Disembodied: For the character who won't call it quits

This character template is designed to reflect the way spirits are handled in most comic books, movies, and fiction, as opposed to the standard OGL d20 and OGL Modern games. It will be further fleshed out with a couple feats and a talent tree in a future post.

   (For the record, the primary characters being modeled here are DC Comics' Deadman and Holyoke/Gerona's Duke of Darkness.)

   It, and related material, is fully compatible with the superpower rules and alternate magic systems presented in NUELOW Games books like Madden's Boys, Mystery Woman of the Jungle, and The Curse of Egypt.
   All text is this post is released under the Open Game License and may be reproduced in accordance with it. Copyright 2015 Steve Miller.

Click here for more art by Rhaokja

DISEMBODIED TEMPLATE

Death isn't the end for this character's fight. Whether through divine or demonic intervention, or pure stubborness, the character's bodiless spirit remains in the world, continuing to pursue the goals it had in life.

   To acquire this template, the character must die--drop below -10 hp, or whatever threshold for character death is used in the campaign in question. The character is then modified as follows:

   Size and Type: Size technically remains the same as base creature, but there is nothing present but formless, substanceless spiritual energy. Creature type changes to Spirit. The character is neither undead nor living, but exists in an in-between state.

   Hit Dice: As base creature. (Hit points are generally meaningless for the Disembodied, but there are certain talents they can gain where they matter, so they should still be kept track of as the character gains levels.)

   Speed: As base creature.

   Armor Class/Defense Rating: As base creature, but the character is impervious to harm from all sources and weapons, save those coming from gods or certain rare and powerful artifacts.

   Attack/Full Attack Bonus: As base creature.

   Special Attacks: Disembodied characters can perform the following attacks with a full round action.

        Possess (Su): Take control of a living body. The Disembodied must make a successful touch attack. The targeted host receives a Will save vs. the Disembodied character's Wisdom attribute + 5. If the Disembodied successfully takes over the target, he or she now has full control of his or her body. The target's Strength, Constitution scores are unchanged, but the Intelligence and Wisdom scores are those of the Disembodied, as are all class- and level-dependent abilities. The Dexterity score becomes half of the combined Dexterity score of the target and the Disembodied's Dexterity score in life. The Charisma scores becomes half of the combined Charisma score of the target and the Disembodied. None of the target's class abilities, skills, feats, or knowledge is available to the Disembodied. 

   Only one Disembodied can possess a living being at a time. If a second Disembodied attempts to possess someone that is already "host" to a disembodied, it will seem as if an invisible wall is keeping the second Disembodied from entering the target.

   If the possessed body takes damage, the Disembodied must roll a Will save (DC15+damage suffered) or be ejected. If a host dies while the Disembodied is possessing him or her, the Disembodied must roll a Will save (DC30) or suffer the fate of death (permanent this time) as well.

   The Disembodied can end a possession at will, with a standard action.

   A character that is "host" to a Disembodied has no recollection of events while possessed.

   Special Qualities: Disembodied characters have the following special qualities

        Formless (Su): The Disembodied exist as pure psychic/spiritual energy. They may appear to     themselves as they did in life, but they have no actual form or substance. No barriers in the physical world can prevent entry, except those specifically prepared with magical rituals that ward off spirits.

        Invisible (Su): The character cannot be seen by any means, except by creatures who can see spirits, such as gods and cats.

        Damage Reduction (Su): All damage suffered by a Disembodied is reduced to 0, except for very specific and powerful artifacts, or spells and weapons wielded by gods.

   Abilities: The Disembodied has no Strength, Dexterity, or Constitution scores. However, there are some situations where the physical attributes that the Disembodied had in life can matter--such as the Dexterity score when possessing one of the living--so the old character sheet should still be retained. 

   Skills: All skills are retained and may be improved according to class and level advancement.

   Feats and Talent Trees: All feats and talents are retained. This template gives access to the Disembodied Spirit talent tree and feat.

   Terrain: Any, usually same as base creature.

   Organization/Allegience: Solitary/Same as base creature

   Challenge Rating: Same as base creature +2

   Advancement: By character class.

   

  

   Click here for Part Two of the "Disembodied" rules.

A draft feat for patriot/nationalistic/ethnically focused heroes

A draft of an OGL d20 feat that's suitable for characters like Captain America, Sabra, Pat Patriot, Major Victory, Bronze Terror, and many others. If used with OGL Modern, it should be added to the bonus feats available to Dedicated Heroes.

Spirit of a Nation
Identify a nation or ethnic group. You are a champion of that people and aspire to be a living embodiment of their highest ideals.
   Prerequisite: Charisma 15
   Benefit: Gain a +4 bonus to your attack rolls against foes who have declared themselves to be, or are recognizable through their uniform or other means, as enemies of those you champion.
   Special: If you have 5 or more ranks in Sense Motive, you gain a +2 synergy bonus to all Diplomacy and Intimidation skill checks.

Bronze Terror, a defender of his Native American tribe,
tribe, would be a character with the Spirit of a Nation feat.
(Cover from Real American No. 1 by Dick Briefer)

U is for Unknown Soldier

Unknown Soldier (first appeared in Our Flag #1, 1941)

Unknown Soldier is a mysterious figure about whom little is known. He is presumed to be an American, but, in truth, no one even knows for certain whether he is one individual or a group of them who share the identity. Even reporter Thelma Gordon whose investigation into the Unknown Soldier led to a brief physical relationship with him, never learned his real name nor got any confirmation whether he is one or many. (In August 1943. the United States Secret Service and War Department  requested that Gordon stop all research into the Unknown Soldier. She complied, but abbreviated versions of her notes on the Unknown Soldier were included in her memoirs, My Life Between the Capes.)
   The public appearance of the Unknown Soldier was in April of 1941, during a massive Nazi bombing raid on the British Isles. At that time, he wore a blue uniform with no insignias or designs and a blue mask. A few months later, he appeared in the United States, wearing a brown uniform with five stars on the chest. His mask was yellow... and he wore tight shorts and black riding boots. (In her book, Gordon noted, "I can't say much for his fashion sense, but he filled those shorts nicely.")
                                                              Art by Art Saaf (left) and B. Currie (right) 

   Whether he was one or many, the Unknown Soldier fought on the side of the Allied Forces in World War 2,.He was generally found on the home front, battling Axis spies and agents, as well as exposing their hidden allies sympathizers in the halls of power who sought to weaken the democratic nations from within. He usually worked closely with both law enforcement and military officials, and he seemed to have the backing of at least the United States military -- hence the demand that Gordon stop her research into his identity and how he came to be who is he was (or they were).
   The Unknown Soldier appeared to have some degree of invulnerability, superhuman strength, and the ability to fly. He could also spin through the air fast enough to create a mini-tornado with himself as the eye of the storm. He also carried a specially-designed gun that fired explosive rounds instead of normal bullets.
   The Unknown Soldier fought Axis forces in Great Britain and all over the United States and Canada from 1941 until June of 1945--after which time he disappeared as suddenly as he had arrived on the scene. He remains unknown to this day, seventy years later. In fact, all records relating to Unknown Soldier are so highly classified that both the U.S. and British governments deny they even exist.

WHO WAS THE UNKNOWN SOLDIER?
We're going to keep him mysterious, but whether he's one or many, he has the following traits, if viewed through the lense of our OGL d20 Superpowers system.

   * At minimum, he possesses the following Minor Power feats: Flight, Invulnerability, Speed, and Strength (which are all described in this post).
   * At minimum, he possesses the following talents: Resistance to Harm (from the Invulnerable tree) and Speed I, Speed II, and Speed III (from the Speed tree),

Additionally, the Unknown Soldier who wore the short-shorts and stars on his chest must possess this feat:

Shameless [General] 
You keep your cool in situations where most others would either be ashamed, embarrassed or painfully self-aware.
    Benefit: +2 bonus to Bluff and all 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.

Special Note: L.L. Hundal contributed to this post. The Shameless feat is presented under the Open Game License, and it may be reproduced accordingly. Copyright 2015 Steve Miller.

N is for Nang Tu

Nang Tu [First appeared in National Comics #13]

Nang Tu has lived for so long that she has no clear memory of her childhood, or the time before she gained what is essentially immortality. For untold centuries, she guarded the isolated Temple of the Man-Eating Spider and the magical All Seeing Eye that was embedded in the forehead of the giant Khotan Buddah statue in the temple's inner sanctum. She also served as the high priestess for the cult devoted to the Man-Eating Spider god.
   In 1941, playboy adventurer, sorcerer, psychopath, and superhero Merlin the Magician (aka Jock Kellog) came to Nang Tu's temple, intent on stealing the All Seeing Eye. In the process, he killed all the priests in the temple, including Nang Tu, and destroyed the structure with a magical explosion. However, since she was unable to die, Nang Tu spent decades of suffering, impaled on a spear and buried under the ruins of the temple--reviving and then being painfully killed by the spear Merlin drove through her body and the crushing weight of the rubble, over and over.
   In 2002, explorers in the employ of the Parker Foundation came to the isolated valley where the temple had once stood. While searching the ruins, they came upon Nang Tu and brought her back to their headquarters in the United States. Here, she was nursed back to health, with her body recovering faster than her mind, as she had been left deranged by sixty years of torture. When she regained control of her mental faculties, she swore her alleigance to the Foundation and her rescuers... but she is secretly investigating Jock Kellog's fate and family. She intends to avenge the destruction of the temple and religion she served for so long by ending Kellog's bloodline in as brutal a fashion as possible.


New Material for d20 SUPERS (an ongoing project at NUELOW Games)
The following feats and talent trees are possessed by Nang Tu (10th level Dedicated Hero/10th level Charismatic Hero). In addition, she has access to magic, as described in NUELOW's Feats of Mysticism & Magic.
   Everything from this point forward in this post is presented under the Open Game License and may be reproduced in accordance with it. Copyright 2015 Steve Miller.


NEW MINOR POWER: FAST HEALING
You heal more quickly than the normal person.
   Benefit: Regain 1d6 hit points per hour of rest, 1d3 if you are active.
   Special: If you have the Immortal talent, this feat stacks with the hit point regeneration.

NEW MINOR POWER: VENOM ATTACK
When dealing unarmed damage  to a foe, either through a scratch or a bite, you poison your foe.
   Benefit: If you successfully hit and inflict at least 1 point of unarmed damage on a living foe, you poison your target. You determine the effect of the poison when you choose this feat. In all cases, the target may roll a Fort save (DC12+1/2 your level (round down)+your Constitution bonus) to negate the effects. A new save must be rolled each time you score a hit.
   Lethal: The target suffers 2d4 hit points of damage every minute until the venom is neutralized, until he or she dies, or until the venom runs its course. The effect lasts a number of minutes equal to your Constitution bonus.
   Paralyzing: The target cannot move for a number of minutes equal to your Constitution bonus.
   Weakening: At the end of the round upon which you first struck, the target's Strength and Constitution attribute scores are reduced by a number of points equal to your Constitution bonus. The reduction is temporary and lasts a number of minutes equal to your Constitution bonus.

NEW TALENT TREE: UNSTOPPABLE
You are immortal, either in appearance or in fact.
   Unaging: You remain the age you are when you select this talent. You can still be aged by extraordinary, magical or supernatural effects. Further, you no longer need food or drink to survive, although you still feel hunger and thirst.
   Immunity: Select a type of damage from the following list. You are immune to all damage of that type. Acid, Cold, Electricity, Fire, Piercing, Poison/Venom, Magic.
   This talent can be selected more than once. Each time it is chosen, a different immunity must be specified.
   Prerequisite: Fast Healing, one other Minor Power Feat. One talent from the Invulnerable talent tree.
   Immortality: If you are are reduced below -10 hit points (dead), and your body would still be able to function save for the wounds, you immediately begin to recover hit points at the rate of 1 point per minute. You remain unconscious until you are restored to +1 hit point. Wounds to not heal, and if the damage is from an ongoing source (such as a spear lodged in your body, or a rock crushing parts of it), the damage that originally brought you below -10 hit points must be re-rolled). Immortality in such a circumstance can be more of a curse than a blessing.
   Prerequisite: Immunity
 

Friday Freebie: Meet Kismet, the original Muslim Superhero

This weekend, Jan 9 - Jan. 11, everyone can download Complete Golden Age Oddballs: Kismet & Penny Parker for free. The book collects for the first time every single appearance of the first Muslim comic book superhero... a figure who is closer to what little would-be Jihadists to aspire to than any real-world role-models they have. It's too bad the character only appeared in an obscure comic book, from an obscure imprint that was barely around for a year.

Maybe, if Kismet had become an international figure like Superman, Batman, or Tintin, maybe psychopaths wouldn't find easy justification in their religious beliefs for acting out, nor would others be so quick to defend their actions or offer broad condemnations that indict truly devout and peaceful Muslims.

Read the stories. See if you can pick up on what I mean. Yes, this is a simple comic book... but Kismet is a far better exemplar of a Warrior of Islam than any member of al Qaida, Boko Haram, Hamas, or any other front-man for a club for psychos has ever been.

Click here to get your free copy of the book at DriveThruComics. (FYI, we also use Kismet, Man of Fate, in our forthcoming Complete Golden Age Oddballs: Iron Lady & Electric Ray.)

You can see some previews of Complete Golden Age Oddballs: Kismet & Penny Parker by visiting the Shades of Gray blog. There are also previews on the listings page at DriveThruComics.

'The Three Lives of Fantomah: Book One'

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

The cover for The Three Lives of Fantomah: Book One

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

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

Q is for Quicken

There is only one character I could find that fits the theme of this series whose name starts with "Q" -- and that would be the Queen of Evil. Using her would not only be more than just a little bit of a cheat, since her actual name is Nagana. There's also the added problem that I already wrote about her in the next material included in John Kerry vs. the Queen of Evil,

So, instead, I'm going to add another talent tree to the OGL d20 System that was introduced on this very blog, and the basics of which was published in their entirety in Madden's Boys.

NEW SUPER TALENT TREE: QUICKEN
   Prerequisite: Any one Minor Power feat
   Fast Acting: You gain a +2 bonus to all initiative rolls.
   Fast Moving: You gain a +2 bonus to all Sleight of Hand checks, as well as a +2 bonus to Defense Rating if not caught flat-footed.
   Prerequisite: Fast Acting
   Fast Working: You can complete any skill that normally takes more than one round in half the time without suffering any penalties.

K is for Kismet

Kismet, the Man of Fate, is, as far as I can tell, the first Muslim superhero. It's too bad he didn't catch on and become an international phenomenon. If he had, maybe the public face of Islam wouldn't be frothing-in-the-beard murderers. Kismet may fight evil, but violence is a last resort and he never harms innocent people. In fact, Kismet even tries to avoid harming the guilty, instead often letting their own actions lead to their doom. While fighting the evil of the Nazis, Kismet tries to be an examplar of someone who follows the "religion of peace"

"Kismet,Man of Fate" was a feature in all four issues of Bomber Comics--a slightly unfortunate title in retrospect, given the "Lions of Islam" that have emerged in the real world in recent decade--a title that came and went with its publisher, Eliot, in 1944. Other than being able to be a force for righteousness and freedom in the name of Allah, Kismet seemed to have an ability to predict what he enemies were going to do, with an ability to dodge their attacks as they are being launched, or to engineer events so his foes take each other out. He also rocks the shirtless-with-a-cape look like no one else. And he even looks good in a fez.

Kismet is the lead feature in the next issue of  Complete Golden Age Oddballs. Look for this space for an announcement of the publication date. Meanwhile, here's an add-on to NUELOW's superpower system for OGL d20 that reprents Kismet's uncanny ability to predict where fate will strike next.

NEW MINOR POWER: FORESIGHT
You have the ability to see a fraction of a second into the future.
   Benefit: You gain a permanent +2 adjustment to all initiative rolls.


NEW POWER TALENT TREE: FORESIGHT
You are able to sense what the immediate future will bring, and act accordingly. You don't always know exactly what is about to happen, but you know you have to act.
   Prerequisite: Any one Power Feat.
  Enhanced Foresight: You gain a +2 bonus to all to all initiative rolls, as well as a +1 bonus to your Defense Rating while awake or conscious.
   Improved Foresight: You gain a +1 bonus to all initiative rolls, as well as a +2 bonus to your Defense Rating while awake or conscious. You also gain a +2 bonus to all attack rolls.
   Prerequisite: Enhanced Foresight
   In Control: Once per game session, you can re-roll any single initiative roll, attack roll, or skill check. You may choose between the original or re-rolled results.
   Pre-requisite: Enhanced Foresight
   Master of Destiny: As In Control, but you my re-roll once per encounter.
   Prerequisite: In Control

I is for Invisibility

A while back, we introduced a new super power system for use with OGL Modern and other d20 System RPGs. It uses the feats and talent trees system rather than layering another set of mechanics or adding more classes to an already complex system.

Since I couldn't find an obscure superhero that I felt like adding to the NUELOW Games stable, I am instead adding the Invisibility Talent Tree to the d20 Supers system. (You can see the foundation of the system by clicking here.)

This is a bit off-the-cuff, so it will probably be revised before it finds its way into an actual product. If you want to offer input, it will be considered and appreciated.


NEW MINOR POWER: STEALTHY
You have an unnaturally developed ability to move stealthly.
   Benefit: You gain a +4 bonus to Move Silently skill checks.


NEW TALENT TREE: INVISIBILITY
You can become hard to see or totally invisible at will. The invisibility can be activated by a thought, and remains in effect until he wills himself visible again, or loses consciousness. The characters clothes and carried objects become invisible as well.
   Prerequisite: At least one Minor Power Feat.
   Shadowy: By taking a standard attack action, you turn partially invisible. You gain a +2 bonus to all Hide checks. This bonus increases to +6 if you are in a dark area or it is night.
   Invisible: By taking a standard attack attack action, you turn invisible. All attacks made against you suffer a -6 penalty. You can still be seen by creatures that can see invisible objects, and you can be sensed by equipment that detects body heat or movement. Likewise, if you step in a puddle, are submerged in water, stand in heavy rain, or if someone fills the air with dust or flour that clings to you, you essentially become visible
   Prerequisite: Shadowy
   Insubstantial: As Invisible, except the character becomes vapourous and become immune to damage from all damage sources except those that compress or displace air, such as extreme heat and cold. The character suffers normal damage from such attacks.
   Prerequisite: Invisible

NUELOW d20 Supers (Part Two)

Here's a little more of the OGL Modern superpowers add-on system that's slated to appear in our forthcoming Madden's Boys book. The pre-req for these talent trees is at least one of the Minor Power feats described in this post.

More to come --and feedback is always welcomed. (This post is published under the Open Gaming License. Copyright 2013 Steve Miller.)

A NEW SYSTEM FOR SUPERPOWERS IN OGL MODERN AND MORE

(Part Two)

TALENT TREES

INVULNERABLE
Robust: The character becomes especially robust, gaining a number of hit points equal to his or her character level as soon as this talent is selected. Thereafter, the character gains +1 hit point with each level gained.
   Resistence to Harm: Damage suffered from all non-magical and supernatural sources is reduced by 10 points. This reduction is is applied before saving throws or other damage-reducing mechanics are applied.
   Resistence to Magic: Damage suffered from all magical and supernatural sources is reduced by 15 points. This reduction is is applied before saving throws or other damage-reducing mechanics are applied.

   Unbreakable: Damage suffered from all non-magical sources is reduced by an additional 25 points. This reduction is is applied before saving throws or other damage-reducing mechanics are applied.
   Prerequisite: Resistence to Harm, Robust.

SPEED
Speed I: When making a full-round action, the character may take an extra unarmed attack, or take an extra attack with any held weapon The character also gains a +2 dodge bonus to Defense Rating and Reflex save, as well as a +10-feet per level increase to movement rate per round. The character can maintain his increased movement rate for a number of rounds equal to his character level before suffering from fatigue.
   Speed II: As Speed I, except the increase in movement rate per round is +20 feet per level.  
   Prerequisite: Speed I
   Speed III: When making a full-round action, the character may take two extra unarmed attack, or take two extra attacks with any held weapon The character also gains a +4 dodge bonus to Defense Rating and Reflex save, as well as a +40-feet per level increase to movement rate per round. The character can maintain his increased movement rate for a number of rounds equal to twice his character level before suffering from fatigue
   Prerequisite: Speed II
   Speed IV: As Speed III, except the increased movement rate can be maintained for a number of minutes equal to the character's level.
   Prerequisite: Speed III

d20 Supers (Part One)

I have an idea for superpower mechanics for use with OGL Modern and other d20 OGL systems. It uses the feats and skill tree system. Here's the starting point... characters who possess one or more of these feats each representing the weakest manifestation of traditional comic book superpowers, will then be able to pick "Superpower Talent Trees" (perhaps not the best name... but they're talent trees that give access to increasimgly strong powers),

The Superpower Talent Trees will follow in a bit.

Feel free to sound off on the feats and the idea in general. That's what the comments section is for after all. (These feats are published under the Open Game License and may be reproduced according to the terms described here. Copyright 2013 Steve Miller.)

A NEW SYSTEM FOR SUPERPOWERS IN OGL MODERN AND MORE

(Part One)

THE FEATS

Minor Power: Flight

You are able to “leap tall buildings in a single bound.”
   Benefit: You can fly (Perfect) up to 250 feet vertically, or 100 feet in horizontally. If you plummet after reaching your maximum altitude vertically, you will suffer falling damage.

   Special: This feat is a prerequisite for the Superpowers Talent Trees.

Minor Power: Invulnerability

Sticks and stones DON'T break your bones.
   Benefit: Damage from blunt, piercing, and slashing weapons is reduced by 2 points. You gain a +4 bonus to rolls made to resist or reduce damage from acid, cold, electricity, heat, and falling.

   Special: This feat is a prerequisite for the Superpowers Talent Trees.

Minor Power: Speed

You move quicker than normal people.
   Benefit: You gain a +2 bonus to all initiative rolls. The character can also move up to 60 ft. in a round without suffering penalties to Move Silently or Hide skill checks.
   Special: This feat is a prerequisite for the Superpowers Talent Trees

Minor Power: Strength
You are a physical powerhouse.
   Benefit: The character’s Strength and Constitution attributes increase by 3 when this feat is chosen.

   Special: This feat is a prerequisite for the Superpower Talent Trees.