient One and became his first apprentice. As his student, Jip was instructed in the arts of benevolent magic, but unknown to his master, he sought out books of dark magic and practiced forbidden rituals to increase his own power. When the Ancient One discovered this, he cast Jip out of his service. Jip began extending his lifespan by usurping the bodies of others.[2] These days Jip likes to think that he still did some good, as it was his example that allowed the Ancient One to recognize the signs of Baron Mordo's betrayal centuries later.

Out on his own, Jip wanted to increase his knowledge of the dark arts even further. To do so he started to extend his life at the costs of others, but these dark arts twisted and corrupted his own body into a monstrous shape. Despite his desire to dominate the world, Jip stayed hidden over the centuries and rarely revealed himself to others.

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Monstrous Monday: Foe'Ton for Dungeon Crawl Classics

 I've recently gotten back into collecting toys, actually, my 19-year-old son got me back in to have a hobby we share. It started with the Masters of the Universe Origins figures, expanded to Masters of the WWE Universe, to a swerve back into Glyos, and has ended up with Super7's ReAction figures.


Heavy Metal's Lord of Light from Super7

Many would be surprised to learn that stars are plasma spheroids held together with gravity and they would be further shocked to discover that stars even die.

But what would turn their blood cold would be the knowledge that they can succumb to Undeath as easily as a common hog farmer. A star's life and death is a powerful event that affects entire astronomical bodies in our night sky. An Undead star, as is often the case, is far more dangerous than it's living counterpart and the truly terrifying question is if an Undead star has a weakness.
Init +10; Atk burning touch +13 melee (2d8 x 10) or 
solar vision missle fire (2d6 x 10); AC 21; HD 13d12; 
MV 60’; Act 1d30+10, 1d30+10, 1d30+10; 
SP flying; SV Fort +8, Ref +10, Will +8; AL N.




Monday, October 5, 2020

Halloween Nights: Man-Thing for Labyrinth Lord

 



Man-Thing for Labyrinth Lord
No. Enc.: 1
Alignment: Neutral
Movement: 120' (30')
Armor Class: 3 (16)
Hit Dice: 6
Attacks: 1 (unarmed), see below
Damage: 1d6
Save: F6
Morale: 11
Hoard Class: VII
XP: 300

The Man-Thing is the guardian of the Nexus of All Realities, a swamp where one can travel to any plane of existence. Any sentient creature that sees the Man-Thing must make a saving throw vs Paralyzation, on a failure the creature takes an additional 2d6 damage from Man-Thing's attacks as anyone who knows fear, burns at his touch.

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Saturday, October 3, 2020

Halloween Nights: Jennifer Kale for Night Shift: Veterans of the Supernatural Wars





Jennifer was born into the Kale family of sorcerers in the Florida Everglades. Attuned to mystical forces since birth, she began studying her family's history of magic. Jennifer became an apprentice of Dakimh the Enchanter and the two of them acted as allies of the Man-Thing, a creature that protected a Nexus of All Realities centered in the Everglades.

She has been advised by her grandfather Joshua (even after his death), who had been a mystical Cult leader when alive. His spirit continued this after she left her training with Dakimh and attempted to live a normal life as a college student. Regardless of her efforts at normalcy for many years, she has been drawn into numerous magical conflicts. Examples include her kidnapping by Baron Mordo,[3] discovering a familial connection to the Ghost Rider[4]and other adventures assisting the mutant team known X-Force.[5]


Jennifer Kale

Owner, Witch's Brew

WITCH 10 
Str 13 (+1/+3)  Dex 14 (+1/+4)  Con 12 (+0/+2) 

Int 14 (+1/+4)  Wis 17 (+2/+7)  Cha 18 (+3/+8) 

HP: 25 AC: 4 (Dexterity and Magic Armor)

Abilities: +2 saving throw; +5 vs. spells and magic, Arcana 100%, Spellcasting 100% (4/4/3/3/2 slots)

Arcane powers: Blaster (Magic Missle); Charm Person or Monster; Shadow Walking; Telepathic Transmission.

Tome of Zhered-Na: (1) Detect Magic, Detect Undead, Disrupt Undead, Hold Portal, Protection From Undead, Read Languages, Speak with With Animals (2), Detect Invisibility, Invisibility, Levitate, Locate Plants, Phantasmal Image (3) Dispel Magic, Fly, Protection From Normal Missles, Pyrotechnic (4) Hold Undead, Inflict Serious Wounds, Pass Plant, Plant Door, Speak With Plants (5) Commune, Dispel Evil, Harm, Pass Plant


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...