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Post by crusssdaddy on Jun 10, 2009 22:06:06 GMT -6
Character name: Gozer Class: Secret (until it is definitively revealed) Colour: Jale Background: City Dweller Alignment: Secret (until it is definitively revealed) Starsign: The Void
Brief description/background: The same cruel God who cursed Gozer with a puny and fragile body also blessed him with pouty, sensuous looks and an ability to land on his feet that has seen him escape from slavers and find friends and companions far from home, amongst Men of a different race. Though he struggles even to heft his crossbow to eye level, he knows where best to aim the pointy things it shoots. A cosmopolitan upbringing has also gifted him faculty in a number of different languages, and abundant people skills.
Strength: 4 Intelligence: 16 Wisdom: 6 Dexterity: 13 Constitution:4 Charisma: 15
Hit Dice: 1+0 (low CON makes it a wash) Armour Class: 9
Bonuses: +1 missile fire, -1 hp per HD
Minor skill: Trading Equipment: light crossbow, case + 30 bolts, backpack, 50’ rope, oil, wine, tattered grey robe
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Post by crusssdaddy on Jun 10, 2009 0:14:27 GMT -6
dubeers, outstanding work with C-Grim 1.0 - hopefully we see some of those goodies in the PbP game!
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Post by crusssdaddy on Jun 8, 2009 23:34:59 GMT -6
Never used that Invisible Castle tool before, so I messed up a couple times when they asked for 'Character Name' - from now on, I'll try to remember to put in 'Gozer.'
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Post by crusssdaddy on Jun 8, 2009 23:28:30 GMT -6
I'm going to be the not a very nice person who doesn't follow directions! My stats are little on the 'bed-ridden leper' side of the ledger, so I don't think a life of nomadery fits. Meet Gozer, your friendly neighborhood Jale Man! Okay, here we go: Stats STR 4, DEX 12, CON 4, INT 16, WIS 9, CHA 13 Skill: Hunter/Gatherer (probably more of a gatherer...) Astro: 1??? Star: The Void The equip roll directions said 'dice' without specification, so I rolled randomly per CARCOSA rules and got 10-siders for 34gp. Equipment is: light xbow (15), case + 30 bolts (10), sweet Members Only leather backpack (5), 50' rope (1), oil (2), and a quart of merlot (1). HTML <a href="invisiblecastle.com/stats/view/21245/">STR 4, DEX 12, CON 4, INT 16, WIS 9, CHA 13</a> BBCode STR 4, DEX 12, CON 4, INT 16, WIS 9, CHA 13Link invisiblecastle.com/stats/view/21245/ Character invisiblecastle.com/roller/search/447356 Campaign invisiblecastle.com/campaign/view/7649/ Skill roll invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2108819/Astro roll invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2108823/Star roll invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2108824/Equip roll dice type invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2108826/Equip roll gold invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2108827/Please place me toward the back of the line, away from anything sharp or that requires a saving throw!
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Post by crusssdaddy on Jun 8, 2009 21:50:24 GMT -6
I'm using the 4Edition d20+10 method:
STR 23 INT 17 WIS 19 DEX 24 CON 21 CHA 20
Ah, okay... I'm going to be a Brown Dragonbored Elfsassin Nomad, starting gold (10d1000) of 8363gp.
Wait, what edition are we playing?
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Post by crusssdaddy on Jun 7, 2009 22:01:34 GMT -6
*pounding on door* Let me in too!
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Post by crusssdaddy on May 22, 2009 22:43:24 GMT -6
Count me in.
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Post by crusssdaddy on May 1, 2009 22:49:00 GMT -6
A very easy entry into the world of The Night Land is the short story 'Awake in the Night'. This story made a few 'Best Of' lists and compilations a couple years ago: www.thenightland.co.uk/nightawake.html
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Post by crusssdaddy on Apr 28, 2009 23:42:49 GMT -6
Me likey!
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Post by crusssdaddy on Apr 25, 2009 2:04:00 GMT -6
I'm sandboxing the Icy Wastes using a scale of 3 miles per hex - here's a couple sample encounter areas:
The Crippled Machine
This area is home to an aggressive robot and the recharging station that sustains it. Originally a large (7’ tall by 12’ long) and robust model of arachnid morphology, the intervening millennia have seen several of its legs damaged or destroyed, and the robot is now forced to drag itself fitfully along with only three working legs.
Its main sensors are functioning and it can only be surprised on a 1, while it usually attacks from ambush (surprises on 1-5).
The only programming that remains intact instructs the robot to kill all life forms, except for White Men. However, its color receptors are degraded and there is a 50% chance each time it tries to attack a Bone or Yellow Man that it will become confused, and its attack for the round will be forfeit.
Additionally, millennia of combat and neglect have left some of its vital circuitry vulnerable to attack – any to hit roll of a natural 19 or 20 is a critical hit that will instantly destroy the robot.
If the robot is destroyed, the recharging station will be found if the PCs search the area. This unit is a small terminal that extends far into the ground (the power is drawn from geothermal sources deep within the planet), and the couplings are unique to this model of robot – a successful check vs. INT is required to jury-rig the unit to recharge any items of technology the PCs may be carrying. A new check must be made for each item the PCs wish to recharge. Two consecutive failures will result in an electrical discharge that does 1 die of damage to anyone within 10’. A third consecutive failure will result in an explosion that deals 3 dice damage to anyone within 30’ and destroys the unit.
The robot has internal systems that are able to harvest scrap metals for repairs – accordingly, there is no treasure to be found in this area.
Arachnid Robot Form 109Z-27K8: AC4, MV6, HD6, Neutral.
Lost Fane
This area radiates an intense evil that is obvious to anyone who approaches. Within a shallow, bowl-shaped depression some one hundred yards across is a shattered and long-forgotten fane to I’thaqua. No matter the weather at large, an icy gale will ceaselessly whip the snow here into whirling sheets that tatter clothing and rend flesh (anyone here must save vs. dragon breath each turn or suffer 1 die of damage).
At the center, all that remains of the fane are two shattered columns that jut like broken ribs from a pile of snow-crusted rubble. This rubble contains nothing of value, but anyone actively searching through it will incite the wrath of I’thaqua – sometime in the next 48 hours (DM decides when), the interloper(s) will be attacked by a revolting minion of the enraged Old One.
Obscenity of I’thaqua: AC5, MV18, HD6, Chaotic. This detestable abomination is a huge, rotting polar bear animated by the malice of I’thaqua. Hits from this beast have a 5% chance of inflicting The Creeping Freeze upon the victim (see Special Rules section). This creature will track and hunt fleeing quarry to the boundaries of the Icy Wastes.
Haven't decided what The Creeping Freeze is yet, so use your imagination!
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Post by crusssdaddy on Apr 13, 2009 22:26:27 GMT -6
Festerblunt
The dank, stifling nests burrowed by the giant jungle ants are breeding grounds for all manner of noisome tropical putrescences, and thusly the ants have developed a natural remedy to annihilate even the most vigorous microbial predators. Festerblunt is a coarse crimson grit, slightly moist and with a sharp odor of ammonia. Produced internally by specialized worker ants and regurgitated for storage in chambers deep within their warrens, festerblunt is a powerful antibiotic and anti-fungal agent, with a number of compelling uses to those able to brave the giant jungle ants in order to obtain it.
Festerblunt affects the following vermin thusly:
Black Puddings and Grey Oozes: A half-handful of festerblunt scattered across a corridor or tunnel floor will act as a complete barrier to movement – a Black Pudding or Grey Ooze will absolutely not cross such an application of festerblunt. Twice that amount used successfully as a missile weapon against these creatures will inflict 6 dice of damage, and provoke fleeing movement at twice normal speed in the opposite direction.
Ochre Jellies: A full handful of festerblunt delivered by a penetrating thrust into an Ochre Jelly (it is wise to pre-measure, as any unprotected hands used in such an application will be lost) will have an immediate and spectacular effect, leaving the jelly entirely dead, somewhat shrunken, and altogether resembling a hard-boiled egg. Any lesser amount, or any amount that does not penetrate the outer cell wall, has no effect. (Note: A jelly killed thusly is a delicacy among the Brown Headhunters, and will have great value in barter.)
Green Slime: This foul corruption is evaporated by festerblunt at the ratio of one normal pinch per cubic yard. The reaction is all-consuming, leaving nothing behind but a brief flash of sanitizing heat.
Yellow Mold: This dangerous growth is cleansed by the scattering of one full handful of festerblunt per ten square foot area. The mold will release its spores immediately (save with a +5 bonus if within the area of effect), but will thereafter wither away and die.
Additionally, water may be made potable and all manner of beverages cleansed of biotic contagion (poisons or lotus compounds are unaffected) by application of festerblunt, at the ratio of one tiny pinch per gallon of liquid to be freshened. Solid foods may not be detoxified in this fashion.
Compresses and medical treatments containing festerblunt are particularly effective at promoting healing. If at least one normal pinch is used per hit die needed to heal, then healing will take place at twice the normal rate (i.e. two hit points per day, and four hit dice per week).
Festerblunt is exceedingly rare, virtually unknown in civilized lands, and may only be obtained in the following ways:
· As a gift from one of the wild Red Tribes of the steaming jungles, who alone possess the secret of where it may be found. Such a gift is given only to those who have rendered service to save the life of a chief or an entire tribe.
· In trade from those few wandering merchants whose caravans sometimes stray through the jungle fringes. Amounts are typically a handful or less, pricing is extravagant, and it will be offered only to those whom the merchants are certain will be able to pay.
· As recaptured spoils from the Brown Headhunters who haunt the jungles and war fiercely with the Red Tribes, and prey incessantly upon any caravans that penetrate too carelessly and deep into the be-misted, trackless wilds.
Festerblunt remains effective for up to one month if stored carefully in an airtight container; otherwise, it will dry out in a single day and be rendered inert.
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Post by crusssdaddy on Apr 6, 2009 23:28:53 GMT -6
You have my blessing proceed with the Infernal Pigments! Looking forward to seeing the completed project (and I'll look over the list of wanted items to see if there is anything else I can contribute).
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Post by crusssdaddy on Apr 3, 2009 20:34:13 GMT -6
Oh, and they come in two flavors - Black or White, and they have waged war upon one another for countless millennia...
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Post by crusssdaddy on Apr 3, 2009 20:31:18 GMT -6
I like the idea of witches being in the mold of the Dark Elves/Dark Eldar from WFRP and WH40K, although completely de-majicked. They are crazy-ass sexy chicks running around killing people wantonly, and gathering slaves and sacrifices, ordering around their male minions. Baroque weaponry that's all pointy and slicey, barely-there armor that accentuates killer abs and double-D chesticles, and well turned out hair and makeup. They like to ride velociraptors, pteradactyls, and, like... vampire wolves or something. The queens among them are well-versed in the most despicable sorcerous rituals. Basically, they are complete 13-year-old (or, come to think of it, 37-year-old) boner material.
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Post by crusssdaddy on Apr 3, 2009 20:06:55 GMT -6
dubeers... private message received and enthusiastically responded to! Sorry for the delay, I've been out and about in Hex 2205 gathering some incense for a little 'project'...
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Post by crusssdaddy on Apr 3, 2009 19:59:31 GMT -6
Sweet Jesus... one can only ponder in slack-jawed and insensate awe what Cyclopean monstrosity would be summoned if a sorceror managed to overpower and sacrifice a giant black bat-winged dinobaby!
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Post by crusssdaddy on Jan 23, 2009 16:03:32 GMT -6
Infernal Pigments
As a result of centuries of prejudice and persecution, the Bone Men have developed an assortment of colored pastes (one for each of the colored races) to be used as a means of disguise. 'Infernal Pigments' is a catchall moniker used by the other races in stories passed down over generations - Bone Men refer to the pigments by a number of different names based upon their color, eg. 'Crimson Skulk' (red), 'Midnight's Secret' (black), etc.
Crafted from naturally occuring dyes and stains, these pigments have been rendered into an oil-based paste which can be quickly applied to bare skin. After about thirty minutes, the paste is completely absorbed into the skin, and the Bone Man so treated will be effectively indistinguishable from a member of the matching race. Only chirurgical, sorcerous or advanced technological examination will reveal the physical deception.
Once applied, Infernal Pigments will retain their effectiveness for 2D-3 days (minimum 1 day), and are not affected/diminished by weather, activity, etc. For the final six hours of 'effectiveness', the color will fade markedly and the ruse will be evident to any observer. Prior to use, they may be stored indefinitely in any sealed container.
Combining different pigments simultaneously in the same Bone Man provokes an immediate roll on the Mutation Table.
If a Bone Man disguised by Infernal Pigments is used in any part of the casting of a sorcerous ritual, the ritual will automatically fail in the most spectacularly disastrous manner possible for both the Bone Man and the Sorcerer.
For the special effects of element-based weaponry, any Bone Man affected by Infernal Pigment is treated as being of the race of the color in question.
Bone Men will deny the existence of Infernal Pigments to all outsiders. Within the Bone Men communities, Infernal Pigments are rare and precious commodities and are generally not available for purchase, but bartered for in exchange for some great service or need of the community. They are usually saved for times of great travail, when the community must pick up and leave hastily to avoid extermination.
Ironically, while the Infernal Pigments were developed as a defensive measure to help avoid persecution, as the use of such products has trickled into legend and superstition, fear and hatred of the Bone Men has only grown.
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Post by crusssdaddy on Dec 17, 2008 23:11:53 GMT -6
Geoff, can you post links for those blogs you mentioned on your blog?
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Post by crusssdaddy on Dec 9, 2008 19:20:32 GMT -6
Yes, I'd love to get it in to Fight On!, but I'm still a little bit away from having it completed. Not exactly sure of their publishing schedule, but this is probably a submission for the issue following the next.
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Post by crusssdaddy on Dec 7, 2008 22:18:19 GMT -6
Some initial notes for a small adventure I'm planning:
A mysterious Space Alien vessel has crashed to earth, and the PCs are railroaded by the Referee into exploring it!
There are three factions pitted against one another aboard the downed Black Ark – each faction will attack the other two (and any PCs believed to be cooperating with them) on sight. The PCs may be offered a chance to ally with one or more of these factions and may accept, decline, or ignore such offers:
Space Aliens: This is a rather small Black Ark, by the standards of such things, and the Space Alien crew is inexperienced and poorly armed. Their numbers have been greatly reduced – several of the crew (including the ArkLord) were killed in the crash, and dozens more were slain in ambushes by the other two factions. They are clustered in the main bridge and scattered throughout the rest of the vessel, and are led by an officer named ‘Wuxxx’.
The Space Aliens are interested in regaining control of the vessel, repairing the damage, and getting off the ground.
The Space Aliens know that the Irrationalists have succeeded in summoning something terrible, but have yet to encounter it directly. They will immediately recognize that the PCs are not from among the human captives, and if given the chance they will offer an alliance – if the PCs can help them secure the vessel and get the Black Ark flying again, they can take them anywhere on the planet they like. Should they become allies, they will not share any of their weapons or technology with the PCs, but nor will they attempt to seize any that the PCs may have found elsewhere on the vessel.
Irrationalist Space Aliens: Led by an Irrationalist sorcerer named ‘Incorixxx’, this small group of cultists is responsible for the downing of the Black Ark. Incorixxx managed to summon the God of the Primal Void, who thereafter embarked on a frenzy of destruction on the vessel (it froze several critical systems), thus forcing the crash landing. They hold the two engine rooms, and the surrounding areas, while their God lurks in the smashed and darkened hangar bay.
Incorix seeks to perform the binding ritual The Mad Domination of the Void, but needs to gather two more Black Men as sacrifices. Thus far, the Irrationalists have been unable to make headway against the human captives, and are now considering an attack on the main bridge, where at least they can exterminate their ‘brothers’.
The Irrationalists will also recognize that the PCs are not from among the human captives, and may attempt to gain their trust. If the PCs look or act the chaotic type, they will seek the PCs’ help in overcoming the other factions and effecting the binding of the God. However, if at any time Incorixxx can perform The Mad Domination of the Void by using one or more of the PCs as sacrifices, he will not hesitate to lure the PCs into an ambush to accomplish their seizure.
Human Captives: These are humans of all races and from widely scattered locations around the planet, abducted for reasons unknown to them, who have now broken loose and banded together against their Space Alien captors. ‘The Intemperate Jest’, a neutral Bone Man Swashbuckler, leads them. They have spread widely from the slave pens, and occupy much of the middle level.
The human captives seek only to flee the Black Ark and make their way to familiar lands.
Unless they witness behavior to the contrary, the human captives will assume the PCs are hostile to all Space Aliens, and will readily ally with them. They will insist that getting off the Black Ark is the only productive course of action, and will work in any logical direction to accomplish that goal.
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Post by crusssdaddy on Nov 24, 2008 1:35:31 GMT -6
Okay, I've gotten some inspiration from the crashed spaceship idea - not a mega-dungeon, more like a micro-dungeon...
The PCs come across a recently-crashed vessel, aboard which three factions struggle for control: the Space Alien crew, the cargo of human captives, and the Irrationalist Space Alien cultists whose blasphemous ceremony provoked the crash.
As they explore the ship, the PCs may ally with one of the factions, or simply kill everyone and let the Old Ones sort them out! I'm thinking a couple dozen rooms/locations, hopefully completed not long after the Thanksgiving holiday.
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Post by crusssdaddy on Nov 20, 2008 22:04:50 GMT -6
William Hope Hodgson's 'The Night Lands' was immediately brought to mind as I was reading CARCOSA. There's a short story called 'Awake in the Night' by John C. Wright written as an homage and taking place in the same world - I recommend it because it is far more accessible to modern readers than Hodgson's original. This story made a few 'Best Of' anthologies, and can be found online here: www.thenightland.co.uk/nightawake.html
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Post by crusssdaddy on Nov 20, 2008 21:55:11 GMT -6
2) 13 Sacrifices: A supplement on the 13 races of men in Carcosa, with a brief history, NPCs, and a sample settlement for each race. That's a great idea. There's that one throwaway line about Jale Men making the best sorcerers that just demands a more in-depth examination of the various races.
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Post by crusssdaddy on Nov 18, 2008 19:21:33 GMT -6
I like the megadungeon concept, but I'm not sure it fits as cozily within a CARCOSA campaign, so I'm working on a sandbox-style outdoor adventure, which seems like the 'under-the-sun-and-stars' kissin' cousin to the mega-d.
I'm thinking a 50-mile diameter swatch that can be plugged into any of the more generic sections of CARCOSA map turf. A couple towns/fortresses, several lairs with maps, a few creepy odds and ends, and the obligatory sorcerer or two, maybe a couple dozen entries in all.
Is this an appealing format to anyone? Is 50 miles across too small a portion?
Actually, now that I'm thinking about megadungeons for CARCOSA, maybe a... mega-crashed spaceship?
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