Showing posts with label Fantomah. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Fantomah. Show all posts

Thursday, September 17, 2015

The reading order of NUELOW's Fantomah (and other) series

We got a question yesterday: "What is the correct order in which to read your Fantomah books?"


That's a good question, since it matters. In fact, we have four series in which the order in which you read them matter, but we didn't number them. In retrospect, we should have. The original plan WAS to number the Fantomah books (The Three Lives of Fantomah: Book One and Book Two, and Book Three), but an artist designed a cover that featured a subtitle, and Miller who had always feared that was a little too generic a naming scheme jettisoned the Book One and so forth in favor of fullblown subtitles.

We apologize for the confusion among any late-comers to some of our series. We hope this post will clear up confusion now or in the future. (We will also always answer any questions we receive regarding our books.)

Original cover for
Guardian of the Jungle
THE FANTOMAH SERIES
This trilogy relates the cycles of Fantomah's life, as she goes from being a mysterious jungle-dwelling demigod, to the ward of a lost boy, and ultimately reclaims her heritage and returns home. Each book contains roleplaying game rules applicable to d20 System-based roleplaying games, such as d20 Modern and Pathfinder. (We are planning a Christmas Special in the series, which will take place chronologically after the three books in this series, with flashbacks to each period in Fantomah's life.)

            Read First                     Read Second                     Read Last


THE SORCERESS OF ZOOM SERIES
The Sorceress of Zoom is a feared and powerful mistress of magic who travels the dimensions in the flying city of Zoom. She is driven by a never-ending quest for knowledge and for ways to increase her magical might. So far, NUELOW Games has released two entries in a projected three volume series. They can be read in any order, but the Sorceress's frustration over the Earth Dimension is set up in the first release. (When the third book is released, it will reveal the never-before-told tale of how the Sorceress came to be the ruler of Zoom. Once it is out, it might be the first book to read in the series. Leave it to NUELOW Games to tell the origin of a character last.)
   Each of the Sorceress of Zoom titles features rules for OGL d20 Modern. The first book provides rules for making characters with the sort of flexible magic wielded by the Sorceress, and the second has rules for traveling between dimensions. It also describes the artifacts in her possession in terms of the d20 System game.

The first Zoom book.
The second Zoom book.














Read First
THE JUDY OF THE JUNGLE SERIES
Judy was raised by her misanthropic father to be a "jungle girl" who love natured but to distrusted all humans--especially men. When he is murdered by criminals, Judy's distrust turns to hatred, and she sets out to avenge her father. It's important to read Judy of the Jungle: The Lords of Memnon first, but otherwise they can be read in any order. The series consists of three main volumes (The Lords of Memnon, Warriors of the Laughing Hyena, and Murder Goes Native, and a Christmas Special--The Revenge of Santos. The books feature support for OGL d20 game systems, ROLF!: The Rollplaying Game of Big Dumb Fighters, and Lester Smith's 6x6 CORE.)

Read First
THE PRINCESS PANTHA SERIES
The Princess Pantha duology relates the adventures of an circus performer turned "jungle girl" and globe-trotting adventuress after surviving on her own for months in the deepest of Africa's jungles. Princess Pantha: The Hunt for M'Gana is the first book to read, as it relates how she got stranded and met her future companion and lover Dane Hunter. The books contain support for OGL d20 game systems, ROLF!: The Rollplaying Game of Big Dumb Fighters. (Dane and Pantha also appear, or are referenced, in other NUELOW Games products,but those appearances have no bearing on these books.)

We've bundled the Judy of the Jungle and Princess Pantha series into convenient one-click downloads--where they are also available at a discount, If you haven't checked out these great jungle adventure tales featuring strong, independent women, we hope you'll do so. (The Princess Pantha Collection also includess a selection of royalty-free clip-art by the primary illustrators of Judy and Pantha's adventures.)

     Click to preview the Judy Bundle          Click to preview the Pantha Bundle

Saturday, January 17, 2015

Now Available -- The Three Lives of Fantomah: Daughter of the Pharoahs

Art by Bradley K. McDevitt

The Three Lives of Fantomah: Daughter of the Pharoahs is NUELOW Games' final collection of tales starring one of comicdom's earliest leading ladies. In these stories, she claims her destiny as the Queen of Khefra, a hidden civilization that has kept many of the traditions of ancient Egypt alive. In addition to seven rarely seen stories illustrated by George Appel, the book features OGL d20 rules that let you incorporate the gods of Khefra into your campaigns, no matter what d20 System variant you're using. It's all behind an original cover by Bradley K. McDevitt.

If you enjoy sword-and-sorcery fantasy, you'll not want to miss this final chronicle of the multi-faceted existence of the most fantastic woman to have ever lived -- Fantomah!

Click here to see previews of the book, or to get your own copy. It's available at a reduced price through January 22, 2015.

The other books in the Three Lives of Fantomah series are still available...


Art by Richard Case & Fletcher Hanks
Cover for Mystery Woman of the Jungle
Art by Richard Case & Fletcher Hanks
Cover for Guardian of the Jungle

Thursday, January 15, 2015

The Gods of Khefra: A Preview (Part Two)

More snippets from the RPG material that will be featured in The Three Lives of Fantomah: Daughter of the Pharoahs. Coming soon! (This is Open Game content, and it may be reproduced in accordance with the license detail at the link in the sidebar to the right.)



INTERACTING WITH THE GODS
The gods of Khefra grant spells to members of their priesthoods as described in the rules for the Adept class in OGL Modern, or in the rules for Clerics or Druids in the general OGL rules. In Khefra, an Adept, Cleric, or Druid must select a deity to serve and that deity grants them spells. They may also select any of the "Favored by" feats in place of any bonus feat they earn for their class. (These feats may also be selected by non-clergy characters who honor the god in question through their words and deeds.)
   The gods of Khefra often answer desperate pleas from the citizens of the city-state. Simply mentioned a god's name if one isn't a member of the god's priesthood or engaged in a  formal rite or prayer, triggers a 1% chance that the deity will manifest an avatar (use the stats for the astral deva in all cases) at the location its name was mentioned. If the deity determines that its name has been taken in vain and/or it has been called upon for frivolous reasons, he will place a curse upon the summoner and immediately depart.
Until the character seeks out a temple devoted to the offended god, and completes a quest of atonement assigned by the high priest there, the character suffers a -4 penalty to all d20 rolls and a -2 to damage dealt and a +2 to damage received.
 
GODS OF KHEFRA
 
Isis
Isis is the patron goddess of spell casters and widows. She was the wife of the now-dead god Osiris, and she is the sworn enemy of the gods who slew her husband, Babi and Set. Legend holds that the first undead creatures came into being when Set tried to make amends with Isis by combining forces with her to restore Osiris to life, using her magic and his knowledge of the forces that dwell in the chaotic outer reaches of existence. The dead husk rampaged across the land for days, before the Lord of Water and Fire grew angry at the noise and shattered it, causing it to break into the first liches, vampires, ghouls, and the other various kinds of undead.  In artwork, she is portrayed as a regal woman with multi-colored wings.
   Symbol: A pair of wings
   Interactions with the Mortal World: Isis comes to the aid of imperiled widows who call upon her. There is an 80% chance that she will manifest for a widow in danger and battle those who are threatening her. (The avatar of Isis uses the stats for an Astral Deva.)
 

The Lord of Water and Fire
This fearsome entity was one of the first to emerge from the chaos that pre-dated the creation of the universe. It is both feared and honored by Khefrans, because water and fire are both sources of life and deadly destruction. Except for new year's celebrations--where Khefrans thank the Lord of Water and Fire for permitting them to live another year--no rites and devoted to it.
    Symbol: An vial made of smoky glass (symbolizing steam)
    Interaction with the Mortal World: If called upon through the performance of highly secret ritual, there is a 60% chance that the Lord of Water and Fire will cause wildfires and massive floods to destroy an area in a 1d100+10 mile radius in the area the ritual is performed. The place of the ritual is hardest hit by the disaster, and no magic functions there for 1d100 days immediately after the ritual has been completed.
 
 
Ra
Ra is the father of Set the now-dead Osiris, and he is viewed by Khefrans as the primary defender of all life on Earth. He is the offspring of the Lord of Earth and Air and the Lord of Water and Fire, and it was he who convinced them to curb their wild ways and allow other beings to spring from the world they inhabited. Ra spends the day watching over the world from his palace in the heavens, and then decends to the world at night to relate all the good deeds he witnessed so the Lords will remain convinced that life on Earth is generally righteous and worth preserving. (He is not always successful, which is why people are beset by floods, earthquakes, and other natural disasters.)
   Symbol: A gold disc.
   Interactions with Mortals: Ra does not answer prayers given by human beings. If called upon by anyone who isn't a member of his priesthood, there is a 1% chance that will curse that person as described under Interacting with the Gods. As much as Ra loves mortal beings, he is too busy keeping the Lords in check to be bothered with their concerns.
 
 
 
Set
Set is the patron god of abandoned places, and all things that live underground and in the desert -- including the undead. Murderers and assassins pray to him in the hopes that he will intervene on their behalf to lessen their punishment in the afterlife. He is the younger brother of the now-dead god Osiris. Set was jealous that their father Ra seemed to favor his older brother, and he conspired with Babi to murder Osiris. He thought he would be able to hide his guilt, but Ra and Isis discovered the truth, and he has been hiding from their wrath ever since. Khefran's believe that the desert to the north of their city state is so barren because it houses Set's main temple and Ra has his feiry gaze turned upon it when he is awake, hoping to spot and incinerate his hated second son. Set is portrayed in art as a slender man with the head of a creature that vaguely resembles a misshapen ant eater.
   Symbol: A bone with a broken, jagged edge.
   Interaction with the Mortal World: Set does not directly answer prayers given by human beings. He is too afraid of Ra and Isis. He deals only directly with undead beings and monstrous desert dwellers. If called upon by anyone other than his priesthood, there is a 1% chance that he will curse them as described in "Interacting with the Gods."
 
 
NEW FEATS
 
Favored of Isis [Charismatic Hero, Dedicated Hero]
Prerequisite: Must be able to cast spells. The ability cannot be derived from any of the "Favored of" feats.
   Benefit: Any weapon you wield against undead creatures functions as if it had a +2 enchantment higher than its base. (A non-enchanted weapon would have a +2 bonus to hit and damage, while being effective against undead creatures that can't be injured with weapons of less than a +2 enchantment. A weapon that is already enchanted would operate as if it were more powerful, such a +1 sword functioning as a +3 sword.)
   Special: Once per day, you may cast a spell from the following list, with your character level treated as your caster level: Dispel Magic, Detect Magic, Magic Stone, Magic Missile.
These are considered bonus spells and do not count toward any daily maximum the character may be subject to.

Favored of Set  [Dedicated Hero, Fast Hero]
Benefit: Spells that animate dead function at +1 to your caster level. You gain a +2 bonus to all Hide skill checks.
   Special: Once per day, you may cast a spell from the following list, with your character level serving as the caster level: Animate Dead, Obscure Object. These are considered bonus spells and do not count toward any daily maximum the character may be subject to.


Monday, January 12, 2015

The Gods of Khefra: A Preview

In the forthcoming NUELOW Games book The Three Lives of Fantomah: Daughter of the Pharoahs includes an RPG supplement detailing the gods of Khefra, the hidden city state that Fantomah rules. Here is a sample of what's in that article.

The divine forces in Fantomah's world have been touched upon in The Three Lives of Fantomah: Mystery Woman of the Jungle and The Three Lives of Fantomah: Guardian of the Jungle, but they are referenced frequently in the third and final volume in the series, so we chose to detail them there. In addition to descriptions useful in any game world that features supernatural beings such as gods, the book contains several new OGL d20 feats that can be used with the rules presented in the previous Fantomah books and in other NUELOW Games releases, such as Feats of Magic and Mysticism.


THE GODS OF KHEFRA
Dozens of gods are honored by the citizens of Khefra. They reflect the civilization's roots in ancient Egypt, but certain gods are worshiped only in Khefra and all have evolved beyond their roles in ancient times.


Anubis
This jackal-headed god is reputed to guide the souls of the dead safely to the afterlife. In Khefra, he is also honored by those who enforce the law and is considered to be the final judge of innocent or guilt. He is portrayed in artwork as a powerfully muscled man with the head of a jackal carrying an executioner's axe.
   Symbol: A jackal head
   Interaction with the Mortal World: If an innocent person stands wrongly accused of a crime and beseeches Anubis to prove his or her innocence, there is a 90% chance that Anubis will respond in some manner that will fulfill the request. If the party making the accusations is knowingly lying, 2d20+20 jackals appear in the area and attack the accusers. The jackals attack until they or their target(s) is slain.


Bast
Bast is the patron goddess of cats and gamblers, and the dedicated enemy of snakes and scorpions. In Khefra, it is believed that she was once herself the most loyal cat of the Lord of Earth and Air, and he rewarded her by making her a god. She is portrayed in art as a black cat wearing bejeweled collars, or as a slender, cat-headed woman wearing little more jewelry and a short skirt.
   Symbol: A cat head, or a die.
   Interaction with the Mortal World: If a person calls upon Bast while engaged in a struggle to protect, save, or benefit a friend, there is a 50% chance that 2d4 panthers appear to fight at the character's side. A black house cat will also appear and lead the beseecher to the key to a solution to any greater problems the character may be facing. If there is no need for physical might, the panthers do not appear.


The Lord of Earth and Air
A fearsome being who was one of the first creatures to emerge from the chaos of pre-Creation, he is viewed as one of the most powerful of all the gods. He is never portrayed in art, except as storm clouds appearing in paintings of Bast. Aside from certain cults devoted specifically to serving him, few dare call upon him, because while he is known to give supplicants great powers, he usually exacts a terrible price in return. He is the patron god of Khefra's royal family, and it is through his blessing that they reputedly have life-spans ten times that of normal human beings.
   Symbol: A glass vial with a few grains of sand.
   Interaction with the Mortal World: The Lord of Earth and Air gives all characters who have the blood of Khefra's royal family in their veins extended longevity. They age normally until they reach 19 years of age, after which the aging process slows down and they age 1 year for every 10 that pass. (There is a 1% chance that any player character may be an illegitimate heir to the throne of Khefra and thus a receipient of the Lord of Earth and Air's gift.)
    Any other interactions with the mortal world are prompted through complex rituals. One such ritual can lead to a person becoming an avatar of the Lord of Earth and Air, such as Fantomah early in her life. (See The Three Lives of Fantomah: Mystery Woman of the Jungle and The Three Lives of Fantomah:Guardian of the Jungle for details.)

Cover for the final book in NUELOW's Fantomah series.
Art by Brad McDevitt

Wednesday, December 10, 2014

Are PDFs considered collectibles?

If so, there are some lucky people out there who own the soon-to-be super-rare The Three Lives of Fantomah: Book One and The Three Lives of Fantomah: Book Two.

An executive decision (inspired by artist Bradley K. McDevitt) was made to drop the Book X titling scheme and instead give the books proper subtitles. We're making the change in anticipation of the upcoming release of the book that would have been The Three Lives of Fantomah: Book Three but which is now going to be titled The Three Lives of Fantomah, Daughter of the Pharaohs instead. Here are the revised covers for the first two, followed by the sketch for the third book. (If you haven't checked out our Fantomah series and the cool OGL d20 variant magic rules within them, now would be a great tme.)

Cover art by Richard Case & Fletcher Hanks


Cover art by Richard Case & Fletcher Hanks

Sketch by Bradley K. McDevitt

And if you already own the Fantomah books? Save those original versions somewhere safe. You nnever know... PDFs may just be collectible. Stranger things have happened.


Thursday, November 6, 2014

This is the official NUELOW Games blog... and we forget to announce releases!

As a reminder of how badly we SUCK at promotion, we completely failed to mention two releases here on our very own blog! Well--we're fixing that problem now. (Interestingly, both of the "overlooked" releases have covers that are mostly yellow. Maybe we subconsciously didn't want to be associated with cowardice?

Art by Richard Case & W.B. Hovious. On Sale Now!
First, there's The Three Lives of Fantomah: Book Two, the second in our series presenting the very best stories starring comicdom's first female superhero. In this book, Richard Case spearheads Fantomah's transformation from a wild spirit of vengeance something resembling a "jungle girl." This change was a reflection of genre boundaries starting to solidify and the comic book medium came into its own, and of the departure of the series creator, Fletcher Hanks. The book offers six rarely collected Fantomah stories, an all-new spell casting system for use with d20 OGL Modern. and a short piece of new fiction that back-fills a story reason for Fantomah's change, as well as setting up the further transformation that's coming in Book Three.

The Three Lives of Fantomah: Book Two is on sale at a reduced introductory price through 11/7 2014. Click here to see previews or to get your own copy.

Art by A.C. Hollingsworth (?). Available Now!

Next up, there's Devils in Petticoats. This book publishes two "true crime" stories, from two different publishers, with very similar titles, opening lines, and subject matter -- murderous women. These two stories--from two different publishers roughly a year apart--even have very similar opening lines. Whether they had the same writer (possibly Manny Stallman), whether someone really liked the first story, or if it's just coincidence we'll never know... but NUELOW's lead editor L.L. Hundal thought collecting them in one place for the first time would make for interesting reading. It also gave us cause to publish some d20 OGL Modern rules for playing femme fatale characters.

Click here to see previews or to get your own copy of Devils in Petticoats.

Friday, October 31, 2014

A Magic Item: The Cat's Shade

Although designed for use with OGL Modern (the OGL d20 variant that NUELOW Games produces most of its OGL support for), and appearing in the forthcoming The Three Lives of Fantomah: Book Two, this magical item could be used in any roleplaying game or setting where magic is present. (Text in this post is released under the Open Game License, which means it can be reproduced in accordance with its terms. Copyright 2014 Steve Miller.)

The Cat's Shade
The Cat's Shade is a magical potion that is created from the blood of a cat sacrificed during an evil ritual. When consumed, the user is transformed into a cat identical to the one killed. He or she has all the usual game statistics and abilities of the appropriate type of cat with the following adjustments:
   * Can only be harmed by spells, enchanted weapons, or cats.
   * The transformed character retains his regular Intelligence and Wisdom scores.
   * The character retains all his usual skills and spellcasting abilites. although the cat form may limit the use of them.
   The transformation lasts until the next sunrise after the potion was consumed, or until the user wills the transformation to end, or he or she is killed.
   A sacrificed cat yields five potions. They are sometimes found among the belongings of evil shamans or leaders of demonic cults. There will be 1d3 of such potions present, and the lot transforms the imbiber into one of the follow cats (roll 1d6 to determine which):

   1. Domestic House Cat
   2. Lion(ess)
   3. Tiger
   4. Panther
   5. Leopard
   6. Cheetah

These potions are never available for sale. They can be "commissioned" from shamans or cultists with the knowledge of how they are created, and the price is always performing a service for whatever dark faith they serve. (The time to perform the ritual is three days, which includes capturing the cat, sacrificing it, and creating the potion.)


The Three Lives of Fantomah: Book One is currently on sale. Click here to see previews, or to get your own copy.

Wednesday, September 24, 2014

'The Three Lives of Fantomah: Book One'

NUELOW Games launches a new series with The Three Lives of Fantomah. This three volume series will present the best from the 49-episode run (in Jungle Comics #2 - #51) of a character that started out as the first female superhero in comics, transformed into a standard "jungle girl," and ultimately became the ruler of a "lost civilization."

The cover for The Three Lives of Fantomah: Book One
The book features four stories by the character's creator Fletcher Hanks (known for ultra-powered heroes who kill evil-doers in creative ways) and the first by "W.B. Hovious," a pen-name that various writers and artists produced the series under after Hanks' departure. In addition, it contains some d20 System/OGL Modern rules that are designed to capture Fantomah's unusual nature and development as the series unfolded. If you liked the quirkiness of the Modern Advances and Modern Basics series of products, you want to check this one out, as it makes unusual use (perhaps even abuse) of the d20 System's magic, level, and XP systems.

Click here to see previews or to download your own copy of the book. You can see further previews of the series at the Shades of Gray blog by clicking here.