Musical Inspiration, vol. 15 - Machinae Supremacy

This feature has been a long time coming, as every time I do one of these Musical Inspirations, I think about choosing one of these guys' songs, but always go for something else. I think it's just too obvious.

The Swedish-based New Frontier band produces music heavily influenced by the sounds of classic video games, and Hero is no exception. The lyrics also evoke the mood and thought processes that one sees often in JRPG characters, and can translate well to a "rockstar gaming" style of tabletop play.

I hope you enjoy this track and check them out further, though sometimes their music will make you want to play MegaMan or R-Type.

Machinae Supremacy - "Hero"



They try to beat me
but they will not ever defeat me
This time we're on my battlegrounds
I'm gonna win, trust in me
I have come to save this world
and in the end I'll get the girl!

I've missed it, so twisted
and unsurpassed in my head
This sense of power has awakened in me
I feel I could take on the world
a day like this
my rage is brewing like a storm

[Chorus]
And now the storm has grown
out of control
Right here, the voice of anger
taking tone
Cause now the fire
in our hearts explode
Baby, let's blow this joint
and build our own

Sometimes you just need to
level everything with the ground to
make room for all the things
you wanted somehow
And I have known it all along
the day is coming
when you will reap your evil ways

[2 x Chorus]

And build our own!

[Chorus] 
 
*As always, I don't own this, blah blah blah.

Dark Heresy, Session 4: Tattered Fates

And so, we had changed our minds, deciding to first search for our contact.

After hours of roaming these streets, asking where we might find a scholar, we were directed to an ill-kempt section of this city, likely forlorn because the drunkards and stimmheads that inhabit this hole care next to nothing for knowledge, or know that knowledge, itself, begets heresy, and rightfully steer clear of things such as tomes and dataslates that might fill their heads with dreamy thoughts. I begin to wonder, as I go over these thoughts if the whole of the population haven't already been accursed by these...books. There are great librariums here in this "Refutation" district, after all, which might implant all sorts of notions in one not steeled by His word.

Here, despite my reservations about these tomes and such, was indeed where we found our 'White Scholar', an ally in task and servant of our Inquisitor, as well. Here, he shared his knowledge of this damnable world and gave insight to the perils which we face; dread cults - perhaps beholden to the Ruinous Powers, Drusus spit on them - which had in the works, or in planning, a ritual of some sort that would destroy this world (or the system, I was unclear) if it came to fruition. He rambled on more, and I'm hoping I was not the only one trying to pay attention, as we were beset by some of these heretics, whom had been identified as members of a cult known as the Pilgrims of Hayte.

I quickly lost interest in the scholars words, and indeed, have mostly forgotten some of what the man said because I was given the opportunity to bring His judgment to those sworn against Him. Though they demanded the life of our fellow acolyte, our strikes were true, and though that damned Xantippa invoked the warp disastrously yet again, we won the day against our foes. I claimed the warp sorceror's armored vest and they were stripped of their weaponry before we began to ask the Scholar where we might find a place to fence our ill-gotten goods.


Cast of Characters
Rhia, Gunpoint (Hive World) Investigator (Arbiter 4) - Angela
Xantippa Thebe, Son of Nightmare (Void Born) ?? (Imperial Psyker 4) -  Paul
Ishta, Son of Nightmare (Void Born) ?? (Imperial Psyker 4) -Tami
Nicodemus, Regulus (Imperial World) Inditor (Adept 4) -Taylor
Mohrdecai, Cadian (Fortress World) Sergeant (Guardsman 4) - Me


Notes: Wednesday night was just incredibly fun and funny. We mostly just talked and had a good time more than playing. Passed around some hot sauces that were among some of the hottest I've had, especially the stuff David had gotten when on vacation, and ate a heap of candy.

We were originally supposed to play Paul's game, having skipped last week, which would have been Dark Heresy, but Paul and David decided that David would run his game...and they both forgot to share that with the rest of us. Next week is anyone's guess, as Paul said that once he started scripting his game, it only came to about one more session. Perhaps he will expand or run as-is, and maybe we'll be back on Quaddis.

My Reincarnation Table

A few weeks ago, The Digital Orc (go read his blog, it's good) asked me in a comment for the table I use (and have shared with my current group and others in the past) when a character has Reincarnate cast on them. It took me longer than anticipated, but I've finally gotten the chance to clean it up and here it is!

Now, don't let that make you think that it will look pretty. Far from it. I make sloppy notes for my games, with little regard for layout, and at best, this is just functional. The file is in Word .doc format, but I can post it in something else if people have any problems with it.

I don't think, given my usual blogging fare, that I should post a disclaimer saying that this list is taken entirely from 3.x sources. This is simply because that's what my group plays, and honestly, if you are playing any version of D&D, or retroclones thereof, it's my personal opinion that you do yourself a disservice by not mining other editions for content. I do it all the time with my personal games, but I digress.

Anyway, some might point out I didn't include races from X book, or updated to Pathfinder, or whatever. Yes, I know this. This chart was crafted specifically for two games I ran in the past, and I still like and use it. I'm sorry if your favorite race didn't make the list. There are, I think, 92 separate roll results on the primary chart alone. That's enough to last you a bit.

Some might also say that I maybe should have skewed more toward the base/classic races of D&D, but they do get a small bump on the chart, and I really just like options. I like gonzo stuff in my games, I like crunchy characters with options, and I also like roleplay situations built upon becoming something that perhaps noone in this part of the world has seen before.

I could certainly improve the thing, I'm sure, but my group and I get heaps of enjoyment out of it. You can improve it, if you would like. If you play older editions, I hope you at least look into some of the monsters, and maybe even do some conversions, if they don't exist in your rules. I would be incredibly interested in seeing stuff like that.

As always, please comment if you have any questions, suggestions, etc.. I look forward to it.

Some Thoughts on the Eberron 3-Parter

Paul's game is, I think, something I've been needing without me necessarily knowing. His initial pitch on our last Dark Heresy night was "Up to 10 ECL and 10 class levels" and then later supplemented via text with "In Droaam, working for Daughters of Sora Kell." Now, this already sounds fun. Monstrous PC working for the leaders of a monstrous nation. I really dug that, but the first thing that I latched onto was the leeway we were given with character creation.

I love crunch in game systems. It's not something I need, but I do like my fix now and then, and sometimes when given the opportunity, I like to fiddle with optimization. You see, I don't usually optimize my characters for other games, such as our Age of Worms campaign, because I don't care for the hassle of the bookkeeping, I don't wish to burden my GM with skews in character ability, and I don't wish to overshadow my fellow players' characters because I wish all of us to have a fun experience.

When Paul announced the levels for this mini-campaign, however, I jumped on the chance to push some limits. Not all of us did, mind you, but the impact is seemingly less, as each of our races have distinct advantages, and most of us went for acutely focused class structures, which means fewer instances of overlap and more fun as our characters do what they do. Taylor has mentioned not being entirely happy with his character as it stands, so he might ask Paul for a change, but I don't think he didn't enjoy himself during the game.

All of this is not to say that I don't have reservations! My fears, however, are that he might slip into a challenge fallacy with our characters. My sorceror, while powerful, is really only as potent as a 15th level character. David's living spell character, on the other hand, is teetering close to epic levels of power, because he was looking at gaming his character, as well. The others vary mostly by situation as to where they sit, but we're definitely not a 20th level party, no matter what our ECLs say, as racial ECL adds seem to not follow any particular scale, and it could be very easy for Paul to design encounters that would just be too powerful for us to really handle.

Part of our weakness vs. apparent power level stems from the allocation of gold. We built our characters with 10th level gold, then got a boost of 100k each by the Daughters as payment for this dangerous task. This effectively puts us at 14th level gold, but not 20th, which means power level will be curbed more, as D&D works off of a "your toys make you good" system. The fact that the extra 100k came after character creation makes a large difference, as well, as choices made are slightly more restricted than they would have been if we had gotten the starting gold for 14th level (150k) or higher.

I'm excited at seeing the challenges to come in the campaign, because I thought the three stone golems were rather clever, and despite my fears, I'm sure Paul will have an exciting adventure for us, and I'm interested in seeing his approach to the three-part model as far as pacing and scene breakup goes.

Sealing the Dragon's Gate, Part 1 (of 3?)

This week, we switched gears a little bit because Angela is training to multiclass into police officer by taking a class to become a reserve officer. Since she has little time for prep for our Age of Worms campaign, Paul stepped up with an interesting Eberron campaign. The story is as follows:

Each of our characters were approached separately by the honor guard of the Daughters of Sora Kell and escorted to The Great Crag to meet with an envoy of the coven. There, we were told of a prison created at the dawn of the worlds, when Eberron surrounded Khyber and trapped its hellish spawn with it, and how deep in the bowels of the Demon Wastes(I believe, I'll have to ask Paul for confirmation), a fissure was being created that could spill all manner of nasties onto the face of Eberron.

This, of course, would be bad for Eberron, and more importantly, bad for Droaam. The Daughters have a good thing going, and global disruption cannot be stood for. The divinations have shown what would happen if given time, and thus our newly formed  band were to make haste to seal the portal/fissure with the application of powerful magic, provided on a scroll.

Not knowing what we may face, an advance of gold was asked for and given and we were also granted use of an airship and an allotment of a week to arrive at our destination, which we did with a day to spare! (Technically untrue, as we were given 3 days for preparations, and it was a 3 day journey, but still made it under a week.)

Once we arrived, it didn't take long for us to come to an ancient bridge spanning a chasm atop a mountain, and leading to an entrance into the rock, itself. The bridge was of grand size, 30 or 40 feet across and nearly four times as long, flanked on either side by large statues of dragons of various looks, some of which had been destroyed or seemingly removed.  The plinths the ones to our right rested on were welcome, however, as they were our only shield against the powerful winds that whipped through the area, threatening to blow us off the bridge to our deaths.

The wind, it turns out, was just one of our worries, as the three whole statues still standing became animate and began to attack. Attacks were quickly dispensed and spells thrown, and though we almost lost our Harssaf, the encounter was finished rather quickly, with the five companions barely worse for the wear. Dusting off the debris from the statues' shattering, haste was made to the entrance into the mountain and we entered a partially constructed chamber with massive steps leading down. Just beyond the threshold, however, we found the fairly fresh naked corpse of a tiefling, with no apparent cause of death.

This prompted caution and almost triggered another violent conflict as a kobold came into view and greeted us in the language of dragons. Since we are envoys of Droaam, essentially, we met well with the creature and agreed to be escorted to his 'city', which was a hovel of lean-tos and shanties amid great ruins with dragon motifs everywhere. We were told that we would be presented to the leader of this village and then left in a building that barely accommodated our sizes until we would be met. We took the opportunity to rest and were led to another immense chamber, wherein rested what could only be assumed to be an ancient dragon.

Though we have seen much amongst the varied races of our own home nation, the sight of a child of the creators of the world was awe-inspiring. The great beast seemed to be blind, however, possibly from being inside this structure for eons, and some of its scales had sloughed off.

It spoke to us in a peaceful manner and seemed to take interest in our quest as something it agreed to, giving a promising start to this trek. However, one has to think... if a dragon of immense age can be counted among our allies in this venture, what horrors do we face in the task to come?  


Cast of Characters
Saint Cleanse, Awakened Sainted Empowered Divine Living Fireball Monk 7/Paladin 2/Shibu Protector 1 - David
??, Medusa Fighter 10  - Angela
??, Dragonkin Dragonborn Dragon Adept 10 -Tami
??, Harssaf Rogue 10 -Taylor
Anak, Draconic Human-blooded Arkamoi Sorceror 2/Incantatrix 8 - Me

Further thoughts:
This is rather neat. Most of our group really like Eberron and the history of the world, and this story fits well. I appreciate that Paul has made this an exploration mystery early on, because that's where the setting thrives.

Dark Heresy, Session 3: Tattered Fates

We spent a short time, maybe a day or two, hiding out and recuperating within the massive confines of that torturous manufactorum, but thankfully, our psykers, after the rest, began to gain their powers back. I've never been too skittish around those sanctioned to serve our Emperor, as they have seen Terra and serve HIS will, but so help me, that Xantippa has come dangerously close to having the barrel of my shotgun pressed low against the back of her hairless head!

How is it that she may bring the curse of the warp upon us so much, yet her sister administers the Emperor's gift with no such error? I bring to bear an oath that if the psyker be found to have warp-spawned taint beyond her normal abilities, I will be the first to lay the Emperor's wrath upon her.

I apologize for this outburst, but I feel it had to be said. She vexes us and puts us in peril more than our enemies, I swear! However, she has dedicated her service to the Emperor's Holy Ordos, like the rest of us, and shall be counted among my allies until such time as her trespasses become more dire.

Anyway, after emerging from hiding, we traversed the corridors back to the warehouse section we had found before and found it to be less inhabited than it was before. No doubt, these degenerates had counted us dead and had become lax in protecting this section. We fell upon them more directly this time, and our aim was guided by the Saints, bringing brutal death to those present in the form of gunfire from Rhia, Nicodemus, and I, and warp-based talents of Ishta and Xantippa.

Our Arbiter had moved to flank as the scribe and I charged headlong, creating confusion and bringing these enemies of the Empire down swiftly. This was not to be the end of our challenges, however, as a tent in the warehouse area housed another, perhaps a rogue Priest of Mars, but I am not qualified to make such assessments. He and his servoskull both put up resistance, but were cut down before they could take much action against us.

Sadness struck our hearts, however, when we discovered our Inquisitor Karkalla among the brutal medical tortures in this tent that were being visited on man and xenos, alike. We had arrived at his last moments, and he had just enough energy to tell us where we were and the peril that had gripped this world, as well as giving us a cryptic name for contact. We ripped his rosette from his body, where it had been affixed with spikes, and I set about dousing the room with chemicals Nico told me were flammable as the rest began to take some of the tech out of the tent. I then lit the chems and we all stood a short moment in respect of our former master.

Once we had paid the respects to Karkalla, we began to gather as many weapons and as much small tech as we could before ascending on a lift to the surface, in the hopes of finding an illicit trade on this corrupt pleasure planet where we could sell and acquire items of use before finding our fellow acolyte that the Inquisitor had directed us toward.

We were, at first, met as we reached the street with much merriment and oddness, as well as an odd prophecy spouted by a lady that approached us almost immediately. We then gathered a short burst of intel and direction from a civilian and began to make our way to where we assumed we could trade our ill-gotten goods.


Cast of Characters
Rhia, Gunpoint (Hive World) Investigator (Arbiter 4) - Angela
Xantippa Thebe, Son of Nightmare (Void Born) ?? (Imperial Psyker 4) -  Paul
Ishta, Son of Nightmare (Void Born) ?? (Imperial Psyker 4) -Tami
Nicodemus, Regulus (Imperial World) Inditor (Adept 4) -Taylor
Mohrdecai, Cadian (Fortress World) Sergeant (Guardsman 4) - Me

A Short Note: I know we've been gaining rank quickly in this campaign, but we started as Rank 1 Acolytes in an adventure meant for Rank 4 characters. David, the GM, has told me that things would slow down from here on out, but that he still thinks that the pace we've been gaining XP isn't out of the question for as hard as it gets.

I've not played the first part of this adventure, but I do remember things being pretty tough on the back end, but at the same time, I worry that we'll be too high rank going in to Damned Cities, which I have played the first half of, but not the last. 

Age of Worms, Session 27

When we left off, almost everyone had been brought back to the land of the living, and none the happier for it, since we were all in foreign bodies, though it did hold some humor and fascination in certain degrees.

Once we had taken a couple of days to get our legs in our new bodies and prepare further, we ventured in again to the accursed warehouse and its cavernous depths, below. Signs of life were nonexistant, and it appears as if the doppelgangers had all but abandoned the upper levels, possibly for fear of attracting much attention, since there was already some comings and goings to the place.

When we got below, we had a short time fending off the guardian octopus in the water-filled chamber that leads into the lower levels of the complex. Though we had thought that it might take our offering of fish and go, it also grabbed the holder of the bag and we had to fight to keep our companion with us. A decision that we somewhat regretted later, as you will see.

Retracing our steps, we found the rest of the complex to be as empty as the rest until we managed to make it back to a door within the mirror maze where most of us lost our lives. Imagine our surprise when we went in to find none other than Allustan on a throne in the chamber! Many a thought went through our minds, then. Had we been duped? Was this a test for entry into some secret society? Well, no. The Allustan we saw before us changed into a different form almost immediately, and engaged us in battle, casting spells and taking the psion's thrall (the very man we had just rescued from an octopus, I might add, and whom me and my fellow druid had empowered with spellcraft) under his command. The fight with the ensorcelled thrall was a tough one, as his multiple attacks and tough hide made him a formidable foe.

The wizard, himself, had cunningly placed traps in his lair, and tried to control our actions and movements with hindering spells, but we were able to engage him in hand-to-hand combat, at which point he turned into a hulking brute and pulled forth an axe, wielding it with efficiency! By this time, we had surmised that this being was a doppelganger, but his seeming change in aptitudes confused us and we were put on our back foot in an attempt to match skill with this warrior.

Though we cleverly maneuvered his controlled battlefield and worked quite well together, despite our new forms, in the end, it was our brute force, and not cleverness, that won out against the man...thing. We took stock of his belongings and the furnishings of his throne room, finding some infernal device that we wanted no part of, then ventured further into another chamber, this being his bedchamber, where we took stock of (mind you, 'taking stock of' in this sense is the same as 'added to our stock') valuables therein.

Then, we went into what we assumed was the last chamber in these lower levels, a room riddled with silvery spider's webs and multiple women in various states of dress, who claimed to be araneas and the prisoners of the creature we had just slain. We bargained their freedom, which could have been given at any moment, though we were cautious, for any information they could give us and they offered material reward then went about their way, leaving us to decide what to do with this complex now that we know its secrets.
 

Cast of Characters
Able Nightengale, Gloaming Healer 7/+1 Negative Level - David
??, Goblin Psion (Telepath) 5/Thrallherd 2/+1 Negative Level -  Paul
??, Human Warblade 4 - Paul (thrall)
??, Equiceph Rogue 5/Thief-Acrobat 2/+1 Negative Level -Tami
??, Human Druid 5/Planar Shepherd 2 -Taylor
Rill Meadowwhisper, Flind Druid (Shapeshifter variant) 7/+1 Negative Level - Me

Notes: I've not read this adventure path, so I'm unsure if this was it, but it left me thinking that we missed something along the way. The lack of replacements in the dungeon to harry us after a few days was odd, too, but a little suspenseful. I thought maybe we were walking into a large, overly prepared group when we fought the greater doppelganger (Angela told us what it was after the fact, because we all thought it was neat).

No spoilers, please. Just typing out loud here.

Also, I know I'm lousy with these character names. Maybe Angela can clue me in, and correct any class mistakes made if she catches this post. 

Dark Heresy, Session 2: Tattered Fates

This place smells, in equal parts sanitizers, offal, and raw meat. To gaze upon a sky would be a welcome change, but I wonder, with some of the injuries our band have taken so far, if we will survive many more engagements. There are things here much more worrying than the heretical brutes running this charnel house. Whatever was sensed in the shifting room is enough proof of that.

We felled a great predatory grox-like beast and a few more of the handlers/manufactorum workers before moving through into a chamber in which there appeared to be a blasphemous altar with a sacrifice nearby! The man's throat had been cut and he seemed to be the one to have done the deed, if the knife clutched in his hand was any indication. I spat upon the altar, but Nicodemus was keen to understand why the altar was there and to read a dataslate nearby. I warned him that I found him to be walking dangerously close to blasphemous acts by inspecting the thing further, he retorted that we could better combat the heresy by understanding it.

Well, when I blew that invisible thing by the altar away, I didn't know it from Russ. The Emperor blessed me with an understanding of how to pull a trigger. Nobody needs reading to learn how to deal with the enemies of Man. I do realize I have ran away from the subject at hand, but it vexes me to think that the old man forgets the danger inherent in our duties as servants of the Ordos and Him On Terra.

Anyway, the altar was destroyed, and the thing guarding it and we move on, with me giving it another dose of my spittle, were that it only caustic and could melt the damnable thing! After this, we moved into a large area, possibly a dockway or storage facility, but it was quite dark, save for one illuminated area that had a little bit of activity in the form of armed men much like the ones we had encountered all throughout the place. The plan seemed solid, but the poor lighting as well as the effects of the drugs we had been subjected to, meant that our aims were off and we had men down quick, but no casualties, as when I came to, I noticed that all were accounted for, and that someone - Nicodemus, I presume, but I'm unsure - was able to spirit us to safety, hidden in the bowels of this damned factory.

Our injuries are even more worrisome than before, as one psyker, as mentioned, has lost an eye, and the other has lost their right thumb. Hopefully we can pull through. May the Emperor protect.

Cast of Characters
??, Hive Worlder Regulator (Arbiter 3) - Angela
??, Void Born Aspirant (Imperial Psyker 3) -  Paul
??, Void Born Aspirant (Imperial Psyker 3) -Tami
Nicodemus, Imperial Worlder Scribe (Adept 3) -Taylor
Mohrdecai, Cadian (Fortress World) Armsman (Guardsman 3) - Me

Age of Worms, Session 26

I'm not sure if we got started late or if we digressed quite a lot, or what, but we didn't get much accomplished in this session, though we all had quite a bit of fun and some good laughs at the end.

After fishing some of the party out of a deep pit trap that we discovered had an illusory bottom, we ventured further into the underground complex, following the doppelgangers that had slipped away from us in the previous encounter.

This led us into a room filled with maps and notes, which we hastily gathered some of and stuffed into our satchels to peruse later, deciding that we needed to move quickly and pursue instead of wasting too much time and giving our enemies time to prepare or set up an ambush.

We were too late, of course, and when we entered the next chamber - a vast maze of closing corridors all made of mirrors, they got the jump on us. Simply, the band was outmatched in the cramped quarters, and even the aid of summoned creatures was only barely able to swing victory just into the grasp of the party, of which only Taylor's Druid and Paul's Warblade Thrall were left alive, and they promptly retreated to the safety of the city proper with the dead bodies.

During the combat itself, Paul's Psion dropped and Taylor was able to get to him in time to cast Last Breath, bringing the man back as a Goblin, though out of commission for the rest of the fight. The rest of the party were Reincarnated and came back as various, somewhat shocking, figures.

The Reincarnation table used is one of my own creation and features almost 80 different races. Some of these races boost a character far beyond their present level, and may end up being more of a curse than a blessing when it comes to experience gain, despite the benefits gained from the new race.

Cast of Characters
Able Nightengale, Gloaming Healer 7/+1 Negative Level - David
??, Goblin Psion (Telepath) 5/Thrallherd 2/+1 Negative Level -  Paul
??, Human Warblade 4 - Paul (thrall)
??, Equiceph Rogue 5/Thief-Acrobat 2/+1 Negative Level -Tami
??, Human Druid 5/Planar Shepherd 2 -Taylor
Rill Meadowwhisper, Flind Druid (Shapeshifter variant) 7/+1 Negative Level - Me

Dark Heresy, Session 1: Tattered Fates

I'm still a month behind, but getting these typed up when I can. On the 19th of June, our group, having come off my own Pathfinder campaign, had decided to play something different for a change, and David took the reins, deciding to run the Dark Heresy campaign, Haarlock's Legacy.

Now, knowing that David has owned the three-part adventure since the books dropped, I haven't looked much into them, in an effort not to spoil anything for myself, as a player, but I've seen plenty of scathing remarks made about the series. I'm not sure of the basis of most of them, just the general consensus that the arc is almost impossible to run/play. One reviewer has even said that he "would rather convert AD&D 2nd Edition modules to Dark Heresy than run Haarlock's Legacy again." I hope this does not bode ill for our own campaign, but time will tell. At the moment, everyone seems to be having fun.

Anyway, I somewhat digress, and as I said, we got together to play Dark Heresy. Taylor and I brought characters that we had made, but the other three decided to take advantage of Dark Heresy's ability to completely randomize a fully-realized character until they gain more knowledge of the setting and system. Despite not choosing a single thing about their character (except possibly gender?), I believe everyone was happy with what they ended up with.

We awoke groggy, obviously drugged, amongst dozens of other people, on the gritty floor of what appeared to be a theater of some sort, perhaps an arena, which was confirmed when we discovered the floor was also littered with bones and great doors, closed with heavy grates lined the edges of the place. Then the howling began.

Those around us panicked as the sound grew louder and one of the grates opened. A couple of us ran over and grabbed bones, ready to fend off whatever was coming through, but one of the xenos canids broke through our picket and began to maul some of the civilians. It was gruesome, but we redoubled our efforts, not knowing what else to do.

Some of the others were looking for a means out of the place and after a few moments and maulings later, a man was seen above, in the seating over the arena wearing a bird-like mask and a flowing cape that resembled wings, who then made his way over to a machine and performed the rites to lower a ladder, then made haste out of the area.

I did not personally witness this man, but Nicodemus related it to us other four, and I have little doubt in his words. The man is likely part of the Machine Cult, since he was able to easily manipulate the machine spirit of the ladder device. Nicodemus, though very learned and obviously knowledgeable in those same rites, had difficulty, himself, in persuading the spirit to retract itself.

Though a twinge of guilt over the loss of the civilians struck me, I reminded myself that my companions and I serve the God-Emperor, and the thought that we might have been especially targeted is gravely feared. We have no contact with our superior, and the drugs have hindered us greatly. I'm having trouble remembering some names, like those of our employer and even some of my own band. Hopefully this will wear off soon.

At any rate, we made our way through corridor after corridor. This place seems to be a manufactorum for meat processing, but we've not encountered much life in the place, save for a few barbarous worker-menials, from which we gathered weapons after killing them in defense of our own persons. The savages seem to be wearing leathers from the skins of any beast they can, including humans. Though we serve the Emperor even in death, through giving our bodies for rations, etc., I find the practice of wearing the skins of our fellows revolting and possibly blasphemous.

I'm not terribly sad to say that one of the witches in our company lost an eye in one of the skirmishes, but they now sport, mostly due to the sheer amount of damage upon their own bodies, our best armor recovered so far. The arbiter, it should be noted, wears some of the grotesque skin-leathers. I find that detestable.

This place is dangerous, and obviously not all is as it should be, we have been sneaking through, as best we can, with as little confrontation as we can manage, but perhaps the weapons we have recovered will see us out of this Emperor-forsaken hole.


??, Hive Worlder Enforcer (Arbiter 2) - Angela
??, Void Born Neonate (Imperial Psyker 2) -  Paul
??, Void Born Neonate (Imperial Psyker 2) -Tami
Nicodemus, Imperial Worlder Scrivener (Adept 2) -Taylor
Mohrdecai, Cadian (Fortress World) Guard (Guardsman 2) - Me

Age of Worms, Session 25

We left off this game with our lone hero, Able, having made haste to Eligos' manor to escape the fate of his companions and collect himself before figuring out what to do next.

His search would not take long, however, as Allustan, anticipating the original party might have some trouble (I believe this is what we settled on as reason to insert new characters), decided to send another group ahead to Greyhawk to aid, but they found they were too late.

Able briefed them on what had transpired and where and promptly led them back to the bowels of the warehouse where his companions had lost their lives, seeking righteous retribution in the name of St. Cuthbert. There, the invisible foes that had proven so difficult before were mercilessly slaughtered and the band ventured further, fighting a giant octopus  until the beast fled before venturing deep into the stone chambers below to be confronted by a band of featureless men after half the party had fallen into a pit trap.

The fight took a while and hindered rescue attempts of the others, but eventually the heroes were victorious and were able to regroup, ready to venture and investigate further.


Able Nightengale, Human Healer 7 - David
??, Elf Psion (Telepath) 5/Thrallherd 2 -  Paul
??, ?? Rogue 5/Thief-Acrobat 2 -Tami
??, Human Druid 5/Planar Shepherd 2 -Taylor
Rill Meadowwhisper, Halfling Druid (Shapeshifter variant) 7 - Me

This session was longer that the write-up would suggest, of course, because each of our encounters had an interesting twist that we had to face, and which made combat just a little longer than it normally would be. The first, our invisible opponents, nearly wiped a party before, the underwater battle with the octopus was challenging when options are limited, and fighting an encounter with half the party cut off from the rest all served as reminders to be ready for anything in D&D.

Also, as
one can see, Taylor rejoined the group this session, and we're all happy for it. In this campaign, his reserve healing and support spellcasting has become a great boon to the party.

Rise of the Runelords, Session 18: The Skinsaw Murders

I've been absent for some time from the blog, but gaming has continued. I'll be catching up (hopefully) with some short session reports on the games I've not posted yet and I still have a few other articles swimming in my head for when I get caught up.

This write-up is coming to you over a month after the actual session took place, so if I flub somewhere, maybe one of my players will swoop in with any corrections.

When we left off, Walt had just followed a mesenger-trained raven to its roost in the Underbridge district of Magnimar, to a rickety-looking clock tower. The cleric then made hast back to the rest of the party and reported his findings. Not wanting to let the villains no doubt holed up in the tower get mobilized to further their plans any more, the party made haste to the tower, set to enter and put an end to the murders that have gripped their part of Varisia!

Therein, the group found the place to be empty save for a pile of rags and refuse in the corner, a wagon, and an iron staircase leading up to the belfry, which they began to approach after a cursory search of adjoining rooms that were also empty. However, the base of the tower was occupied, after all, as the group found out when the pile of rags stood to almost twice the height of a man and brandished a weapon! The scarecrow-looking man began to mumble its eponymous rhyme as it began to attack the heroes, but quick action took the monster down with little injury to the PCs.

At this point, they reckoned (after a little investigation) that the scarecrow-man was nothing but a guardian construct, and thus began to traverse the floors of stairs leading up to the top of the tower. The going was slow, due to the questionable sturdiness of the stairs, but the group devised a system and began to make their way up to the top when one of the bells came cascading down the tower, slamming into most of the party on its descent or in its roll after landing. Only Walt escaped being struck by the heavy structure, but was there with healing to aid his companions that had been pummeled.

Using the Rope of Knots to bridge the gap in the stairs caused by the bell, the rest of the party ventured forward, with those leading the pack engaged in combat with some faceless stalkers, who had originally been disguised as tied up captives. These nuisances (the third group of these things encountered in the campaign!) were quickly dispatched and the party made their way to the roof, where they were ambushed by Xanesha!

The lamia's strength, suite of spells cast, and repitoire of spells at hand, as well as diversionary tactics proved too much for our heroes as Hyrum and Walt engaged and fell, followed by Rissi and Natsha, with Vic living at the end, corrupted by a charm spell cast by the Mistress of the Brotherhood, his fate, and that of the missing Elspeth, forever a mystery...


Cast of Characters
Walt Thrune, Chelaxian Human Cleric 7 (Merciful Healer) of Sarenrae - Paul (deceased)
Rissi Scuttle, Ratfolk Alchemist 7 - Angela (deceased)
Vic Alvaraz, Varisian Human Fighter (Mobile Fighter) 7 - David (whereabouts unknown)
Elspeth, Half-Elf Wizard (Evoker) 7 - Tami (whereabouts unknown)
Hyrum Vassal, Chelaxian Human Tyrant (LE Antipaladin variant) 4 of Urgathoa/Monk 3 - David (secondary) (deceased)
Natasha Caine, Chelaxian Human Rogue 5/Assassin 2 - Angela (secondary) (deceased)

Final thoughts: Well, the TPK (we counted it as one) was somewhat unexpected. I had read all I could about the adventure path on the Paizo forums and in blogs, and I knew that Xanesha was pretty much the encounter that would give PCs the most trouble. Still, with their track record up to that point, it was a little shocking, especially when they started to turn things around mid-way through the combat.

All in all, though, I think it was fun. Though Rise of the Runelords is kinda meant to run you through the major tropes of fantasy rpgs, it's still fun, and that's what mattered to us in the end, though since this Rise of the Runelords and Taylor's Curse of the Crimson Throne games are canon in my Golarion, we might revist the fates of the fallen heroes at a later time.


Since we TPK'd in my game, David started running the Dark Heresy trilogy of adventures called The Haarlock Legacy. Much fun! More on that later.

Campaign Alphabet - B

Khardtha

Sir Balthasar of Moorhulden

Balthasar could very well be the last of his kind, self-identified as a Firbolg, this powerful warrior looks like a giant of a man made into a giant, standing fully 11 feet tall, with broad shoulders and arms and legs the size of tree trunks. Though ponderously massive, Balthasar showed grace in battle and was accepted as a companion of the High Lord Denain when he set forth to reclaim Makalus and restore it to its former glory.

Though showing clever wit and intelligence, Balthasar conducted himself primarily as a bodyguard to the Ogre, Denain, and their Halfling companion, Serafina, eventually earning his knighthood from the High Lord after years of service. An honor which he cherishes as a true act of friendship and trust by his Ogrish friend, and enacts to the best of his ability, serving as the General of the Reaches, a position giving him control over all military personnel and engagements beyond the borders of his liege's realm.

However, the giant-kin's loyalty and friendship may stem from the fact that no other firbolg has been seen in centuries, perhaps hinting to the fact that Balthasar is the sole survivor of some tragedy or natural decline of his kind. Balthasar says little of his past or of his people, and though he has mentioned it a few times, he has never been known to use the natural illusions his people can manifest.

These days, the wizened knight serves in the capacity of his duties to the realm, but has become exceedingly more distant, and even the High Lord is lucky to be in his General's presence, but forgives the warrior's eccentricities out of friendship.

Wilderlands

Bugbear Falls

On the Eastern Reaches of the territory held by the World Emperor of Viridistan, amid near-constant skirmishes and contests to claim the region by Viridistan and the City-State (of the Invincible Overlord), sits an ancient, moderately-sized keep that houses some of the most resilient people the Wilderlands know.

Reclaimed a couple of centuries ago after years of fierce engagements between men and goblinoid, Dunkiel was founded by the warlord Efilon on his press to claim more territory for the City-State. He and his army succeeded, executing the bugbear chieftain that had held the keep, and his retinue, by sending them over the cliffs. This act would stick fast in the minds of subsequent generations and earn the keep its current popular name, "Dunkiel" all but forgotten as time wears on.

Seventy seven years ago, however, the forces of the World Emperor took the ill-defended keep and began to garrison it, tenuously holding it for the first few decades, then asserting more control on the outpost in more recent years. A decade ago, the old Vuzughar (landed noble, like a duke) was recalled to the city of Viridistan, and appointed Dal Lago, a trusted officer under his command, as his replacement.

Since Dal Lago took over, banditry, plague, famine, and a number of other maladies have struck the region, as well as increased hostility from the City-State and a number of other disasters and threats have cropped up. The Vuzughar has called for the aid of adventurers in the past, but recently stopped directly recruiting them after a failed coup a year and a half ago. Drastic social changes such as the adoption of the faith of The Black Rider as the city's patron, as well as recent changes in politics and law with Lago's marriage to another noble has only added to some of the unrest that has begun to slowly boil.

To make matters worse, the Emperor and his advisors have instituted an initiative where they send petty criminals and vagrants to the outer holdings of the "Empire" and encourage them to claim the wild territories and the disputed borderlands between the holdings of Viridistan and its neighbors. This initiative has brought many to the region, either in hopes of striking it rich as bandits or adventurers, or to provide services or goods to those who have come to make their own lives. This has made crime rise in the area, but has, conveniently, given Viridistan a buffer zone of rough peoples for which the City-State must contend before they can gain footholds into the Empire proper.

Bihye the Bull

In the cave system to the east of Bugbear Falls, in one of the harder-to-access caverns, resides a mystic and shaman that holds unparalleled knowledge of and power over life.

The minotaur known as Bihye has lived in the region since before Dal Lago began his reign as Vuzughar, and some say before Lago's predecessor, and has weathered every malady and mishap that has plagued the region, all the while fending off raids by other monstrous creatures as well as adventurers, though he has been rumored to give aid and advice to the latter to as many groups as he has ended the careers of.

The Bull, as he sometimes introduces himself as (variably Bihye or Bihye the Bull), while being as fearsome as the others of his race, may well be the greatest treasure of the lands surrounding Bugbear Falls, as some say that he actually knows the rites and spells required to bring someone back from the dead, an art that has been lost for generations.

If Bihye can or will perform these rites is unknown for certain, but it is known that if one should seek his council on any matters, especially topics as dire as death, then they should be prepared to bring a king's ransom worth of gems and jewelry, as its the only thing the minotaur will trade his services for.

Golarion

The Brotherhood of the Seven

This mysterious organization has been in operation for hundreds of years, and has something to do with the slaying of Aldern Foxglove and his subsequent transformation into a ghast, as well as the killings he perpetrated. Aldern's mysterious references to "the pack" could point to this group.

The Brotherhood is known to own Seven's Sawmill on , and due to their financing of Foxglove Manor, seem to have considerable, if not vast, stores of wealth. In addition, the Brotherhood may have ties to/be the patron(s) of cults, one of which was discovered operating at the sawmill, under the direction of a known High Justice of Magnimar.

A letter referencing "Xanesha, Mistress of the Brotherhood" was found amongst Lord Foxglove's belongings, but who, exactly, she is and, perhaps more importantly, what exactly the Brotherhood is, is anyone's guess at this moment, but a search for this shadowy matron has been mounted.

Let's Meet My Fifth Character for The Age of Worms

And so, here we are again. As stated in my last post and the one before, I lost both my main character and my cohort in a near TPK in Angela's Age of Worms campaign. Able, the Healer, managed to escape and is putting together a new band to continue the quest to stop the coming "Age of Worms" that has been foretold, according to some madman prophet in the Free City.

And thus, I introduce Rill Meadowhisper, Halfling Druid of the Cairn Hills.

1. What do you look like?
Lithe and feral, with shaggy hair and darker, almost ashen, skin tone. Rill's eyes are a bright golden, much like a large cat's, and he might be handsome by halfling standards if it weren't for the constant snarl he seems to wear.

2. Where is your family, if any?
Rill's family resides in and around Elmshire, in the Cairn Hills, northeast of Diamond Lake, where they do trade in all manner of foodstuffs, doing the harvesting themselves.

3. For whom or what would you make sacrifices for?
The young halfling has developed a true love for Oerth and all the natural (be they good, evil, or otherwise) flora and fauna of the planet. These things are most important to him, and he would do anything to keep terrible things from befalling his planet.

4. What is your greatest regret?
Rill's only regret is not having more worldly experience than he already does. Even though he had progressed far in the Druidic ways, he has spent most of his time tending to the Cairn Hills, and would like to expand his reach to do more for Oerth.

5. What are your greatest dislikes?
Those who choose to stay complacent. Creatures who will not fight to protect what they hold dear, be they animals, people, etc.. Artificial forms of life, such as undead or constructs.

6. What topics or activities fascinate you?
Predators and predatory evolution fascinate , and he constantly strives to further his own shapeshifting abilities.

7. What habits do you possess?
Rill will constantly draw in the sand or flex specific parts of his body, watching intently to more fully understand muscle control. He also has an awkward habit of just walking away when he is done talking, or shifting forms and flying away.

8. What secrets do you harbor?
Though he has surpassed the shapeshifting abilities of his Circle and uses the ability with abandon, Rill feels ashamed and unnerved by the ability at times, wondering if he has become an aberrant piece of Oerth's natural puzzle.

9. Are you rational or passionate about your feelings?
Tempering one's emotions has been an important part of Rill's grasp of nature, yet he realizes that without passion, the civilized races cannot fully understand instinct, and more often gives in to passion than rational thought.

10. Are you superstitious or sophisticated beyond superstition?
The Druidic traditions are steeped in ancient superstitions, which Rill holds sacred, and would never abandon.

11. How strong is your faith in your patron deity?
The Circle that Rill was a part of primarily considered Beory, as the goddess of Oerth, their patron, but he holds close connections with Brekka, as a god of beasts, and Sheela Peryroyl as the goddess of nature among his people.

12. How self-confident are you?
Rill sees himself as approaching a crossroads that will lead to his being able to serve Oerth in a greater capacity. This gives him supreme confidence in the coming months, but this may be tested sooner than he expects.

13. What drives you to adventure?
 Rill has spent the years since his early childhood in the harsh, scrubby terrain of the Cairn Hills under the watchful tutelage of a Circle of Druids there dedicated to protecting Oerth from the depredations of all manner of unnatural beings. Hearing tell of a new zombie type in the region, and a band of locals that have traveled forth from Diamond Lake to find out more, he has followed the word of Allustan and traced the party to the Free City of Greyhawk. 

None of this has been put in front of Angela, but hopefully none of it is a stretch, and if so, it can be ignored, as I don't expect backstory to come into play much.

As an aside, I would like to point out that Angela now holds a record in my 17 year rpg gaming career with the death of Cameron. I have lost more characters in this campaign than I have in any other campaign. The previous run was 3, with a Savage Tide campaign that Paul ran.

Age of Worms, Session 24

This session saw us with David out of town on a business trip, so I subbed in with his character since mine had died the session previous. The game resumed with the remains of the party still locked in combat with unseen air elemental assailants.

The fight went slowly and granted neither side advantage, with terrible die rolls dictating much of the action early on. Then, everything went quiet. This is kinda when things went south. Mullins threw up a web that let us use it to help navigate the room, and he and Able made it through to the others with next to no problems, intending to recover the bodies of their friends, and were subsequently attacked. Dairon joined them a few moments later and began helping in the combat effort, but Caine was still trapped on the other side, caught fast in webs.

In short order, Dairon fell to the airy assailants, mercilessly killed before Mullins also fell, with the air creatures using alchemists fire from his pack to catch the webs and slow the progress of those close to or in the webs. Able got Mullins back up and they at first checked a room beyond, but found no egress beyond, then began to stand their ground. Caine fell next, unable to reach the others because of one of the creatures blocking the path and slipping into the spike-filled water below, being shredded to death.

Mullins and Able pulled back into the room they had found and suddenly, the gnome turned on the healer! Able cast Sanctuary and made his way out of the building as swiftly as he could and toward Eligos' manor, on the wings of the Celestial Aspect spell, failing to notice that another Mullins had come into the room and begun to fight, as well. That Mullins fell in battle shortly after.

Though I had no clue, Paul and Angela revealed that the Mullins that had been with us had been a doppelganger and apparently was in league with some of the bad guys we were facing or about to face. Treachery! I know many players who might get angry at this duplicitous gameplay and betrayal by a fellow gamer when they work with the DM, but I love it, and I've used it more than a few times, with even helping me out with it before. The guy plays it so naturally.

Though a majority of the party died, David confirmed via text that he would be willing to continue after we all agreed that it should be his call on if he would pursue the mission further, and so our Healer will be putting together a new team to rid Oerth of the horrible menace of the green worms.

I have no clue as to if Tami will be rejoining us, since she didn't show up this last session (I assume because she didn't have a character), but Paul said she had been thinking about a Thief-Acrobat type. Paul, himself, has begun construction of a Psion/Thrallherd, and I raised the level of a Druid I was going to bring in when I decided to bring Sagt in, instead. I assume David will also be working on a new cohort, since Caine bit the dust.


Dairon val Eite, Human Bard 5 - Me (cohort) (deceased)
Mullins, Gnome Rogue 3/Wizard 3/Mirror Master 1 - Paul (deceased)
Able Nightengale, Human Healer 7 - David
Caine Smithe, Human Marshal 5 - David (cohort) (deceased)

Musical Inspiration, vol. 14 - Nile

This week's musical inspiration comes courtesy of Greenville, South Carolina's Nile, technical death outfit heavily inspired by Ancient Egyptian and Near Easter culture, art, and religon/mysticism.Their use of traditional Egyptian instrumentation and in their songs have helped produce a symphonic, almost cinematic sound that appeals widely in the metal world.

To paraphrase vocalist Karl Sanders, "Sarcophagus" is a continuation of the Nephren-ka saga (an ongoing story in their music, heavily inspired by H.P. Lovecraft), and portrays what happens when the antagonist is awoken from his years of slumber in his ancient tomb. The latter half of the lyrics show the ancient Nephren-ka, having just vanquished his tomb's interlopers, reflecting on the torment and anguish of the atrocities that led to his eternal entombment. Pretty heavy stuff, and great fodder for a game of tomb robbing, or as motivation for a player in a Mummy: The Curse or Mummy: The Resurrection game.

I, however, prefer to let the song speak for itself.

Nile - "Sarcophagus"



Who Dares Disturb
My Blissful Sleep
Again in Anger
Must I Rise
How Long Unknown
I Lay Emtombed

My World
So Long Forgotten
Did Disown Me
Usurper
I was Scorned

Ah
The Suffering They did Inflict

Stained With Cosmic Black Sins
The Sun No Longer Sets Me Free


*As always, I don't own this, blah blah blah.

A Guardian Under the Yellow Sun

In this second of a series dedicated to NPCs available for different games, I offer up a superhero born of hero-worship and delusion. This is a hero like another, purposefully shaping himself toward being just like someone else, with varying reasons and means dependent on the game system you want to use them in.

I present to you... Sentinel

The following Aberrant character was created using the standard rules from the Core Rulebook, but could probably make a closer approximation of the character desired if drawn from more sources. Also, it's noted in the description that Trevon is close to the edge of Taint, but has no starting Permanent or Temporary Taint, as this should be up to the Storyteller.


Trevon "Sentinel" Parker
Background:
Trevon Parker was a simple young man. Moderate at all pursuits, not excelling in anything or having much motivation beyond cruising along at whatever speed life took him at, but not a trouble-maker, just a normal guy.

This all changed in 1998. Shortly after the Galatea incident, Trevon was on the roof of his apartment building reading a Superman comic when he heard what sounded like a woman crying. Turning around, the young man witnessed a horrific sight - the sobbing woman, holding a baby, took a step off the roof.

Trevon erupted.

Before he knew it, he had the woman nestled in his arms and was touching down on the street below, to cheers of onlookers. The young man soaked it up. Superman had recently become a motivational tool for Trevon and now he was Superman! A black Superman, at least, calling himself "Sentinel" (the first 'S' word he thought of when asked who he was), he was quickly taken in by Project Utopia in their first recruiting drives. The young man picked up on how to control his quantum energies fast, and through practice, force of will, and knowledge gained by the classes Utopia provided in quantum physics, he began to shape his powers to emulate his hero.

After commissioning a costume that resembles Superman's, Trevon left Utopia with the hopes of starting his own team, but is having a hard time finding more novas that share characteristics of the Justice League, because Trevon is actually starting to think he is Superman, even going so far as recently trying to get a journalism job at a major metropolitan newspaper. The constant practices with his powers and pushing himself will soon form taint, and he's already well on his way to suffering a delusion derangement, which may only be strengthened with the corruption of his M-R Node.

Image: Trevon certainly strikes an imposing image since his eruption. His muscles have become more pronounced and the young man seems to have an almost perfect athletic build, the likes of which the Greeks depicted in their statuary. Despite this, Trevon's features are rather plain, his height at a little over two meters being his most notable feature when people don't recognize him as Supe....err...Sentinel.

Gear: Red, blue, and yellow costume.
 Nature: Survivor (The strongest manifestation of his growing delusions, as he thinks he survived the destruction of an alien planet)
Allegiance: His not-yet-formed Justice League
Attributes: Strength 5, Dexterity 3, Stamina 5, Perception 4, Intelligence 2, Wits 2, Appearance 2, Manipulation 1, Charisma 3
Abilities: Academics 1, Arts 1, Athletics 2, Awareness 2, Brawl 5, Computer 2, Endurance 5, Etiquette 1, Interrogation 1, Investigation 2, Might 5, Rapport 2, Resistance 5, Streetwise 2, Survival 1
Backgrounds: Cipher 2, Eufiber 1, Node 2, Resources 2
Quantum 2, Quantum Pool 24, Willpower 6
Powers: Mega-Strength 2 (Lifter), Mega-Dexterity 1 (Enhanced Movement), Mega-Stamina 2 (Hardbody), Flight 1, Quantum Bolt 1 (Frost Breath), Quantum Bolt 1 (Heat Ray)


This Marvel Super Heroes Adventure Game rendition of Sentinel was also created using the standard character creation rules for an inexperienced hero in the game, and as a result has wildly varying stats from what one might expect due to the randomness of the card draws, card placement, and limits based on "inexperienced".

Trevon "Sentinel" Parker
Strength: 9C (9 str)
Intellect: 6D (6 wil)
Agility: 5D (5 str)
Willpower: 3X (3 doom)
Edge: 1
Hand Size: 3
Calling: Responsibility of Power
Hindrances: Addicted (Serum must be consumed daily or all abilities drop to 0), Mental Disability (Delusional - If another hero gets more glory or is the one to succeed in a scene, Willpower drops to 0 until he "redeems" himself), Obsessive (Sentry - must act in manner consistent with or rush to meet if Sentry is present or all abilities drop to 0)
Personality: Desperate, dependant, guilt-ridden, duty-bound
History: Trevon Parker was a mutant, once. His powers were miniscule, only an ability to make subtle shifts in the ambient light levels of his surroundings, and small flashes of light akin to the striking of a lighter or match. "The Boy Dazzler", as some of his friends call him, however, did not take well to the thought of being different or the seeming ridicule over his powers and turned to help through the only place he knew to look, Dr. Henry McCoy, leading mutant biologist.
Dr. McCoy found in Trevon a kindred spirit, reminding him of himself in his youth, and in due course let slip that he, himself, had created a serum that he hoped would cure his own mutant condition. Though meant as a cautionary tale, Trevon latched onto this nugget of information and began researching his own such serum, a chance to be normal again.
Then, the Sentry burst onto the scene. Trevon became obsessively jealous of this man's manipulation of light and great heroics, and redoubled his efforts to cure himself. Through research into Sentry, and coupled with his own findings and the Beast's notes, Trevon finally finished his serum, an oddly glowing mixture he was certain would reverse his genetic malady.
If only the young man had left the Sentry serum research out, he may have succeeded. Instead, the serum intensified Trevon's light control powers and gave him an enhanced suite of abilities. Now, Trevon's wishes to be normal are vastly intensified, but at the same time he feels like he should use his abilities for good while he has them, to show those back home that he is more than Kid Dazzler, or whatever.
Trevon's powers are permanent, but his need to succeed in curing himself pushes him to tweak his serum recipe daily and try its effects. So far this has caused no change to his abilities. In addition to his obesssion to cure himself, Trevon has become obsessed with the idea of being like Sentry and needing Sentry's guidance since he has gained a similar suite of powers, and maybe heaping a little bit of blame on the hero. He desires to live up to the ideals of Sentry so much that if he is not the first to succeed, he loses hope in most situations.
Skills: Strength - Brawling, Sonic Slam; Agility - Flinging; Intellect - Biochemistry
Powers: Energy Blast 7, Flight 8, Invulnerability 10 (Kinetics), Light Control 7 ( 7 Int)(Fireworks)

Reliquary: The Black Satchel and Diente de Jaguar

The Black Satchel

This tattered bag shows years of wear from use and travel, but its quality is unquestionable. Made of sturdy walrus leather with steel rivets and clasp, this must have once belonged to someone with a very successful practice or was a fine gift for a new doctor from a benefactor.

The battered look of this satchel, however, belies the great good that any wielder of this item can bestow by offering many boons in the form of mystical cures the owner can use to rid their patients of anything from minor scrapes and bruises to AIDs.

This help comes from the imprinting of many long years of successful healing the original owner had in their practice, but is tainted by unspeakable acts performed on or by the owner in their last days. Due to this taint, the black satchel asks a steep price for its use.

No black satchel can be created on purpose. Each is imprinted with the spiritual and emotional gravity of the situations of their use and gain their enchantments through unknown means, originally being nothing more than a normal doctors bag.

Mechanics

Pathfinder: This artifact, for it indeed carries such power, at first seems nothing more than a normal doctors bag which refills stock of bandages, medicines, and unguents. In addition to constant replenishment, the owner of the bag, when using the mundane items from it, gets a +5 to any Heal checks performed.

This, however, is just a minor effect compared to the awesome healing powers the owner of the black satchel can perform. Each time the character attempts to use their Heal skill, the bag offers a helpful empathic nudge for the character to use its greater abilities.

The bag allows the use of the following spells: 1/day - Cure Light Wounds, Cure Moderate Wounds, Cure Serious Wounds, Cure Critical Wounds
1/week - Heal, Neutralize Poison, Remove Blindness/Deafness, Remove Disease, Regeneration, Restoration
1/month - Resurrection (within an hour of the subject's death)

The price the bag exacts, however, makes using it less attractive as the owner realizes that the balance of life given is life taken. On the night of any use of spells by the bag's owner, they must make a Will DC 35 save or be possessed by the bag until they take the life of a sentient creature and spend at least an hour dissecting their kill, though the owner of the bag will only have hazy recollections of even meeting the victim, even under magical scrutiny - effectively making their save for any divinatory magic used in a subsequent investigation. The bag will never require the owner to kill any patient previously saved, but all others are free game. In addition, if any such save is failed, the bag cannot knowingly be discarded or destroyed. The character might remember getting rid of the thing, only to have it among their gear the next morning.

The satchel seems to want to help. Each time the owner approaches someone in need of medical attention, the bag is suddenly in his hand and sends the empathic nudge to use one of the bag's magical powers and imprints the effects it can create on the mind of the owner. The first time it does this, it only takes a Will DC 5 saving throw to overcome the suggestion, with the DC increasing by 1 with each failed save. It can take many a year for the owner of this item to realize its cost, but once they do, the owner is almost compelled to use the satchel so that it can sate its twisted needs.

In Golarion or Eberron, this medical bag once belonged to a doctor who truly dedicated their life to practice. On the day he wished to retire, while riding back home after collecting the final fees of his practice and doing welfare checks of his patients, his apprentice attacked the old man with the intention of stealing his fortunes and medicines, many of which he had become addicted to during his apprenticeship.

The old doctor was left in a ditch to die, the bag he used to heal so many through the years lie, blood-soaked, just out of reach. When he was found, it was obvious he was reaching for the bag, and he and it were taken away, with the satchel finding its way into the office of the apothecary of the morgue. Once he was arrested for murder, the black satchel disappeared, but it is out there somewhere, causing great relief and grief.

New World of Darkness: The black satchel, for those that know of its existence, is said to have once belonged to Jack the Ripper, himself. Rumors of the killer of Whitechapel being a doctor lend credence to this story and may explain why the good doctor turned to murder in what many also think were the days leading up to the Ripper's own death.

The black satchel has truly extraordinary healing capabilities, allowing the owner an additional die to any Medicine dice pool as well as a replenishing stock of medicines and bandages. The true power of the doctors bag, however lies in its magical restorative abilities, as noted below.
Each day, the black satchel grants 10 boxes worth of bashing healing. Optionally, the owner may spend two boxes worth to heal a single point of lethal damage, or three points to heal a box of aggravated damage. This healing may be split up however the owner deems.
Once per week, the black satchel can be used to fully restore a single person's health track if they are still alive, rid the body of a patient of any toxins or disease, restore any senses dulled or nonfunctioning by natural means or injury - such as blindness or deafness, though the sensory organ must be present, and even regrow limbs or organs, though the patient must have previously had the organ or limb in life for this to work.
Once per month, the owner of the satchel may restore life to any patient that has expired in the last hour, though the body must be mostly intact for this magic to take hold.

The satchel will always appear handy or even in-hand when the character approaches someone in need of medical assistance, and it will send a mental nudge to use one of the mystical powers it has to the owner, instructing him on its use. The owner of the bag gets to roll Resolve+Medicine+Willpower, without the extra Medicine die added from the bag, to resist this urge. With every two failed resistance rolls against the bag, the difficulty goes up by +1. Additionally, any time any of the black satchel's magical healing is used, that night, the bag will attempt to compel the owner to commit a murder and spend time with the body, dissecting it and studying the inner workings. This roll can be resisted, as well, with a Willpower roll at difficulty 6, but few have the mental and emotional fortitude to fight the black satchel's need for blood. This roll can be modified by spent Willpower for a single success or three dice to the roll, or the owner may burn a Willpower dot to automatically succeed, but that only makes it harder to resist future urges.

Diente de Jaguar

Literally "tooth of the jaguar", these daggers are constructed by primitive jungle tribes from strong leg bones of their eponymous sources and have teeth of the large cats magically embedded all along the "blade", making them resemble something akin to a shortened macahuitl, though with teeth instead of obsidian shards..

Although lacking a proper blade, for all purposes the diente de jaguar acts as a normal dagger, slightly enchanted. If a more telling blow is struck, however, the primary enchantment kicks in, inflicting an additional grievous wound that appears on the flesh as a tearing bite wound. When this happens, one of the teeth lining the blade disappears. Diente de jaguar daggers are usually made with twenty teeth and once they all are gone, the weapon loses the additional "bite" damage enchantment, but retains the minor enhancement.

In addition to the dagger version, short sword variations have been seen, as well. These are constructed with thirty teeth along the blade, but otherwise function as the dagger version, presented above. All diente de jaguar are treated as metal weapons for the purposes of break attempts and other rules that take an item's durability into account.

Mechanics

Pathfinder: Both variations of this weapon are +1 weapons. When a critical hit is confirmed on a roll of 19 or 20, in addition to any other effect the critical may have, the weapon deals another 1d8+4 damage, leaving a bite wound on the subject resembling that of a jaguar's.
The diente de jaguar is treated as steel for the purposes of hardness and break DCs.

In Golarion, these daggers are sometimes found in the hands of shamans of the Shoanti peoples, and are regarded as a sign of status. Most diente de jaguar are made from the bones and teeth of firepelt leopards, but the Shoanti have been known to make them from carnivorous lizards and other natural threats.

According to tribal taboos, no shaman may wield such a weapon he did not create on his or her own, but no such restriction applies to the warriors of these tribes.

In Faerûn, these daggers and swords have been found among the tribes of both the Chultans and the Mazticans, especially among both cultures' Jaguar Warrior castes, lending further credence to theories stating that these peoples share a common ancestry.

In Eberron, the drow of Xendrik have been known to employ these daggers in their skirmishes with the explorers of the dark continent. Some of the weapons scavenged from these elves seem to be made of chitin instead of bone, with spurs of barbed stingers embedded instead of teeth. Instead of additional bite damage, this variation injects the poison of a giant scorpion, as below.
Sting - injury; save Fort DC 17; frequency 1/round for 6 rounds; effect d2 Strength damage; cure 1 save.

New World of Darkness: These weapons usually have a primary enchantment that grants them +1 accuracy. That, however, is the least of anyone attacked with one of these weapons' worries, for if the attacker scores an exceptional success, the weapon deals an additional 3L damage dice and leaves a bite wound resembling that of a jaguar's upon the flesh.

Daggers of this type are likely to be found used by the indigenous people of the jungles of South America, but it wouldn't be out of the question for peoples of Asia or Africa to wield similar weapons made from the bones and teeth of tigers or lions. These might even deal more additional damage, reflecting the immense power of the true great cats, and would be deadly weapons, indeed.

Rise of the Runelords, Session 17 - The Skinsaw Murders

When we resumed, Vic made his way to the door of the Seven's Sawmill and knocked. The door was answered by a man in an odd, jester-like robe and funny mask, who then questioned Vic about his purposes being there, to which the guardsman stated that he was meant to make the drop, and that the "Master" that the man had mentioned in the questioning was dead.

The man led Vic to the work floor of the mill, where a dozen more figures were assembled, all in the odd robes and masks, to a man with a slightly different mask, who also asked Vic a few more questions, then suddenly cast a spell that made the warrior attack himself. At this, the man who had led Vic in ran back up, doffed his robe and mask, then ran out into the street, yelling to the rest of the party that Vic had suddenly began acting funny and that "something was wrong."

This prompted the group to rush to their friend's aid, and they heard a scream for help from Vic as they hit the door. The man that led them in slung his robe and mask on and began to engage the party in the door, but a few made it past to try to get to Vic's side, surrounded as he was by the cultists. Walt took the man trying to bar their way down and Walt and Elspeth mopped up with area spells; Walt calling down the judgment of his god upon those without virtue and the wizard incinerating the group with a fireball, which also killed the seriously wounded Vic.

The leader of the cultists had gone invisible, and tried to take advantage of the group's letting down of their guards after the spells had dropped and they had seen their friend dead, but short work was made of the man.

After this, the group went out and found a patrol of clerics to Abadar who were working as guards and reported what had happened. One of the men, however, had a loose tongue and blurted out that the leader of the cultists was Justice Ironbriar, a prominent city lawmaker with strong ties to the Watch. The sensitivity of the information was impressed upon the party and a "gift" of cooperation was given in the form of spoils as the clerics began to take care of the crime scene.

One of the Abadaran priests had rushed to take Vic to the temple, Rissi and Elspeth in tow, since he was a follower of that faith, for preparations to do what could be done for their fallen comrade. Once there, the group decided to have Raise Dead cast, bringing back their friend at a heavy cost of gold and goods.

Deciding to collect themselves and regroup, the party obtained lodging and got rest, then investigated what information they had to lead them to the heart of the matter, going back to the sawmill and purchasing a raven from the rookery there then turning it loose, with Walt following it in flight to Underbridge, one of the most dangerous districts of Magnimar.

Here, we left off, and our newly-raised fighter has uttered nary a word since his ordeal. What will this mean in the coming days?




Cast of Characters
Walt Thrune, Chelaxian Human Cleric 7 (Merciful Healer) of Sarenrae - Paul
Rissi Scuttle, Ratfolk Alchemist 7 - Angela
Vic Alvaraz, Varisian Human Fighter (Mobile Fighter) 7 - David
Elspeth, Elf Wizard (Evoker) 7 - Tami
Hyrum Vassal, Chelaxian Human Tyrant (LE Antipaladin variant) 4 of Urgathoa/Monk 1 - David (secondary)
Natasha Caine, Chelaxian Human Rogue 5 - Angela (secondary)

Musical Inspiration, vol. 13 - Slash

It's Saturday, and that can sometimes mean that Musical Inspiration crops up, and this week's is a powerful delivery from Guns N' Roses guitarist, Slash, and Wolfmother's Andrew Stockdale.

I chose this song because on Wednesday, I lost a character that echoes a lot of the meaning. Cameron, like the warrior in the song, had lost everything, and was to slowly come around to realizing that all that was lost can be reclaimed. The portrayal of both my character and the subject of By the Sword, neither one were or are very hopeful, but shows that there's always a glimmer.

Enjoy the song. I do.

Slash - "By the Sword"



With the horses that you ride,
And the feelings left inside,
Comes a time you need to leave all that behind,
Well they claim they'd like to know,
And they'll fight you there to go,
And they're gatherin' around for all the show,

Well there is a reward,
To live and die by the sword,
Well they tried to complicate you,
But you left it all behind,
All the worldly possessions,
Are left for recollections,
And finally it's all gone!

They're releasing all the hounds,
What is lost can still be found,
When you're walking with your fear down on the ground,
Well there's those who choose to run
Following the setting sun,
And now it seems the journey's has begun,

Well there is a reward,
To live and die by the sword,
Well they tried to complicate you,
But you left it all behind,
All the worldly possessions,
Are left for recollections,
And finally it's all gone!

With the horses that you ride,
And the feelings left inside,
there's a time you need to leave it all behind,

Well there is no reward,
To live and die by the sword,
Well they tried to complicate you,
But you left it all behind,
All the worldly possessions,
Are left for recollections,
And finally it's all gone!


*As always, I don't own this, blah blah blah.

On a final note, Blogger tells me this is my 300th post! That's kinda neat.