Rogue Games Tabbloid -- October 16, 2009 Edition

16 October 2009

Today’s Tabbloid PERSONAL NEWS FOR [email protected]

ROGUE FEED

2. Wild, monstrous animals.

Update — More Locations Added to the Fungus Forrest

3. Supernatural and other worldly. In the case of mundane threats, both Shadow, Sword & Spell Basic and Expert will have a chapter the giving you mundane threats. If you have read Colonial Gothic, you know of Chapter 11, and James and I plan to have something similar in SS&S. Wild monstrous animals, form the bulk of the monster chapters. Not including them, let alone providing sample animals, would be a disservice to the sources we pulled inspiration from. In addition monsters that are supernatural in nature are provided as well.

OCT 15, 2009 05:31P.M. Another group of rooms have been added to the Fungus Forrest. You can see what has been added, by clicking here.

ROGUE FEED So what kind of monsters exist? Here is a quick rundown:

[Shadow, Sword & Spell] Monsters? Oh, yes, there are monsters

• Gorillas • Lions

OCT 15, 2009 04:07P.M.

• Tigers

One of the chapters giving me the most problems is the one covering monsters. Not so much the rules — using a system James and I have been working with for years makes the rule design easy — governing monsters, but the very concept of monsters.

• Bears • Giant Snakes • Giant Spiders

In a typical fantasy game, say Dungeons & Dragons, you have a menagerie of monsters and critters that you can call on, to provide not only flavor but challenges to players. Even looking at other fantasy roleplaying games — Runequest, Pendragon, DragonQuest, Rolemaster, and Hackmaster, to name a few — numerous monstrous options exist when it comes to monster choices. These choices range from the classic (dragons, trolls, giants and minotaurs), traditional (orcs, goblins, unicorns and kobolds) and strange (rust monsters, molds, broos and ducks). Granted, you can choose to ignore monsters, and refuse to eat at the never ending buffet of monstrous options. For Shadow, Sword & Spell one of the big questions needing answers was not: “How many monsters we should have?” But, “What kind of monsters should we have?”

• Giant Scorpions • Skeletons • Zombies • Vampires • Ghosts • Dinosaurs Now, that is not all the creatures, and we are still trying to figure out what monster fits better in Basic and what fits better in Expert. Beside the sample monsters, rules exist to help you create your own monsters.

Reading the writers influencing the design — Howard, Smith and Lovecraft — one of the first things James and I noticed is that there are not many things we consider “monsters.” When reading the tales of Conan, Kull and the like, you notice two types of threats the heroes must face:

What about the traditional monsters of fantasy, such as orcs and the like? We will cover them in Shadow, Sword & Spell Advanced. Those type of monsters fit the plans we have for Advanced — which is designed to be the toolbox of options. Basic and Expert have a much more tighter design goal, and that goal is what I’ve written about before: humanistic

1. Mundane threats such as raiders, slavers, rogues, and all matter of armed men from different cultures.

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Today’s Tabbloid PERSONAL NEWS FOR [email protected]

16 October 2009

Eldritch bones are the reanimated skeletons of slain soldiers. Unlike most other types of skeletons, eldritch bones are not undead. Rather, they are magical constructs brought back to a semblance of life through the use of minute quantities of azoth, which not only gives them the ability to move and attack but also strengthens their bones. Consequently, eldritch bones have a partially metallic appearance, thanks to the silvery-black azoth that suffuses them.

pulp fantasy.

ROGUE FEED

The Primary Activity in Adventures

The process of creating them was originally an invention of the Eld, but was perfected by the Thulians during their late, Termaxian phase. Like truly undead skeletons, eldritch bones suffer only one-half damage from sharp/edged weapons, while blunt weapons do full damage. They are immune sleep, charm, and hold spells and are unaffected by holy water.

OCT 15, 2009 02:34P.M. Though I tend to speak more these days about OD&D and its retroclones. I should state upfront that I am a big fan of OSRIC. I own a hardcover version of its rules and remain in awe of its magnificence. What it lacks in High Gygaxian charm, it more than makes up for in clarity and keen insight. A good case in point is the following passage I read just the other day:

The material in the quote box below is hereby designated Open Game Content via the Open Game License.

OSRIC is a game of adventure, and the primary activity in adventures is exploration. Even though the rules for combat take up more space in this rulebook, play tends to focus more on exploration than combat. Whether the party is investigating an old ruined shrine, delving into an abandoned dwarfish mine, traversing an unknown wilderness, sailing uncharted waters, or venturing beyond the physical world into the planes of existence, exploration is central to adventure and thus to the game.

Eldritch Bones Number Appearing: 3d10 % in Lair: Nil Alignment: Neutral Armor Class: 5 Move: 12 Hit Dice: 1+1 Attacks: 1 weapon (1d6+1) Save: F1 Morale: 12 Hoard Class: Nil XP: 20

That right there is probably one of the most spot-on descriptions of what Dungeons & Dragons is about that I have ever read. I think the degree to which that description resonates with you is probably a good gauge of

Create Eldritch Bones Level: Magic-User, 6th Level Range: 10 feet Duration: Permanent

your sympathy for the Old Ways.

ROGUE FEED Provided the caster possesses an ampule of undiluted azoth, this spell enables the creation of eldritch bones from the complete skeletons of humanoid beings. 1d6 eldritch bones are created per level of the caster above 11th. The eldritch bones remain animated until destroyed.

Grognard’s Grimoire: Eldritch Bones OCT 15, 2009 09:05A.M. One bit of Gygaxian wisdom I’ve taken to heart when creating Dwimmermount is to include at least one new monster, magic item, spell, or other feature on each level of the dungeon. These new features help keep the game fresh for players, particularly those who’ve been playing the game for decades and already know the basic repertoire of OD&D and its supplements. As with most other aspects of megadungeon design, it’s a never-ending process. Dwimmermount is constantly changing, as I restock and alter it in response to player actions. In running my play by post version, I’ve added a few new wrinkles as well, the first that the players have so far encountered being the monsters known as eldritch bones.

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