The Wand of Zoom

The Sorceress of Zoom is a dimension-striding villainess who is featured a series of comics/rpg hybrid books from NUELOW Games. Here's d20 System stats for one of the Sorceress's symbols of her mastery of the magical city of Zoom, and one of her most potent magical weapons. (A version of this will be appearing in the forthcoming third Sorceress of Zoom book. Any comments you have are welcomed.)

The following material is presented under the Open Game License and may be reproduced in accordance with it. Copyright 2016 by Steve Miller.

The Wand of Zoom
A symbol of office of the master of the magical city of Zoom, this golden wand is sllghtly longer than one foot in length and topped with the three dimensional version of the Seal of Zoom on its tip. If subjected to *detect magic*, the Wand appears to be a Wand of Lightning with five charges remaining.
   When wielded by the rightful ruler of Zoom (someone who has claimed the Throne of Zoom and has possession of the Crown of Zoom and the Staff of Zoom), the wand grants the following powers -- at a cost:
  * Cast any 1st through 9th level Arcane or Divine Spell with the wand serving as the replacement for any material components needed, except for scrying spells which still require a mirror or pool of still water. You can cast a number of spells equal to your Intelligence bonus each day. The wand drains 100 XP per spell level when the spell is cast.
   * Once per day, transform a living being into an inanimate object of your choosing. The being remains transformed until you will the transformation. The target receives a Fort save (DC18) to not be transformed. If the save succeeds, the creature is subjected to the effect of a Hold Monster spell as if cast by a 20th level caster (no saving throw, although item-based immunities apply). The target remains transformed until a rightful ruler of Zoom uses the want to undo the spell. The target remains aware of his or her surroundings during the transformation and radiates weak transmutation magic if such is detected for. The wand drains 500XP when the attempt to transform a target is made, and 200XP to restore the target's appearance. (The target creature may also be restored to its original form with a Wish spell cast by a 20th level caster.)
   If a creature who isn't the rightful ruler of Zoom attempts to use the Wand, he or she must roll a Will save (DC12) or fall into a deep sleep that lasts for 12 hours or until a *dispel magic* is cast by a 20th level caster. The saving throw must be rolled every time the Wand is used. In the hands of anyone but the rightful ruler of Zoom, the Wand of Zoom functions like a wand of lightning (12th level effectiveness) with 5 charges. Once the five charges have been spent, the Wand becomes non-functioning until it is once again in the hand of its rightful owner.

The Sorceress using the Wand of Zoom (Art by Don Rico.)

Check out NUELOW Games' Sorceress of Zoom and Sorceress of Zoom: Down to Earth, available at DriveThruComics.

d20 System Racial Templates

In this day and age when diversity (especially racial diversity) is to be encouraged and celebrated everywhere and anywhere and in all things, it's highly inappropriate for Humans to just be Humans in d20 System games.

To solve that problem, NUELOW Games proudly presents Human Racial Templates, as designed by L.L. Hundal. We are presenting these rules under the Open Game License, and we expect every right-minded gaming group to implement them immediately and make your d20 System games more reflective of the reality that is the modern gaming community. (The Racial Templates rules are Copyright 2016 by Steve Miller).

RACIAL TEMPLATES
During character generation, a player must assign a race to any Human character he or she creates and apply the appropriate racial template. The player can apply the template and modifications at any point during the character generation process.
   A character's race can also be randomly deterined by rolling 1d6.

    Race           Modifications
1. Arab           +2 Constitution, -2 to all Will saves
2. Asian          +2 Intelligence, -2 to all Fort saves
3. Black          +2 Strength, -1 Wisdom
4. Hispanic     +1 Dexterity, +1 to all Hide skill checks
5. Jewish        +1 Wisdom, +1 to all Bluff skill checks
6. White         +2 Charisma, -1 Dexterity

   Did you find this material amusing or useful? Check out NUELOW Games' d20 System products at RPGNow. Support us with a few coins and bring uniqueness to your games!

The White Male Talent Tree

For your d20 Modern needs. (This material is presented under the Open Game License. Copyright 2016 by Steve Miller.)

THE WHITE MALE TALENT TREE
Talents from this tree are available to all classes. They can be selected whenever a character that meets the prerequisites is able to choose a new talent when gaining a level.
   Prerequisite: White Male Human, Elf, or Dwarf.
   Privileged: You gain a +2 bonus to all Bluff and Diplomacy skill checks when interacting with authority figures.
   Boys' Club: Your Wealth bonus increases by +1.
   Prerequisite: Privileged
  Agent of the Patriarchy: You gain a +2 bonus to all Bluff and Intimidate skill checks when interacting with female characters.
   Prerequisite: Boys' Club
   White Oppressor: You gain a +2 bonus to all Bluff, Diplomacy, and Intimidate skill checks when interacting with Peoples of Color and Humanoids (non-humans).
  Prerequisite: Agent of the Patriarchy
  Flamboyantly Heterosexual: You gain a +2 bonus to checks involving feats of Strength, as well as a +2 bonus to Bluff, Diplomacy, and Intimidate skill checks made while bare-chested or wearing a wife-beater shirt.
   Bonus Feat: You gain one of the following feats (found here and here, or in Feats of an Adult Nature): Gay, Gaydar, Ghey, Great Cleavage, Metrosexual, Sexual Prowess, Staying Power. You may choose this talent multiple times.
   Prerequisite: Flamboyantly Heterosexual
   Boozehound: You gain a talent from the Boozehound Talent Tree. This talent may be selected multiple times.
   Prerequisite: Boys' Club
   Angry White Male: Whenever you fail a skill check, saving throw, or attack roll, you may activate the Angry White Male talent on the following round. You can a +2 bonus to melee attack rolls, and to Fortitude and Willpower saving throws, but your Defense Rating/Armor Class is subject to a -4 penalty. These effects remain active until the encounter is over, your hit points drop below 25% of their maximum total, or for a number of rounds equal to 20 less your Wisdom bonus.
   Prerequisite: Privileged

   Did you find this talent tree amusing or useful? Check out NUELOW Games' d20 System products at RPGNow. Support us with a few coins and bring uniqueness to your games!

The LEAST popular clip art packs from NUELOW Games

We take some pride in everything we release, so when something doesn't do well, we hope it's because you out there just didn't notice. Today, the spotlight is on the LEAST successful art packs released as part of our NUELOW Stock Art Collection.


First up, there is NUELOW Stock Art Collection #13: The First Americans. This is the first set that the creator of ROLF!, L.L. Hundal, edited for us. It features art by the same contributors you'll find in our sci-fi themed packs like Rockets & Rayguns. However, it didn't do as well... maybe clipart featuring Native Americans is too narrow a niche to have a market or audience?

Then, there is NUELOW Stock Art Collection: The Werewolf by Pablo Marcos. This small collection of werewolf action shots also under-performed. Was it because we released it at Christmas time when people were thinking of elves and sugar plums? Are werewolves like Native Americans in the sense that the set is targeted at too narrow a niche? Whatever the reason, we think that's a shame, because we love Pablo Marcos's art, and we think it would look great in projects out there.

Does anyone out there have an opinion on NUELOW Games's art collections? Do you want to make a comment? We'd love to hear from you--and that goes double if you have a theory regarding the lack of love for NUELOW Stock Art Collection #13: The First Americans and NUELOW Stock Art Collection: The Werewolf by Pablo Marcos.