Meet Myron the Living Voodoo Doll

In issues of the anthology title "Dork" and elsewhere, writer and artist, Evan Dorkin brought us tales of Myron the Living Voodoo Doll. Here's an example of one.

Each strip saw Myron have a mishap and that mishap was passed onto some unfortunate victim elsewhere in the world. For reasons that are probably too disturbing to dwell on, NUELOW Games's head honcho finds Myron hilarious. He also thinks he would be an interesting addition to your games.

AN RPG SUPPLEMENT

Design: Steve Miller * Eye Rolls: L.L. Hundal

Based on "Myron the Living Voodoo Doll" by Evan Dorkin

(Myron the Living Voodoo Doll is used without permission... 

and in the hopes that Mr. Dorkin doesn't sic lawyers or Myron on us.)

INTRODUCING MYRON

Myron is the most unusual of voodoo dolls. He is alive, and he wanders about of his own volition. He does not initially seem different from other voodoo doll, but he has the following unique traits:

   * Myron is self-aware and he can speak. If a person thinks to talk to him, he will respond. He will explain his unique nature, but only if asked. (Myron is too busy contemplating the meaningless nature of existence to volunteer information to those he encounters.)

   * Myron can't help but become bonded either to the last person who handles him, or a person that individual chooses to place a curse upon. Whatever harm (or other extreme physical situation, such as being flung across a room) that subsequently befalls Myron also happens to the person who is subject to his inherent voodoo magic. Once bonded to Myron through his voodoo enchantment, (Myron doesn't necessarily want bad things to happen to people, but he is a voodoo doll so he can't help it.)

   * Myron is a tireless wanderer who is forever seeking new horizons. He never remains in one place for more than a few days. He is also one of the greatest escape artists to ever exist. Once he decides it's time for him to move on, there is nothing that prevent him from doing so. (Myron is completely immune to magic that tries to bind him or keep him trapped. Any such attempts cause him to teleport to a random location far, far away... while the person who attempted to magically trap him is subjected to Myron's inherent voodoo curse.)

   * If Myron is destroyed, he reforms 1d6 days later at a random location (see "Where in the World is Myron?, below). If someone had intentionally tried to destroy him that person is now subject to Myron's inherent voodoo curse--until it is shifted onto someone else. (Myron cannot be destroyed by any conventional--or even unconventional--means. The only ways to put an end to his existence and the inherent voodoo curse he carries is to either convince him that he doesn't exist via philosophical debate, or to bring him into the presence of God [the Clockmaker, the Creator, the Big Guy Himself], which will make Myron realize that existence is not meaningless.)

HOW DO THE HEROES ENCOUNTER MYRON? (Roll 1d6)

This table is used to both determine how the party first meets Myron, as well as how they might randomly encounter him again later. 

1-2. They find him among the property of a foe they've just defeated.

3. One of them receives a package from an unknown sender. Myron is inside.

4. His is found laying outside one of their homes.

5. A friend (or even an enemy) contacts them and begs them to track Myron, because he or she has fallen victim to Myron's curse and is suffering from random injuries and other mishaps.

6. He drops into one of their laps. Literally.

The GM should roll 1d20 once per game month after the party's first experience with Myron is resolved. On a roll of 1, they cross paths with him again.

WHERE IN THE WORLD IS MYRON (Roll 2d20)

This table is used to determine where Myron can be found.

2. On a city street

3. In a daycare center

4. In a prison

5. In a city dump

6. At a train station

7. At a bus depot

8. By the sea shore

9. Along a busy highway

10. Along a country road
11. In the highlands
12. In a swamp
13. In a forest
14. In a jungle
15. In a desert

16. On a golf course

17. In a school

18. At a construction site

19. In the mountains

20. In a coal mine

21. In a cemetery

22. In a war zone

23. In a crack house

24. In a teenaged girl's bedroom

25. In a teenaged boy's bedroom

26. In a church

27. In a mosque

28. In a synagogue

29. In a serial killer's lair

30. In a politician's office

31. Floating on a lake

32. On a weather balloon

33. Floating on a river

34. In a high-rise office building

35. In a top secret government lab

36. On Paradise Island

37. On Gilligan's Island

38. At John Wick's house

39. At the home of a player character's loved ones

40. At a NASA or other space-exploration launch site.

HOW LONG DOES MYRON STAY? (Roll 1d6)

Myron stays in any given area for a limited amount of time, even if the party arranges for him to be trapped (as indicated in "Introducing Myron"). This table determines how long he can be found in the area determined by rolling on "Where in the World is Myron?"

1. 24 hours

2. 48 hours

3. 72 hours

4. 1d6 days

5. 1d6 weeks

6. 1d20+10 hours

   After the indicated period of time has passed, the GM rolls on on "Where in the World is Myron?" to determine where he can next be found.

DAMAGE SUFFERED FROM VOODOO CURSE (Roll 1d12)

Each day, it's relevant to determine if a character is injured due to being subject to Myron's inherent  voodoo curse, the GM must roll 1d12. On a "12" he or she rolls on the table below to determine what harm comes to the sufferer. If 1-2 hit points are taken, the character suffers minor discomfort or a sudden appearance of bruises or mild burns. Anything beyond that is painful and possibly lethal. Charactes may roll appropriate saving throws and benefit from any resistances to types of damage they may possess.

   Myron is destroyed if he takes more than 30 hit points of damage. He reappears at a random location 1d6 days later. While Myron is out of commission, there is no need to see if a cursed character suffers an injury.

Types and Amount of Damage

1. Cold Damage: 2d10

2. Crushing Damage: 2d10

3. Drowning Damage: 2d10

4. Electrical/Energy Damage: 2d10

5. Falling Damage:  2d10

6. Fire Damage: 2d10

7. Cold Damage: 4d10

8. Crushing Damage: 4d10

9. Drowning Damage: 4d10

10. Electrical/Energy Damage: 4d10

11. Falling Damage:  4d10

12. Fire Damage: 4d10

If you enjoyed this post, consider supporting Evan Dorkin's current comics efforts via his Patreon page.

d20 System Feat: Like a Phoenix

Here's a d20 System feat similar to something we may already have done something similar to in Secrets of the Immortals. If we didn't, we probably should have.


LIKE A PHOENIX [General, Minor Power]
When the character dies, he or she is instantly reborn in a blast of fire.
   Prerequisite: Strength 12, Constitution 13, Charisma 12

   Benefit: Whenever the character is reduced to -10 hit points, his or her body explodes, causing 1d10+10 points of fire damage to all living beings within melee range. Any non-magical items carried or won by the character are reduced to smoldering ash, as is the character's body.
   The player of the deceased character should roll initiative for the following round. On the indicated initiative, a swirl of embers and smoke solidifies into the character's body, at full hit points, and cured of any temporary penalties to attributes or levels. The character is completely nude when resurrected in this fashion.

   Special: Whenever the character is recreated from his or her ashes, the character loses a maximum of 500XP (to the minimum needed to retain his or her current level). The character's age is also reduced 1d6+6 years (to the minimum starting age). Additionally, the player must roll a successful Fortitude save (DC18). If the saving throw fails, the character suffers a permanent loss of 1 Constitution point.

   If the character's Constitution is reduced to 11 or lower, this feat no longer provides any benefit.

(All text in this post is presented under the Open Game License, and it may be reproduced in accordance with its terms.)

Puzzini's Elixir of Immortality

This post was inspired by "Forever and Ever" by Steve Ditko, one of four short stories that are included in the forthcoming NUELOW Games comics/RPG-hybrid book "Immortal Tales by Steve Ditko". (Some version of this material will be included in it.)

On May 23, 1568, the Italian alchemist Mario Puzzini sent messengers to his fellow practicioners of the Arts that he had successfully created an elixir of immortality. When his fellow alchemists arrived at his laboratory a few days later, however, they found the place ransacked and Puzzini and his assistant missing. Puzzini was never heard from or seen again, and the heaps of ashes found in the fireplace was believed to all that remained of his notes regarding his many alchemical discoveries--including the secret of immortality.

A few years later, rumors began to arise that the assistant, Georgio, has been spotted in different places throughout Italy and Europe. It was further claimed that he was living proof that Puzzini's immortality formula had worked--or, more specifically, immortal proof that the formula had worked. It also came to be widely believed that Georgio had murdered Puzzini and stolen his secrets and that the ashes in the fireplace was to throw pursuers off his trail. As time passed, rumors became legends, and those legends passed into near-forgotten obscurity... but well-informed alchemists continued to hold out hope that Puzzini's formula could still be found, either due to an immortal being walking the Earth.

The truth is that Georgio did indeed become immortal by drinking Puzzini's elixir. The mixture was flawed, however, and it was Puzzini himself who destroyed his lab and burned the notes and formulas; the aging alchemist was so angered and disappointed by his failure that he quit the art of alchemy on that day. He did, however, let Georgio keep the notebook containing Puzzini's final attempt at creating an immortality elixir, so that he Georgio might have a chance to perfect it, or do undo its effects.

Unfortunately for Georgio, Puzzini's notebook was taken from him by an unscrupulous mystic from whom he sought assistance during the late 1700s and he has no idea what has become of it. But maybe he can cross the paths of a group of heroes who have the skills and motivation to help free him from what he has come to view as a living Hell, and perhaps even succeed where Puzzini failed.


PUZZINI'S ELIXIR IN THE d20 SYSTEM
This section describes how to use Puzzini's Notebook to create his elixir of immortality and what happens to a mortal who consumes it. .

Creating Puzzini's Elixir of Immortality

The method for creating Puzzini's Elixir of Immortality is described in a notebook that consists of 100 pages of parchment bound within plan leather covers. The pages are covered with writing and formulas written with a spidery script. It takes 3d4+2 hours of total time, as well as a successful  (DC14) or Knowledge: Arcane Lore (DC19) skill checks to understand its content and successfully understand the content and thus apply it to the creation of Puzzini's Elixir of Immortality.

   Once the material in the notebook has been mastered, the character must have access to a well-equipped alchemist lab and at least 3 ranks in the Knowledge: Physical Sciences skill or 5 ranks in Knowledge: Arcane in order to actually create a dose of the Elixir. A successful brewing process takes a 12 hours of uninterrupted work and careful monitoring of distillation and the mixing and remixing of the liquids and two successful Knowledge: Physical Sciences (DC18) or Knowledge: Arcane Lore (DC15) skill.

   The nature of the elixir that is created at the end of the process depends on the success or failures of the skill checks.

If both skill checks fail during the brewing process, the resulting elixir has the following effect:

* The consumer must roll a Fortitude save (DC13). If the saving throw fails, the character's Constitution attribute is immediately reduced by 1 point. He or she falls very ill and is sickened for ten days, minus his or her Constitution bonus (adjusted if necessary). The character regains the Constitution point upon recovery from the illness.

If one skill check fails during the brewing process, the resulting elixir has the following effect:

* The consumer immediately becomes 2d10+10 years younger. If the elixir is consumed by a player character, the age cannot be less than the minimum starting age for the character's race, but NPCs can be reduced to infancy. The character's levels Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma attributes remain unaffected, but adjustments may have be made to Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution attribute scores if the character has been reduced to young adulthood or even younger. The character ages as normal, just starting from the point to which the clock was turned back.

If no skill checks are failed during the brewing process, the resulting elixir has the following effect:

* The consumer immediately becomes 2d10 years younger. The age cannot be less than the minimum starting age of a player character of the consumer's race.

* The character no longer ages, and is immune to all aging effects, natural and magical.

* The character is immune to all physical harm from any source, including radiation, toxins, and poisons. As soon as he or she is about to take damage, the character immediately becomes insubstantial. He or she remains in this state until the source of the potential physical harm is no longer dealing damage.

* The character is seized with a lack of ambition and is disinterested in improving him- or herself. He or she has a 50% penalty on all earned experience points (round down).

* The character is drained of creative impulses and finds it hard to focus on intellectual matters. He or she has a -6 penalty to all Craft, Knowledge, and Perform skill checks. The character has a -2 penalty to all Bluff, Intimidate, Hide, Search and Spot skill checks.

*The effects of the elixir persist for 10d100+100 years. Once its duration ends, the character begins to age normally and all penalties to experience point gain 

Creating an Antidote to Puzzini's Elixir of Immortality

Creating an Antidote to Puzzini's Elixir of Immortality requires access to a well-equipped alchemy lab, or a well-equipped modern chemistry lab with either access to Puzzini's original formula or a sample of the correctly brewed elixir to analyze. 

   If a character is starting from Puzzini's formula, he or she must first successfully reverse engineer it. This requires 2d6+4 hours of intensive research, as well as a Knowledge: Arcane Lore (DC14, reduced to DC11 if the character has 5 or more ranks in the Knowledge: Physical Sciences skill). If the skill check fails, the character cannot create a successful antidote until gaining an additional rank in the Arcane Lore skill; at that time, he or she can try the skill check again. (However, the character must still spent six hours of uninterrupted work, distilling and mixing liquids in order to create a sweet-tasting but otherwise unremarkable potion.)

   Once a successful formula has been devised, it takes six hours of uninterrupted work, distilling and mixing liquids, as well as two successful Craft: Chemical skill checks (DC12). The end result is one dose that, if consumed within 24 hours of its creation, will end neutralize Puzzini's Elixir of Immortality and all of its effects. The character once again ages normally, can suffer injury and death, and is no longer subject to any skill check or experience point penalties.

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If there's any interest whatsoever, we can provide some random adventure outline generation tables involving where Puzzini's journal can be found. Just let us know.