TEXT:   
   
  
  three weeks on this task (for a maximum bonus of 30%) since there
   
   
   
   
   
    
   
   
   
   
   
   
  are only so many potential candidates in a given area. 
   
  Letters Home 
  An easy way to allow PCs to prepare for the worst, writing of their
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  experiences
  back
  home
  to their friends, relatives or colleagues
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  allows players to bank some of the experience that they gain for use
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  with a future character. This is particularly convenient because it
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  allows you to avoid the incredulous situation of a long-lost relative of
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
    
   
   
   
  the slain character showing up out of the blue, since they would
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  have been already foreshadowed. The system here is again quite
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  simple. Once per outing or particularly large story beat (Referee's
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  discretion)
  a
  player
  may
  choose
  to
  send
  a
  record
  of
  their
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  experiences to another character that has already been rolled; they
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  can commit up to 50% of the experience that they most recently
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  gained towards that new character. 
   
   
  29 
  A Message from the Editor 
   
  Greetings friends! As I write this message the United States lurches
   
   
    
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  towards a precipice called the 2020 Election. Is it an opportunity to
    
   
   
   
   
   
    
   
   
   
  right the ship of state? Will this be the end of a 250-year flirtation
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
    
   
   
  with representative democracy? Will the out-of-touch centrist save
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  us from the out-of-control autocrat?  
   
  It’s days like this that I recall an old bit of gaming lore--was it from
   
   
   
   
    
   
   
   
   
   
   
    
   
  Pocket Empires for Marc Miller’s fourth edition of Traveller or the old
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  wargame Barbarian, Kingdom, and Empire or maybe some other old
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  game?--that civilizations last about 250 years before they either
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  collapse or transform into something completely unrecognizable to
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  their founders. Of course, that’s a gross simplification. Societies, like
   
   
   
   
    
   
   
   
   
  people, are in a constant state of flux. We tell each other stories
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  about royal lineages and unwavering religious creeds as a way of
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
    
   
   
  imposing a sense of structure on the inherent chaos of history.  
   
  But deep down, you and I know that the structure is an illusion.
   
   
   
   
    
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  That’s what makes us weirdos, I suppose. Maybe the chaos is an
   
   
   
   
    
   
   
   
   
   
   
  illusion,
  too.
  What
  was
  it
  that
  Freddy
  “Anything
  for
  a
  laugh”
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Nietzsche used to say? “One must contain some chaos to give birth
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  to a dancing star.” I don’t know what that means, but it’s better
   
   
   
    
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  than approximately 100% of the things I’ve heard politicians say
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  lately. 
   
  Stay weird, friends. It’s all that we’ve got. 
   
   
  Jeff Rients 
  By all that is unholy, why did I move to a swing state? 
  
   
  Table of Contents 
   
  Article 
  Author 
  Page 
  Beyond Maiming 
  Craig “Lord Mhor” Dixon 
  2 
  The White Baron 
  Krzysztof Kiser 
  4 
  Skeleton Parasite Class 
  Tim “Samwise7” Harper 
  7 
  The Mudfish 
  Matt Dudley 
  10 
  The Lifeseeker 
  Markus Schauta 
  14 
  Alternate Ship Rules 
  Dr. Pat Mathis 
  16 
  Murder in Whiteloach 
  Zak Sabbath 
  19 
  The Twelve Faces of Anti-Feeling 
  C.A. Paul 
  22 
  The Floating Figure 
  Jeff Rients 
  26 
  Things to do in D&D after you’re dead 
  Nolan Burgins 
  28 
   
   
   
  Art Credits 
  Cover art: Joel Clapp, Tim “Samwise7” Harper  
  Logo design: Etienne Ménard 
  Page 5: Krzysztof Kiser 
  Page 21: azazahmed from pixabay 
  Page 29: Nolan Burgins 
  Additional assistance: Tim “Samwise7” Harper 
   
   
  Things to Do in D&D After You’re Dead 
  by Nolan Burgins 
   
  Sometimes you just die in D&D. It could be that the player was
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  reckless, it could be that they had a run of terrible luck. It could
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  even be a logical end to their story, agreed to by the Referee and
   
    
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  the player. Whatever the source, guidance on this topic has always
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  been somewhat awkward. The prevailing view for much of the OSR
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  community
  is
  to
  simply
  start
  characters
  over
  again
  from
  the
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  beginning. I personally think this a bit too punitive; but i'm also
    
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  unwilling to simply allow a player to start over at their previous XP
   
   
   
    
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  total. Instead, I've come up with three methods to assist new PCs in
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  what
  may
  very
  well
  be
  higher
  level
  campaigns.
  All
  of
  these
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  subsystems can be used with one another without a great deal of
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
    
   
   
   
  conflict. 
   
  Funerals 
  While most people don't need much of an excuse to party, even in
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  character, Funerals are a great excuse to have a bender. They're
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
    
   
   
  also a great way to justify Experience towards the new PC of the
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  player whose character the funeral is in honor of. The system here is
   
   
   
   
    
   
   
   
   
   
    
  simple, for each SP (or GP, if that's the basis for your setting's
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  economy) that is spent on the festivities and mourning, the new
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  character gains that same amount of XP. Thus, if 2,589 SP were
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  spent on Grobthar the Fighter's funeral, Yurt the Accursed would
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  start off with 2,589 XP, and would be level 2. 
   
  Interviews & Auditions 
  Adventuring groups can often take on a character of their very own.
   
   
   
   
   
    
   
   
   
   
   
  Continuity, values and norms can be maintained long after their
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  original champions are long since dead or retired. How are these
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  standards (or lack thereof) maintained? Why, an interview process,
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  of
  course.
  Through
  an
  exhaustive
  search
  (and
  use
  of
  their
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  downtime) the players whose characters are still alive can provide a
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
    
  bonus to the slain PC's player. For each week of downtime spent
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  interviewing,
  searching
  for and auditioning potential candidates,
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  they can provide the new PC with a 10% bonus to their potential XP
   
   
   
   
   
   
    
   
   
   
   
   
   
  total, whatever that may be. A group can only spend a maximum of
   
   
   
   
    
   
   
   
    
   
   
  28 
  
  designed
  to
  gain
  insights
  into
  the
  composition
  of
  things
  by
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  combining the dissimilar together.  
   
  Thus, every time it hits in combat, the referee should roll a second
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
    
   
  d20 to gauge the relative level of merging caused by the successful
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  strike. The higher the roll, the more debilitating the combinatory
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  effect. A roll of 1 or 2, for example, might indicate that the victim’s
    
   
    
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  pants and boots are now a single unit, cumbersome to take off and
   
   
   
   
    
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  put back on. Any roll of 11 or higher involves the victim’s flesh
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  becoming physically merged with some part of their gear and/or the
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  environment. A 19 or 20 might indicate that the victim’s face is now
    
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
    
   
  bonded at the molecular level with a nearby wall, for example.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  You’re the referee, make up something horrible. 
   
  Unsticking flesh from other objects can be achieved in two ways.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  The safe way is to use magical healing. An amount of healing equal
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  to the original wound will free the combined flesh but not actually
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  increase the hit points of the victim. The other method is to pull
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  really hard. This inflicts additional damage equal to the amount of
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  the original hit and leaves nasty scars. 
   
  A Floating Figure never knowingly engages in or breaks off combat,
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  as the mind behind it does not understand the concepts of fighting,
   
   
   
    
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  conflict,
  or
  violence.
  It
  interprets
  combat
  as
  merely
  rigorous
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  interaction with the local environment. It will tend to leave any
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  combat situation after 2d6 rounds, whether it is winning or losing
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  the affair. 
   
  The Floating Figure reacts to sound in much the same way that
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  normal creatures react to heat and cold. It can endure most normal
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  ranges of sounds as we would endure cold and hot weather, but
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  obnoxiously loud sounds can inflict 1d8 damage on it. Because of
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  this, the Floating Figure generally avoids noisy areas such as cities,
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  churches when services are in session, etc. Extreme quiet, such as
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  that produced by a Silence 15’ Radius spell, will cause it to freeze
   
   
    
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  solid and shatter into thousands of fragments unless a saving throw
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
    
   
   
  avoids this fate. 
   
  Other
  than
  the
  constant
  maintenance
  of
  deafening
  sounds
  or
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  absolute silence, only force fields and prismatic walls can keep a
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Floating Figure at bay. Its ghostly body can pass through all normal
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  substances. 
   
   
   
  27 
  Beyond Maiming:  
  Fun with Poisons and Disease 
  by Lord Mhor 
  �
  Here’s an alternate approach to try with poisoning and similar
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  fates. Poisons are based on a Lethality Rating of 1–5. You can
   
   
   
   
    
   
   
   
   
   
   
  use higher Lethality Ratings if you wish, particularly if you
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  allow
  saving
  throws,
  but
  that's
  just
  nasty.
  Poisons
  and
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  venoms
  are
  also
  ranked
  as
  “instant”,
  ”fast",
  "slow",
  or
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  "chronic", and "painful" or "painless". The poison or venom is
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  designated
  upon
  creation
  to
  attack
  one specific trait, so
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  choose between CHA, CON, DEX, INT, STR, or WIS. When a
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
    
  character is poisoned, the appropriate number of d6 (Lethality
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Rating) are rolled, and used in a special way: 
   
  The highest die value rolled is the core damage inflicted. If the
   
   
   
   
    
   
   
   
    
   
  highest is a natural "6", each additional "6" rolled beyond the
   
    
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  first, and any pairs or multiples of lower die values, add one
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  additional point to that 6 total from the first die. If the highest
   
   
   
    
   
   
   
   
    
   
   
  rolled is "5" or below, each additional die matching that
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  maximum
  number,
  and
  any
  pairs
  or
  multiples
  of
  lower
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  numbers, also add one additional point to that total, and so
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  on. This can add up quickly, making Rank 5 poisons quite
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  deadly. This is what they do: 
   
  The final total reduces the targeted trait by that number of
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  points. These points are lost right then for “instant” poisons,
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  at the rate of one per melee round (six seconds) for a "fast"
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
    
   
  poison, one per turn (ten minutes) for a slow poison, and one
   
   
   
   
   
   
    
   
   
   
   
  per day for a "chronic" poison. This last category is favored by
   
   
    
   
   
   
   
    
   
   
  nobles
  and
  assassins
  to
  mimic
  withering
  diseases
  or
  to
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  maximize
  suffering
  if
  the
  poison
  is
  "painful".
  "Painless"
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  poisons have no additional effect, but "painful" poisons lower
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  any d20 action rolls by the amount of accumulated damage at
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  the time that roll is made because the character is distracted
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  by gradually increasing agony. 
   
  2 
  
  If/when the targeted trait reaches zero, the character dies
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  right then. That would be the equivalent of a failed poison
  save. Oops. If the character does not die, that would be the
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  equivalent of a successful poison save—but the party isn't
  over. The targeted trait is now damaged, and any modifiers
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  related to that trait are adjusted to that new total.
   
  Damaged traits slowly recover at the rate of one point each
  per in-game week and one point at the beginning of each new
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  *game session* if it's an ongoing adventure or campaign. If
  you want to be a nasty referee, allow no normal healing spells
   
   
   
    
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  other than those specifically related to poisons to have any
  effect on poisoned trait recovery. If you are more benevolent,
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  healing spells can speed recovery slightly—but only at one
  trait point per *spell* cast, regardless of levels, unless it is a
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
    
    
  specific "heal poisoning" spell.
   
  Diseases can also be handled with this system, but usually
  take longer to manifest. So use "slow" or "chronic" rates of
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  trait decay after adding an incubation delay depending on
  your tastes and level of kindness. Incubation delays typically
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  range from a few hours for things like bad food to a week or
  so, during which time the victims are often contagious to
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  others.
   
  Another fun thing to do with diseases is to designate them as
  either "deadly" or "debilitating". For “deadly" diseases, treat
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  them as poisons above. For “debilitating" diseases, calculate
  the final total points of trait damage inflicted normally, but
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  don't apply them all to the same trait. Instead, roll a d6 for
  each final point of damage and map them randomly to the
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  traits as follows:
   
  1) CHA
  2) CON 
  3) DEX
  4) INT 
  5) STR
  6) WIS 
  3 
  Creature: The Floating Figure 
  With Apologies to Wassily Kandinsky 
  by Jeff Rients 
   
  This
  strange,
  silent
  gossamer
   
   
   
   
  abstraction
  is
  actually
  the
   
   
   
   
  exploratory
  extension
  of
  an
   
   
   
   
  inhabitant
  of
  an
  adjacent
  but
   
   
   
   
   
  dimensionally inverted universe
   
   
   
  where 3D space is compactified
   
   
   
   
   
  but
  the
  six
  dimensions
  of
   
   
   
   
   
  hyperspace are fully deployed.
   
   
   
   
  To
  interact
  with our universe,
   
   
   
   
   
  inhabitants from those regions
   
   
   
   
  extrude
  Floating Figures much
   
   
   
   
  like the mechanical claw in an
   
   
   
   
   
   
  arcade
  amusement
  dives
  into
   
   
   
   
  the
  prizes
  below
  it.
  Only
  the
   
   
   
   
   
   
  claw is a roughly man-sized blob
     
   
   
   
  of
  oozing
  polymorphic,
   
   
   
  multi-hued
  hyperspatial
   
   
  quasi-matter. 
   
  To extend the metaphor to its
   
   
   
   
   
   
  fullest, Floating Figures are not
   
   
   
   
   
  themselves sentient, but an alien intelligence guides it slowly and at
   
   
   
   
   
   
    
   
   
   
  a distance. The mind guiding a Floating Figure is not malevolent, but
   
   
   
   
    
   
    
   
   
   
  utterly
  ignorant
  of
  the
  basic
  facts
  of
  life
  in
  our universe and
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  impossible to communicate with. It seeks to understand our world
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  but finds it utterly baffling, inevitably causing great woe wherever it
   
    
   
   
   
   
   
   
    
  directs the Floating Figure to explore. 
   
  Armor 12, Move 90′ (in any direction, through any medium), 4 Hit
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
    
   
  Dice, 20hp, touch attack 1d20 damage plus see below, Morale 12. 
   
  Floating Figures are immune to normal weapons. Fire does half
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  damage. Magic weapons and spells may do full damage. 
   
  The touch of a Floating Figure is caustic to flesh and metal but also
   
   
    
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  comes with the strange property of merging dissimilar substances.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  In our universe, an object or concept often is analyzed by breaking
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  it down into constituent components, but the Floating Figure is
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  26 
  
  a magical item or spell, then the transformation will be much more
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  extreme. The entire body will transform into a horrifying ballista
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  made up of sinew, bone, muscle, and flesh. The subject will be very
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  much alive and in great pain. The dodecahedron will enter the
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  heart, which will form a hard shell around it. Once the ballista is set
   
   
   
    
   
   
   
   
   
   
    
   
  (by pulling back the protruding spines) it can be fired by pulling the
   
   
   
   
   
    
   
   
   
   
   
   
  trigger
  (located
  near
  where
  the
  taint
  used
  to
  be). 
  The
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  dodecahedron-heart projectile is fired through the esophagus and
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  out the open mouth (finally the subject is killed and put out of their
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  misery). The projectile annihilates everything in its path for 1d12
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  meters before exploding into twelve streams of differently colored
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  smoke that snake away in all directions. 
   
  Emotion has now been eradicated. People are still “civilized” but are
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  now highly pragmatic and instinctual like the rest of the animals. 2%
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  of the world’s population are immune to this change (although they
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  now live in a world of monsters). The player characters can be of
   
   
    
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  this select few, still retaining their emotions, or they can be like the
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  others (Referee or player choice). Those who have previously been
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  wounded by the pistol and have emotional blindness will have varied
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  effects:
  1/3
  will
  be unaffected, 1/3 will experience a complete
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  reversal (if they couldn't experience happiness before, now it's all
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  they can experience) and 1/3 will be affected like the rest of the
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  world (no emotion). 
   
  The changes to the world can be subtle or radical. Instead of a
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  crying wife begging the PCs to save her husband who has been lost
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  in the scary woods, she might simply approach them, recognizing
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  them for the able bodied sort who do this kind of thing, and calmly
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  ask them to retrieve her spouse who is needed to harvest the crops
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  tomorrow. Or people could chop up the elderly and "extra" children
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  (those
  they
  can't
  afford
  to
  feed)
  and
  use
  them
  as pig food. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Ultra-utilitarianism and rationalism will
   
   
   
   
  rule the day - there is no revenge or
   
   
    
   
   
   
   
   
  greed or need of power, people simply
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  do what makes sense for the ultimate
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  survival
  and
  "betterment"
  of
  the
   
   
   
   
   
  human race. 
   
  The dodecahedron is destroyed when it
   
    
   
    
  splits into the twelve rainbow smoke
   
   
   
   
   
   
  snakes. 
   
   
  25 
  This will spread the damage randomly across one or more
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  traits, decreasing the chance of death but reducing modifiers
  across multiple traits. 
  With disease, the victim limps along with reduced abilities
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  until some sort of disease curing spell, or the slow recovery
  over time, brings them back to full ability. Players will learn to
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  fear this, causing their characters to be much more careful
  where poisons and disease are likely to pop up. 
  Have fun! 
   
   
  Creature: White Baron 
  by Krzysztof Kiser  
  Somewhere in a distant land that is far enough away not to be thought of
   
    
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  on a daily basis, but too close to be forgotten, is a palace. The white palace.
    
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
     
   
   
   
   
  Around it there is a garden of white grass, white flowers and white trees.
  White apples hang from white branches. White grape ripens on white
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  bushes. The path leading to the white door is made of white earth. 
   
  Everything is white here. Even dried blood on the bodies of those who had
  rashly invaded the palace grounds. White are their hair, clothes and irises.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  When the motionless corpses of the intruders are stripped of all life, color,
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  sensitivity, emotion and spirit - they will turn into empty shells that will be
   
   
   
    
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  taken over by the White Baron.
   
  The White Baron is neither white nor baron - it's just a catchy nickname in
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
    
   
    
   
   
   
  tavern tales. During his lifetime, he was sentenced to death because of
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  atrocities, the history of which lies in forgotten volumes rotting at the
  bottom of abandoned houses' cellars. The offenses of the wicked man were
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  inhuman, so fearing that he would return from beyond the grave to continue
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  his work, a curse was placed upon him. Unfortunately, not skillfully. Due to
   
    
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  the lack of sufficient knowledge of the language in which the curse was cast,
  the preacher spoke a completely different spell during the execution. Today
   
   
    
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  no one has a clue what the priest said on that fateful day, but it caused the
   
   
    
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
    
   
   
  Baron to rise from the grave as a mighty specter enclosed in the walls of the
   
   
   
   
   
   
    
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  estate. To stay alive, he absorbs emotions, sensitivity, spirit from all the
  matter around. The baron cannot leave his estate, but he can send his
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  servants there, which are under his complete control. 
   
  4 
  
  STATS:
   
  HD: 7 
  HP: Like Vampire Spawn. 
  Speed:
  Like
  human
  (can
   
   
   
   
  levitate with half speed). 
  Armor:
  Like
  leather
  armor
   
   
   
   
  and shield. 
  Attributes:
  High
  Intelligence
   
   
   
  and Wisdom. 
  Reference: Magic-user of 7th
   
   
   
   
  lvl, undead (can be turned but
   
   
   
   
   
   
  not destroyed). 
   
  ATTACKS: 
  Rapier, 1d8. 
  Grapple (see "White Kiss"). 
  Charm
  Person
  2/day
  (see
   
   
   
   
  “White Kiss”). 
   
  SPECIAL: 
  Aura 
  Everything
  on
  the
  property
   
   
   
   
  begins to lose its life. Whether
   
   
   
   
   
   
  it is a human, animal, sword
   
   
   
   
   
   
  or
  rope.
  The
  creature
  or
   
   
   
   
   
  object gradually turns white,
   
   
   
   
  and
  all
  the
  life
  energy
   
   
   
   
   
  enchanted in it is transmitted
   
   
   
   
   
  to the Baron, nourishing him.
   
   
   
   
   
  After
  one
  hour,
  the
  living
   
   
   
   
   
  creature loses 1 Constitution
   
   
   
   
  point. Items will be destroyed
   
   
   
   
   
  after hours equal to the owner's level. For magic items, the number
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  of hours is twice the owner's level. These values are irretrievably
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  lost and only the death of the White Baron can restore them. 
   
  The
  effect
  is
  cumulative,
  which means that if someone stayed
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  behind the walls for 30 minutes and then left to re-enter for 30
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  minutes the next day - they will lose a Constitution point. When
   
   
   
    
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  5 
  11 
  Never experiences surprise. 
  12 
  Can only experience surprise. 
  When this emotional blindness occurs, the subject is fully aware that
  they used to have a full range of emotional experiences and that
  others still do.
  They also know that they can cause others to have
  the exact same emotional blindness in two ways:
  1) If someone else receives any bodily fluids from them the
  receiver will experience temporary emotional blindness for
  one full day.
  2) If a tooth is pulled from the vestigial mouth wound and
  swallowed by somebody, then the emotional blindness will be
  permanent.
  If someone receives multiple wounds from the tooth pistol, they do
  not get additional types of emotional blindness, instead they get
  more mouth wounds (and more teeth with which to create others to
  share their condition).
  These people may be miserable, wishing to spread their plight to
  others in a desperate attempt to rid themselves of it or to belong, or
  they may be the founders of a new cult, religious order, or political
  party: their fluids used like drugs to stave off sadness or fear, for
  one more day. Perhaps they want to rid the world of anger or they
  fight with each other over which emotion should rule over the
  others.
  Once
  all
  teeth
  have
  been
  shot
  out
  of
  an
  orifice
  pistol
  the
  dodecahedron will roll out of the pistol barrel, ready to be used
  again. A subject must have teeth for the dodecahedron to create a
  pistol in their body, so for most they can only experience this
  transformation once and get 32 shots out of it. However, there could
  be a situation where someone has been shot multiple times with the
  pistol, so they have multiple wounds filled with teeth, and would
  therefore have more tooth bullets. If such a person is firing the
  pistol, then those shot receive the same emotional blindness that
  they have.
  What
  happens
  when
  the
  dodecahedron
  is
  placed
  in
  an
  unnaturally made orifice:
  If the dodecahedron is ever placed in an unnatural orifice of a living
  human
  being,
  such
  as
  a
  wound
  or
  something
  created
  by
  24 
  
  Mouth 
  The character loses the ability to speak, eat, taste, and
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  breathe through their mouth (penalty to fatigue checks).
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  They can fire the pistol with a +4 bonus. 
  Nose 
  If placed in either nostril the entire nose transforms (the
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  pistol will be sticking straight out, much like with the
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  mouth). The character loses their sense of smell and can
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  only
  breathe
  through
  their
  mouth
  (penalty
  to
  fatigue
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  checks). They can fire the pistol with a +4 bonus. 
  Urethra 
  The
  character
  can
  no
  longer
  ejaculate
  or
  urinate
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  (something will need to be done or their bladder will
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  burst). They can make two attacks per round with no
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  penalty by holding the pistol with their offhand while using
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  their dominant hand to attack normally. 
  Vagina 
  The character can no longer release their menses or get
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  pregnant
  (if
  already
  pregnant,
  an
  alternate
  delivery
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  method will need to be employed). They must lay on their
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  back to fire, and fire in semi-automatic bursts, making a
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
    
  -2 attack to all within a 90 degree arc of the pistol (normal
   
   
   
   
    
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  range penalties still apply). 
   
  Humans typically have 32 teeth. Some will have fewer due to poor
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  hygiene or other circumstances.  2% of people (even those missing
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  some teeth) have hyperdentia, which results in an extra tooth. If
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  they have this condition, then this will be the last tooth to fire and
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  both the defender and the one firing experience the same emotional
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  blindness effect. (Roll the odds of the character having hyperdentia
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  after they’ve survived the transformation.) 
   
  Each
  tooth-bullet
  does
  1d12
  damage
  when
  fired
  and
  causes
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  permanent emotional blindness to the defender as described below. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Additionally, the wound caused by the tooth becomes a vestigial
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  mouth that grows a fresh set of 32 teeth. 
   
  Roll 1d12 for each tooth fired 
  1 
  Never experiences happiness 
  2 
  Can only experience happiness 
  3 
  Never experiences sadness 
  4 
  Can only experience sadness 
  5 
  Never experiences fear 
  6 
  Can only experience fear 
  7 
  Never experiences disgust. 
  8 
  Can only experience disgust. 
  9 
  Never experiences anger 
  10 
  Can only experience anger 
  23 
  Constitution drops to zero, the creature dies, completely turning
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  white. Objects turn white and lose all their properties after a certain
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
    
   
  period of time. They become dummies that cannot be used. Swords
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  will crumble, food will turn to dust - according to the will of the
   
   
   
   
   
   
    
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Referee. 
   
  The Baron will be aware of someone's presence right after crossing
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  the walls, because he will feel the rush of food. However, he will not
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  be able to distinguish whether it is a bunch of rats or a group of
   
   
   
   
   
   
    
   
   
   
    
   
   
  adventurers. 
   
  White Kiss 
  When the Baron captures or charms a creature, he can place his Kiss
   
   
   
   
   
    
   
   
   
   
   
   
  on it. At the will of the Referee, this may look like a vampire bite or
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
    
   
   
   
  a literal kiss. A creature under the influence of the White Kiss suffers
   
   
    
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  from Aura effects at an accelerated rate - it loses a Constitution
   
   
   
   
   
   
    
   
   
   
   
  point per round until it breaks free. To break free, make a Paralyze
   
   
   
    
   
   
   
   
   
    
   
  save. A creature that is attacked in this way may still use its action
    
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  in initiative order. 
   
  Servant 
  The Baron always controls 1d6 + 1 creatures. These are once living
   
   
   
   
   
    
   
   
   
   
   
  creatures, from which all life energy has vanished. The empty white
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  shells seized by the steward of these lands obey his orders. A
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  servant,
  unlike
  his
  master,
  can
  leave
  the
  walls of the estate.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Oftentimes, the Baron sends these creatures to fetch food. The
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Servant has zombie stats, but moves at the speed of its original
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  creature. The White Baron can use this ability on any dead creature
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  (beast, human, animal, etc.) and can control a maximum of as
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  many Minions as the Hit Dice he has (seven by default). 
   
  Death of the Baron 
  Reduced to zero Hit Points, the White Baron will fall to the ground
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  looking dead. Regardless of the degree of damage to the body, it
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  will respawn in 1d10 hours with half of the maximum HP. He will die
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  in two cases. If he is outside the walls of the estate - not the house,
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
    
   
   
   
  but the entire estate. The second option is to find the records of his
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  execution and find out what kind of curse was supposed to be placed
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  on him, and then - correct the curse over his grave. 
   
  6 
  
  Skeleton Parasite / Possessed Flesh Class 
  by Tim “Samwise7” Harper
  WEAK-WILLED HOSTS ARE AN OPEN INVITATION TO US. Parasitic
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  skeletons are said to have been created by a necromantic ritual
  gone awry. A small group of necromancers fell prey to their own
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  devious
  machinations
  and
  their
  minds
  were
  trapped
  within
  spell-wrought bones. These bones thirsted for living hosts, and the
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  trail of withered corpses from that need are littered through history
  in a meandering path of destruction. 
   
   
  7 
   
  The Twelve Faces of the Anti-Feeling
  by C.A. Paul 
  This
  intricately
  carved
  Roman
   
   
   
   
  dodecahedron is made of a copper
   
   
   
   
   
   
  alloy, now green with patina. When
   
   
   
   
   
   
  placed
  into
  an
  orifice
  of
  a
  living
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  human being it transforms the area
   
   
   
   
   
   
  around it into a pistol barrel made of
    
    
   
   
   
   
  flesh, muscle, bone, and cartilage.
   
   
   
   
   
  No matter where the dodecahedron
   
   
   
   
   
  is
  placed,
  the
  subject's
  teeth
  will
   
   
   
   
   
   
  migrate
  to
  that
  area
  to
  form
  a
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  hidden
  chamber
  of
  tooth-bullets. 
   
   
   
   
  This
  entire
  process
  is
  extremely
   
   
   
   
   
  painful. 
   
  Roll 1d12: it takes this many minutes for the transformation, the
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  pistol is that many inches long, and the character takes that much
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  damage.  
   
  Orifice Reference chart 
  Anus 
  Defecation is impossible (something will need to be done
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  or the bowels will burst). The character fires at a -10 to
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
    
   
   
  attack, but automatically fires and hits anyone making a
   
   
   
   
   
   
    
  sneak attack from behind. 
  Ear 
  The character loses hearing in that ear (and is more easily
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
    
   
   
  surprised by opponents coming in that direction). They
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  fire the pistol with a -6 penalty. 
  Eye
  The character loses depth perception and peripheral vision
  (can be attacked as if from behind by opponents on that
  side of the body). Range penalties are doubled, but they
  fire at point blank with a +6 bonus.
  Hand 
  If the dodecahedron is clenched tightly in either hand, it
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  mistakes that area for an orifice; the fingers and hand
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  meld
  together
  to
  form
  the
  pistol
  (and
  the
  hand
  is
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  otherwise
  useless). 
  There
  is
  no
  bonus
  or
  penalty
  to
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  attacks, but the character always has the pistol “at the
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  ready.” 
  22 
  
  connection of the victim with Mace Middleton-Harald and wonders:
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Lord Dunleavy-Thorpe had Madame De Caravelle’s tart in private
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  circumstances? Were Dunleavy-Thorpe and Caravelle also lovers?
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Could she have found out and slain their host in a fit of jealousy? Or
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
    
   
   
   
   
  could Middleton-Harald have done it for the same reason? Hmm???
   
   
   
    
   
   
   
   
   
  Unless
  something
  happens
  at
  this
  point
  to
  prevent
  it,
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Middleton-Harald drops dead of a stab wound from a letter opener. 
   
  The Baroness de Chantal—secretly a specialist with Sneak Attack
   
   
   
    
   
   
   
   
  5 but openly a naive young ingenue—is responsible and will stab the
   
   
    
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Baron as discreetly as possible after finding out Middleton-Harald
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  was Dunleavy-Thorpe’s lover. Out of actual jealous rage because she
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  was Thorpe’s lover. She couldn’t be Dunleavy-Thorpe’s confidant
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  and
  murderer,
  however, because all summer she has just this
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  morning returned to England after spending two years in France
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  carrying out targeted assassinations of influential Protestants at the
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  behest of Baron Brode! And the letters she carries prove it. 
   
  The Comte de Marseille will be alarmed to hear this, and will
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  waste no time pointing out Baron Brode has taken every opportunity
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  to cast blame on anyone but himself. And then Madame de Caravelle
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  will say she saw the Baron handing his tart to Dunleavy-Thorpe.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  The Baron will likely take offense and challenge the Comte to a duel.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
    
   
  Hopefully before either of them dies, the players will have realized
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  the Comte himself was the murderer. The Comte (a secret Huguenot
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  aware of Brode’s militant anti-Protestant stance) was intending to
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  poison the Baron by injecting the tart with the same sea-snake
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  venom he was about to coat his dueling rapier in but didn’t realize
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  he was allergic to coconut. The Comte, of course, knows where the
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  magic box is. 
   
   
  21 
  The unfortunate hosts of these malign bones only last a short while
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
    
   
   
  (1D12 days) before their life energy is completely devoured and the
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  enslaved flesh dies. The pale cracked parasite can only survive for 6
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
    
  turns without a host before their lingering magical energy ceases to
   
    
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  be and their bones crumble into a pile of dust; utterly destroyed. 
   
  If the unwitting host is in close range and fails a saving throw vs.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
    
   
   
   
  paralyze the arcane-infested parasitic organism sinks in its bony
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  fingers, grasps the spine, and then rips out the host's entire skeletal
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  structure through the bleeding wound. The parasite then crawls in
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  the bloody exit wound like it's a new set of clothes, before sealing
   
   
   
   
   
    
   
   
   
   
   
   
  up the injury. The whole process of "melding" with a host takes a
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
    
   
    
  full turn as the nervous system and other bodily connections join
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  with the new skeleton. The horrendously scarred back of a host in
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
    
   
   
  the
  shape
  of
  shredded
  skin
  flaps
  are a tell-tell sign of bodily
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  possession. 
   
  Parasitic bone structure can tear free of a used up host in one full
   
   
   
   
   
   
    
   
   
   
   
   
   
  round, but they can only do this if they have one hit point or more.
   
   
   
   
   
   
    
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  If they are reduced to negative hit points they are trapped within
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  the host and are destroyed along with the flesh if they are not
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  healed
  before
  they
  get
  to -3 hit points. Those that witness a
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  skeleton emerging this way are often traumatized. 
   
  Intelligent creatures can tell that they are "not quite right" with a
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
    
  roll of 2-in-6. Parasitic skeletons also have a -2 penalty to reaction
   
   
   
   
   
   
    
   
   
   
   
  rolls when they are in a host because of how unnatural they are. 
   
  In regards to healing, if your parasitic character is in a host they will
   
   
   
    
   
    
    
   
   
   
  heal normally but if the naked skeleton is out of a body then only
   
   
    
   
   
   
   
   
    
   
   
   
  the reverse of healing spells work on the bony creature. With a GM's
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
    
   
  permission damaged or broken bones can be replaced or repaired
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  with new bones from victims the character has slain. Holy water
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  hurts them because they are undead (even if they are wearing a
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
    
  living meat suit). 
   
  They can use all forms of armor, but weapons that they wield deal
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  one dice-step less of damage. For example, a longsword would only
   
   
   
   
   
   
    
   
   
   
  deal 1D6 of damage instead of 1D8. The parasite has a difficult time
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
    
   
   
  manipulating the flesh puppet with it's spliced nerve connections.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  8 
  
  Their fists can be used as if they were a medium sized melee
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  weapon and they deal 1D4 damage.  
   
  Bludgeoning weapons deal full damage to them, but edged and
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  sharp weapons deal only half damage. They are immune to sleep
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  effects. Turn Undead affects the character as if they were an Undead
   
   
   
   
   
   
    
   
   
   
   
  of the same HD as their character level. 
   
  Level 
  XP 
  HD* 
  Par 
  Pois 
  Brth 
  Dev 
  Mag 
  0 
  - 
  1d6 
  17 
  10 
  17 
  15 
  18 
  1 
  0 
  1d8 
  15 
  8 
  16 
  13 
  16 
  2 
  2800 
  +1d8 
  15 
  6 
  16 
  13 
  16 
  3 
  5600 
  +1d8 
  15 
  6 
  16 
  13 
  16 
  4 
  11200 
  +1d8 
  13 
  4 
  14 
  11 
  14 
  5 
  22400 
  +1d8 
  13 
  4 
  14 
  11 
  14 
  6 
  44800 
  +1d8 
  13 
  2 
  14 
  11 
  14 
  7 
  89600 
  +1d8 
  11 
  2 
  10 
  9 
  12 
  8 
  179200 
  +1d8 
  11 
  2 
  10 
  9 
  12 
  9 
  358400 
  +1d8 
  11 
  2 
  10 
  9 
  12 
  10 
  537600 
  +2 
  9 
  2 
  8 
  7 
  10 
  11 
  715000 
  +2 
  9 
  2 
  8 
  7 
  10 
  12 
  893750 
  +2 
  9 
  2 
  8 
  7 
  10 
  13 
  +180000/
  level 
  +2 
  7 
  2 
  6 
  5 
  8 
   
  *Constitution modifiers do not affect a parasitic skeleton's hit point 
  total. 
   
  Thanks go to: Jeff Cape, Ignacio Bergkamp, and Shawn Urban for
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  their feedback and suggestions on how to improve this class. 
  9 
   
  “But who?!?” sings the Baroness de Chantal. 
   
  “Someone
  who
  wants
  the
  thing
  to
  themselves!”
  says
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Middleton-Harald. 
   
  “But zis can only be ze one he revealed ‘is find to?” opines Madame
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  de Caravelle. 
   
  “Who is it?” barks Baron Brode.
   
  “Who?” they all cried. 
   
  “Who indeed?” says Mace Middleton-Harald, arching an eyebrow at
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  the party members… 
   
  The only way to find the slab is to solve the murder (the only other
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  option
  is
  scour
  every
  inch
  of
  countryside
  within
  “a
  pleasant
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  evening’s walk” and if the players go for that you’re on your own).
   
   
    
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Right now the party members, being newcomers, are the number
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  one suspect. 
   
  Try to make it clear that the assembled Touchers are people of
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  influence, and if the PC earn their ire (by, say, torturing each one in
   
    
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  turn) then that’s asking for a world of pain. They all have servants
   
   
   
   
    
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  and bodyguards outside, though none are in the estate.. 
   
  Suspects and events 
   
  Mace Middleton-Harald, Lord Frost is a dark-eyed adventurer
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  and composer and Dunleavy-Thorpe’s secret lover. He will play the
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Sherlock
  if
  no-one else does as this murder touches him very
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  deeply, and his men refuse to let anyone leave. He strongly suspects
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  the PCs. 
   
  Madame de Caravelle is a stylish sensualist with green nails in her
   
   
   
    
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  early 30s. If nothing happens to stop it, at a convenient moment she
   
    
   
   
   
   
   
    
   
   
   
  will try to sneak out through the hedge maze and be caught by
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Baron Brode’s men. It turns out she made the manchester tart and
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  fears being suspected. It turns out Lord Preston simply had it before
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
    
   
  and asked her to make it for the occasion—she had no part in the
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  murder.  
   
  Baron Brode, an overweight stiff-necked military man, is suspicious
   
   
   
   
   
   
    
   
  of this (as he is of nearly everything). He will reveal the intimate
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  20 
  
  Murder in Whiteloach 
  by Zak Sabbath
   
  Ingredients
  1. An invitation to one of the PCs to join The Touchers, a secret
  society
  2. A tip that the next thing the Touchers will touch is an item worth
  several thousand silver pieces.
  Background
  The mismatched aesthetes known as the Touchers (formally the
  Haptic League) are a society of enthusiasts, collectors of sensations.
  It is claimed that, in aggregate and over the centuries, they have
  touched all things, from the ears of the Bloat Leviathan to the
  hidden lips of Agricola Pork, the Foaming Fox. Their various archives
  include not only descriptions rich in the language of the tactile, but
  detailed (if less ecstatic) records of sources and methods exploited
  in order to accomplish members' more audacious feats of caress.
  Lord
  Preston
  Dunleavy-Thorpe,
  this
  years’
  chairman, a man of
  generosity and good humor, has gathered the Touchers together on
  this
  midsummer
  evening
  to
  his
  rambling
  estate
  for
  a
  special
  meeting,
  he
  is
  rumored to have discovered “an unusual entity
  preserved in state in a magical box”. The players have managed to
  secure
  an
  invitation.
  After
  dinner
  and
  light
  conversation,
  he
  assembles the League members around the kitchen table.
  “My friends, I’ve gathered you all here not simply for the pleasure of
  your company (successful passive Wisdom check here will notice
  Dunleavy-Thorpe’s
  eyes
  darting
  quickly
  toward
  Mace
  Middleton-Harald at this point) but to engage with me in a tactile
  experience of a wholly unique nature. As I flatter myself you know, I
  am a man who likes to share, so when I told a colleague of our
  august
  organization
  of
  my
  find,
  they recommended I hold my
  tongue until such time as the League was all gathered together and
  then
  I
  could
  evenly
  diffuse
  the
  pleasure
  of
  simultaneously
  discovering this find and palpating it. I have done so—we have
  secreted the item in a secure location at the end of a pleasant
  evening’s walk, so let us all….urghhhk” And then he falls flat on the
  dinner table.
  Immediately the Comte De Marseille, a noted surgeon, flips him over
  and
  pronounces
  “He
  has
  been
  poisoned!”
  and
  then
  eyes
  Lord
  Dunleavy-Thorpe’s half-eaten manchester tart.
  19 
   
  10 
  
   
  11 
   
  Ship Chart 
  Ships 
  Crew 
  MC 
  Rowing 
  Cannon 
  Raft 
  1 
  F 
  1-3 
  0 
  Canoe 
  1 
  A 
  1-3 
  0 
  Lifeboat 
  1 
  B 
  1-3 
  0 
  Trireme 
  170 
  F 
  1-3 
  0 
  Quadrireme 
  170 
  F 
  1-3 
  0 
  Longship 
  75 
  D 
  1-3 
  0 
  River Galley 
  20 
  D 
  1-3 
  0 
  Riverboat 
  16 
  D 
  1-3 
  0 
  Sailboat 
  1 
  B 
  - 
  0 
  Cog 
  20 
  E 
  - 
  2 
  Caravel 
  35 
  D 
  - 
  4 
  Carrack 
  82 
  E 
  - 
  6 
  Galleon 
  150 
  E 
  - 
  20 
  Cutter 
  20 
  D 
  - 
  4 
  Brig 
  45 
  D 
  - 
  8 
  Corvette 
  84 
  C 
  - 
  10 
  Frigate 
  84 
  D 
  - 
  12 
   
   
  18 
  
  A ship needs it’s full crew and Hit Points in order to have its’ listed
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  MC. If a damaged ship
  has at least half the crew and half the Hit
   
    
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Points the ship is one MC worse. If the ship has between 1/4 and
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  1/2 its’ Crew or Hit Points it is two MC worse. It the Ship has less
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  than 1/4 its’ crew or Hit points, it is 3 MC worse.  
   
  Cannon may be placed on a ship.  
  Each Ship's Cannon uses one ton of the ship's cargo space. (this
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  does not include the powder) Half of the cannons will be on each
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  side of the ship.  
  A Ship's Cannon requires a barrel of gunpowder per firing and does
   
   
   
    
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  1d24 Ship's Hit Points of damage to the target ship. A Natural 20 is
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
    
   
    
  required to hit individual targets.  
  Rate of fire is based on the number of crewmen assigned to the
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  cannon. These are in addition to the crew required to sail the ship.  
  4 crewmen = 1/10 rounds  
  3 crewmen = 1/20 rounds 
  2 crewmen = 1/30 rounds 
  1 crewman = 1/40 rounds 
  17 
  12 
  
   
  13 
  Alternate Ship Rules�
  by Doctor Pat Mathis
   
  Here are some alternative rules to govern Ship to Ship combat. The
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  numbers listed for Speed in Rules & Magic on page 43 take into
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  account
  the
  shape
  of
  the
  ship,
  the
  number
  of
  sails
  and how
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  maneuverable it is. It is an average speed for daily travel. When
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  doing combat. The speed is variable based on the wind speed. For
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  ease of plotting movement. Counters can be used with a hexagonal
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
    
   
  grid, with each hex equalling 500 feet.  
   
  For Rowing, a boat or ship can be rowed one hex per round for long
   
    
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  periods. It can be rowed 2 hexes per round for 10 rounds before
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  having to rest by rowing 1 Hex per round for 10 rounds. It can be
   
   
   
   
    
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  rowed 3 hexes per round for 5 rounds before having to rest by not
    
   
   
   
    
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  rowing at all for 10 rounds. If a ship has sails and is rowing with the
   
   
   
   
   
   
    
   
   
   
    
   
   
   
  wind, rowing speed can be added to sailing speed.  
   
  When Sailing, square sails only work for going with the wind. The
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Wind Speed is 1d6 rolled by the Referee each round. Windspeed is
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  the same for all ships.  
   
  Triangular sails are needed to sail against the wind and give the ship
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  maneuverability. A certain amount of crew is needed to sail a ship.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
    
   
  And by doubling the crew working the sails, the maneuverability of
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  the Ship can be increased by one category. This is called having the
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
    
   
   
   
  ship “Topped Out” and it is obvious at a glance when this has been
   
   
   
    
   
   
    
   
   
   
   
   
  done to a ship. Maneuverability is measured in Classes which is
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  designated Maneuverability Class or MC, which is measured on a
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  scale of A to G  
   
  A = Ship can make 180° turns without using any of its movement 
  rate 
  B or C = Ship can make 60° turns in one round, before moving 
  forward one Hex.  
  D or E = Ship can make 30° turns in one round, before moving 
  forward one Hex.  
  F = Ship must move forward one Hex before turning 30°. 
  G = Ship unable to make turns at all.  
   
   
   
  16 
  
  Game mechanics 
  As soon as the party loses a total number of hit points equal to 3
   
   
   
   
   
    
   
   
   
   
   
   
    
  multiplied by the number of PCs in the group, the Lifeseeker attacks.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  They come in a group of 1d6+2 and always try to attack the
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  healthiest PC with the highest number of hit points. When the first
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  PC goes down (unconscious or dead) they will rip his body while
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  ignoring the others. If one of the Lifeseekers gets a heart, an eye or
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
    
   
   
   
   
  a bit of flesh, they leave into the dark to contemplate the body part,
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  smell it, taste it, feel its warmth.  
   
  Armor 14 
  Move 120' 
  2 Hit Dice 
  9hp 
  claws and teeth 2d3 damage 
  morale 12 
  Has regular undead immunities. 
   
  If a Lifeseeker deals 6 damage and the PC misses a saving throw
   
   
   
    
   
   
   
   
    
   
   
  against paralyzation, roll 1d6 and consult the following chart: 
   
  1: It rips the heart out of the body of the PC. Instant death. 
  2: It tears an eye out of the eyehole. Blinded in one eye. 
  3: It rends the abdomen and pulls out the intestine to feed
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  on it. PC dies in 1d4 rounds unless the intestine is restored.  
  4: It grabs a bit of flesh and tears it from the bones. The PC
   
   
    
   
   
   
   
    
   
   
   
   
   
  bleeds like hell and loses 1 hit point per round for the next
   
   
   
   
    
   
   
   
   
   
   
  1d4 rounds. 
  5: It bites the face of the PC and leaves a bloody mess. The
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
    
   
   
   
  PC bleeds like hell and loses 1 hit point per round for the next
   
   
   
   
   
    
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  1d4 rounds and has an ugly scarface for the rest of his life. 
  6: He bites off one hand of the SC. 
   
  How to fight them 
  As they always try to attack the healthiest SC first, this SC should 
  be put in the backline of the combat. In trying to reach the 
  healthiest SC, the Lifeseeker loose their attack in the first round. 
  After the first round, they will attack everyone. The bigger the 
  radius of light, the sooner the SC will see the Lifeseeker coming. A 
  quick heal spell which reduces the number of lost hp can blind the 
  Lifeseeker in a way that they no longer smell the blood and pass the 
  SC without attacking them. 
   
  15 
   
  Creature: Lifeseeker 
  by Markus Schauta
   
  Lore 
  Lifeseekers are an outrage against nature. Something that crawls
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  though it should long be dead, animated by broken remnants of
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  what once was a human consciousness. Bereft of their senses, all
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  that's left is an idea of what it means to be alive: warm blood, a
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
    
  glint in the eyes and a beating heart. The undead want to own those
   
   
   
   
    
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  things, in hope to regain the life they have lost. A fallacy. For a glint
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
    
   
    
   
  cannot be captured, spilled blood cools quickly, and a ripped out
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  heart pulsates only some short seconds before it stands still forever.
   
   
   
   
   
   
    
   
   
   
  Lifeseekers
  follow
  their
  victims
  at
  a
  distance,
  crawling
  in
  the
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  shadows scantly outside the light of the torches. When they smell
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  blood they get in a frenzy. It begins with a far cry and a terrible
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
    
   
   
    
   
  echo. Then they come. Crawling, raging, longing. Tearing apart their
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  victims with their rotten teeth and claws and an inhumane strength,
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  they hope in despair to get a handful of warm life. 
    
   
  One of these Lifeseekers may be Markus Schauta, writer, referee, player. 
  You can find other bits of weird fantasy on his blog 
  https://tolkiensalbtraum.blogspot.com 
   
  14 
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Lamentations of the Flame Princess/LotFP Periodicals/Flame Prïncess Cult (LotFP)/Flame Prïncess Cult 05 [booklet] (LotFP).pdf