What will the new year bring? Well, with this new d20 System feat, your character might know. (This is an initial draft idea that will probably see some revision and expansion. But the text in this post is still presented under the Open Game License, and it may be reproduced in accordance with it.
FORTUNE TELLING [Supernatural]
Most believe you are a charlatan--and, frankly, maybe you do have a little touch of that in you--but your ability to see the future is quite real. It may not always be reliable, and your visions may not always be clear, but you do more good than harm. Prerequisite: Wisdom 12, Charisma 12, Foresight feat Benefit: By spending 2d6 minutes less a number of minutes equal to his or her Wisdom bonus, and studying some focus device, the character may use one of several benefits gained by this feat, up to three times per day. The focus device can be a deck of tarot cards, a crystal ball, grounds or leaves at the bottom of a cup, chicken bones, or any other item associated with fortune telling or seeing the future.
The abilities derived from this feat are as follows. Each requires a Wisdom check to use successfully; the GM may choose to make the roll on the player's behalf in secret or may allow the player to roll it him- or herself. If the Wisdom check is successful, the GM must provide as truthful answers as possible, but a failed roll can either provide completely false information or no result at all. ("Your destiny is cloudy... many powerful forces are arrayed against you.") Weal or Woe: Reveal if a course of action will be mostly beneficial or mostly harmful for the person considering it; this is a "yes" or "no" question. (DC8) Locate Object or Person: See the current location of an object or person, as well as having a sense of how dangerous it might be to remove it from that location. The vision provides clues as to where the place is, although further research or use of fortune-telling abilities may be needed to determine what they mean and how they can lead characters to the location. (DC12) Sense Destiny: See a vision of a location and/or a person that will have a major impact on the person being considered during the fortune-telling. If it's a location, there are clues present as to where it might be. If it's a person, the vision is clear enough that he or she can be described in detail, and there will be a unique object seen that is associated with him or her. (DC12 minimum... the higher above the target number the roll, the clearer the vision.)
What are the tea leaves revealing to her via the Fortune Telling feat?
A little Christmas-y content for your enjoyment!
Even heroes celebrate Christmas, but they rarely get to have the quiet parties they hope for--something or someoone dangerous always pops up to ruin it for them. Which is why their Christmas adventures feature themes like this:
Here's a table to randomly generate the threat that ruins the heroes' Christmas. You may not have time to run it this year (unless you actually know what the Twelve Days of Christmas are), but maybe next year. Or maybe for "Christmas in July"!
WHAT RUINS THE HEROES' CHRISTMAS? (Roll 1d12)
1. An old foe they thought long gone returns for revenge.
2. An old foe they tought long dead returns at the head of an army of zombies.
3. An old foe begs for their help to stop an even worse evil.
4. While dinner is cooking, the oven mysteriously malfunctions and fire elementals escape onto the Prime Material Plane.
5. While dinner is cooking, the oven mysteriously malfunctions and reanimates the Christmas meal as a feiry, murderous beast-zombie.
6. While dinner is cooking, the oven mysteriously malfunctions and causes everyone gathering for the Christmas dinner (and the entire house they're in) to be transported to Hell.
7. Santa has been kidnapped by vengeful Martians, and it's up to the heroes to save him and Christmas!
8. Santa's Daughter, Sugarplum, has been kidnapped by her crazed ex-boyfriend and Santa has come to the heroes for help.
9. Cultists have summoned Narlahohohotep--the Caroler Out of Space--at Nakatomi Plaza.
10. Santa's Reindeer have been stolen.
11. A serial killer is on the loose!
12. Roll two more times on the table, ignoring and rerolling duplicate results and additional results of 12. Both things converge to ruin the heroes' Christmas!
And while the heroes may feel like they're Two Steps from Hell, it's Christmas! So everything will hopefully turn out right in the end!
'Tis the Season for Feats... and these should appeal to d20 System gamers wether they love of hate Christmas! (All feats in this post are presented under the Open Game License.) GRINCH [General]
You are adept at stealing that which might bring others joy. Benefit: From December 15 through January 5 each year, you gain a +4 bonus to all Disable Device/Traps, Hide, Move Silently and Open Locks skill checks made to steal gifts, packages, and holiday decorations. Special: During the rest of year, bonus is reduced to +1.
HOLIDAY WARRIOR [General]
Whether you're pro-Christmas ("there's a war on Christmas!"/"I am insulted that you wished me Happy Holidays!") or anti-Christmas ("your cultural appropriation of the trappings of dead pagan religions offends me"/"I feel violated by your Christmas decorations!"), you are a brilliant at ruining everyone's good mood and holiday cheer. Benefit: Whenever the character is within 30 ft. of Christmas decorations, or other items related by Christmas, or someone brings up anything related to Christmas or wishes him or her "Happy Holidays!", you gain a +4 bonus to Intimidate skill checks, as well as a +2 bonus to all melee attack rolls. You also impose a -2 penalty on Morale checks. The effects last until the character leaves the area. Special: The benefits of this feat can also apply to Easter, Kwanza, Yom Kippur, Ramadan... any major holiday during which others want to have fun or enjoy each other's company and fellowship that the character wants to ruin. In such cases, the player merely needs to say that he or she is applying the Holiday Warrior benefits to the holiday in question.
KRAMPUS [General]
The naughty had better watch out!
Prerequisite: Naughty or Nice
Benefit: You gain a +3 bonus to attack and damage rolls against targets identified using the Naughty or Nice feat. In addition, any spells or spell-like abilities uses agains the target function at one level higher than the character's actual caster level.
Here's a Christmas Season-appropriate random mystery/horror adventure outline generator that was inspired by a combination of a drawing by Bryan Baugh and a spooky version of "Carol of the Bells" by rock group Halocene. (The video and song can be enjoyed at the bottom of this post.)
THE SANTA SLAYINGS
The beautiful people are being hacked to death with an axe and various objects associated with Christmas are left scattered about the bodies. Witnesses report a decidedly non-jolly, white bearded man has been spotted near each of the murders. Can the heroes stop the slaughter before the happy goes completely out of the holidays for everyone?
WHEN DO THE MURDERS START? (Roll 1d6)
1. July 24 ("Christmas in July")
2-3. November 20.
4-5. December 12 ("The 12th Day of Christmas")
6. December 25 ("The 12 Days of Christmas")
WHO IS KILLED? (Roll 1d6)
1. A Family (Mother, Father 1-6 children)
2. Drunken Partiers (1d6+1 Guys, 1d6+1 Girls)
3. Sexy Santas (1d6 Girls, 1d6-1 Guys)
4. Church Choir Members (2d6 Guys, 2d6 Girls)
5. Toy Company Executives (1d6)
6. Activists (1-3 Pro Christmas, 1d6 killed; 4-6 Anti Christmas, 1d6 killed)
HOW OFTEN DOES THE KILLER STRIKE? (Roll 1d6)
1. Every 1d6 hours.
2. Every 2d6 hours.
3. Every other day until 12 days have passed. He then goes quiet until next Christmas.
4. Every third day until 12 days have passed. He then goes quiet until next Christmas.
5. Every third day until stopped.
6. The strikes three times, 2d6 hours between killings. He then comes for the player characters.
WHO IS KILLED NEXT?
Roll 1d6 on the WHO IS KILLED table each time the killer strikes. There are 1d6-1 survivors who describe the killer as "Santa Claus."
WHO IS THE KILLER, AND WHY DOES HE KILL? (Roll 1d6)
1-2. A Psychopathic Mall Santa Who's Blossomed into a Serial Killer Who Hates Those Who Love Christmas.
3-4. An Insane Religious Fanatic Who Punishes Those Who Aren't Keeping Christmas Holy.
5. A Demon Who Was Accidentially Summoned By a Church Group Who Was Praying for God to Punish Those Who Don't Observe the Proper Christmas Spirit. (They were actually the first victims, and the party may discover this during their investigation.)
6. It's Santa Claus Who Has Snapped and Decided That Anyone Who Is Naughty Must Die.
HOW IS THE KILLER STOPPED? (Roll 1d6)
1. By making him understand the meaning of Christmas, so he will willingly be brought to justice.
2. By killing him.
3. By cornering him and forcing him to surrender to be brought to justice.
4. By killing him.
5. By performing a magical ritual involving milk and cookies that will calm the murderous creature and make him regret what he has done and allow him to return to his . (Works only on the Demon and Santa.)
6. By killing him.
A few years ago, we posted some "Little Drummer Boy" inspired artifacts (the Drum of Bethlehem and the Drumsticks of Bethlehem). We're returning to the percussion theme, using the neat music in the video above as our inspiration.
To read up on tabla drums, click on this link. Watching the video above should give you a good idea however. Basically, a set of tabla drums (known just as "tabla") is at least two drums, a daya (right drum) and a baya (left drum). The daya carries the main melody while the baya provides the bass.
The portions of this post from "The Magical Tabla Drums" to the end are presented under the Open Game License and may be reproduced in accordance with its terms. Copyright 2018 Steve Miller.
THE MAGICAL TABLA DRUMS
There are an unknown number of magical tabla drums in the world. No one knows how they are created, nor who creates them, but numerous wise men have claimed that they are gifts to the world from Saraswati, goddess of music and knowledge, bestowed either as rewards to worshipers and musicians who have impressed her, or as sources of reassurance and comfort during trying times. The music of the drums are rumored to strengthen the powers of holy men and women, cure the sick, and fill warriors with the strength and prowess of war gods.
Magical tabla drums are always found in sets consisting of 1d4+2 daya and 1d2 baya. They rarely radiate any form of magic (only 1% chance) and when they do, it is always of a weak, undeterminable type. The function of the drums can only be determined by playing them. If a set is broken up, the magic is disrupted.
A silence spell centered upon the characer playing the tabla will negate the drums' effects and totally disrupt their magic. Characters who were within range of the drums' magic must roll successful Will saves (DC10+caster level) to retain the benefits of having heard the music (see below for details).
The Tabla of Comfort and Joy
When a skilled musician plays a tune on these drums--with a successful DC12 Perform (percussion instrument) skill check--all who can hear the music within a 60-ft radius become immune to negative mind-effecting magic and spell-like effects, such as fear spells or illusions designed to frighten or cause other forms of distress. Divine spells cast with the intent of heal, comfort, or otherwise make targets feel better or more cheerful, function at two caster levels higher than the actual caster.
The effect of the tabla start after two rounds of the mucician player, and remains in effect for a time equal to the total amount played after the musician ceases. (If the musician plays for 10 minutes, beings within a 60-foot radius enjoy he drums benefits for 20 minutes.)
The Tabla of Protection and Celebration
When a skilled musician plays a tune on these drums--with a successful DC15 Perform (percussion instrument) skill check--all who can hear the music within a 60-ft radius feel invigorated and gain a +1 bonus to all saving throws, as well as a +2 bonus to Armor Class/Defense. Characters also gain a +8 bonus to Perform (dance) skill checks, whether they have ranks in the skill or not.
The effect of the tabla start after two rounds of the mucician player, and remains in effect for a time equal to the total amount played after the musician ceases. (If the musician plays for 10 minutes, beings within a 60-foot radius enjoy he drums benefits for 20 minutes.)
Let's kick off the month with a great version of a favorite Christmas song here at NUELOW Games, "We Three Kings." The video is even better.
And here's a feat by in case you want to play/include a Magi or three in your d20 System games! (The rest of this post is released under the Open Game License, and the following material may be reproduced in accordance with its terms. Copyright 2018 Steve Miller.)
READ THE STARS [General]
You can find guidance in the stars, both metaphorically and literally. Prerequisite: Intelligence 12, Wisdom 12. Benefit: By spending 1d3+1 hours studying the night sky, making notations, and comparing the results to a series of charts and diagrams, the character can gain any of the following benefits once per day. Momentous Destination: The stars reveal a prophecy that states you are to travel to a distant location where you will have a fateful encounter that may have world altering consequences and bring you great riches or power or knowledge, or all of the above. The direction in which you must travel is made clear, but the exact location to which you must travel and how far away it might be is not. (Note: The destination can be a town, a ruin, a dungeoun, or stable on the outskirts of a small town. It can be anything, really, where the GM has the next big adventure planned, or even the locaton of climax of the current adventure... because getting there is half the fun!) Smooth Travel: The stars reveal the easiest route to take while traveling toward a momenteous destination for one day of the journey, eliminating any overland movement penalties due to terrain type. You gain the benefit of a successful Survival skill check. If the character doesn't have access to a map of the region, a Navigation or Survival skill check (DC15) to gain this benefit. Seer: The stars reveal if you are within a day's journey of the momenteous destination. You may also use the effects of the augury spell as if cast by a cleric of your total character levels.
Here's a random adventure outline generator ripped from the headlines! Roll on the following tables to generate the skeleton of a mystery adventure for your player characters in a modern-day or near-future setting to solve.
THE VEGAN DEATH CONSPIRACY The Center for Disease Control (CDC) has warned all Americans to not eat Romaine lettuce, citing a severe danger from e.coli. But is that all there is to it? Are people being sickened from supposed e.coli bacteria just the beginning? It's up to the player characters to investigate and get to the bottom of the mystery... only they can learn if there's a hidden hand and agenda behind the outbreak, or if it's just one of those things.
OPTIONAL: HOW DOES THE PARTY GET INVOLVED? (Roll 1d6)
1. It's their job; they are investigators for the CDC.
2. It's their job: they are reporters for the Weekly Weird News.
3. It's their job; they are investigators for the Kolchak Institute of Paranormal and Cryptid Research
4. A loved one of a party member, who was a Vegan, died from a mysterious ailment that resembled an e.coli infection.
5. A one-time foe (1-3)/old friend (4-6) contacted them about having discovered a monstrous conspiracy and he wanted to them about it. When they arrive where they were to meet him, they find his dead body, half-eaten. An autopsy shows his internal organs and veins were strangly swollen. Go to WHAT IS THE VEGAN DEATH CONSPIRACY.
6. Roll two more times on this table, ignoring and rerolling results of 6 and duplicated results. Both reasons apply. IS THERE A CONSPIRACY TO POISON LETTUCE? (Roll 1d6)
1-4. Yes. And more. Go to WHO IS BEHIND THE VEGAN DEATH CONSPIRACY.
5-6. No. Go to WHAT IS THE REAL REASON LETTUCE IS MAKING PEOPLE SICK. WHO IS BEHIND THE VEGAN DEATH CONSPIRACY? (Roll 1d6)
Whatever result is indicated below, people who eat some green leafy vegetables (like lettuce) are falling ill, those who eat lots of the stuff are being poisoned, and those who live entirely off vegetables are dying in a horrible fashion: their internal organs and blood veins swell and they develop a high fever that cooks their innards even as they are crushed against their own skeleton.
1. A rogue element within the U.S. government is testing a bio-weapon by spraying it on green leafy vegetables. When it reaches critical mass in the person's body, they die an agonozing death.
2. As above, except its terrorists backed by Iran (1-2)/North Korea (3-4)/Russia (5-6) spreading the bio-weapon.
3. A demon cult has been selling plants and seeds infused with demonic to American farmers through Morning Glory Agriculture, and the souls of those who eat too much of the tainted greens are immediately damned to Hell.
4. As above, except Morning Glory Agriculture is a front for the extremist group Stop Plant Abuse Today. They hope to scare Vegans into eating fewer fruits and vegetables.
5. Morning Glory Agriculture's genetically modified romaine lettuce is killing people. The company is working on a solution, and in the meantine, they will want to silence anyone who discovers what's going on. Including the player characters.
6. Venusian are in the final stages of preparing to invade and take over Earth. They are testing ways to turn Earthlings into the perfect food source... and they like the taste of the pure Vegan flesh.
WHAT IS THE REAL REASON LETTUCE IS MAKING PEOPLE SICK? (Roll 1d6)
1-2. It's e.coli, plain and simple. Sometimes shit happens.
3-4. An alien strain of lettuce has arrived on Earth via a meteor, and those who eat too much of it will become AstroZombies!
5-6. Roll on WHO IS BEHIND THE VEGAN DEATH CONSPIRACY, because, contrary to appearances, there IS a conspiracy to kill American Vegans. Just as the party thinks they've figured out it is indeed just a massive e.coli outbreak, they are given information that hints at the conspiracy.
It's the time of year when Americans gather for Thanksgiving celebrations, and in many households time is spent watching football games.
But what if you don't football? What if there are several family members who don't like football? WELL, what you need to do is to gather those family members and convince them to play ROLF!: The Rollplaying Game with you! And we have just the introductory package for you to do that with!
The ROLF! Thanksgiving Feast Bundle includes the basic rules and three Thanksgiving/turkey-themed battle scenarios (Day of the Turkey,Turkey Shoot, and World War T), each of which include pre-generated characters for near-instant play and additional rules. Also Turkey Shoot includes some comics for added entertainment value (even if they may not be entirely family friendly... but, hey, we DO have a reputation to uphold here at NUELOW Games). You even save some money, as this bundle is offered at a 50% discount of what it would cost to buy the four booklets individually.
Here's another series of random tables to let you generate the outline for an adventure that was partly inspired by a drawing from Bryan Baugh.
THE CURSE OF THE WATERY SHROUD
The Whitehead family has been suffering under a curse since 1688 when the Angelina, the eldest daughter of Lord Elwyn Whitehead drowned mysteriously in water overflow tunnels beneath Castle Whitehead on what was both her 17th birthday and the celebration of her betrothal. Ever since then, if the eldest daughter of the Whitehead family has been unmarried on her 17th birthday, she has come to a tragic end by drowning.
This curse last asserted itself in the Spring of 1918, and it was ruled an accident. Now, just over 100 years later, another girl carrying the Whitehead family blood, Ashley Whitehead, has died in the waterlogged tunnels under Castle Whitehead. Is the curse real? And if so, what's behind it? Can the player characters solve the mystery and save a life... because Ashley's twin sister Emily has yet to fall victim to the curse!
OPTIONAL: HOW DOES THE PARTY GET INVOLVED? (Roll 1d6)
1. They are friends of Emily.
2. There were friends of Ashley.
3. They are hired by the family to figure out what happened and save Emily.
4. They are brought in by a contact in law enforcement.
5. A contact in the paranormal investigation community asks the party to solve the mystery.
6. One of the characters is a distant relative of the Whitehead family, and there have been mysterios deaths of teenaged girls in his family as well.
IS THE CURSE REAL? (Roll 1d6)
1-3. Yes. Got to WHAT IS THE NATURE OF THE CURSE
4-6. No. Go to WHO KILLED ASHLEY
WHAT IS THE NATURE OF THE CURSE? (Roll 1d6)
1-2. Angelina committed suicide to avoid her forced nuptials. Ever since, her restless and bitter spirit is killing to stop other Whitehead girls from having the happiness she never did.
3. Angelina was murdered by a jealous and jilted suitor whom she managed to kill even as he murdered her. His restless and evil spirit has been hunting and killing Whitehead girls ever since.
4. Angelina hated the man she was being forced to marry. She conducted a dark ritual that called for a water demon, but instead of killing her would-be husband it killed her. And it's been claiming the lives of virginal Whitehead girls who don't marry young ever since.
5- 6. Lord Elwyn made a deal with the Water Elemental Lord: He would be unaging until the life force of 333 girls of his line were claimed by creature as virgins on their 17th birthdays.
HOW CAN THE CURSE BE LIFTED? (Roll 1d6)
1. A temple to the Water Elemental Lord at the center of the water-logged tunnels beneath Castle Whitehead must be destroyed, possibly collapsing the castle in the process.
2. The water-logged tunnels underneath the castle must be excorsized of water elemental spirits, as well as the hate-filled ghost of Angelina (1-3), the man who murdered Angelina (4-6).
3. Lord Elwynn Whitehead, who has been made unaging by the life force of each girl killed must be brought to the temple to the Water Elemental Lord under Castle Whitehead. Here, the angry ghosts of victims will destroy him and the curse will be lifted.
4. The restless ghost of Angelina must be destroyed.
5. The spirits of all the dead girls must be rescued from the grip of the Elemental Water Lord.
6. Roll twice on this table, ignoring and rerolling results of 6. Both steps must be taken to lift the curse.
WHO KILLED ASHLEY? (Roll 1d6)
1. Her secret boyfriend who got her pregnant and didn't want a scandal.
2. A madwoman who believes she's the rightful heir to the Whitehead fortune if the twins are gone.
3. A cultist who wanted to summon the legendary Water Elemental Lord and used her as a human sacrifice.
4. Her psychopathic older brother wants to turn the castle into a "supernatural tourism" destination, and he murdered his sister to revive the legend of the Watery Shroud.
5. Ashley isn't dead--Emily is. Ashley killed her sister and took her place.
6. The butler did it. Ashley discovered he was replacing family art treasures with forgeries.
Here's another post partially inspired by a drawing by Bryan Baugh. This one includes tables for randomly generating an outline for a "ghostbusting" adventure plot, as well as a starting occupation that's equally useful in settings where the paranormal is reality or fantasy.
The player characters become involved with the events because they are either connected to the victim of the haunting, or because they are paranormal investigators/ghostbusters.
THE HAUNTING OF MARY-ANNE SANDERS
For weeks, Mary-Anne felt uneasy in her own home. First, she thought small things were being moved ever so slightly. Then, she kept feeling like someone else present, watching her, even though she knew she was alone. Soon after that, she started seeing movement out of the corner of her eye, but when she turned, no one was there. Two nights ago, she was laying in her bed when something swept through the room and she felt cold hands pawing at her, tearing open her nightgown. Then, invisible iron talons locked around her and she was flung violently from the bed. As she struggled to her feet, she saw an indistinct shape at the head of the bed... indistinct aside from glowing eyes and twitching claws. As it faded away, she began to scream...
OPTIONAL: HOW DO THE PLAYER CHARACTERS GET INVOLVED? (Roll 1d6)
1-2. Mary-Anne calls them for help.
3-4. A mutual friend reaches out to one of the player characters.
5. One of the player characters hears about what's happening to her, and it sounds like a case that's worth investigating.
6. A clue uncovered during another case leads the player characters to Mary-Anne.
WHO IS MARY-ANNE TO THE PLAYER CHARACTERS? (Roll 1d6)
1-2. An old friend or lover to one or more of them, but has been out of touch for years.
3. A one-time associate of a rival or enemy, but she has parted ways with that nefarious figure.
4-5. There is no prior connection.
6. She is (or formerly was) in the same line of work as one or more of the player characters, but is known to them by reputation only. (Roll 1d6: 1-2. Favorable reputation, 3-4. Negative reputation, 5-6. Dangerous reputation.)
WHAT DOES MARY-ANNE DO FOR A LIVING? (Roll 1d6)
1. Widow raising 1d3 children, living off proceeds of a tech company sold years ago.
2. Police detective.
3. Call girl.
4. School teacher.
5. Paranormal Investigator.
6. Social Worker.
WHO IS HAUNTING MARY-ANNE? (Roll 1d6)
1. The ghost of an ex-lover.
2. The ghost of a stalker.
3. The ghost of a former occupant of the home.
4. A spirit bound to a knickknack she recently bought at a thrift shop.
5. An evil spirit summoned by local cultists who want revenge on Mary-Anne. Roll on WHAT IS MARY-ANNE'S SECRET? to learn why.
6. It's a hoax. An 1-3 ex-lover (1-3) rival (4-6); is trying to embarrass her (1-2) drive her insane (3-4) discredit her (5-6). Roll on the table again, ignoring and rerolling results of 5 and 6 (or use a d4).
Roll on the table again. A few days after the hoax is revealed, Mary-Anne's terror begins again. There had been a real haunting that had gone unnoticed due to the hoaxter, and the party still has a ghost to put to rest. If 6 is rolled again, Mary-Anne is now haunting herself; the previous experience drove her insane.
HOW IS THE HAUNTING STOPPED? (Roll 1d6)
1-2. Discovering the ghost's identity and convincing it to move onto the next plane, possibly burying its body in a proper grave.
3-4. Destroying or binding the ghost through usual Ghostbusting methods.
5. Discovering the ghost's identity and bringing a living relative and mutual acquaintance of the ghost and Mary-Anne to speak to it and tell it all is forgiven. Roll on WHAT DOES MARY-ANNE DO FOR A LIVING? to see who this person is.
6. Discovering Mary-Anne's dark secret and revealing it to the public (or, at the very least law enforcement). Roll on WHAT IS MARY-ANNE'S DARK SECRET? Ignore and re-roll results of 6; the result is actually the ghost's dark secret, and it wants Mary-Anne to reveal it, so those it hurt in life can have justice. Mary-Anne has been too frightened to tell anyone what she discovered shortly before the ghost died.
WHAT IS MARY-ANNE'S DARK SECRET? (Roll 1d6)
1. She killed the ghost by accident and covered it up.
2. She's a serial killer.
3. She's a "talent scout" for a slave sex ring.
4. She's the leader of a cult that practices human sacrifice.
5. She's a retired assassin.
6. She doesn't have any serious dark secret; she is the victim she appears to be.
--
NEW STARTING OCCUPATION (for OGL Modern and other d20 System Games)
The rest of the text in this post after is released under the Open Game License and may be reproduced in accordance with its terms.
Paranormal Researcher
Prerequisite: Age 16+, Charisma 12+
Skills: Choose three of the following skills as permanent class skills. If a skill the character selects is already a class skill, he or she receives a +1 competence bonus on checks using that skill. Craft (electronics), Gather Information, Knowledge (arcane lore, behavorial science, history, physical sciences, technology, theology and philosophy), Research, Sense Motive, Search, or Spot.
Bonus Feats: Choose one of the following feats to gain as a bonus feat. All prerequisites must be met before the feat can be selected. Alertness, Ectoplasmic Dominator, Ghost Spotter, Ghost Whisperer.
Wealth Bonus: +1
Here's a randomly generated horror plot based on a drawing by Bryan Baugh. It's purpose is to provide a framework and spur your imagination to create an adventure of your own, for whatever game system you prefer.
OPTIONAL: HOW DO THE PLAYER CHARACTERS GET INVOLVED? (Roll 1d6)
1-2. One or more of the Ouija Ghost's victims were friends or family of a party member.
3-4. The party has been tracking the cursed items that are rumored to cause the Ouija Ghost to manifest.
5-6. One of the player characters witnessed his or her friends be murdered by the Quija Ghost as a teen and he or she recognizes the pattern of its attacks.
THE TERROR OF THE QUIJA GHOST
A group of friends spend the night with some food, some alcohol, and a Quija board. They awakened something terrible, and the player characters must discover what and return it where it came from.
WHO PLAYED WITH THE OUIJA BOARD? (Roll 1d6)
1. 1d3+1 Cheerleaders
2. 1d3+1 Sorority Girls
3. 1d3+1 Supermodels
4. 1d3+1 Goth Chicks
5. 1d3+1 Baristas
6. 1d3+1 Ballerinas
WHY DID THEY PLAY WITH THE OUIJA BOARD? (Roll 1d6)
1-2. For spooky fun.
3-4. To talk to the spirit of a recently deceased friend.
5-6. To scare one of their number who is a believer in spiritualism.
WHERE DID THE OUIJA BOARD COME FROM? (Roll 1d6)
1. The attic of a family home.
2. A pawn shop.
3. Abandoned on a rainy street.
4. A store specializing in occult items.
5. An antique store that was going out of business.
6. Found in the hallway; each girl assumed one of the others brought it.
WHAT IS THE QUIJA GHOST? (Roll 1d6)
1. A vengeful spirit, specifically after the girls.
2. A manifestiation of the curse upon the Quija board.
3. A manifestation of the curse upon the planchette.
4. A demon that took advantage of the game.
5. An urban legend made real through the psychic powers of one of the girls (and her secret hatred and jealousy of another member of the group).
6. The spirit of a serial killer that's been returned to the world.
WHAT HAPPENED TO THE GIRLS? (Roll 1d6)
1. All but one were driven insane.
2. All but one were brutally murdered; survivor driven insane.
3. All have vansihed without a trace. (1-3, they can found alive; 4, 1d3-1 can be found alive; 5-6, they can be found dead.)
4. One girl brutally murdered, the others injured but alive.
5. They are all comatose, the life mysteriously slowly draining from them.
6. 1d3-1 girls brutally murdered, the others missing. Those missing are now puppets of the Ouija Ghost.
WHAT HAPPENS IF THE OUIJA GHOST ISN'T STOPPED? (Roll 1d6)
1. Each night, 1d2 friends or families of the girls who played with the Ouija board are brutally murdered.
2. Roll on WHO PLAYED WITH THE QUIJA BOARD. 1d2 girls of the indicated group are brutally murdered each night.
3. Each night, 1d2 additional girls of the kind originally rolled on WHO PLAYED WITH THE QUIJA BOARD are brutally murdered.
4. One of the surviving girls, becomes possessed by the Ouija Ghost 1d3 nights later and goes on a killing spree. (If the girls had vanished without a trace, one reappears each 1d3 nights to brutally murder innocent people until the rest are found and rescued.)
5. Once the surviving girls are dead, the Ouija Ghost will start to target the player characters and their loved ones.
6. Roll two more times on this table, rerolling any results of 6. If the
same result is rolled twice, then it is the only one that applies.
HOW IS THE QUIJA GHOST STOPPED? (Roll 1d6)
1. The Quija board must be reduced to fine ash in a sanctified place.
2. The planchette must be ground into fine dust and scattered on the grave
of a murderer.
3. The truth about how it came to be a ghost must be revealed.
4. The Quija board and planchette must be destroyed with the horn of a unicorn.
5. A Jew, and Christian, and a Muslim must perform an anient ritual over the Quija board, forcing the Quija Ghost to go dormant again.
6. Roll two more times on this table, rerolling any results of 6. If the same result is rolled twice, then it is the only one that applies.
WHAT IS THE SURPRISE TWIST? (Roll 1d6)
1-2. There isn't one.
3. The Quija Ghost wasn't destroyed. It was spread into 13 different random Ouija boards within a 666 mile radius of the original killings.
4-5. There never was a Quija Ghost... it was all the work of one of dead or vanished girls who's a very clever, very psychopathic killer.
6. There never was a Quija Ghost. It was a ruse by a Satanic cult that sacrificed the girls and staged the Quija Ghost situations to lure the player characters to their deaths.
The next release from NUELOW Games will, in all likelihood, be a little thing titled d20 Potheads. Here's a little bit of what may appear in the booklet...
MAGIC WEED Originating on the Demiplane of Whifty, and brought back to Earth by the dimension hopping Witchkind, when rolled in a blunt, stuffed in a pipe, or packed in bong and smoked for 1d6 mnutes, the user enjoys one of the following random benefits for 1d4+4 hours.
Magic Weed Effect (Roll 1d12) 1-2. -1 initiative roll, +2 to Wisdom bonus 3-4. -1 initiative roll, +8 to rolls to resist Fear and intimidation 5-6. -1 initiative roll, +4 to Bluff and Sense Motive skill checks 7-8. -1 initiative roll, +4 to Research and Spot skill checks 9-10. +2 inititiave roll, +4 to Fortitude saves 11. +2 initiative roll, -2 to all skill checks 12. Roll again. If the same result comes up again, double the indicated affects, except 12. If 12 is rolled again, all who have smoked the Magic Weed are immediately transported to the Demiplane of Whifty.
Right now, we're trying to decide if we should include the Magic Weed, which you can read about below, a revision of the Magic Bongs described in this post, or both.
If you want to tell us what you think, you can comment here or on our Facebook page!
It's been entirely too long since we've engaged in a demonstration that will curry favor with the important people in the hobby game business-- the Guardians of Everything Pure and Good and Politically Correct and Socially Acceptable. Since we crave acceptance, we hope this post will make up for that oversight, with a new starting occupation for OGL Modern/d20 Modern!
All text in this post is presented under the Open Game License and may be reproduced in accordance with its terms. Copyright 2018 Steve Miller.
STARTING OCCUPATION: SOCIAL JUSTICE WARRIOR
Even before you became an adventuring hero, you fought a relentless battle against Evil. You are a morally superior being who isn't afraid to let the world know it. Even if you have to punch someone because you don't like what they have to say or how they talk or how they dress or the color of their skin. Prerequisite: Age 15+ Class Skill: Choose one of the following skills as permanent class skills. If a skill the character selects is already a class skill, he or she or ze or it receives a +1 competence bonus on checks using that skill. Computer Use, Knowledge (arcane lore, art, behavioral sciences, current events, popular culture, or theology and philosophy), Perform (dance, percussion instruments, or sing), Research. Bonus Feat: Pick three feat to gain as bonus feats. You must meet any prerequisites before selecting a feat. Alternative Fact, Detect Fascist, Do As I Say Not As I Do, Perpetually Offended, Portable Safe Space, Protest, Righteous Mob, Shameless, Specialty Martial Artist, Understand "Dog Whistle", Venting Your Righteous Anger Special: Characters with this starting profession may select any of the bonus feats listed above in place of bonus feats earned when advancing in their class.
NEW FEATS
The following feats are among those that are available to the Social Justice Warrior as bonus feats. Details on others can be found by clicking on the links in the Bonus Feat list above.
DETECT FASCIST
You know a fascist when you see one! Benefit: Pick someone you don't like--the reason doesn't matter. Declare that person a fascist. Gain a +2 bonus to melee attack rolls.
DO AS I SAY, NOT AS I DO
You say things others should live by. Prerequisite: Cha 15 Benefit: +4 bonus to all Bluff and Intimidate skill checks.
PERPETUALLY OFFENDED No matter who you're dealing with, what is going on, or where you are, you can find something to be offended by. Prerequisite: Maximum WIS score of 10. Benefit: Pick a reason and a target. Gain a +4 bonus to skill checks (such as Bluff, Diplomacy, or Intimidate) and attack rolls and damage rolls directed at it for a number of hours equal to 1/2 your character level. For example, if you take offense at a book you see for sale online (like this one), you gain a +4 bonus to your Craft (writing) skill while posting online about how you want a boycott of the horrible item, and a +4 bonus to Intimidate when you post to the Facebook page set up by fans of the work you hate.
RIGHTEOUS MOB
You gain strength from being around those who, like you, are pure of heart and righteous in deed. Prerequisite: Detect Fascist Benefit: Gain a +1 bonus to melee attack and damage rolls against someone who has been declared a fascist. The bonuses are in increased by +1 for each character who possesses the Righteous Mob who are within a 15-foot radius of each other. SHAMELESS
You keep your cool in situations where most others would either be ashamed, embarrassed or painfully self-aware. Benefit: +2 bonus to all Bluff and Perform skill checks. Special: If the character has 5 or more ranks in Perform (acting), this feat grants a +2 synergy bonus to Diplomacy skill checks.
UNDERSTAND "DOG WHISTLE"
You hear the secret messages contained in the utterances of fascists, no matter how cleverly they attempt to hide them from the uninitiated. Prerequisite: Detect Fascist, Perpetually Offended Benefit: Once you've targeted someone with the Detect Fascist feat, you may, as a free action, declare anything they say to contain a hidden fascist message that only fascists (and perhaps Nazis) can hear. Roll a Will save (DC11) to convince yourself that what you are saying is true and gain an additional +2 bonus to melee attack and melee damage rolls directed at the target, as well as a +4 bonus to Intimidate skill checks made against anyone within the sound of your voice. Special: Characters possessing the Righteous Mob feat ignore the bonus to Intimidate gained from Understand "Dog Whistle".
Rules to bring diversity to the "d20 Modern" character generation system can be found here. Use them.
This is a supplement for d20 System games (such as d20 Modern). However, it easily adapted to any RPG system that features statistics for undead creatures, such as zombies, ghouls, and the like. It was inspired by H.P. Lovecraft's "Herbert West, Re-Animator" stories (and, of course, the hilarious gore-fests that are Re-Animator, Bride of Re-Animator, and Beyond Re-Animator).
The RE-AGENT and MAKING MORE RE-AGENT sections are released under the Open Game License and may be reproduced in accordance with its terms. The rest of the text in this article is Product Identity. Copyright 2018 Steve Miller.
HERBERT WEST AND HIS RE-AGENT IN BRIEF
In 1903, a young medical student named Herbert West claimed he had discovered a compound that would restore life to dead beings if injected into their bodies; as a result, he was ridiculed, first by his fellow medical students and later by the medical and scientific community at large. After graduating from medical school, he established a medical practice in Boston with long-time friend Daniel Abbott, and he served as a volunteer doctor during World War I. During this time, he reportedly continued his research into reviving the dead, and, according to statements given to the authorities by Dr. Abbott, this research led directly to West's mysterious disappearance in October of 1922. No one believed Abbott's claims that West had been carried off by zombies reanimated by the Re-Agent, and Abbott was written off as a madman.
Herbert West's fate remained a mystery for almost a century... until the great-great grandson of Daniel Abbott, Joshua Madison, went through some of Abbott's journals and located West's secret laboratory, and more than a gallon of the Re-Agent solution--as well as several variations on the formula to create more.
THE RE-AGENT
Although West went through 37 formula variations in his attempt to perfect the chemical compound that bring life to the dead, they all basically function the same and are identical when visually inspected--a bright green liquid.
It takes 20ccs of Re-Agent to revive an average size adult human--half that for children and 30ccs for large or obese adults. Similarly, the amount needed to revive an animal varies on its size, ranging from 5cc (for rabbits or house cats) to 30 cc (for horses or cows).
If too little of the Re-Agent is injected, nothing happens. If too much is injected, the corpse convulses for 1d6+1 rounds, possible screaming random phrases as if the tortured soul within it is trying to communicate. It then explodes in a shower of gore and bone fragments, dealing 1d4 points of damage to everyone within 10 feet. Characters covered in gore must roll a Fortitude save or be sickened for six rounds less their Constitution bonus.
The type of undead the corpse animates as depends on how long its been dead, plus a random roll on 1d6. The creature has the statistics as is typical for the game unless the random roll indicates otherwise. In all cases, the creature is disoriented for a few moments after being revived (1d6 rounds), after which is flies into a rage and attacks nearest person, or, if intelligent, either the person responsible for his or her death and/or reanimation. Undead with low intelligence or higher remember some or all of their previous life, even if they grow increasingly insane due to their state. All undead created by the Re-Agent are free-willed and can only be commanded through whatever supernatural means are described in the game system.
Unless otherwise noted, all attacks are made with the base creatures standard attack values.
Re-Agent Results Tables (Roll 1d6) Subject Deceased 0-15 Minutes
1-3. Standard Ghoul
4-5. Ghoul with Strength Score of 20
6. Standard Ghoul, but when reduced to half or less of its starting hit points, the creature bursts open and its entrails and organs begin attacking. The creature is restored to full hit points. It now gets three melee attacks per round, each dealing 1d4 points of damage. These attacks can be made against different targets. These attacks do not carry the threat of paralysis.
A critical hit causes the target to become entangled in the writhing guts. Being so entangled imposes a -2 penalty to attack rolls, but it reduces the undead's attacks to two per round. The target may break free with a successful Strength check (DC14). Any additional critical hits are treated as normal hits.
If the target is entangled for more than two rounds, the flailing guts wrap around the target's face, beginning to strangle him or her. The target must now roll a Fortitude save each round (DC8, with the DC increasing by 2 each subsequent round) until he or she manages to break free. If the target fails a Fortitude save, he or she falls unconscious and is defenseless. The target continues to be pummeled and dies from strangulation within 5 rounds if not rescued.
Subject Deceased 16-59 Minutes
1-3. Standard Ghoul
4-5. Standard Zombie
6. Standard Zombie, but when reduced to half or less of its starting hit points, the creature bursts open and its entrails and organs begin attacking. The creature is restored to full hit points. It now gets three melee attacks per round, each dealing 1d4 points of damage. These attacks can be made against different targets.
A critical hit causes the target to become entangled in the writhing guts. Being so entangled imposes a -2 penalty to attack rolls, but it reduces the undead's attacks to two per round. The target may break free with a successful Strength check (DC14). Any additional critical hits are treated as normal hits.
If the target is entangled for more than two rounds, the flailing guts wrap around the target's face, beginning to strangle him or her. The target must now roll a Fortitude save each round (DC8, with the DC increasing by 2 each subsequent round) until he or she manages to break free. If the target fails a Fortitude save, he or she falls unconscious and is defenseless. The target continues to be pummeled and dies from strangulation within 5 rounds if not rescued.
Subject Deceased 1 Hour - 24 Hours
1-3. Standard Zombie
4. Zombie with Strength Score of 20 and skills and mental stats it had when it was alive
5. Standard Zombie, but when reduced to half or less of its starting hit points, it collapses into the gory heap on the ground. The following round, its arms and legs begin to attack targets in the area independently. Each limb has DR6, has 6 hit points, and deals 1d4 points of damage per attack.
6. Standard Zombie, but when reduced to half or less of its starting hit points, the creature bursts open and its entrails and organs begin attacking. The creature is restored to full hit points. It now gets three melee attacks per round, each dealing 1d4 points of damage. These attacks can be made against different targets.
A critical hit causes the target to become entangled in the writhing guts. Being so entangled imposes a -2 penalty to attack rolls, but it reduces the undead's attacks to two per round. The target may break free with a successful Strength check (DC14). Any additional critical hits are treated as normal hits.
If the target is entangled for more than two rounds, the flailing guts wrap around the target's face, beginning to strangle him or her. The target must now roll a Fortitude save each round (DC8, with the DC increasing by 2 each subsequent round) until he or she manages to break free. If the target fails a Fortitude save, he or she falls unconscious and is defenseless. The target continues to be pummeled and dies from strangulation within 5 rounds if not rescued.
Subject Deceased One Day - Two Days
1-3. Standard Zombie
4. Standard Ghoul
5. Standard Zombie, but when reduced to half or less of its starting hit points, it collapses into the gory heap on the ground. The following round, its arms and legs begin to attack targets in the area independently. Each limb has DR6, has 6 hit points, and deals 1d4 points of damage per attack.
6. The subject rises from the dead, fully healed of whatever injuries or ailments that killed him or her. After a number of minutes equal to 2d6+subject's Con bonus, the subject's body starts to dissolve into a gooey, bloody mess. The transformation takes three rounds, with the subject screaming in agony the whole time. On the fourth round, the subject's entrails and internal organs burst from his or her disintegrating form and start attacking. The subject continues to scream, alternating between incoherent shrieks of pain, pleas for the misery to end, and swearing that would shock a sailor.
The subject's entrails get three melee attacks per round, each dealing 1d4 points of damage. These attacks can be made against different targets.
A critical hit by the entrails causes the target to become entangled in the writhing guts. Being so entangled imposes a -2 penalty to attack rolls, but it reduces the undead's attacks to two per round. The target may break free with a successful Strength check (DC14). Any additional critical hits are treated as normal hits.
If the target is entangled for more than two rounds, the flailing guts wrap around the target's face, beginning to strangle him or her. The target must now roll a Fortitude save each round (DC8, with the DC increasing by 2 each subsequent round) until he or she manages to break free. If the target fails a Fortitude save, he or she falls unconscious and is defenseless. The target continues to be pummeled and dies from strangulation within 5 rounds if not rescued.
Subject Deceased Three Days
1-3. The subject rises from the dead, fully healed of whatever injuries or ailments that killed him or her. After a number of hours equal to 2d6+subject's Con bonus, the subject turns into a Standard Ghoul. The transformation takes three rounds, during which the subject is in terrible agony and when it's complete, he or she attacks anyone within melee range until slain.
4. The subject rises from the dead, fully healed of whatever injuries or ailments that killed him or her. After a number of hours equal to 4d6+subject's Con bonus, the subject turns into a Standard Ghoul. The transformation takes three rounds, during which the subject is in terrible agony and when it's complete, he or she attacks anyone within melee range until slain.
5-6. The subject rises from the dead, fully healed of whatever injuries or ailments that killed him or her. After a number of hours equal to 4d6+subject's Con bonus, the subject's body starts to dissolve into a gooey, bloody mess. The transformation takes three rounds, with the subject screaming in agony the whole time. On the fourth round, the subject's entrails and internal organs burst from his or her disintegrating form and start attacking.
The subject's entrails get three melee attacks per round, each dealing 1d4 points of damage. These attacks can be made against different targets. The subject may also attack, using melee or ranged weapons with his or her standard attack bonuses. The subject is now full of a cold, calculating desire to kill any living thing it can.
A critical hit by the entrails causes the target to become entangled in the writhing guts. Being so entangled imposes a -2 penalty to attack rolls, but it reduces the undead's attacks to two per round. The target may break free with a successful Strength check (DC14). Any additional critical hits are treated as normal hits.
If the target is entangled for more than two rounds, the flailing guts wrap around the target's face, beginning to strangle him or her. The target must now roll a Fortitude save each round (DC8, with the DC increasing by 2 each subsequent round) until he or she manages to break free. If the target fails a Fortitude save, he or she falls unconscious and is defenseless. The target continues to be pummeled and dies from strangulation within 5 rounds if not rescued.
Subject Deceased Four Days to Four Years
1-3. Standard Zombie
4-5. Standard Zombie, but when reduced to half or less of its starting hit points, it collapses into the gory heap on the ground. The following round, its arms and legs begin to attack targets in the area independently. Each limb has DR6, has 6 hit points, and deals 1d4 points of damage per attack.
6. A Zombie, with all the memories, skills, and mental stats of the character when he or she was alive. Strength attribute score of 22.
Subject Deceased Five Years to 50 Years
1-2. Standard Zombie
3. Standard Zombie, but when reduced to 0 or less hit points, it explodes into a massive cloud of dust and spores. All living beings within a 10-ft. radius are Blinded for 1d6+2 rounds, and must roll Fortitude saves (DC12) or be Sickened 1d4 rounds.
4-5. Standard Mummy with all the memories, skills, and mental stats of the character when he or she was alive.
6. Standard Mummy, but when reduced to half of its hit points it unleashes a massive swarm of insects through its mouth. (Treat as a creeping doom spell cast by a 12th-level caster.)
Subject Deceased 51 Years to 500 Years
1. Standard Zombie
2-4. Standard Mummy
5. Standard Mummy, but when reduced to half its hit points, it issues a howl and a massive cloud of dust and spores rush from its mouth and swirl around the area. All living beings within a 10-ft radius are Blinded for 2d6 rounds and must roll Fortitude saves (DC12) or be Sickened for 2d4 rounds.
6. A Lich, with the spellcasting abilities of a 5th-level sorcerer
Subject Deceased 501 Years or More
1-2. Standard Skeleton
3. A Lich, with the spellcasting abilities of 12th-level sorcerer
4. Standard Mummy, except when reduced to half its hit point, it issues a howl and a massive could of dust rush from its mouth and swirl around the area. All living beings within a 10-ft radius are blinded for 2d6 rounds and must roll Fortitude saves (DC14) or be Sickened for 2d4 rounds.
When reduced to 0 hit points, the mummy explodes into a massive swarm of insects. (Treat as a creeping doom spell cast by a 15th-level caster. Also, any dead bodies within a 30-ft. radius rise as Standard Skeletons.
5. A Lich, with the spellcasting abilities of a 15-level sorcerer.
6. The subject is apparently restored fully to life, its body gradually returning to full and vibrant health over the course of three rounds. However, the subject is actually a Standard Succubus (or Incubus, depending on the sex of the subject).
MAKING MORE RE-AGENT
By following one of West's formulas, characters can use their Craft (Chemicals) skill (DC15) or their Craft (Pharmaceuticals) skill (DC22) to create more Re-Agent. They may make it in batches of one pint to as many gallons as they wish. Obtaining the materials to create 1 pint of Re-Agent requires a Wealth Check of DC8. The check increases by +2 for each additional pint worth of materials purchased.
Off-Label Effects
Depending on which variation is used. the Re-Agent may have effects that Dr. West didn't intend. These are listed below and may be discovered by accident or experimentation; some may be deduced by studying the notes of Dr. West or Dr. Abbott (Research skill checks of DC15).
If characters are using or studying Re-Agent originally made by West, the DM should roll a 1d8 to see if there are any off-label effects. (West did not label his Re-Agent batches according to which formula he used to make them, because he had that information in memory.)
Formula Used Off-Label Effect
1-7. None. (1)
8-16. Can be turned into an aerosols spray.
Dose can re-animate 1d4+1 sprayed corpses. (2)
17-25. None. (3)
25-26. Living beings become Zombies 1d4+2 hours
after being injected (or eating or drinking food
contaminated with Re-Agent). Fortitude save DC 22
to negate. (4)
27-29. None. (5)
30-33. If submerged in Re-Agent, corpses will reanimate. (6)
34-35 None. (7)
35-37. If more than one gallon of Re-Agent is spilled and seeps
into the ground near a cemetery or other burial site, 1d8+1
Standard Zombies rise and set out to kill the living. (8)
It's October. The dark night of Halloween is drawing ever closer. To help you get in the mood, we're going to bring you a series of ghost- and haunting-themed adventure seeds (and perhaps a few other goodies). Each post in this series will be rounded out by a fun cover of Ray Parker Jr.'s legendary "Ghostbusters" theme song.
Although saddened by the passing of Uncle Demitrius, the Pleasantons were thrilled to move into the isolated old house he left them in his will. At least they were until it turned out to be haunted.
Can the PCs get to the bottom of what's going on? (Roll 1d8 on the tables to randomly generate a Dark Old House ghostbusting adventure seed!
WHAT IS HAPPENING IN THE HOUSE?
1. Strange lights and sounds are waking the family up at night.
2. Items are being moved around and drawers are being emptied and the contents scattered.
3. Food in the fridge is spoiling and all liquids in opened containers (such as milk and juice) are evaporating overnight.
4. The family’s baby keeps disappearing from her room, but is always found safely in some bizarre part of the house.
5. The plumbing keeps going haywire with strong blasts of scalding or ice cold water, sinks and tubs backing up and causing flooding, or small fires keep erupting in the living room and bedroom.
6. Demitrius is heard uttering strange chants or vague threats.
7. Strange shapes appear in the bedrooms, waking family members at night, sometimes even grabbing them before vanishing.
8. Roll twice on the table, re-rolling any Sixes or repeated numbers.
WHY ARE THE SPIRITS RESTLESS?
1. They aren’t. A greedy real estate developer (and supposed family friend) is trying to scare the family from their home.
2. They aren’t. A crooked antique dealer (and supposed family friend) is sneaking into the house and searching for treasure that, according to old records he found, is hidden in the walls.
3. They aren’t. The angry lover of the husband (1-3)/wife (4-6) has used a magic ritual to bind a minor demon to the house to harass the family.
4. The kids played with a Quija Board and 1d6 poltergeists now inhabit the house.
5. When the old well at the bottom of the backyard was unsealed, elemental and nature spirits were awakened and released.
6. Children playing in the back yard awakened the cursed souls of cultists sacrificed by their leader to appease their dark god (and to prevent his discovery by the authorities).
7. Demitrius was murdered and his ghost is trying to warn the family that the are next if they don't leave... because a lunatic has decided he wants the house for himself.
8. Demitrius was a demon worshiper who traded his soul for theirs; the manifestations in the house is Demistrius summoning spirits and preparing to suck the souls out of the family so he may live forever.
To amuse himself and his Facebook Friends, our fearless leader Steve Miller did some pothead releated d20 Sysetm content. The thing took on a life of its own, and a product thematically similar to OGL Drunkardsmay be forthcoming. Meanwhile, here's a draft of some of the potential content. (Like Secrets of the Witchkind drew some inspiration from the classic TV series Bewitched, so does this hypothetical product draw inspiration from Charles Bands' Evil Bong series. (All text for the rest of this post is released under the Open Game License. Copyright Steve Miller 2018.)
Comments are welcomed!
NEW STARTING OCCUPATION Stoner
Prerequisite: Age 15+
Skills: Choose three of the following skills as permanent class skills. If a skill the character selects is already a class skill, he or she receives a +1 competence bonus on checks using that skill. Craft (visual art or writing), Knowledge (arcane lore or popular culture), Perform (dance, keyboards, percussion instruments, sing, stringed instruments), Spot.
Feats: Select either Creative or Pothead
Special: Characters with this starting profession may select [Stoner] feats in place of bonus feats earned when advancing in their class.
NEW SKILL Herbalism (Wis, trained only)
You can tell skunk weed from the good stuff, and you can tell what can be smoked and what shouldn't be smoked. You also know the ingridents for making simple herbal remedies. The DC of the skill check depends on what you are attempting to accomplish. Here are some examples:
DC5: Tell catnip from pot
DC8: Tell skunk weed from the good stuff.
DC11: Make a hang-over remedy, or otherwise alleviate mild pain.
DC15: Tell the good stuff from Magic Weed Special: If the character has 5 ranks in Herbalism, he or she gains a +2 synergy bonus to Craft (Pharmaceutical).
NEW FEATS Emptyhead [Stoner]
You can clear your mind and gain amazing results.
Prerequisite: Pothead
Benefit: Roll a Concentration skill check (DC11+your INT bonus) and meditate. For each round spent in meditation to clear your mind, the character gains a +2 bonus to the next Resarch, Gather Information, and Spot skill checks you make.
Greater Emptyhead [Meta-Gaming, Stoner]
The wide open spaces of your mind can yield unusual insights.
Prerequisite: Emptyhead
Benefit: Roll a Concentration skill check (DC13+your INT bonus) as a full round action. If the check is successful, you may ask the GM three questions geared toward solving whatever problems or mysteries the characters are trying to overcome in the game. The GM must give you an honest and helpful answer (like an obvious clue or the outright solution). The GM does not necessarily need to provide the means to resolving the problem or evidence to prove the solution to the mystery, just provide the answers to the questions. If the question has no answer, the GM can say that he or she doesn't know. (In game terms, these answers come to the character using the Greater Emptyhead feat as flashes of brilliant and cosmic insight.)
Master of the Emptyhead [Stoner]
Your mind is a gateway to other times and places and worlds
Prerequisite: Greater Emptyhead
Benefit: Roll a Concentration skill check (DC13+your INT bonus). Meditate for three rounds. At the end of the third round, your mind becomes a dimensional portal and you and all creatures within 30 feet of your location are transported to a random time and place. [TBD = Table to be Designed]
Pothead [Stoner]
You toke 'em when you got 'em.
Benefit: Gain a permanent -1 penalty to Initiaive checks, but a +4 bonus to Will saving throws to resist mind-affecting magic and spell-like effects.
Special: You gain a +2 bonus to Wealth checks made when scoring weed.
This material will appear in a slightly different (as in edited) form in NUELOW Games' next release The Elementals for the OGL d20 System. First up, is an optional part of modifications to the character generation system that determines which Great Dragon's magic impacted the character's ancient ancestors.
HOW WERE YOUR ELEMENTAL POWERS AWAKENED? (Roll 1d6)
Art by Storn Cook
1. You have always felt attracted to the element you draw your power from, but as you entered your teens, you began to develop the powers you now possess.
2. You almost lost your life in a situation involving the element your powers are drawn from; in the aftermath, you discovered new abilities.
3-4. Your family has always been key members of a global cult devoted to worshiping the dragon spirits. You were identified as one of the Blessed and prepared for the day when your powers would manifest themselves.
5. You were doing yoga, meditating, taking mind-altering drugs (or some combination thereof) when your mind was flooded with flashes of a long-gone age when Great Dragons watched over Earth and all life on it. You fell into a coma 16 hours, and when you recovered, your powers had developed.
6. A strange old man approached you and said that you were the heir to a great and ancient gift... and that you were to take over the role he had filled for the last several decades. After showing you his power, he trained you in the use of yours.
HOW DID THE PLAYER CHARACTERS MEET? (Roll 1d6)
1. At the funeral of a shared mentor.
2. They are abducted and imprisoned together for reasons they initially don't understand and must work together to escape and figure out why.
3. They were raised in the same secret society and brought together when the time was right.
4. They each felt drawn to the same isolated castle in Ireland.
5. They are the sole survivors of a natural disaster.
6. While they are individually being hunted by assassins, they each recieved a message (and the means) to travel to a remote building in the Mojave Desert in order to discover the key to survive and the reason for why they are being hunted.
NEW FEAT
Here's a feat that may be included... the editor is still mulling over a few last minute brainstorms that I had regarding what could go into The Elementals.
Sense Elemental
You can sense when you are near someone else who carries a spark of a Great Dragon within them. Prerequisite: Child of a Great Dragon, Spot 4 ranks. Benefit: When your characer is within 60 feet of another Elemental, the GM tells you the character feels as though something is "off" or as if "someone just walked over your grave" or some other statement to show you are sensing something unusual. Upon making a successful Spot skill check (DC12), you can identify the source of your unease--another Elemental. If the Elemental is out of your line of sight, you know exactly where he or she is. You may The sense of unease ends as soon as you recognise the other Immortal.)
The sense of unease also ends if the Spot check reveals some other threat or mystery that draws your attention.
Here's a table to spark ideas for a side adventures the next time the player characters are traveling between planets in your sci-fi campaign. Roll 1d12 to determine what disrupts a peaceful trip.
1. Crew is seized by Space Madness
2. Martian Fever spreads among the passengers, killing them and reanimating their bodies.
3. The ship is hijacked by Venusian seperatists
4. The ship is boarded by space pirates
5. An old friend of the party seeks them out for protection
6. An old enemy of the party seeks them out for protection
7. A deadly being made of pure mental energy is moving from body to body, causing murder and mayhemn
8. Assassins are targeting a politician traveling incognito
9. Thugs want to kidnap a couple of eloping rich kids and hold them for ransom
10. Space Witches have chosen the ship and this passage as the time and place for their latest ritual
11. The life support systems mysteriously malfunction
12. A powerful energy beam draws the ship toward Uranus
Some five years ago, NUELOW head-honcho Steve Miller had an idea for a system of super powers that could be grated onto any d20 System game that used the feats and talents mechanic to advance character abilities. It began with the post linked here, and Miller and his partner in NUELOWness, L.L. Hundal, has been expanding upon it ever since... through posts here at the blog and with content in many of the comics/rpg hybrid products that they've produced.
Miller & Hundal have agreed that they think they've just about covered all their favorite comic book heroes and their abilities via the rules they've been creating... and that it may be time to pull all the bits and bobs together into a unified and coherent whole and release an actual product! One of the last pieces may or may not be this new base class while Hundal has been using in her d20 Modern games for the last few go-arounds.
All text in this post is released under the Open Game License and may be reproduce in accordance with its terms. Copyright Steve Miller 2018
THE SUPER HERO CLASS
By L.L. Hundal & Steve Miller
There are Fast heroes, Smart Heroes, Strong heroes... all the kinds of heroes you find described in the d20 Modern Standard Reference Document. But the Super hero stands above them all. Whether driven by supernatural forces, family heritage, or some life-altering trauma, the super hero has powers and abilities beyond those of mere mortals that he or she puts to use to defend the innocent from criminals and other evil people and entities that would prey upon them. It is a versatile class with access to the wide range of talents, as well as minor power feats.
THE SUPER HERO CLASS
Ability: Player's Choice; Super heroes come in all shapes, sizes and intelligence quotients.
Hit Die: 1d8
Action Points: Super heroes gain a number of action points equal to 5 + one-half their character level, rounded down, at 1st level and every time they attain a new level in this class.
Class Skills: The Super hero's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are: Balance (Dex), Bluff (Cha), Climb (Str), Concentration (Con), Craft (mechanical) (Int), Drive (Dex), Escape Artist (Dex), Hide (Dex), Jump (Strength), Knowledge (current events, science [pick individual branches separately], streetwise) (Int), Move Silently (Dex), Pilot (Dex), Sense Motive (Wis), Speak Language (none), and Tumble (Dex).
Also, the starting occupation the character selects can provide additional class skills to choose from.
Skill Points at 1st Level: (6 + Int modifier) x4.
Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 5 + Int modifier.
Table: The Super Hero
Class Level
Base Attack Bonus
Fort Save
Ref Save
Will Save
Class Features
Defense Bonus
Reputation Bonus
1st
+1
+0
+1
+1
Talent
+2
+0
2nd
+2
+1
+1
+1
Bonus feat
+3
+1
3rd
+3
+1
+2
+1
Talent
+3
+1
4th
+4
+2
+2
+2
Bonus feat
+4
+2
5th
+5
+2
+3
+2
Talent
+4
+2
6th
+6/+1
+3
+3
+2
Bonus feat
+5
+3
7th
+6/+1
+3
+4
+3
Talent
+5
+3
8th
+7/+2
+4
+4
+3
Bonus feat
+6
+4
9th
+7/+2
+4
+5
+3
Talent
+6
+4
10th
+8/+3
+5
+5
+4
Bonus feat
+7
+5
Starting Feats
In addition to the two feats all characters get at 1st level, a Super hero begins play with the Combat Martial Arts feat, or a Weapons Proficiency feat of the player's choice. The character must meet any prerequisites before selecting a feat.
Class Features
All of the following are class features of the Super hero.
Talents
At 1st, 3rd, 5th, 7th, and 9th level, the Super hero may select a talent from any the following talent trees. Some trees have a set order that must be followed, while others provide a list to choose from.
Any and all Super Power talent trees for which the Super hero meets the prerequisites.
No talent can be selected more than once unless expressly indicated in its description.
Feats
At 2nd, 4th, 6th, 8th, and 10th level, the Super hero may select a bonus feat from the following list.
Any [Minor Power] feat, plus Alertness, Athletic, Blind-fight, Builder, Combat Expertise, Educated, Gearhead, Improved Disarm, Frightful Presence, Iron Will, Lightning Reflexes, Meticulous, Studious, Trustworthy, Weapon Focus.
