The List, 11-20

Here's the second installment of my list of possible games I'll run that I present to my group when I want to run a campaign. The selection process is fairly simple; look through the list, make note of those that catch your eye, and any games with overlap between player's short lists is ran with. In the event that there isn't any overlap, players would be asked to go over each other's lists and see if any of those are interesting to them, as well.

The List: You Decide Which Game Will Come Next

11. Pathfinder (3.x Compatible) - Homebrew: 年長者神！ (1st - ?)  Dispatched by a local Daimyo to assist with protection and transfer of an archaeological find, the PCs soon discover something is amiss and will be flung into the midst of something deeper than anyone could possibly imagine. This game will have an Oriental feel and so classes and perhaps some races will be restricted. Use of several variant mechanics will also be incorporated for flavor.

12. Iron Heroes - Sword & Sorcery (1st - ?)  To me, Iron Heroes embodies the idea of front-loaded "rockstar" gaming. With skill stunts, feat tricks and token mechanics, your character can truly achieve amazing things. The implied setting in the game reminded me much of Conan, John Carter, Kull, and even Turok...stories with amazing men and women who use simply the power of their sword arm and their wits to survive in some of the harshest of situations. Sorcery in this game is a dark, dark menace...one which threatens to consume the world. Being one of the few heroes of the world, it's up to you to decide what, if anything, you will do to shape the future of your homelands.

13. Pathfinder (3.x Compatible)- Forgotten Realms: Expedition to Undermountain (1st - 10th)  I will be running the super-adventure Expedition to Undermountain within the campaign setting it first appeared in. Dungeon-crawly goodness at its best! If you like some good hack n slash with a dash of story, then this mini-campaign will suit your tastes.

No rules will be used other than allowing characters to begin with up to +2 ECL/20 RP.

14. Marvel Super Heroes Adventure Game - Midtown Madness!  Create your own hero to rub shoulders and butt heads with the rest of the Marvel Universe. Each session will be chock full of comic book banter and throwdowns. High-action hijinks will ensue! Characters will start out on the Low power scale and advance with time.
No card-carrying villains, but anti-heroes and ex-evils are welcome. This will be a TEAM book, not a bunch of solo stories, taking place in NYC.
Also, don't look to meet and befriend all your favorite heroes, and if someone shows up from a different company, don't be surprised at that, either. Comics don't have to make sense, they just have to be enjoyable!

15. Pathfinder (3.x Compatible) - Homebrew: Salvation Within (1st - ?)  Salvatus is a peaceful realm, surrounded by the pristine beauty of nature that cradles the untroubled villages and cities. However, there are secrets buried under the surface of this world, and only the foolish pursue them. This is a fantasy horror game that will incorporate a homebrewed variant of the Sanity rules. Humans and nonmagic-users only. They aren't all that's available, it's just a unique and story-driven system to attain them.

16. Iron Heroes - Dark Sun Heroes (1st - ?)  Combining the gritty yet zany options and classes from Iron Heroes with the also-gritty D&D world of Dark Sun is a perfect fit. The characters will be forced to survive the predations of Templars, Sorceror-Kings, slavers and more all the while trying to survive in the barren wastelands of Athas under the harsh glare of a red sun. Though only humans are used in Iron Heroes, I will be modifying the usual PC races to allow a broad range of character options. The Iron Heroes rules are balanced toward D&D, so all 3.x D&D (and most Pathfinder) feats are acceptable, as well as many other character options. Race and class selection will be slightly different, as per Iron Heroes and Dark Sun flavor.

17. Pathfinder (3.x Compatible) - Ravenloft: Mists of a Clouded Mind (3rd - ?)  Things are changing within the dark realms. With each passing day, events become weirder and weirder, as if something isn't quite right, but it's impossible to place. Will the PCs be able to uncover the secrets behind whatever is going on? Will it be too late if they do? If the PCs are canny and can survive the horrors of the Demiplane of Dread, then perhaps they will find out. Character options will be limited to Ravenloft races/classes to uphold flavor. Playing an evil character in Ravenloft defeats the purpose of some of the flavor and mechanics, so no evil characters will be allowed. Also, you make a tricked out combat character at your own risk.

18. d20 Modern: Dark Matter/Urban Arcana - I Got This Job Through A Temporal Service  Just beyond the normal perceptions of mortal ken lie things that would drive most men mad. You've seen these things, or claim to have, and that has brought the notice of others upon you. Various organizations deal with such matters through different means and each are desperate for recruits. Do you think you can hold up to some of the things you'll see in the field? Think X-Files and Fringe with a dash of Men in Black.

19. Pathfinder (3.x Compatible) - Homebrew: A Crisis of Faith  A tide is washing over the lands, crashing against the status quo. Will the old and the new be able to hold a balance or will the tide wash away all that the world knows? War rages. Newcomers from distant places fight on both sides aided or hindered by older powers and the nations caught up in the conflict. The PCs will be the lynchpin in this struggle. The races in this campaign will not necessarily be limited, just a little different. Unsure as of yet what options/restrictions will be put into place.

20. Scion - Titanic Ultimatum  For millennia, the titans have slept, but new events have forced the Gods to action. In this, they will need to awaken their scions, their hidden children and blessed, to curb the rising threat of the titanspawn and their world-destroying parents. With the aid of their birthrights, these heroes must put forth all they have to decide the fate of the world itself. This game will start off with the rules presented in Scion: Hero, and will continue perhaps

on into Demigod and God.

This is a 1940’s Scion game I previously had started to run, and would like to pick up where it left off, at some point.

The List, 1-10

In the past couple of weeks, I've mentioned my "List" a lot. This list is a collection of short pitches for each game I would be willing to run for my players. Long-time readers of my blog might find some of the selections familiar. This is because there are a few games I have run in the past that have died without me feeling like I've done and said all I want with them, so they remain on the list.

Some of these pitches are very vague, some almost dull in approach, but in some cases, I have to pitch the system as well as the idea of the campaign, and I don't want to bog down what should be a paragraph description, at most. Also, I have a separate document that's three times as long as the player version with GM's notes, and I can usually answer any questions my players have about campaigns from that, if I've developed the idea further. I'm taking this opportunity to share the list on the blog not only for easy access for my players, but who knows, maybe one of my readers out there will take inspiration from one of the games. If anyone has any questions or comments, feel free to post them, and I will answer!

If you'll remember, The Defenders vol. 2 was number 28 on the list. I will be retaining its spot there, for the sake of posting this, but as it stands, it's not a campaign I feel I would want to revive after running it the once.

And so, without further pretense...

The List: You Decide Which Game Will Come Next

1. D&D 4th Edition – Khardtha: In the Founding Ages (My Homebrew Setting) (1st - ?)  I've poured hours into reading everything I can about 4E, and ran a semi-successful campaign using the system. Some I like, most I don't, but I could give it a true shot, instead of having written it off for good. Something else I've been looking over is the campaign world I have been working on since I was 17. The setting is huge (I even have a 24" x 33" hand-drawn world map), but largely undefined except for a few small areas where 2nd Edition games took place among me and my high school gaming group. This would be a fun try at exploring the dynamics of a somewhat free-form 4E game that scales with the 10-level milestones while shaping the history of my own campaign setting.

2. Savage Worlds - The Savage West  I'd like this game to be a high-action campaign where any Wild West cliché is welcome. If the players wanted to be witty cardsharps or grizzled lawmen out for revenge, either would work. I want a fun game with plenty of flying lead! Think Maverick meets Treasure of the Sierra Madre meets Tombstone. Savage Worlds is a generic system with explodey dice that uses a unique, simple system for character creation and rolling.

3. d20 Modern – Transformers  Here's a game I have thought about for a really long time. Transformers is, without any doubt, my favorite cartoon of all time, and what better way to enjoy it than combining with my favorite hobby. Staying true to the original cartoon and not so much the movie, I picture a story running somewhat parallel with Generation 1, with small skirmishes between the factions broken up by dramatic events, such as energon disputes, and interaction with humans/keeping existence secret, etc. It might even feature a cool cross-over like G.I. Joe!

4. Pathfinder (3.x Compatible) - Eberron: Rise of the Emerald COBRA! (Level Varies)  This idea is actually one spawned by my friend Zack back when we were gaming together. Basically, it's G.I. Joe meets D&D in Eberron. Using Breland or Aundair as the political backing (or even a league of various nations, making it international), the characters are a part of an elite strike force that is sent out on various missions (one-shots or otherwise) to thwart the plots of those who would oppress or otherwise destroy the values of the Five Nations. The Emerald Claw makes too perfect a group to not be the ever-so-evil COBRA!
This campaign would also create an opportunity to make character trees, so that players can pick and choose which heroes they would rather take part of certain missions, instead of being restricted to one character throughout.

5. Star Wars d20/Edge of the Empire - At What Price, The Empire? (1st - ?)  The Galactic Empire has exercised its will across the stars, bringing strict law to those who succumb and death to those who resist. Stirrings through the space lanes have begun to speak of small pockets of rebels acting against the tyranny of the Emperor. Where will you stand when tensions break?
This game would put your characters firmly in the beginnings of the Rebellion Era, and give them the opportunity to make a huge impact in how the galaxy fares.

I’m not sure which game system I would use for this, but I love Star Wars and would like a game that might actually last more than a few sessions, like my previous tries of the game (Both WEG and WOTC).

6. Pathfinder (3.x Compatible) - Forgotten Realms: Weave Asunder! (1st - 20th)  With this campaign, I'll be running the 3-part mega-adventure released in 2007 for the Forgotten Realms. There won't be any special rules for this campaign and characters can be made with a lot of leeway to class and race. Monstrous PCs might be a bit much, but pretty much any humanoid flies. If the players plan to run a Drow, Orc, or any other 'monstrous' types, they'll have to take into mind that there will be prejudices against their characters, which could lead to unexpected encounters.

7. D&D Basic/Expert (Labyrinth Lord) - Swordin' Some Orcs! (1st - 14th)  You read that right...Basic D&D. The game where Elf and Dwarf were classes. This could be a fun romp through the playground of the gamers that came before us, with a campaign that will take you through haunted forests and into the bowels of the very Earth you tread upon! Levels cap at 14th, when mere mortals have attained powers akin to the Gods!

8. D&D 3.5 - Homebrew: Escalations of Power (1st - ?)  A flashy "kitchen sink" type "sandbox" game. Pretty much anything is included, but you better bring your game face, because I'm not going to pull punches. Knowing when to run and when to talk will be key assets to your characters, but be sure you stock plenty of cans of Whup Ass­­®. For this game, I thought it would be cool to use a different campaign model: Each 1st level character is made from the PHB (NOT THE SRD). With each level gained, each particular player can choose a book from those at hand. That player then has access to feats, skill uses, spells, etc. from that particular book. No other player does unless they choose the book. The DM has access to ALL books chosen, the DMG, MM1-5, MCFR, and FF. If/when a character dies, that player, if wishing to make a new character, will give up a single book from their list (but never the PHB) and make his/her character with those resources left. The new character's advancement can gain new books, as usual. This campaign isn’t listed for Pathfinder, as it would benefit more from being run in 3.x D&D, since there are more options for books to be chosen. 

9. D&D 2nd Edition - Mystara: The Land of Karameikos (1st - ?)  Another chance at a nostalgic romp through the playgrounds of older editions. A High Fantasy game with plenty of heroism and fame in grand fashion. Some of this game will be run with published adventures, but most will be on the fly kickassery, wherein you’ll face the intrigues of the unstable Karameikan court while fending off the machinations of evil wizards and bandit kings. We'll be using the Kingdom of Karameikos supplement for Mystara and all Core and Character Option books as well as available race and class handbooks.

10. Vampire: The Requiem/Masquerade - New Orleans is a Dying Whore  Welcome to the Big Easy, where life goes at whatever pace you take it at. The nights in this city are electric and see literally millions of visitors each year. The perils for humans are little known, for walking among them are the Children of the Night, thirsty for the life that pulses in them. PCs will be starting out at whatever is normal for beginning Generation/Blood Potency, and I've decided I want the game set pre-Katrina, to capture the energy of the city better. The name of the campaign comes from a Down song, which inspired the whole idea.

Dark Heresy, Session 8: Damned Cities

And thus we found ourselves on a drenched shuttle platform at the spaceport of Sinophia Magna.

We spoke briefly with a clerk at the fairly abandoned starport and begged his services to take us to the Adeptus Arbite compound, which he agreed to by way of watercraft down a channel. I didn't like this one bit, but the ride was nice, despite the pouring rain. Then, ahead, we saw what appeared to be a destroyed crane boom across the channel, blocking a barge that was under attack from channel pirates.

We assumed this was one of the skirmishes between gangs and nobles we had heard about, and that was confirmed by Charon, our friend from the spaceport, who then cowered behind the console of our craft, as he was not combat trained.

We joined the fight on the side of the outnumbered guards of the noble house and were able to chase off the assailing marauders after a few short moments of exchanged gunfire and the taking of one of their boats. I will say now that firing upon these Imperials, be they criminals or not, made my heart heavy. We don't know the true reasons for these little wars on Sinophia, and it worried me to my soul that our shots were fired in vain. I've never thought of combat like this. Perhaps the constant feeling of fighting for our lives on Quaddis has left a bitter taste for the moment.

At any rate, we conducted ourselves onto the barge and confronted a commander of some sort who appeared with late reinforcements in the form of the Enforcers, what serves as the planet's PDF. Growing tired of their attitudes and hard questioning, Nico bade me reveal the Rosette and we revealed our work for the Holy Ordos. This only lightened their tone a little, but we were shown quick escort to meet with the Arbites.

Once at Haarlock's Folly (a significant name, if I say so myself), where the Arbiters have made their base on this world, we were met with a Junior Marshall, where we were met with another of our Interrogator's agents that was there to aid us, and then made our way to the latest crimescene, where a murder matching the others that have given the authorities a rise happened just short hours before.

One Bal Grey, mangled in his 4th floor hab, blood and gore spread to his door, which had been shut then battered in. The body ripped and bludgeoned, lay across the floor next to a mangled shotgun that had been recently fired. An ammo box lay nearby as well, with a spare bit of money, some shotgun shells, an Infantryman's Primer and a piece of cloth that held something jagged and small at one time, as the imprint was still noticeable in the material.

There was also a body lay out in the alley, possibly one of Bal's attackers, but who appeared dead a bit. This one had fresh shotgun blasts to the chest and abdomen and lots of old stitched up wounds. Later, when speaking with an agent of the Arbites, we would find this one to have been dead roughly three days, with some of its organs removed. Dark sorcery of the Ruinous Ones is at work, I am sure!

An exciting and dangerous part of our day came when we were investigating the scenes around Grey's hab, when I noticed a dark-clad figure atop an opposite hab building watching us work. I meant to rush over to question the person, but they took flight, prompting me to try to take a leg out from under them. My shot hit home, but they merely staggered and continued on.

A chase was initiated, with all of us after our mysterious voyeur, and though we caught up to him as he leapt upon a bike to make his escape, and many of our shots found home, a couple of well-timed grenades, one a hallucinogen, which made me feel as if I had died and was unable to act. The other, a flash-bang dropped by our mark, if I'd heard the story right, allowed for his escape.

We finished up our investigation at the hab and returned to the Folly to report to a Marshall Scarmen, whom I did not share all information with, as I had not ran it by my fellow Acolytes yet. I am not prone to deep thought, so what I feel might be important could be nothing, anyway, but I have a hunch.

I am worried about Nico, and our newest member. Both are very withdrawn. I don't even remember the new guy's name, honestly. I think that's a symptom of war. Don't get close to the new guy. He might be gone tomorrow. Nico, though...he's usually watching my back, and I fear the effects of the hallucinogen may have been too much for his older brain.

Cast of Characters
Rhia, Gunpoint (Hive World) Investigator (Arbiter 5) - Angela
Xantippa Thebe, Son of Nightmare (Void Born) ?? (Imperial Psyker 5) -  Paul
Nicodemus, Regulus (Imperial World) Scholar (Adept 5) - Taylor
Mohrdecai, Cadian (Fortress World) Veteran (Guardsman 5) - Me
??, (Feral World) Assassin (Assassin 5) - Sam

Jon didn't make it this session, and I hope he does return, though the last session he showed up at, we got next to no actual playing done, and just a lot of talking and horsing around. Our new arrival, Sam, seemed rightfully overwhelmed with making a Rank 5 Dark Heresy character, but she seemed excited to play 

Dark Heresy, Session 7: Damned Cities

With the dust settling around us, we made our way out of the mansion after claiming some spoils of war from the fallen. Though we hadn't destroyed the unnatural things plaguing the planet, whatever Nico did seemed to have done the trick of banishing it/them, at least for the time being. It still felt a hollow victory.

As we exited and regrouped, the question of how we would get off-planet lay heavy with us. Nico and Xantippa suggested we sell the guns and jewelry taken from the manor to fund our departure, and Rhia and I agreed that the sooner the better.

No sooner had we started to gather everything to leave, however, than our salvation came in the form of dropship. A crusty old clunker practically fell out of the sky and we were met with Inquisitor Karkalla's former Interrogator, come to collect us.

We'd never met the man, but he had the right credentials, and explained that the taint of the Haarlock's ran deeper than just those transgressions we discovered on Quaddis. He explained to us that Karkalla was also interested in the Haarlock family's involvement with a planet called Sinophia. We were briefed on a history of the planet and its current troubles: gruesome murders that have prompted unrest and small-scale wars amongst the nobles and street gangs of the capital, Sinophia Magna.

After a relatively short space flight, we alighted rather rockily on a rainsoaked port slab with noone there to greet us at all. Our Interrogator left one of his agents (Jon's Adept) with us to bolster our band and bade us farewell, lifting off back to the cruiser we arrived in and letting us handle things on the ground.


Cast of Characters
Rhia, Gunpoint (Hive World) Arbitrator (Arbitrator 5) - Angela
Xantippa Thebe, Son of Nightmare (Void Born) ?? (Imperial Psyker 5) -  Paul
Nicodemus, Regulus (Imperial World) Inditor (Adept 4) -Taylor (hasn't spent necessary xp to rank)
Mohrdecai, Cadian (Fortress World) Veteran (Guardsman 5) - Me
??, ?? ?? (Adept 5) - Jon

First, I'd like to apologize to David for this session. All of us were very jokey and the session derailed pretty hard despite David's best efforts to get the thing going. I think everyone was just weary after a week of work and were looking more toward unwinding than playing, so this session was pretty short.

This is exciting, though, as we actually got to advance into Damned Cities with the same characters as we had in Tattered Fates. The last time we played through, Taylor and I ended up duking it out at the 13th Hour so that we both might complete our heretical goals. I won, taking the mantle of the Widower for myself and basically wiping out a whole civilized planet.

Fun, yes, but a different kind of rewarding than actually completing the mission and moving on with the band of Acolytes to continue work for the Inquisition. 

30 Day Challenge, Days 21, 22, and 23 - The Skips

I skipped a few posts during the 30 Day Challenge, but thought I would make them up here, for completeness, to satisfy the curiosity of my readers, and because I find the Challenge's questions neat.

Day 21 - Favorite Dragon Color/Type

My favorite dragon is the Fang Dragon, originally debuting in the Forgotten Realms setting, if I'm not mistaken.

The fang is appealing to me because it wants to engage you in melee. While most dragons, at least in my mind, would rather send minions into hand-to-hand and play the range game with its attackers/its victims, the fang dragon is at its most deadly in close range.

The bite of a fang dragon drains Constitution, weakening the opponents it has in front of it, and making for an even quicker death of its foes. Judicious use of its sound imitation ability can facilitate up-close fights and its trip ability ensures that once the fang dragon has you in melee, it will be hard to get away. 

Not only all this, but don't forget that the fang dragon is still a true dragon, and as such still have frightful presence, high spell resistance, multiple attacks, insane ACs and spell-like abilities, as well as casting ability like a sorceror and damage reduction.

They might not be as smart as some other dragons, but ferocity more than makes up for it.


Day 22 - Favorite Monster Overall

This one is harder to do, since the Challenge asks you to list quite a few favorite monsters by category. Obviously, I feel like I can't use previous answers, though wouldn't one of them be the favorite overall?

Well, no.

I'm going to be interpretive a little with this one, and append "that I've used in a game." This makes the choice quite a lot easier, as there are two monsters that I fall back on time and again. The first, and would be winner is the zombie, but I'm not including it, as I haven't used it in a long time, and it seems like cheating to do so when their use has declined, and so I'm going with the lowly goblin.

Goblins are just fun. Creepy little craven psychopaths that, unchecked, will eventually overrun and corrupt any place they call home. Goblins, like any other humanoid, can fit quickly into any niche you need at the time, as they can be any class you would like. Need a spellcaster? A goblin shaman or pyromancer might fit the bill. A couple of goblin shadow dancers could quickly wear the party down by forcing use of resources, eventually routing even a somewhat prepared party.

They can be as cunning or as stupid as you would like, and are usually fun for your players to bash, as well.


Day 23 - Least Favorite Monster Overall

This one comes from not only my experiences with it as a DM, but also because of my opinion of the thing as a player. My choice for least favorite monster has to be the mimic. 

Perhaps my friends and I don't follow some unwritten plan somewhere, but no party we've ever been in that has encountered mimics has ever truly been that successful against the things. Sure, we eventually defeat them, but the seemingly insane amount of hit points coupled with their annoying adhesive abilities usually sees the party struggling by the end of the fight. 

We never have solvents of any kind to break free and our characters can never seem to roll well at all in any aspect of a fight with these monsters, so I'm just not a fan. Nothing about them are fun to me.

30 Day Challenge, Day 30 - Best DM I've Had

So, we've finally made it to the end, and I actually did a lot better than I had anticipated, with just a couple of misses somewhere there in the middle. This has really made me realize that I do like writing about gaming, even if I don't have much to say, and I'll probably be posting with more regularity, at least in the near future. A possible second job may cut into that time a little, but maybe more on that later.

Anyway, on to the meat of this post...by far the easiest one of the whole month. The best DM I've ever had, without question, is my friend Paul. I've been playing in his games since I got into the rpg hobby and he has been an invaluable sounding board for my own campaigns and designs over the years.

Even though I originally went with Vampire for the first game I ever GM'd, Paul was pushing me into the GM role, saying he thought I would be good at it. I think any time someone has agreed with him that I am a good GM is simply praise on Paul, because the core of my style is practically an emulation of the style Paul had back when I started playing under him.

Paul is a gracious DM, always willing to listen to his players when they have alternate features for their characters or differing views on rules or rulings in situations, but is never afraid to lay the DM hammer down when he feels the ruling was justified and the game needs to move on.

His games are engaging and entertaining (he ran the Arcane College game I posted about for the longest), and I have never felt truly dissatisfied with any of his campaigns when they ended.

If there was an award for best DM, I would certainly nominate Paul.

The Defenders, Vol. 2, Issue 3 - They Took My Toy(man)!

The group blundered about the city in search of...something. Perhaps going a'hero-ing, but turned up empty handed in the end, retiring to their rooms, where Beast found a small dark-skinned halfling sitting cross-legged on his bed. Magneto was also there, and after the rest of the team had been called into Beast's chamber, he presented the group with a mock-up of the component, which they had sent him the blueprints of after Toyman copied them for the group.

Though Magnus' component followed the printed plans, his copy was made from steel, and he noted that a metallurgist of more skill than himself would have been required to construct the component pieces, and he wasn't sure what metals would be used in the final product. He did note that he felt an inner sphere on the component would twist freely within, meaning a powerful magnetic force would also likely be used.

Taking this newly gained knowledge, our heroes attempted to make another appointment with House Cannith to meet with Winslow Schott, the Toyman, but he was not on Cannith grounds. The receptionist, remembering them from their earlier meeting with the artificer, recommended they visit his small, personal business and gave them the address.

Upon arriving, they found Schott's Toys and Wonderments to be eerily empty in the storefront. They called out, heard nothing, then ventured to the back, where they found the obvious signs of a struggle. Metal shards and blood splattered and scattered throughout.

Exodus robbed the Toyman's lock box while Beast and Jean searched the room where the apparent attack had taken place. The back door had obviously been smashed in, and on the outer back wall of the shop, they found an odd etching that resembled a crane or peacock. Questioning of the neighbors also led to no leads as to what had transpired or the whereabouts of Schott.

Beast had caught a faint trail of the Toyman and his presumed assailants, but Bennet pushed for certainty and some amount of time was spent finding and using a scroll of Scry. This magic use was fortuitous, as Bennet saw the Toyman, beaten and bloodied, with other figures around him - the mercenary assassin Deathstrike and some of her Reavers, as well as the Valenar noble, Pierce, known as The White King of Hellfire. The Toyman's abductors spoke briefly of the Tinkerer and needing Schott for 'his grand design'.

The party then moved into action, Beast taking the lead, as he followed a weak trail through the city streets of Fairhaven, to Chalice Center, the transportation hubof the city, where they floated up/climbed the airship docking tower, much to the delight of the wealthy nobles in the VIP lounge awaiting their flights.

A short investigation and verbal confrontation with the security posted here led them out onto a docking pier where a ship was moored that bore that same crane-like emblem on the prow. They told the security that they feared a kidnapped man was aboard and security escorted them onto the ship, where they began a search belowdecks. Jean had been scanning for harmful intent during their search and pinged above them, so they rushed to the main deck to find Pierce with Lady Deathstrike and some of her Reavers present.

Pierce demanded the departure of the heroes or face a fight, at which point the security departed, wanting no part in sparking any kind of Aundairian/Valenar conflict, since the airship was technically Valenar soil. The PCs were under no such obligation, however, and quickly engaged with the Reavers, finding out where the metal shards were from when a member of the mercenary team began flinging them from his own body!

The battle was quick, and saw the three most deadly enemy combatants - Pierce, Lady Deathstrke, and Skullcrusher - flee into chambers behind the wheel. Beast gave chase in a running battle with Skullcrusher, but stopped in his tracks when he saw a former ally, a young student of Xavier's named Warlock, physically melded with the airship.

The young hero initiated "Expulsion Protocol' and Beast was levitated into the air before the ship vanished, seemingly teleported from the area. The heroes, not having been touching the airship at the time, remained above the streets of Fairhaven, much to Beast's chagrin, since he was unable to fly, and fell, smacking hard against the airship tower, but holding on and climbing up to the top to meet with his companions, who both had been levitating.

The group began a frantic search of the interior of the tower, but had yet to find a trace of Schott.

Next issue, the heroes come to their Senses. And...new team members emerge (maybe)!

Cast of Characters
Jean Grey, Elan Psion 4|Wilder 4  - Angela
Bennet du Paris (Exodus), Human Psion 4|Spellthief 4 -Taylor
Henry (Beast), Artificer 4|Anthropomorphic Ape 2/Monk 2 - Paul

Bonus Feature: Running A Superhero Campaign Using D&D
This game is challenging to DM, because even though I have a rough draft of where I think the logical course of the plot is, my notes are just bullet-pointed and the players shape the story. Only two things (I'm not telling which) in the third session was "scripted", and one was written entirely differently than it turned out to be, so I don't even know if you can say it was scripted to begin with.

This player-driven campaign, coupled with unexpected tussles and random night-time hero scenes has meant that I have to come up with stats I otherwise wouldn't have. The fight with the Reavers, for example, was certainly not something I had anticipated this early in the campaign, so what do you do in a time like this?

First, don't have the heavy-hitters stick around. They have stuff to do and goals to achieve, and it really pisses off your PCs when their enemies get away, and they'll be itching for the fight later on where they get to wreck faces. And be sure that fight does come down the road. Especially in a game like mine, which is decidedly D&D, and a group like mine, who are hard to convince to back down from fights, frustration can build fast when they can't engage (and beat) enemies they've seen before. Recurring villains is more a trope of comics than it is D&D, and you have to find that balance.

Part of the problem with the "Name" baddies is they might mop the floor with your PCs, and that wouldn't tell a good story. The flip side to this is, I simply didn't have stats for them. I have rough ideas, of course, because I will stat them, eventually, so I could make them take some pot shots, but otherwise, I just have a blank slate with them.

Second, break the fight up, so that there still are combatants for the PCs to engage. This reduces tension that might build between the DM and players when they might otherwise be feeling like their ability to hero hard is constantly being deflected by the escape of bad guys, and gives a little purpose and release for the heroes, even if it doesn't really advance the plot much.. Even if you haven't planned for something, it's ok to wing this, or even to open up a monster tome and finish out the fight, but don't bog the game or your prep time down with eventualities like this.

The Reavers that the team actually engaged were just reskinned Warforged with a couple of light modifications. I wanted the one dude to shoot pieces of his metal body, so I didn't change anything on the stat sheet. I used his crossbow stats and said he was flinging bits of robotflesh at the party. I've learned over the years that KISS is the best method when running something on the fly. Don't fall into Snowflake Syndrome if you can avoid it. A cool 5-second description of something can be worth a lot more than 30-60 minutes of prep time.

30 Day Challenge, Day 29 - What Is The Number I Always Seem To Roll On A D20?

'One under what I need at any given time' seems most accurate sometimes, but - and I don't know if this points to my d20 being manufactured a certain way or what - I actually see a lot of 11s from my die.

I didn't purposefully buy a die that was weighted or cast to roll certain numbers, and believe me, it does seem to be perfectly randomized! That said, I might actually put the percentage of 11s rolled at 5.3, rather than the flat 5 that the d20 assumes, which reduces the percentage of all other numbers, in turn.

30 Day Challenge, Day 28 - A Character I Will Never Play Ever Again

Though I've stated before that roguish characters are my favorite character type, and I prefer the 'face' type scoundrel, if we want to get more specific, I will likely never again play a bard, especially one made specifically for social interaction (assuming there even is a good combat build for the bard, I dunno).

The last one I played, in Angela's Age of Worms, was the last person killed in a near-TPK when he was trying to save another party member. The one before that was ripped to shreds by dinosaurs when trusting another PC's lead in the Savage Tide adventure path, and the one before that took a critical to his head in an Eberron war-time campaign just short moments after removing his helmet (which would have saved his life).

Each of these characters thrived in their element, but couldn't stand up to even moderate combat challenges. I do suppose that the class isn't designed for that role, but I can't help but think that I just have terrible luck playing bards.

I've sworn off them, at any rate. For the foreseeable future, at least.

30 Day Challenge, Day 27 - A Character I Want To Play In The Future

This one is tough. I know that, for the most part, my game group will deviate very little from D&D 3.x/Pathfinder, so it makes more sense for me to describe a character for that type of game. However, I would really like to play something other than d20 or Dark Heresy eventually, so I have ideas for other things, as well.



In D&D or Pathfinder, I think I'd like to play a religious extremist. The deity followed and the class and race of the character are secondary concerns (though I think a lay person might be more fun than a cleric or paladin), as long as there is a level of fanaticism that makes everyone around the character a little uncomfortable. Moral transgressions like blood sacrifice and/or legal transgressions like defamation of other faith's shrines, or even excessive theft if the character followed the God of Rogues, would play into the character, as well.

I've not really played a religious zealot in a game, and I think it would be fun.

On the other hand, with a game other than D&D/Pathfinder, my style of character would be a bit different. If I could have things my way, and someone ever decided to run a Mage or Vampire game, I would like to play an ex-Irish Mob leg breaker who was either suddenly Awakened or Embraced by the Tremere clan.

In a Mage chronicle, I have the idea that he would be a Mastigos and member of the Guardians of the Veil. An honorable, no-nonsense tough who has a job to do in his capacity with the Guardians, who still goes about things the way he did in his Sleeper life - hit it first, and if that doesn't work, then bring out the tools.

In a Vampire chronicle, assuming The Masquerade, since my group has played that the most, you have similar lines. For whatever reason - perhaps needing to fill a niche that the Chantry needed at a particular time, perhaps the clan controls the Irish Mob or wants to - a Tremere Embraces this low-ranked soldier and for the most part he just goes about things like when he was alive, only now his hits are done by exsanguination and  he would rarely resort to magic, despite perhaps knowing quite a few Paths and Rituals.

Inspiration for this character came after watching Ray Stevenson's excellent portrayal of Danny Greene in Kill the Irishman.