Shadowdark: The Citadel on the Borderlands

I hope to be running the Lost Citadel of the Scarlet Minotaur this Friday and I'll be using the Premium version that was released to Backers of the Western Reaches KS in late August. 

While I was reading over the adventure an idea struck me that I could use it as the legendary Keep on the Borderlands for ongoing adventures. Will the survivors care about the unknown that lies within the Borderlands? Maybe they take over the Citadel and turn it into a Bastion (from the Player's Guide to the Western Marches which has been released to KS backers too)? Maybe they just decide to explore the Reaches? At least I have options.

While my Friday group is currently playing through 5E's Vecna campaign (I'm a sucker for the Rod of 7 Parts) we have at least one session a month where we need a different option due to schedule conflicts or a week where that DM is just needs a break. I'd be glad to turn this into the second game option for us. I have a lot of interest in hex crawling the Western Reaches but that book isn't quite ready though it seems likely we will get it digitally by the end of September.

 

X marks the spot!

 

I've been thinking of where to place the Citadel and the most logical spot is on the Southeasterly edge of the map below Alkesh. The Citadel would be below that unlabeled village/town circled on the map. I'm thinking the Citadel would be a few days ride South and that town would be a place to rest up, carouse, train, and sell loot.

It appears the unnamed location will, in fact, have a name when the Game Master's Guide to the Western Reaches is sent out to Backers. Whether I homebrew the town or use the official version will end up being decided by what information is available to me when the PC's reach there.

Now all I have to do is run the adventure and keep developing my ideas. No pressure, right?

Shadowdark: House Rules for ArkhamDark

 

I had taken a break from Shadowdark but receiving the PDF of the Premium Lost Citadel of the Scarlet Minotaur adventure has brought back. I was looking through ArkhamDark because I'm always looking for resources to run Ravenloft's Masque of the Red Death setting and enjoyed it. 

There are a couple areas that have me thinking about homebrewing. First, the author adjusted Difficulty Classes for some reason and I'm pondering why. I really like the math in Shadowdark and have found it works brilliantly in play. Of the many lessons to learn as a Dungeon Master having clear and consistent DC's really lightens the cognitive load so I will probably stick with SD's DCs when I run AarkhamDark.

Second, Skill Aptitudes replace Background but don't grant Advantage like that latter and it occurs to me that the Fighter's Combat Mastery could be an easy mechanic to model.  Under my House Rule Skill Aptitude would grant a bonus of half your level (round down) + 1 and will definitely be testing it.

I want to reinforce that I recommend this product and it has some great ideas. The reason I love the OSR is its DIY nature and the rulings over rules. ArkhamQuest is a good product. If you want a taste of how it handles occupations there are free downloads for the Occultist and the Soldier. There is also a text version of the rules at a significant discount.

Rifts' Mega-Damage for Cypher Option 2

After posting about using mega-damage in Cypher a user on Reddit, Prof_Xaos gave me a better idea:

Mega-damage weapons inflict Major wounds.

Mega-damage armor ignores minor and moderate wounds. 

Pretty neat and very easy.

As an asymmetrical system I don't need to alter damage from PCs. 

Rifts' Mega-Damage for Cypher 2E

• Mega-damage weapons inflict an additional 9 points of damage to an NPC or an additional 9 points of Might damage to a PC.

• Mega-damage armor reduces mega-damage weapons’ additional damage to 0.

I've been toiling at this for days. I've had some great feedback on Reddit and the Cypher Unlimited Discord that has been truly helpful. Part of the reason I want to run Rifts in Cypher 2nd Edition is because of the various eccentricities of the Palladium Megaverse and the rules that power it, but it is a staple of the settings so I felt compelled to tackle it. The rules are rooted in Power Shifts and a weapons mega-damage or M.D. is three Shifts. 

What I like about this solution is it is a toggle. You can simply ignore it and just play C2 or you can activate it and a weapon's damage is similar for PCs or NPCs and a being in mega-damage armor just ignores the extra damage. 

Rifts' SAMAS Pilot for Cypher 2E

SAMAS Pilot   5 (15) 

Health: 15 

Damage Inflicted: Major wound

Armor: 7 

Movement: Long 

Modifications: Initiative and Dodge at level 6 

Combat: SAMAS pilots tend to operate as scouts and the tip of the spear. 

• Rail Gun: long range magnetic rifle 

• Wrist Missile Pod: Several missiles streak toward the target as an action. The target and all other creatures within short range must succeed on a Dodge roll or take a moderate wound. Once deployed the pod needs to be reloaded before being used again.

Avionics: The SAMAS can fly at speeds up to 150 miles per hour.

The Essence of SAMAS Pilots

SAMAS pilots have had a resurgence of interest from new recruits due to the popularity of the propaganda film Tip of the Spear starring Lt. Kip Lakewood, better known by his callsign, Liger, within the Coalition States. The film tells the story Lakewood’s role in the fictional Battle of Emmercrest and omits that his mother, Coraline Putnam-Lakewood, is the Carnifex of Chi-Town’s Borough 3, and used her sway to get him in the program after being rejected. The SAMAS program leads the CS forces in troop losses as the pilots are tasked with flying at very high speeds at low altitudes as scouts and advanced operations in hostile theaters of operation. They are often called "banshees" by other CS troops because when "you hear them someone is going to die and odds are pretty even its the SAMAS pilot". "Bullet" is another common nickname.

Rifts' Skelebots for Cypher 2nd Edition

Skelebot   2 (6) 

Health: 6 

Damage Inflicted: Moderate wound 

Optional Mega-Damage Inflicted: Major wound

Armor: 2 

Movement: Long 

Modifications: Initiative at level 3; Perception at level 4 

Combat: Skelebots are led by Dead Boy NCOs (see below). 

• Standard Energy Weapon: Uses long range energy rifle. 

• Vibro-Blade: The blade is stored in its left arm and deals            moderate wound

 

The Essence of Skelebots

The Coalition States deploys skelebots, which are cheap to make, as hunter-killers whose mission parameters are focused on mass extermination as opposed to pacification. While units are commanded by small groups of Dead Boys the androids are best described as bringing a chainsaw to a knife fight. Their OS has few guardrails beyond don’t kill Coalition personnel without authorization and try not to kill Coalition citizens. Rumors insist that their voice module is based off of Chairman Joseph Prosek I.

Dead Boy NCO   4 (12) 

Health: 12 

Damage Inflicted: Moderate wound (M.D. weapon)

Armor: 4 (M.D. armor)

Movement: Short 

Modifications: Cybernetics and Mechanic at level 5

Combat: Dead Boy Skelebot squad leaders are veterans with at least 1 tour in a warzone and advanced training in cybernetic systems and mechanical repairs.
• Standard Energy Weapon: Uses long range energy rifle

 

State of the Planes 8/20/26

Its been a pretty quiet summer here as back to school approaches, I ran a single session of TMNT and Other Strangeness (and hope to run it again) and a short campaign of Shadow of the Weird Wizard for my DnD Summer Camp this year (the 3rd "class" I've taught). The Kids in our Thursday game (graduates of the previous two years of DnD Summer Camp) are taking turns DMing right now so it has given me time to get some extra work done. I'm continually impressed how talented each of them are. My Friday game sees us playing the 5E Vecna campaign when scheduling allows and I'm not running anything on Wednesdays right now.

Running a family business in this economy is pretty challenging but we all keep plucking away it and God willing we will come through the other side eventually. For the first time in years Comics are outselling Magic: the Gathering which I attribute to an initiative we made about three years ago where we started marketing to younger customers of all genders and having my 25 year old son and 22 year old daughter taking over larger roles. I think the icing on the cake is our ComicsHub Point of Sale that has an App to allow you to order or preorder from us 24/7.

I've spent the last few months counting down to Mongoose Publishing's Dark Conspiracy powered by their Traveller 2E (now funding on Backerkit) and am going all in on the project. I have always loved the game and hope to do something with it later this year or early next.

Yesterday, I picked up Cypher Character Rulebook, the 2E player's book from Monte Cook Games, and am impressed by the changes they made to it. There are no longer only 4 Types as the genre now dictates the number and role a Type takes which I think is a big plus. I also applaud the Wound system as a nice change from using your Pools for doing cool stuff AND your "hit points". Cypher was always easy to run and I think the changes make it even easier to do so. The books production values, clarity, and ease of use (yay hyperlinks) has improved and I prefer this book over the expanded version from few years ago that, because I felt like they were trying too hard to be GURPS and it just came off as dense. I also like the order information is presented and look forward to the GM Guide and the new Bestiary. If you do pick it up the Cypher Unlimited Discord is very active and Sean K. Reynolds posted there about a quick conversion for how much damage enemies now do in Wounds which I have posted below.

The new edition of Cypher has me looking at some of the past creations/adaptations I did years ago on here and reignited my creative juices. I've found my interest in 5.5 diminishing, though my love of World of Warcraft has piqued my interest in its November release. Overall, my interest in the D20 system is waning a bit. I really like the bare bones nature of Traveller/Cepheus Engine (I keep realizing I really don't care for Feats or Classes at this point) and prefer it to Basic Role Playing. Even my passion for Shadowdark has diminished significantly.

I'm hoping for that inspiration to translate better into posts on here.

Invincible RPG: I want to succeed more often and not break the Stunt rules

I really like the Invincible RPG and therefore the Dice Pool version of the Year Zero Engine. However, only succeeding on 6s and Pushing aren't what I want to emulate with my Super Hero games. But how do you increase your probability of succeeding without breaking the Stunt system? I think I have a good solution for that.

Step 1: When rolling every 5 or 6 is a Success.

Step 2: Each pair of 5s or 6s generates a Stunt. So if my Agility is a 5 and I roll 5,6,3,4,5, I have three Success (5,5,6) and generate one Stunt (5,5).


That is it.

I hope to test it soon.

Pocket Dark Sun: Dune Reaper & Gaj

Dune Reaper: "The reaper prowls the sandy wastes in wild packs, leaping from dunes to ambush and impale its prey on its scythe like limbs."

Combat 1, Physical 2, Stealth 1, 2 Protection, 1 Wound. Heavy attack. No. Appearing 1d4+2.

Gaj: "This large reptile resembling a beetle is a psionic horror that is covered in a scaly, rust-orange shell with six legs that end in sharp claws."

Combat 2, Knowledge 1, Physical 2, 3 Protection, 2 Wounds. No. Appearing 1. 

If the Gaj succeeds with a Full Success in melee combat the target is held in its mandibles which grants the monster Advantage on further physical attacks against its prey. It may make telepathic attacks against living creatures using Knowledge.

Platinum Hits

Over the years I've created several digital products that I sell on DriveThruRPG and I was browsing those today and discovered that four of them are Platinum Best Sellers meaning I have sold over 1,000 units of each. 

Cross Planes Game Studio is very much the definition of vanity publishing and I'm extremely grateful to everyone who has purchased these products. I'm not sure what is next for me but I'm thinking about something for the Cepheus Engine or the Quantum Engine.

For those curious the Class Hack 1st Edition, the Race Hack 1st Edition, the Class Hack 2nd Edition, and the Race Hack 2nd edition are the products that are Platinum. I guess if I were a better businessperson I'd make more products for the Black Hack.

Pocket Dark Sun: Defiling

In Pocket Barbarian all actions are resolved in the same way: Roll 2d6 add the relevant Skill and if the total is a 6 or less you Fail, on a 7 to 9 you gain a Partial Success, and on a 10 or higher you gain a Full Success. 

When casting spells you may choose to Defile by using the energy of all living beings within 10' of you, whether animals or plants, to ensure a successful casting. You choose to Defile before casting a spell and it is treated as a Full Success, however you gain a Wound and all living beings within 10' are Stunned.

Pocket Dark Sun using Pocket Barbarian & Pocket Mutant

A few years ago, I discovered Stellagama Publishing's Quantum Engine and I fell pretty hard for it. This eventually led me to the full Cepheus Engine/Traveller system and I've really been enjoying it at least as much. A few weeks ago, Stellagam released Pocket Barbarian, which is a further streamlining of the Quantum Engine for Sword and Sorcery. Last week, they released Pocket Mutant and I found out today the first Pocket game was Solar Winds. All three games remind me of a clever fusing of QE, Shadowdark, and Savage Worlds. They take the best parts of those games and make them sing.

On top of enjoying these Pocket games I've been contemplating Dark Sun and Pocket Barbarian and Pocket Mutant has given me some ideas for running it.

Pocket Barbarian's skills will be the baseline but instead of giving each PC psionic gifts I'm going to have them roll mutations as "Wild Talents".

The first character I rolled up is a Hunter named Gundar Spann

Archetype: Hunter

Combat 2; Knowledge 1; Physical 1; Social 0; Sorcery 0; Stealth 1; 

Wounds: 3

Wild Talent: You can take over a creature with your mind for 1d6 rounds.

Weapons: Long Bow; Axe; Dagger (attack roll has Disadvantage)

I might get a chance to run it Friday. We will see.

DeRo for Dragonbane

 

"Clothed in rags and dirt, hung all over with hand weapons, their hair long and matted, were the strangest, most disgusting creatures I had ever seen in my life. They were dwarfs, some of them white-haired, from the Gods know what hidden hole in Mu's endless warren of caverns."

- Richard Sharpe Shaver, I Remember Lemuria!

DeRo (Degranged Robot) for Dragonbane

Movement: 10  Damage Bonus STR: +D6    HP: 15

Typical Armor: Endoskeleton (4) WP: 8

Skills: Awareness 10, Evade 11, 

Abilities: Fearless

Typical Weapons: Mace (Skill level 11, damage 2d4)

State of the Planes May 2026

Gaming wise things are a bit slow for me, but I really don't mind. Our Wednesday 5E game lost some players and is in limbo, my D&D Camp game for kids is now in the hands of the players who are taking turns being the Dungeon Master, my Friday 5E game has been the victim of numerous scheduling issues, and my Saturday Hexenburg game became the victim of being too busy at work to carve out a couple hours to run it.

Having the extra time has been a bit of a blessing though since things are so busy at work. Running a family business is never easy but the last two years have been tough. Tariffs affected us pretty heavily because 98% of comics are printed in Canada and we have seen sales slump since gas has started climbing. I've been doing this for 27 years though and there is always some kind of crisis so you just try to manage it as best you can. 

With the extra time I've been diving heavily into Traveller and various Cepheus Engine games and settings. I've also been watching lots of Sci-Fi: For All Mankind, Foundation, The Expanse, Alien: Earth, and Space 1999. In fact, I had never watched Space 1999 before and I'm four episodes in. It's darker than I expected.

I've also been brainstorming two Sectors for a Traveller Sandbox per this excellent post by the sagacious Robert Conley.

Rob Schwalb has finished the Dungeon of the Damned for Shadow of the Demon Lord and I'm really contemplating running it when its my turn to run on Fridays.

I've found time to go through Palladium's reissue and remastering of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Other Strangeness RPG and I'm going to do something with it soonish.

And I'm super excited by the forthcoming Book of Magic for Dragonbane and Free League's announcement that they now have access to the Elric license (Goodman Games has access to it too).

Bundle Holding launches Traveller Week with the Traveller Update & Traveller Imperial Navy

Slowly, over the last few years I've fallen in love with Traveller/Cepheus Engine/Quantum Engine games. The journey started when I discovered Barbarians of Lemuria which used 2d6 like Traveller and "skills" are treated as professions. It felt, to me, like Simon took inspiration from Traveller with its four year professional terms. That is purely speculation on my part.

Next I discovered Stellgama Publishing and Zozer Games which both have dozens of cool and clever sets of rules and settings powered by variations of the Cepheus Engine.

Finally, Mongoose announced that a Traveller powered version of Dark Conspiracy, a game I never to got to play but really fell in love with, would be crowdfunding this summer.

So I've dove in.

And I was amazed that Bundle of Holding is having Traveller Week in the lead up to May 1, 2026 AKA Traveller Day.

Today kicks off with a resurrection of December's Traveller Update and the debut of Traveller Imperial Navy. Three more bundles will be revealed as the week unfolds.

I've been looking for a straight-forward skill system for years and Traveller really grabs me. It's clean and easy to teach but can support other systems for the various genres I want to emulate. I really can't recommend it enough.

Mighty Thewsday: Conan's Bull of Anu for Sword of Cepheus 2E

 

Gugalanna, The Bull of Anu for Sword of Cepheus

900kg, Humanoid, summoned killer, #App: 1, Treasure: n/a

STR 20 (+4), DEX 14 (+2), END 17(+3), INT 8 (+0), 

EDU 6 (+0), SOC 11(+0); Stamina/Lifeblood 20/40

Athletics 2, Battle 2, Melee Combat 3, Scout 1, Survival 1

Fists/Horns (3d6+4 with STR bonus); Armor 6; 

Speed 15m/action; Morale n/a

Giant red bull-god who must kill a victim when summoned before he may return to the heavens.

Marvel Monday: Silver Surfer for Superpowered!

  

Silver Surfer for Superpowered!

Combat 3

Knowledge 2

Physical 4

Social 1

Stealth 0

Superpower 4

Technology 0

Endurance 26

Lifeblood 54

Move 10m; Fly 50m

Weakness Protect the innocent

Traits: Hardy, Immunity, Tough

Origin Former Herald of Galtactus

Powers:

Common - Armor; Blast; Evasive; Flight; Willpower

Cosmic - Awareness; 

Speed - Fast; Faster Than You; Insubstantial

Attacks: Blast 3d AV 2d; Unarmed 2d

Armor 2d Protection

Dragonbane: Rion's Pendant from Conan the Barbarian

  

Rion's Pendant for Dragonbane

Amor Rating: --

Cost: --

Supply: --

While wearing the pendant gain 4 HP and reduce the STR requirement of any weapon you wield by 3.

Gammabane: Hoop for Dragonbane

HOOP for Dragonbane

Movement: 10  Damage Bonus STR: +D4    HP: 14

Typical Armor: Studded Leather (2) WP: 10

Skills: Awareness 12, Evade 13, Sneaking 12

Abilities: Lightning Fast

Typical Weapons: Light Crossbow (Skill level 12, damage 2d6), Broadsword (skill level 13, damage 2d6+d4).

Thundarr Tuesday: Mok Kin for Dragonbane

MOK for Dragonbane

Ability: Mighty

• Willpower Points: 3

The number of dice rolled for a STR-based melee weapon's damage is increased by one (i.e. 3d6 instead of 2d6). Activating this ability does not count as an action.

Dragonbane: Conan's Helmet

  

Conan's Helmet for Dragonbane

Amor Rating: +3

Cost: --

Supply: --

Boon on AWARENESS rolls.

Ork City: The Community of Bloomindale

Welcome to Ork City!

"This world was different once. Spirits tell us this was the greatest city in the world before the Ungods woke up. They brought death to our world as a prisoner and unleashed him as their weapon. It took them less than a week to wreck the Old World and killing billions. Humans thought their weapons made them gods but they were wrong and even their "nukes" had little affect on the invaders and their armies of Unmen. We are lucky we found Bloomindale and each other."

--Librarian Boggs, leader of Bloomingdale, a safe haven in Ork City

Bloomingdale's entire community is centered around the Bloomindale Library. It gave shelter and knowledge to those survivors that found it and hope to those that came after. Four-Hundred souls call Bloomindale home now and at times the peace of the place can all most make you forget about the hellscape that surrounds it.

The Librarians, Enna Boggs (5th Level Human Sorcerer), Uther 17 (3rd level Warforged Rogue), and Maria Estevez (3rd level Human Wizard), are the ruling council currently in charge. They hold debates on the three nights of every full moon and every soul has a voice if they so choose.

Unlike many communities Unmen are welcome and they account for about 15% of Bloomindale's population.

While religion is frowned upon there are small sects worshiping Saint Jerome, Tenjin, Thoth, and Deneir.

The Library has proven invaluable to the success of the community and its citizens have fortified the area extraordinary well. The largest threats tend to come from ratlings, dire bats, and monstrous predators that the Ungods have unleashed upon the region. 

Each member of the community is trained to use weapons for hunting and self-defense as members of the Guard.

A coven of Green witches helps to train students in the mystic arts and mundane ways of medicine. It is led by Wilhelmina Snow'Owl (3rd level Human Cleric), a half-elf and the wife of Librarian Boggs.

The Blue Sun is a secret society that existed in the Old World and it has access to information and technology from that era. Agents operate covertly in separate cells, with no knowledge of each other, providing monthly reports to their Leaders through dead drops. Bloomindale has two agents operating in the community which is unusual. 

 Mickey Irskin (2nd Level Human Ranger), is a blacksmith in his late forties that has lived in Bloomindale for nearly thirty years. He has four children but his wife passed on last winter and while he maintains his duties to the Sun his heart is barely in it. 

The second agent if Phiona Hammerfall (1st Level Halfing Rogue), a dwarven newcomer, who arrived about a year ago. She is aware there was a Sun agent in the community but was led to believe they passed on and she replaced them.

The denizens of Bloomingdale are guarded yet kind. They protect their home fiercely while allowing traveling merchants, pilgrims, or refugees in their midst though they are heavily supervised at all times.

The Commander of the Guard is Tawny Brandywine (4th Level Halfling Gladiator), halfling born in Bloomindale. She is a skilled warrior, even better scout, and the primary instructor for the Guard.

Rumors (1d12)

1. A werespider lurks in the ruins of an apartment two blocks from the Library. (True).

2. Mickey Irskin's youngest son, Bruce, has been seen having conversations with animals. (False).

3. K'kell (2nd Level Half-Orc Fighter), the community's half-orc veterinarian and the husband of Librarian Estevez, is having an affair with Phiona Hammerfall. (True).

4. Four blocks away is shop that has wall safe that holds a treasure in jewels if someone can crack it. (True).

5. Years ago, a dwarven warrior fell to ratflings eleven blocks away in the Subway and his magical hammer still lies there. (False).

6. A giant albino alligator has a lair in the Subway. (False).

7. Iago Mortenson (1st Level Half-Elf Warlock), the community's Glyphscribe of Deneir, has discovered a copy of the Necronomicon and it is slowly corrupting him. (True).

8. Librarian 17 has a pet parrot named Laverne that is three-hundred years old. (True).

Staturday: Captain Freedom for Superpowered!

 

Captain Freedom for Superpowered!

Combat 1

Knowledge 1

Physical 1

Social 1

Stealth 0

Superpower 1

Technology 0

Endurance 21

Lifeblood 42

Move 10m; Fly 20m

Traits: Strong

Origin Agent of the Sons of Liberty

Powers: Common - Agility, Flight, Willpower

Attacks: Unarmed 1d

Armor 3 Suit

Mighty Thewsday: Conan's Zephra for Barbaric!

Zephra for Barbaric!

Immortal weretiger. Stamina 20, Defense 9+, 

Move 20m/round, Armor 1, Claws and Teeth 

(melee, 2d6 damage each, claws are slashing and teeth are piercing), Physical 2, Combat 2, Stealth 2.

Marvel Monday: Nighthawk for Superpowered!

 

Nighthawk for Superpowered!

Combat 2

Knowledge 0

Physical 2

Social 1

Stealth 2

Superpower 1

Technology 1

Endurance 17

Lifeblood 36

Move 10m; Fly 20m

Weakness Seeks the limelight

Traits: Assassin; Blind Fighter; Pugilist

Origin Alchemy

Powers:

Common: Wealth

Only available at night: Agility; Evasive; Strength

Technology: Blast (Wing Guns); Flight; Signature Weapon: Claws

Attacks: Wing Guns 3d AV 2d; Claws DM+2, 3d AV 1D; Unarmed 2d

Armor 4 Protection

DC Day: Booster Gold & Skeets for Superpowered!

Booster Gold for Superpowered!

Combat 1

Knowledge 0

Physical 2

Social 2

Stealth 0

Superpower 2

Technology 1

Endurance 28

Lifeblood 41

Move 10m; Fly 20m

Weakness Arrogant

Trait Empath

Origin Time traveller from the future

Powers (All powers come from his suit)

Common (Armor, Blast, Flight, Sidekick*)

Force (Protection, Shield)

Attacks Blaster Gloves: 3d AV 2d; Unarmed 1d

Armor 2d Protection

*Skeets - Rank 3

Knowledge 3

Physical 0

Social 0

Stealth 0

Superpower 1

Technology 3

Endurance 20

Lifeblood 30

Move Fly 20m

Weakness No appendages

Trait Savant: History, Mathematics

Origin Time traveller from the future

Powers

Common (Armor, Blast, Flight)

Attacks Optic Blast: 3d AV 2d

Armor 2d 

Thor's Day: The Rook for Superpowered! and the Quantum Engine

A few years ago I discovered Stellagama Publishing's variations on the Cepheus Engine one of which, the Quantum Engine that powers Barbaric! and Superpowered!, really spoke to me. For one reason or another I moved away from it to the Cypher System, TinyD6, and Savage Worlds but, I've recently rediscovered it  and have taken a shot at making some superheroes and supervillains as I ramp up for a new campaign set in DC's Opal City.

The Rook for Superpowered!

Combat 2

Knowledge 0

Physical 1

Social 0

Stealth 2

Superpower 0

Technology 0

Endurance 18

Lifeblood 41

Move 10m

Weakness Activation of Powers takes 1 turn

Trait Blind Fighter

Origin Mystical Avatar

Powers Weapons (Defense, Dervish, Signature Weapon: Pistol)

Attacks Pistol: DM +2 4d AV 1d; Unarmed 1d

Armor 2 (Cloth)

Michael Sloane and his husband Leo were celebrating their 5th wedding anniversary at the Prism club when the gunman opened fire. Michael was shot in the throat but he barely noticed as he watched Leo's corpse slump to the dance floor. Screams of anguish and pain mixed with gunfire as Michael's whole world was violently ripped apart by vicious lunatic. As he sank down on his knees, with each heartbeat bringing him closer to oblivion, an angel in black appeared to him and offered him vengeance. They told him it would give him the power to make his city a better place for all. There was no hesitation as Michael Sloane died and the Rook was born. 

The angel Raguel is the Rook's mentor and has provided him with a new face and identity. He is now Peter Carthage a community activist in Opal City which provides the Rook plenty of information on who is being preyed upon so that he may turn the predators into his next kills.

Mighty Thewsday: Conan's Keepers of the Crypt for Barbaric!

   

Keepers of the Crypt for Barbaric!

Undead guardians. Stamina 16, Defense 8+, Move 10m/round, Armor 4, Swords (melee 2d6 slashing damage), Physical 2, Combat 2.

Spotlight on Pocket Barbarian

I didn't get into Traveller or the Cepheus Engine until a few years ago. Looking into it I discovered Stellagama's Cepheus Faster Than Light and then their Cepheus Quantum/Quantum Engine and it really captured me. Quantum uses 6-7 Skills, things like Combat, Lore, Sorcery, etc. There are not "Attributes" in the game but it does have Traits that work like Feats in d20 games. I really dig how Omer Golan-Joel, the owner of Stellagama, and his collaborators have expanded the Quantum Engine into horror, superheroes, sword and sorcery, and the post-apocalyptic genres.

I'm a big fan of what they publish and recently picked up Pocket Barbarian a 4 page sword and sorcery RPG. PB uses 2d6 plus Skill with the following results: 6 or less is a Failure, 7-9 is a Partial Success, and 10 or higher is a Full Succes. Skills function more like Attributes in other games and they are Combat, Lore, Physical, Social, Sorcery, and Stealth and you allocate 5 points among them with no more than 3 points in any of them. You then pick an Archetype, which has similar design space to Traits, that grants you Advantage on your die rolls if they apply. Unlike Quantum PB uses a wound system instead of Life Blood and Endurance.

The game also includes Monsters and Spells. Spellcasting is a roll using Sorcery and you lose access to the spell for the rest of the day on a failed roll which reminds me of Shadowdark.

This whole package is $1 and I cannot recommend it enough. I have enjoyed everything Stellagama has published over the years and always look forward to new releases.

Thundarr the Barbarian #1 from Dynamite

This is the main cover but there are about a dozen to choose from.

I remember seeing Thundarr the Barbarian for the first time on Saturday Morning as a kid. It was this really cool blend of Star Wars, Conan, and Tarzan. It never made sense to me why there weren't action figures.

The first issue from Dynamite came out Wednesday and it's pretty good. Jason Aaron is the writer and we get a tight story that leads into what looks to be a steep battle between Thundarr, Princess Ariel, and Ookla the Mok and a bunch of Sorcerers including Gemini. I hope we get an origin story at some point but I'll take what I can get. My biggest grip is that Dynamite comics tend to feel a bit light on pages compared to Image or DC.

Head to your local comic store before the Demon Dogs get #1.

Hexenburg Session 3: A Megadungeon for Shadowdark

 The session opened with the characters take a bit of time to check on "astrological frequencies" after their weird trip to another Plane last session. Things looked normal so they entered the wizard school.

They started moving South and West since they had not explored those areas yet.

As an aside, I've been a member of Mike Mearls' Patreon for awhile. Over the years he's been working on new math for building Encounters and redesigning monsters, a 5E variation called Odyssey, a 5E version of B/X called Moldvay, and an alternative system for high-level play for 5E. One of the subsystems of Moldvay is his Threat System. Every 10 minutes of real time you roll a d6. If a 6 is rolled something happens. If a 6 isn't rolled that die is set aside and rolled when the next Threat timer sounds off. I used this for the first time this week and combined it with the Torch Timer. I rolled the d6s out in the open so the players could see.

As the group encountered a hive of stingbats I got a 6 on the Threat timer so two goblins entered the scene and were chasing a Wizard's familiar a fight ensued. The characters defeated the goblins and the cat ran off. The characters then debated tracking down the cat when the Threat timer went off again and a different group of adventurers moved into the area. 

The character's negotiated with the other group and learned of a second entrance to the school through a local cave that led into the 3rd sub-basement.

At this point the characters, who began to react when the timer went off, started moving faster and with more purpose. One last fight with goblins saw the Threat timer go off and introduce a few more goblins while their torch and the light spell went out. That was the most tense fight of the session with one player focusing solely on lighting a torch for 2 rounds. No one died but they were battered and nervous.

Soon after they decided to leave the school to regroup.

As a DM sometimes things slip my mind and I can easily get caught up in the momentum of play. The Threat Timer really helped me focus and the alarm ratcheted up player tension and reminded me to check for random encounters. When it would go off I'd just make a tick so that on the 6th Threat Timer I'd also remember that lights went out.

I've designed Hexenburg with donjon.com and while I appreciate the map I think I'm going to move to a more abstract model that probably is best described as a point crawl. I tend to think more in set pieces so I think this will suit me better.