Showing posts with label Christmas. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Christmas. Show all posts

Tuesday, December 1, 2020

Cursed Candy Canes

The Christmas-hating mad scientist Dr. Stephen Nicholas and his faithful assistant Holly have unleashed their latest scheme to destroy the Season of Good Will and Cheer--cursed candy canes!

Christmas Art by Richard Sala

Using ancient rituals and Atlantean magi-tech, they infused thousands of candy canes with dark magics that places those who consume them under a curse. These candy canes have been mixed in with non-cursed ones and will soon be distributed all across the United States and Canada!

Will the heroes be able to stop this evil, or will Dr. Nick and Holly finally meet their evil goal?!

(The rest of this post is released under the Open Game License, and the text may be reproduced in accordance with its terms.)

CURSED CANDY CANES
The Cursed Candy Canes can be distinguished from normal candy canes, because they emit a faint magical aura of an undeterminable type or school. Characters with a natural ability to detect magic, or those using spells or magic items to do the same, can identify the Cursed Candy Canes.
   The magic of the Cursed Candy Canes is only active from the stroke of Midnight at the beginning of December 1 to the final moment of January 5. 
    The following tables determine the size of a cursed candy cane and what effect it has on the character who consumes it. These rules are suitable for use with all d20 System games, as well as all OSR game systems.
   First, roll on "Size of Candy Cane" and then roll to determine what curse it bestows upon those who consume it.

Size of Candy Cane (Roll 1d10)
1-8. Mini Candy Cane (must be completely consumed for curse 
       to take effect)
7-10. Regular Candy Cane (only half needs to be consumed for curse 
       to take effect; can be split between two characters)

The Curses (Roll 1d10)
1.  The character can only communicate by singing Christmas songs 
      and carols.
2.  The character becomes enraged whenever he or she hears music 
     and attacks the nearest person for 1d4+2 rounds.
3.  The character's teeth begin to rot rapidly and they all fall out within
     1d6+2 days.
4.  The character can't sleep. Whenever he or she closes her eyes, terrifying 
     visons gigantic, semi-humanoid sugar plums oozing a strange, sparkling 
     substance haunts him or her.
5.  Whenever the character sees an image of Santa Claus, or someone 
     dressed in a Santa outfit, he or she is terrified and must flee the area 
     at maximum movement rate. The character remains terrified for a
     a number of rounds equal to 10 less his or her Wisdom bonus.
6.  The character must naked whenever he or she stands or passes below
     mistletoe.
7.  The character becomes semi-insubstantial, appearing ghostly and 
     translucent. The character does not need to eat or drink, is immune to 
     all harm, but cannot pass through solid matter.
8.  The character becomes a werewolf whose transformation is triggered by
     the physical presence of a decorated Christmas Tree. The transformation 
     lasts until the next sunrise.
9.  The character becomes a vampire, but needs to consume 1/2 gallon of 
     eggnog each day instead of blood. Just like a vampire's need for blood, 
     the character has an insatiable desire for eggnog. If he or she does not 
     consume enough eggnog, the character suffers a temporary loss of 
     1 point of Strength and 1 point of Intelligence until the hunger is cured.
10. The character becomes enraged whenever he or she sees a wrapped 
      wrapped Christmas present. He or she must destroy the presents. 
      The rage lasts until the presents are all destroyed. The character attacks 
      anyone who tries to prevent the destruction.

ENDING THE CURSE
A curse can be ended by a bless or remove curse spell cast upon the sufferer by a 12-level caster (or from an item or scroll with the same power-level), or if the sufferer eats 1 pound of Fruitcake over the space of 30 minutes. The curse also ends automatically at the stroke of Midnight on January 5th, the end of the Twelve Days of Christmas.
   (For victims of #3, the curse may feel like it becomes worse: Their teeth grow back over the next 1d6+3 days, with severe pain as the baby teeth grow, then fall out, and are replaced by a new set of adult teeth.)

It's December...


… Christmas is coming, so let's get in the Christmas Spirit with an unusual version of a favorite among the NUELOW Gang--"Little Drummer Boy", with a video that was filmed not far from the birthplace of NUELOW Games itself!




Wednesday, December 11, 2019

In This Christmas Season...

… here's a magic item for your d20 System RPGs (like Pathfinder and such).



Candle of Peace
Candles of Peace are found in churches and shrines to good-aligned deities. No one knows how they are created or by whom. They just seem to appear in dark corners  bundles of 2d4+4, on random festival days for the deity a given shrine, church, or temple is devoted to. If subjected to detect magic, candles of peace radiate faint auras of divine magic, but nothing more specific can be determined. Roll 1d6 to determine what color the candles are: 1-2 red; 3-4 white; 5-6 green.
   When lit, a candle of peace provides a +2 bonus to Will saves to resist fear effects, and a +2 bonus to Fortitude saves to resist disease, venoms, and poisons (magical and non-magical) within a 10-foot radius and sight of the candle's flame. Each candle can burn a total of 48 hours before completely expended. It can be lit and extinguished any number of times during that period. (Each time it is lit, the GM can assume that a minimum of 1/4 of an hour  of burn time is spent.)
   A candle of peace cannot be wet or submerged in water to work. It can be used to ignite flammable materials and substances. It can be extinguished by any means that would extinguish a normal candle.
   Up to four candles of peace can be lit at the same time and their benefits will stack, for a maximum bonus of +8. They cannot be more than 4 inches apart for the bonuses to stack. The radius of the effect never expands beyond the 10-foot radius.



Best Holiday wishes from your friends at NUELOW Games! Here's Mike Oldfield's fabulous version of "Silent Night" to help set the mood!







Monday, December 24, 2018

Christmas is Here: What Ruins It for the Heroes?

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!





By Boris Vallejo

Friday, December 21, 2018

More Holiday Feats!

'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.


Wednesday, December 12, 2018

The Santa Slayings

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.




Monday, December 3, 2018

Christmas is Coming!

'Tis the Season for Percussion Magic!



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.)

Saturday, December 1, 2018

Christmas is Coming!

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.



Wednesday, December 20, 2017

A NUELOW Christmas: Magical Mistletoe

It's the time of year when the Spirits of Christmas move across the land, randomly bestowing icons of the holidays with supernatural blessings.

IS THE MISTLETOE MAGICAL?
Roll 1d6 to determine the nature of the mistletoe hung in the doorway.

1. Not magical, but still pretty (and a pretty good excuse for smooching).
2. Vampires may not cross through the doorway in which the mistletoe hangs, they cannot touch it, and anyone on the other side is immune to their mind-effecting powers.
3-4. Unfaithful lovers feel compelled to confess their betrayal while under the mistletoe (Will save DC24 to resist).
5-6. Faithful lovers gain a +4 bonus to all saving skill checks, saving throws, and attack rolls made when fighting together or defending each other for 24 hours after kissing beneath the mistletoe.


--
The text in this post is presented under the Open Game License and may be reproduced in accordance with its terms. Copyright Steve 2017. (If you found this material useful and/or entertaining, please support our efforts by buying one of our products at RPGNow or DriveThruRPG.)

Thursday, December 7, 2017

A NUELOW Christmas: Day Seven

Today, all we have is just a Christmas song and video to help you get in the right mood... as well as a reminder that Santa is always watching!


Wednesday, December 6, 2017

A NUELOW Christmas: Day Six

Here's a Christmas-flavored adventure idea for a modern setting that contains magic.

THE ELF ON THE SHELF MASSACRES
Someone is murdering the families of witnesses against Papa Jambo, the reputedly magic-using crimelord who is currently on trial for multiple murders. Despite heavy police protection, the assassins are still managing to infiltrate the homes and murder the families in their sleep; in one case, they even killed one of the officers on the protective detail.

After these shadowy assassins kill a pair of evidence technicians at a crime scene, the player characters are called in to help the investigation. Upon inspecting the crime scenes, they find one thing in common: Each home has an Elf on the Shelf doll in it... and at one point, one of the characters is attacked by one of the toys after it animates. (Use Kobold stats, 1d4 points of damage with a knife or some other sharp household object).



With some investigation, the characters discover that the Elf on the Shelf dolls were all sent to the family from the same downtown address, even if the packages all appeared to come from a variety of hard-to-contact relatives.

Upon visiting the warehouse, the party is attacked by 24 murderous Elf on the Shelf dolls. They attack in groups of 1d6+1 until all are destroyed. Further investigation of the warehouse reveals other addresses to which killer dolls were sent that morning, as well as the following (roll 1d4):

   1. That Papa Jambo's apprentice is animating the dolls and that he has moved to a different location with 48 more... which will be sent to judges and other law enforcement officials if he has the chance.
   2. That one of Papa Jambo's rivals are trying to frame him for the murders--and that rival is an even stronger and more evil sorcerer than Jambo.
   3. Family members or loved ones of the player characters have been targeted to recieve killer Elf on the Shelf dolls... and that they may already be in their homes!
   4. The Papa Jambo on trial is a look-a-like impostor and that the real crimelord is at a secret location, plotting a monstrous revenge that will turn Christmas Eve into a bloodbath!

Tuesday, December 5, 2017

A NUELOW Christmas: Day Five
Robert E Howard--A True Christmas Visionary!

Short story writer and poet Robert E. Howard is best known for creating Conan and Solomon Kane and thus laying the foundation for the Sword & Sorcery genre, but his creative vision was of a far greater scope!

In 1927, in a letter to his friend Clyde Tevis, Robert E. Howard created the Elf on the Shelf, something that would go onto becoming a pop culture Christmas sensation some 70 decades after his premature death!


THE WICKED OLD ELF (By Robert E. Howard)
There once was a wicked old elf
Who sat a girl up on a shelf,
In spite of her aunties,
He took down her panties—
But finish this rhyme for yourself.

For more poetry by Robert E. Howard (mostly of the serious variety), check out this collection from NUELOW Games.


Monday, December 4, 2017

A NUELOW Christmas: Day Four

There exists among us people who are touched by the Spirits of Christmas at birth. As children, they seem extra kind and extra cheerful (especially around the Holidays). When they turn 16, the Spirits visit the individual and offer them a chance to become a Santa's Helper.

SANTA'S HELPER 
(d20 System rules, presented under the Open Game License. Copyright 2017 by Steve Miller)
During character creation, the player can declare that his character chose to become a Santa's Helper when the Spirits came to visit. (This can also be rolled random if the GM prefers; the character is a Santa's Helper on a roll of 001 on percentile dice.)
  In addition to all class abilities and bonus feats, a Santa's Helper gains the following abilities for two days out of the year, December 24 and 25. If Santa requires assistance in delivering gifts to good children, or if there's a particular threat that is stopping him from visiting an area that requires the sort  skills and attention that only a player character can bring to bear, the character is asked to spring into action.
  Joy of Fellowship: The character and his closest allies (other PCs for example) gain a +1 bonus to all saving throws, attack rolls, and skill checks.
  Spellcasting: The character may cast a number of spells from the following list a number of times per day equal to his Wisdom + Charisma bonus. He casts the spell by making a gesture (such as twitching his nose or winking, with no other components required): Animal Friendship, Detect Thoughts, Disguise Self, Fabricate, Knock, Nondetection, Passwall, Telekinesis.
   Bonus Feat: The character adds Naughty or Nice to the selection of available bonus feats. The ability gained from this feat is available all year long.

A Santa's Helper is expected to be kind and helpful, and if he is mean or violent toward an undeserving or harmless target, he instantly loses his mystical status.


Sunday, December 3, 2017

A NUELOW Christmas Day 3

The Globe of Snow artifact is given by the Spirit of Christmas as a gift to particularly kind individuals who find themselves missing wintery weather around the time of the holidays.



The Enchanted Snow Globe
This crystal globe is 5 inches in circumference appears to be filled with a milky liquid. When shaken starts to glow softly and a scene of an old-fashioned village with Christmas trees outside every house, or a small snowbound cottage and snow falling appears within it  (random chance for each scene--village on a result of 1-3, cottage on 3-6). When placed upon a flat surface, the globe sits perfectly balanced and does not roll unless pushed. It never rolls further than an edge from which it could fall.
   As a standard action, the person shaking the snow globe can cause snow to fall within a 120-ft radius of his or her location; the snow always falls outside, so if the character is in a spaceship or some other completely enclosed artificial environment, this function of item will not work.
   If the snow globe is thrown on the ground, it explodes and causes a violent, highly localized magical blizzard that 4d6+6 points of cold damage and blinds everyone within a 6-foot radius except the person to whom the globe was given. The blizzard lasts for six rounds. The globe reforms in the person's possession 12 hours later.
   Finally, by concentrating on the scene within the globe for a full round, the person it was gifted to can wish themselves and up to five other individuals into the scene shown within the globe. They find themselves in a comfortable and warm little home where one of the Spirits of Christmas will host them with good cheer. The characters can remain in the home for up to 12 hours, and they may perform any actions they would normally do during rest periods--they can even go outside and play in the snow. During this time, the globe sits invisible, undetectable and undestructable at the location where the characters entered the globe.
   When the globe is gifted, the character has a dream that reveals the items functions to him or her.





Saturday, December 2, 2017

A NUELOW Christmas: What's Going Down at Nakatomi Plaza?



Thirty years ago, Hans Gruber staged a robbery in the Nakatomi building during a Christmas party. It ended badly for Gruber and his gang, but nearly every year since around Christmas time, there's been some sort of disaster or crisis there. This year, the player characters get drawn in! But what will it be this time?! Roll 1d10 to see and get an idea for a modern-day Christmas adventure for the player characters in your game!



WHAT IS THIS YEAR'S CHRISTMAS CRISIS AT NAKATOMI PLAZA?

   1. Hans Gruber's twin children have taken hostages and are demanding retired NYPD Detective John McClain surrender himself to them, so they can avenge the death of their father. (This is truly their motivation--with no hidden motives.)
   2. As #1, except the twins are trying to gain access to a secret lab on the 47th floor where Nakatomi is developing killer cyborgs. They want to steal them, and they want to test them on McClain on the way out.
   3. The latest upgrade to the Nakatomi U.S.'s central computer has caused it to become sentient. And murderous.
   4. The grandson of John McClain has taken a job with Nakatomi and is working on the 39th floor of the the Nakatomi building... and this has awakened the angry ghost of Hans Gruber. The mysterious deaths and accidents are his doing... and on Christmas Eve there will be a slaughter unless the PC's put him to rest once and for all.
   5. Nakatomi researchers have kidnapped and imprisoned Santa's daughter, Sugar Plum, in a secret lab in the tower; they are hoping to unlock the secret of the Claus Family's immortality as well as the secret surrounding the flying reindeer and sleigh. Santa and the elves have seized hostages and demand the PC's help free Sugar Plum.
   6. Computer hackers have infected the building's computer system with a virus and seized total control of all of its "smart systems." They want $10 million or they'll start killing people.
   7. A meeting between North Korean agents and industrial spies has gone wrong and the North Koreans have taken hostages in order to secure safe passage.
   8. Aliens have chosen Nakatomi Tower as their beachhead for invasion.
   9. Cultists are planning to sacrifice those attending a company Christmas party in a ritual to summon the Great Old Ones. They have been working as part of an interior decor remodel crew to turn the whole building into a giant ritual chamber.
   10. Neo-Nazis are hunting a Federal witness hiding in the building, killing whoever they come across. 

Friday, December 1, 2017

A NUELOW Christmas: Day One

It's December 1. The goal is to do a Christmas-related post every day--some may even be game related--until December 25.  Will we pull it off? Check back every day to find out!

The text in today's post is released under the Open Game License and may be reproduced in accordance with it. Copyright 2017 by Steve Miller.

MAGICAL CHRISTMAS COOKIES
A powerful person (rich, well-connected, a sorcerer, sorcerer-related, or just with access to magic), or perhaps even Santa himself, has gifted the player character party with a tin of magical Christmas cookies. Each type of cookie has a different effect (described on a piece of parchment in the tin), and it lasts for 8 hours or until another cookie from the tin is eaten. Each type of cookie is separated from the others by a thin sheet of paper.


    Danish Vanilla Wreaths (8 in the tin): +4 bonus to Bluff and Diplomacy skill checks. Ability to understand all Scandinavian languages.
    Gingerbread Santas (8 in the tin): +4 bonus to Move Silently and Hide skill checks. Ability to fall from up to 10 ft. and suffer no damage.
    Russian Tea Cakes (8 in the tin): +4 bonus to Gather Information and Intimidate skill checks. Ability to understand Russian.
    Shortbread Cookie (8 in the tin): +1 to all saving throws.
    Sugar Cookie Jesus (8 in the tin): Heal 1d6+1 hit points with a touch, up to a number of times equal to Wisdom+Charisma bonuses.
    White Christmas Chocolate Chip (8 in the tin): -2 damage from all elemental sources.

Although the cookies are the main attraction, but tin itself is also mildly magical. It keeps any food items placed within it fresh and edible without a need for refrigeration. The food items will still spoil at their normal rate.

--
Did you enjoy this post? Check out our products at RPGNow! Give us a Merry Christmas by buying something!

Saturday, December 24, 2016

The Christmas Rangers!

Here's a Christmas brainstorm! Maybe someday, we'll flesh this concept out with game stats and more!


INTRODUCING... THE CHRISTMAS RANGERS!
From their secret headquarters somewhere on the North Pole, the Christmas Rangers stand ready to assist Santa when those who are particular naughty try to ruin Christmas for others, or when the forces of evil try to target Santa directly (such as agents of the Martian Diktat, Americans for Freedom from Religion, or the Iranian Republican Guard), they leap into action, wielding supernatural powers and clad in hi-tech battle armor.
   The Christmas Rangers wear colored armor from which they derive their individual names and which matches the powers they wield. The armor fully encases the wearer so their race is concealed, and it is styled in such a way that it hides the wearer's sex so each Christmas Ranger is a representative of all of humanity.
   Thanks to their armor, all Christmas Rangers can fly as fast as Santa's reindeer, can fire multi-colored, powerful laser beams from their wrists, and have strength that rivals that of the legends such as Sampson, Herakles, and Chuck Norris. The powers of the individual Rangers are as follows:


   The Green Ranger: The power to cause Christmas trees to manifest, as well as to heal those who are injured or sick.
   The Gold Ranger: The power to inspire generosity of spirit in even the most self-centered and greedy person, as well as bolster the confidence and sense of community of all people of good will.
   The Red Ranger: The power to tell the naughty from the nice, as well as to reinvigorate the tired and fill those who feel defeated with renewed strength and purpose.
    White Ranger: The power to cause snow to fall in the nearby area in even the hottest of climates, as well as the ability to freeze enemies in their tracks and to muffle sound.


The White Ranger, unmasked.

Happy Christmas from NUELOW Games!

Happy Christmas to someone who never gets any Christmas well-wishes--Allah!





Our biggest desire is a worldwide ceasefire, because Santa is up in his sleigh!

"Merry Christmas, Allah!"

Harpy Feather of Caroling

This is a magic item that is simple to create and fun for the entire adventuring party. All actions described must be taken by the characters who will ultimately wear the Harpy Feather of Caroling.

First, one has to acquire a harpy feather. Any feather will do, but it must take taken from a live harpy... and the harpy must be alive after the feather has been acquired.

Second, the feather must be taken to the Grove of Yule where the Spirit of Christmas must be asked to bless it. This can be done on the night of the 24th into the 25th of every month of the year. Characters must enter the grove unarmed.

Third, the feather must be mounted in a setting and put on a necklace (Craft [jewelry] DC7). The setting and necklace can be made of any permanent material, and may be created by a third party, but the assembly must be performed by the character who will be the owner and wearer of the Harpy Feather of Caroling.

Once the item is complete, whenever the character wears it, he or she will unfailingly remember the lyrics to any uplifting or joyful song that he or she has read or heard at any point in her life. The item also grants a +10 bonus to Perform (singing) skill checks when such songs are sung by the character.

The Harpy Feather of Caroling radiates faint Enchantment magic, but it never works for any person but the intended wearer... unless that wearer gifts it to another person out of kindness and love, Then the magic transfers.

(The preceding text is released under the Open Game License and may be reproduced in accordance with it. Copyright Steve Miller 2016.)