RPG-a-Day #8: Resolve

According to at least one online source "if AI is used, [the product] is completely shunned by a vast proportion of gamers."

At NUELOW Games, we've been using AI to generate illustrations in our releases for approaching two years, Yet, somehow, a "vast proportion" of our audience hasn't "completely shunned" us. In fact, one of our most-heavily AI-illustrated products, Chainmail Bikinis, was an immediate best-seller. Either NUELOW's core audience are less prone to hysterical fits than a "vast proportion of gamers", or they are a cut above that alleged mass of silly people... or maybe products featuring AI aren't "shunned" as is claimed.

"But, but, Miller," I imagine someone out there saying, "you're dishonest and you've not told your audience about the AI Slop in your products! If you had, you BET they'd shun you!"

 

No, it seems that they wouldn't.

The fact is that we've been very open about the use of AI in our products. It's right there on the credits page of every release for the past year or two (well, except for the ones that didn't feature any AI illustrations--and the recent release where the editor left out the main credit line entirely). Whether it's just the cover and all interior illustrations are from the vast clipart archive we're sitting on, or it's all AI, the credits page have contained some from of this statement: "Illustrations by Karl M. (using tools at OpenArt.ai and Photoshop)." We've been open and transparent about our AI use since it graduated from being my favorite new toy to another tool in the kit.

Although I have to wonder: Did we miss the outrage that this same "vast proportion of gamers" must have shown when I was using Photoshop extensively to make covers and interior illustrations for releases in the ROLF! line? Where's the difference, if not? Weren't artists behind "harmed" in both cases? (The answer is, no, they were/art not.)

Right before I went all-in using AI in NUELOW Games releases, I was ghosted by two different artists who had initially agreed to draw covers for some releases. I can't fault them, as the pay offered by us is really low--when I jokingly say that our sales number in the dozens, I'm also being truthful. NUELOW Games is a passion project with every release happening because one or both of us think the idea behind is fun and/or interesting, or the subject is one that deserves more attention that we think it's gotten. That's been the motivation behind this endevour since it began 15 years ago, and it will continue to be just that. I am resolved to keep going as long as I can.

Do we like it when our releases sell well? Of course, since it puts gas in the cars and buys cat food and most of the time, all we have to go by to measure the success of a release are those sales numbers. We get very little feedback from our audience, so all we can look at is what's selling and what's not to determine if anyone likes a release as much as we do. 

So far, in 2025/2026 the only disappointment we've had sales-wise was the Last Laugh and Other Stories; it's a flop that stung because I am really fond of both Detective Sarai Chen and Stripper Magician Angie Hale, the stars of that anthology. Wouldn't everything be failing to even sell one dozen copies if we were being "completely shunned by a vast proportion of gamers"?

I am full aware that NUELOW Games operates in a tiny niche within a niche in the marketplace. Maybe that is protecting us from the outrage (OUTRAGE!) of that vast mob out here? We're too small to warrant their attention, and our audience is too smart to fall for group-think nonsense?

I am resolved to continue publishing what I (and my audience) find worthwhile. So far, so good, AI-generated illustrations or not... or maybe BECAUSE of AI-generated illustrations? It's a lot simpler to get what I need for a product when I can pick a "model" and type out and refine a "prompt" until I get what I'm looking for than to comb through the hundreds of thousands of stock photos and artwork in the NUELOW archives. And frankly, the generated illustrations can be spot-on instead of just generally applicable to the subject at hand.

RPG-a-Day #7: Mercy

Mercy

Minor Goddess

Domains: Mercy

As her name implies, Mercy is the personification of mercy, and she roams battlefields and areas of strife and disaster, either bestowing merciful deaths upon mortals who are beyond help but suffering from wounds or illness, or rewarding those heroes who show mercy to their foes by allowing them to surrender or otherwise quit the field of battle. She also bestows her blessing on heroes who help the helpless and defenseless during times of crisis.

   Mercy is worshipped in border territories and in areas prone to natural disasters. Shrines devoted to her are few and far between, as she numbers her followers in the tens of thousands. A secondary shrine devoted to her can be found in temples devoted to gods of Healing or Peace. She is also honored in connection with few gods of Death.

 

Gaining the Attention of Mercy

When the character shows mercy to a foe, the DM should roll 1d100. If the character is a worshipper of Mercy, on a roll of 1-20 the goddess rewards him or her with a +1 bonus to d20 rolls until the next sunrise. If the character is a non-worshipper, the bonus is gained on a roll of 1-5.

   If the being to whom mercy was granted chooses to attack instead of retreating, all attacks are against the merciful character suffer a -4 penalty to hit and damage, while the character who extended the mercy gains a +2 bonus to hit and damage against the attacker.

   If the merciful character attacks, unprovoked, the being upon whom mercy was bestowed, the character is immediately subjected to the goddess' curse, which inflicts a -4 penalty to all d20 rolls until he or she finds a way to appease the angered goddess.

Mercy's Clergy

Mercy's followers number around 30,000 worldwide, so her clergy is very small. They are either highly mobile--and often found as part of adventuring groups--or they tend the isolated shrines devoted in her honor.

   Her priests are expected to assist those in need, espcially those who have been injured in battle or displaced by natural disasters. Sometimes that assistance requires the merciful end to someone whose injuries or illness put them beyond the priest's ability to ease their pain and save their lives. This is why shrines to her are often found in temples devoted to Death gods, tucked away in side chamber.

   Her priests are granted all the standard class benefits outlined in the core rules, but as a minor goddess she is only able to grant one domain when it comes to the selection of bonus spells, the Mercy domain which is specific to her clergy. Another difference is that her clerics may choose between an orison or a spell of the appropriate level. The selected orison always fills the bonus 1st-level spell slot. The open bonus spot can then be filled with any domain spell of a lower level.

  

Mercy Clerical Spell Domain

Bonus Spells

1st Purify Food and Drink, Deathwatch 

2nd Virtue, Death Knell

3rd Detect Poison, Cure Serious Wounds

4th Cure Minor Wounds, Neutralize Poison

5th Create Water, Mark of Justice

6th Mending, Heal

7th Detect Magic, Destruction

8th Light, Mass Cure Critical Wounds

9th Resistance, Mass Heal

RPG-a-Day #6: Reach

Over the past many years, a d20 Superpowers System has been developing, beginning with this post, continuing in other posts and published NUELOW Games releases, and with the feat below being the latest installment.

Art by Martin Filchock

ELONGATE [Minor Power]
You can elongate your body and/or limbs to extend your reach. You can extend your limbs to make any attack within 15 feet a melee attack. “Snapping back” to your normal shape is a free action.
   Once elongated, you can make melee attacks within your new reach as a standard action. If you can’t accurately sense your target (you’re elongating around a corner, for example), apply the rules for concealment. In addition, Elongation allows you to wrap up and entangle an opponent within the elongation range (+2 to grappling checks).

ELONGATE TALENTS

Unlike most Superpower talents, not just any Minor Power feat is required to access this tree. The character must have the Elongate feat first.

   Elongate I: You can now stretch your limbs up to 45ft, making melee strikes up to that distance. You can also stretch your entire body to increase your size by +1 category.

   Prerequisite: Elongate feat

   Elongate II: You can now stretch your limbs up to 70ft, making melee strikes up to that distance. You can also stretch your entire body to increase your size by +1 category.

   Prerequisite: Elongate I talent

   Elongate III: You can now stretch your limbs up to 100ft, making melee strikes up to that distance. You can also stretch your entire body to increase your size by +1 category.

   Prerequisite: Elongate II talent

   Elongate IV: You can now stretch your limbs up to 150ft, making melee strikes up to that distance. You can also stretch your entire body to increase your size by +1 category.

   Prerequisite: Elongate III talent

RPG-a-Day #5: Burden

Here are adventure hooks featuring dangerous goods being smuggled. (Roll 1d4 to pick one at random.)

1. The Alchemist's Volatile Shipment
   Hook: A corrupt merchant captain has agreed to transport twelve barrels of unstable alchemical compounds through the port city's busiest harbor. The barrels are leaking, and the fumes alone have already killed two dockworkers. The alchemist who created them has gone into hiding, the captain refuses to unload without full payment, and a rival crime syndicate plans to steal the shipment tonight.
   What's at Stake: A single spark could trigger a chain reaction that would level half the docks and kill thousands. The compounds are destined for a war zone where they'll be weaponized against civilian populations. Players must decide whether to alert the authorities (risking a diplomatic incident with the captain's home nation), attempt to neutralize the cargo themselves (requiring specialized knowledge), or trace the buyer and stop the transaction at its source. 

   Complication: A zealous customs officer is already investigating and may arrest the players if they interfere.

 
2. The Crown of Whispers
   Hook: A cursed artifact known as the Crown of Whispers is being smuggled across three kingdoms in a hollowed-out statue. The crown drives anyone nearby slowly insane with paranoid delusions. The smuggling crew has already turned on each other twice, and the artifact's current location is unknown after the last courier went mad and fled into the Haunted Forest with it.
   What's at Stake: A wealthy collector has paid a fortune to acquire the crown, intending to use its curse against political rivals. The crown's influence grows stronger the longer it remains in one place, and it's now affecting an entire village near the forest. Players must track the mad courier, resist the crown's influence themselves, and decide whether to destroy it (angering powerful people), deliver it (enabling atrocities), or hide it somewhere it can never be found. 

   Complication: Three different factions are hunting for it, each willing to kill for possession.

 
3. Plague Caravan
   Hook: A mysterious plague doctor has joined a merchant caravan traveling the eastern trade route, carrying sealed vials of a weaponized disease. Caravan members are falling ill with symptoms that don't match any known plague—violent fever, paranoia, and a compulsion to spread their infection. The plague doctor claims to be transporting samples to create a cure, but their destination is a war-torn region where biological weapons are in high demand.
   What's at Stake: If the vials break or the disease spreads beyond the caravan, three major cities along the route could face an epidemic. The plague doctor may be telling the truth about seeking a cure, or they may be a bioterrorist. Players must quarantine the caravan, identify who's infected, secure the vials, and determine the doctor's true intentions—all while potentially exposed to the disease themselves. 

   Complication: Local authorities want to burn the entire caravan to prevent spread, killing innocent people.

4. The Sunless River
   Hook: A network of underground rivers and caves serves as a smuggling superhighway beneath the kingdom, allowing illegal cargo to bypass all surface checkpoints. When a shipment of stolen dragon eggs goes missing in the dark waters, both the smugglers and their dragon-cult buyers hire separate groups (including the players) to retrieve them. The deeper into the caves they go, the more they discover this isn't a natural cave system—something built it, and something still lives down there.
   What's at Stake: The dragon eggs are close to hatching, and newborn dragons imprint on whoever they see first. The underground ecosystem is home to creatures that have never seen sunlight, some intelligent and territorial. The smuggling network is used by multiple criminal organizations, and exposing it would disrupt half the illegal trade in the kingdom—but also strand dozens of refugees who use it to escape persecution. Players must navigate the dark waters, compete with rival search parties, deal with whatever built the caves, and decide whether to return the eggs (enabling dragon-cult activities), keep them (raising dragons), or destroy them. 

   Complication: The eggs are already hatching, and the hatchlings are hungry.

#RPGaDAY2026

RPG-a-Day #4: Charm

"This charm bracelet is one of my favorite things."

--Brigid the Red, a dragon living among humans

BRACELET OF AURORA'S TOUCH

Crafted by the Luminar Order, an Atlantean society of stargazers and seers who built the Aurora Citadel atop the world's highest peaks. This bracelet was designed to help their prophets commune with celestial bodies and divine the threads of fate. When their civilization fell to a cataclysm they failed to foresee, only seven of these bracelets survived, scattered across the world. Each bracelet contains a fragment of the last dawn their seers ever witnessed.
   While wearing this bracelet, the character gain the following benefits:
   Gains a +2 bonus to Initiative rolls
   Prophetic Vision (4 charges): As an action, the character can expend 1 charge to cast Divination without material components. Alternatively, the character can expend 2 charges to gain the effects of Foresight on yourself for 1 minute (instead of 8 hours). The bracelet has a maximum of 4 charges, and it regains 1d3 expended charges daily at dawn.
   Starlit Clarity: Once per long rest, when the character or an ally within 30 feet of you makes an attack roll, ability check, or saving throw, he or she can use a reaction to grant them a +4 bonus on that single roll.

#RPGaDay2026

RPG-a-Day #3: Poise

"There's a saying I live by when it comes to attending public and private events: Be polite, be friendly, be poised... but always have a plan to kill everything in the room. Or in a two-mile radius if circumstances demand it."

--Brigid the Red, a dragon living among humans

Poise Mechanics for the d20 System

What is Poise?

Poise represents a character's ability to maintain composure, grace, and control under pressure. Unlike other ability checks that measure raw capability, poise checks determine whether a character can execute actions smoothly without betraying nervousness, losing balance, or succumbing to stress. Poise is not a separate ability score but rather a specialized check that draws upon existing abilities—most commonly Wisdom (for mental composure) or Dexterity (for physical grace).

Key Applications:

• Maintaining composure during social pressure

• Keeping balance in precarious situations

• Resisting visible signs of fear or stress

• Performing delicate actions under observation

• Controlling involuntary reactions

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Making a Poise Check

When the GM calls for a poise check, follow these steps:

1. Roll 1d20 - Roll a twenty-sided die

2. Add Modifiers - Apply relevant ability modifier (typically Wisdom or Dexterity) plus any circumstance bonuses or penalties

3. Compare to DC - If your total equals or exceeds the Difficulty Class, you succeed

Formula: 1d20 + Ability Modifier + Circumstance Modifiers ≥ DC

Which Ability to Use:

• Wisdom (Poise) - Mental composure, emotional control, resisting intimidation

• Dexterity (Poise) - Physical grace, maintaining balance, smooth movements

• Charisma (Poise) - Social grace, maintaining façade, performing under scrutiny

The GM determines which ability is most appropriate for the situation.

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Difficulty Classes for Poise

DC	Difficulty	Example Situations
5	Trivial	Walking across a wide, stable beam; maintaining composure during casual conversation
10	Easy	Keeping your voice steady when lying about something minor; balancing on uneven ground
15	Moderate	Maintaining composure while being questioned by authorities; walking across a narrow ledge
20	Challenging	Keeping a straight face while bluffing in a high-stakes negotiation; balancing on a tightrope
25	Hard	Resisting visible fear when confronted by a dragon; maintaining balance while fighting on a narrow beam
30	Very Hard	Controlling your expression while being tortured for information; performing acrobatics on a swaying rope
35	Heroic	Maintaining perfect composure while watching loved ones threatened; balancing on a razor's edge during an earthquake
40+	Legendary	Showing no reaction whatsoever to catastrophic revelations; performing impossible feats of balance under extreme conditions

Ability Modifiers

Apply the relevant ability modifier to all poise checks:

• Wisdom modifier for mental/emotional poise

• Dexterity modifier for physical poise

• Charisma modifier for social poise

Circumstance Modifiers

Bonuses (+2 to +5):

• Character has training in Performance, Bluff, or Balance (+2)

• Character is in familiar, comfortable surroundings (+2)

• Character has prepared for this specific situation (+2 to +4)

• Magical aid (spells like calm emotions, cat's grace) (+2 to +4)

Penalties (-2 to -10):

• Armor Check Penalty applies to physical poise checks (typically -1 to -8)

• Character is fatigued or exhausted (-2 to -6)

• Distracting environment (combat, loud noises, crowds) (-2 to -4)

• Character has personal stake in outcome (-2 to -5)

• Injured or in pain (-1 per 25% HP lost)

• Intoxicated or impaired (-2 to -10)

Synergy Bonuses

Characters with 5+ ranks in related skills gain +2 synergy bonuses:

• Balance → Physical poise checks

• Bluff → Social poise checks involving deception

• Concentration → Poise checks to maintain focus

• Diplomacy → Social poise checks in formal settings

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Social Consequences

Poise checks in social situations determine whether characters maintain their composure and control the impression they make on others.

Success Effects

Minor Success (beat DC by 0-4):

• You maintain composure adequately

• No one suspects your true feelings or intentions

• You avoid social embarrassment

Moderate Success (beat DC by 5-9):

• You appear confident and in control

• Gain +2 circumstance bonus on related Diplomacy or Bluff checks

• Others are impressed by your composure

Major Success (beat DC by 10+):

• You appear unshakeable

• Gain +4 circumstance bonus on related social checks

• May intimidate or inspire others with your control

Failure Effects

Minor Failure (miss DC by 1-4):

• You show subtle signs of discomfort (fidgeting, hesitation)

• Observant characters (Sense Motive DC 15) notice something is off

• Take -2 penalty on related social checks for 1 minute

Moderate Failure (miss DC by 5-9):

• Your discomfort is obvious to everyone present

• Take -4 penalty on social checks for the scene

• May provoke suspicion or lose credibility

Major Failure (miss DC by 10+):

• You visibly lose composure (stammering, sweating, obvious nervousness)

• Automatically fail related Bluff checks

• May suffer social consequences (loss of reputation, failed negotiation)

Specific Applications

Bluffing Under Pressure: When telling a significant lie, make a poise check in addition to your Bluff check. Failure reveals your nervousness even if the lie itself is believable.

Maintaining Secrets: When someone probes a sensitive topic, make a poise check to avoid involuntary reactions that might give away information.

High Society Events: Navigating formal social situations may require poise checks to avoid embarrassing faux pas or maintain appropriate decorum.

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#RPGaDAY2026. All game mechaics are releasted under the Open Game License.

RPG-a-Day #2: Stature

"My favorite human form is short, slight, and seemingly harmless. It brings out the best in humans... or the worst."

--Brigid the Red, a dragon living among humanity

 

 
 

Stature-Based Modifiers

In the d20 system, Intimidation is a Charisma-based skill that represents a character's ability to frighten or coerce others through threats, hostile actions, or sheer force of personality. While Charisma captures force of will and presence of character, it doesn't fully account for the visceral impact of physical stature.

Stature-based modifiers are optional rules that add circumstantial bonuses or penalties to Intimidation checks based on the physical presence and size differential between the intimidator and their target.

Stature Bonus Calculator

Height	Modifier	Build	Modifier
Short (6"+ below avg)	-1	Slight	-1
Average	+0	Average	+0
Tall (6-12" above avg)	+1	Muscular	+1
Unusually Tall (12"+ above)	+2	Massive	+2

Optional Additions

Modifier	Bonus
Visible Scars	+1
Heavy Armor	+1
Brutal Weapon	+1
Threatening Demeanor	+1

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Size Differential Modifier Table

Intimidator Size	Target Size	Modifier
4+ categories larger	Any	+8
3 categories larger	Any	+6
2 categories larger	Any	+4
1 category larger	Any	+2
Same size	Same	+0
1 category smaller	Any	-2
2 categories smaller	Any	-4
3+ categories smaller	Any	-6

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Modifier Stacking Checklist

✓ Always Stack Together:

• Skill ranks + Charisma modifier

• Stature bonus (height + build)

• Size differential modifier

• Racial bonuses

• Circumstance bonuses (scars, armor, weapons, demeanor)

• Feat bonuses: Intimidating Prowess (adds Str/Con modifier to Intimidation), Skill Focus (Intimidate) (+3 bonus)

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Intimidation Context Guide

Situation	Stature Applies?	Notes
Threatening violence	Full	Physical intimidation at its core
Combat demoralizing	Full	Direct threat of harm
Social/political threats	None	Reputation, not physique
Magical threats	Size only	No personal stature bonus
Indirect threats	Half	Allies will act, not you directly
Competence-based	GM's call	Quiet menace of expertise

Quick Rule: If the target fears this person's physical harm, apply full stature. Otherwise, reduce or eliminate it.

#RPGaDay2026